ASSESSMENT OF SPATIAL ORGANIZATION FOR ENHANCED SECURITY AND SAFETY IN THE DESIGN OF GURARA TOURIST CENTRE, NIGER STATE

ABSTRACT

Generally,  the  importance  of  tourism  keeps  rising  day  by  day  and  in  all  its ramifications, it is of significant importance to the economy, social, and environmental well-being of a country. Tourism is an increasingly important source of income, employment and wealth in many countries and its rapid expansion has been considered as an interesting possibility for sustainable development, including poverty reduction, in Nigeria.  Nigeria  is  a  country with  very rich  tourism  potentials  which  is  gradually becoming an essential part of the country‟s economy. The failure or the success of a tourist centre is dependent on its ability to be able to deliver a secure and safe environment for visitors and this is far more important than any other economic activity. Tourism is a human endeavour that can only flourish in a peaceful world. Nevertheless, the tourism industry experiences opposition as kidnapping, unrest, and most recently terrorism. Security issues continue to raise a threat to tourism development and this has caused  several  setbacks  for  tourism  development  within  the  country  and  as  such security challenges should be evaluated and resolved as much as possible. This study assessed spatial organization for security and safety measures in the design of Gurara tourist  centre,  Niger  State.  Descriptive  research  method  was  employed  for  the assessment of this research. The first phase of the research included desk study of relevant literatures or materials on tourism as a whole including security and safety as it applies to it. This phase brought about the deduction of variables as; zoning for security, nature of site boundary, drop off procedure, hard landscaping for security, soft landscaping for security, number of entry points, availability of a tour guide and watch tower.  Data  was  collected  with  the  use  of  an  observation  schedule  after  selecting samples using the convenience non-random sampling procedure. Six tourist centres were selected across the country and the deduced variables were carefully observed across them. These data gotten via observation were analysed through content analysis and the findings showed that a planning for single route entry had the highest level of consideration 90 percent while the level of importance given to a definite site boundary, hard landscaping for security, soft landscaping for security had the least consideration with a percentage level 27.5 percent. A good drop off procedure had a percentage consideration of about 66.6 percent and an ideal zoning showed a percentage consideration of about 50 percent. In general security and safety measures have not been properly adopted in tourism development and most tourism centres have not been well developed and properly planned for thereby making them vulnerable to security threats. The research recommends that for a country as Nigeria yet to reach its full potential in the tourism industry, designing for enhanced security be considered and instilled as an utmost importance in the design of tourist centres by professionals and urges the government to look into the development of potential tourist centres within the country.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0       INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

All over the globe, the industry of tourism over time has been greatly affected by civil unrest  threats,  and  issues  of terrorism  (Simplice  et  al.,  2019).  The introduction  of security and safety are crucial to delivering and ensuring a safe tourism. The failure or the success of a tourist centre is dependent on its ability to be able to deliver a secure and  safe  environment  for  visitors  and  this  is  far  more  important  than  any  other economic activity (Nwokorie, 2014).

Tourism all over the world or in many countries have been a vital and crucial source of income, wealth and employment with an astonishing increasing rate. Its strong growth has indeed been hailed as a great opportunity for long-term development, including poverty reduction in Nigeria. Tourism is a human endeavour that can only flourish in a peaceful   world.   Nevertheless,   the   tourism   industry   experiences   opposition   as kidnapping, unrest, and most recently terrorism. Terrorism is an issue of concern with various views making it open to diverse interpretations as pertaining to motives and causes. However, it can be generally described as an intentional, politically driven violence against civilians by groups or agents (US Department of State, 2004).

Nigeria have been seen to have a limitation as regarding the facilities and conditions of tourist centres which in turn poses a considerable risk to travellers. Bankole, (2002) Pointed out the fact that one of the key variables that Nigeria has failed to look out for is that of safety and security. In his article, he explains how the US Department of State alerts US people about the risks of traveling to Nigeria because of violent crimes committed by terrorists as well as persons in police and military uniforms. Kidnappings for ransom of people involved in the petroleum industry, including US citizens, are still popular in the Niger Delta, and using public transportation in Nigeria is risky and should be avoided, according to the US travel advisory. Kidnapping for ransom of person has been seen to pose a threat throughout the country leading to safety and security alarms within remote and tourist areas within the country.

Essential components of tourist centres or tourism product is the core feature that can distinguish  between  a  good  destination  and  a  memorable destination  (Candela  and Figini, 2012). Essential components of tourist centres are crucial for tourism in any country and it is not encouraging in a general sense that these components are not properly organized in Nigeria which in turn has led to various problems. Transportation (transporting visitors), lodging (providing shelter, protection, and comfort), and sustenance (food and beverages) are all necessary components. Recreation facilities (swimming pools, tennis courts, indoor games); entertainment facilities (theatre, movie shows); historical and scientific sights, favourable climate, and retail facilities, on the other hand, are optional components (Okpolo et al., 2008).

1.2        Statement of the Research Problem

As the incidence of violent crimes, robbery,  and kidnapping continues to increase, security and safety needs to be planned and designed alongside building design. Today insecurity has become a global phenomenon especially in public buildings (Omoyibo & Akpomera, 2012). According to Adora, (2010) the security warning declared by international organisation towards its citizen as regarding tourism activity in Nigeria should not be argued but be seen as a genuine security alarm, propelling us towards identifying, evaluating and providing adequate ways in reducing, eliminating, or coping with them. The guarantee of security and safety is very crucial to providing quality experience in the tourism industry and has also been an indispensable criterion for travel and tourism (Page & Connell, 2006). Today, security is not an issue for the armed forces alone but has become an issue that must concern the society at large. Although, not all of these threats can be stopped, it could be curtailed by using carefully organized spaces to allow for secured occupancy and easy evacuation in case of emergency, outbreak or other related circumstances; as well as controlling circulation of people and vehicles within and around the development. Based on all these, all available measures have to be looked into to handle this hostile situation that has befall our society.

1.3       Aim and Objectives of the Study

The aim of this study is to assess spatial organization for security and safety measures in the design of a tourist centre.

In other to achieve this aim, the objectives of this study are to;

i.   Understand the basic principles of designing tourist developments or centres.

ii.  Identify the various elements of design that affect security and safety which can be adopted in public buildings environments, specifically tourist centres.

iii. Assess the various security and safety measures employed in the design of existing tourist centres.

iv. Propose  an  appropriate  design  that  integrate  passive  security  and  safety measures to enhance the design of tourist centres.

1.4       Justification of Study

Gurara waterfalls holds a very strong potential to be developed to a world class tourist centre due to its pleasant weather, captivating sceneries, and favourable vegetation; and can be believably developed to the standard of the Niagra Falls, and Victoria Falls. All these potentials have remained to be potentials that have not been harnessed to the fullest.  An  access  road,  a  hut  and  an  observation  spot  are  the  only developments existing at the falls over the years (Musa et al., 2018). The Gurara water fall is not developed, thereby making its potential as a tourist centre untapped. A well-designed tourist centre with security and safety in the design consideration at the Gurara falls will go a long way in harnessing the potentials of the tourist centre.

The tourism industry in Nigeria has a lot of untapped potential. Adeleke (2009) as cited by Honey and Gilpin (2009), Nigeria is basically spot-on for tourism. Nigeria‟s over 370 ethnic groups provides the land with a very rich cultural heritage also blessed with natural wonders, favourable climate and an exceptional wildlife. Nevertheless, very minute efforts have been put in place to see to it that this tourism destinations are properly planned for. The tourism industry in Nigeria has tremendous economic potential. Tourism is one of the industries in the world at large moving with a very great speed. It is a major source of revenue, prosperity, and job generation all over the world, and  its  rapid  growth  and  globalization  has  been  seen  as  a  promising  prospect  for Nigeria’s long-term development and poverty reduction. The tourism industry in Nigeria has   enormous   economic   potential   because   it   aims   to   diversify   the   country’s monocultural economy.

1.5       Scope of Study

This research work explored the measures of safety and security and identify those that can be applied to the design of the tourist centre. The scope covers all aspects of security and safety design measures as it applies to tourist centre with regards to spatial organization. This thesis also involves the design of needed facilities for the Gurara waterfall tourist centre.

1.6       Contributions to Knowledge

This research lays down a guide to assist designers tackle security and safety in public areas. It outlines the diverse aspects of passive security control and safety measures that can be implemented in tourist centres. The rising incidence of terrorism is no longer what one person or agency can handle, neither will one measure of control effectively contain it at the design stage to ensure security and safety of life and property.

1.7       Study Area

Gurara Waterfalls is found in Gurara Local Government Area of Niger State with its Head office situated at Gawu-Babangida. Bonu,  where Gurara Waterfalls is found, Diko, Gawu, Izom, Kabo, Kwaka, Lambata, Lefu, Shako and Tufa are the 10 wards of the Gurara local government area. It has an entire land area of about 1,126.3km2 and an estimated  Population  of  about  90,974  people  in  2006  (Niger  State  Department  of Budget & Planning, 2015). The waterfall is about 30 meters in elevation and lies on the Gurara river along the Suleja-Minna road. It is one of the natural habitats that the nation is blessed with and serves as a destination for travellers and fun lovers. The vegetation of study area is characterized by thick forest including broad trees, shrubs, and grasses of several species which serves as a good green space that supports biodiversity and ensures neutrality of the environment without distortion. The Falls originated from river Gurara which is a huge tributary of the famous River Niger. It is located in Gurara Local  Government  Area  at  Latitude  700E  and  Longitude  900N.  This  remarkable waterfall, is located 2km off Minna-Suleja road, about 68km from Minna by road and 35km from Suleja by road (Niger State Culture and Tourism Corporation, 2015). The Niger State Government assigned a total of 1,105.759 hectares for the development of the Falls (Niger State Culture and Tourism Corporation, 2015).

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