ID: 1990
Presenting Author: Ibrahim Salau
Session: 629 - Post-Resettlement Realities: Trust, Housing, and Livelihoods Reconsidered
Status: pending
RAPs often overlook emotional and social ties. Using Orogun RAP in Ibadan, this study shows place attachment shapes outcomes and recommends participatory, grounded measures to improve legitimacy and l
Urban infrastructure projects often trigger involuntary resettlement, a persistent challenge for sustainable planning. In many low- and middle-income settings, Resettlement Action Plans (RAPs) prioritize valuation, compensation, and physical relocation, while overlooking residents’ emotional, cultural, and social ties to place. This study examines how integrating “place attachment”—people’s affective bond with their environment—can improve outcomes. Focusing on the Orogun Channel RAP under the Ibadan Urban Flood Management Project (IUFMP) in Oyo State, Nigeria, it synthesizes project documents, stakeholder consultations, and socio-economic survey data. Findings show that place identity, community cohesion, and collective memory strongly shape displacement experiences, willingness to relocate, and post-move recovery. Although the Orogun RAP complied with World Bank OP 4.12 and national land laws, interventions emphasized material rehabilitation, leaving psychosocial needs largely unaddressed. The paper proposes a conceptual and policy framework to embed place attachment into resettlement planning and implementation: participatory mapping to identify “everyday anchors” and social networks; culturally grounded compensation and site selection that preserve access, visibility, and group clustering; and psychosocial support to mitigate stress and sustain community ties. Integrating these measures can enhance legitimacy, reduce grievances, and accelerate livelihood restoration in Nigerian resettlement practice.
Ibrahim Salau is the Managing Director of EnvAccord Limited (a sub-Saharan Africa focused E&S consultancy) based in Lagos, Nigeria. He is an experienced E&S consultant of over 25 years.