Residents’ Evaluation of Road Utilization as Space for Holding Social Ceremonies in Indigenous Residential Area of Ogbomoso, Nigeria

This study examined Residents’ evaluation of turning transport infrastructure (road) to spaces for holding social ceremonies in the indigenous residential zone of Ogbomoso, an indigenous city in Oyo State, Nigeria. Upon stratifying the city into the three identifiable zones, the core, otherwise known as the indigenous residential zone was isolated for study. Of the twenty (20) political wards in the two local government areas of the town, fifteen (15) wards that were totally or almost totally located in the indigenous zone constituted the study area. Respondents were selected along one out of every three (33.3%) of the Trunk – C (local) roads being the one mostly used for the purpose in the study area. The respondents were the residents, commercial motorists, commercial motorcyclists, and celebrants. Six hundred and forty-two (642) questionnaire were administered and harvested on the spot. The Mean Analysis generated from the respondents’ rating of twelve perceived hazards (resulting from turning roads to space for holding social ceremonies) listed in the questionnaire were then used to determine respondents’ most highly rated perceived consequences of the practice (noisy environment, Blockage of drainage by waste, and Endangering the life of the sick on the way to hospital); the most highly rated reasons why the practice came into being (lack of strict enforcement of the law against the action, and high cost of renting halls); and level of acceptability of the practice (found to be very unacceptable) in the study area. Policy makers should therefore focus their attention on strict enforcement of the law prohibiting the practice in order to ensure more cordial relationship among the citizenry, seeing citizens’ unacceptability of the practice in the study area.