International Education Research Volume 1, Issue 1 (2013), 22-29 ISSN 2291-5273 E-ISSN 2291-5281 Published by Science and Education Centre of North America 22 © Science and Education Centre of North America Challenges of Sustainability and Urban Development: A Case of Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Nigeria Omojola Omowumi Awosusi 1 and Amen Osamede Jegede 2 1 Department of Sociology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, Ekiti State University, P.M.B. 5363, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. E-mail: jolaawosusi@yahoo.com 2 Department of Geography and Planning Science, Faculty of the Social Sciences, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Email: honourablejegede@yahoo.com Abstract: Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs. As a result of the attraction of people to a particular geographical region due to perceived development, as time goes on, there will be competition in-various ways by which land can be put to use leading gradually to urban growth in such location. Data for this study were collected from primary sources, through personal observation and the random administration of 250 questionnaires on categories of respondents in the study area. Results for this study revealed that infrastructural facilities, poor health care delivery system, low standard of education and poor standard of living were the challenges of sustainability and development in the study area. This study therefore recommends that development programmes should be aimed at uplifting the standard of people in the area and as such maintenance culture should be imbibed by all and sundry in the study area. Keywords: Challenges, Development Programme, Ekiti State, Sustainability and Urbanization 1. Introduction The environment provides all life support systems with air, water and land, as well as the materials for fulfilling all developmental aspirations of man (Lawanson, 2005). The Nigerian environment today presents a grim litany of woes. Many Nigerian cities are vulnerable to flooding, erosion and storm (Adebayo and Jegede, 2010).Invariably, natural disasters in cities kill or injure members of low-income groups disproportionately because the poor often live in unsafe housing on vulnerable lands (Lawanson, 2005). The loss of homes, possessions and often livelihood because of a natural disaster often leads to further impoverishment. Motor vehicles and motorcycles also pose a significant environmental threat to urban residents. Reported road traffic accidents in Nigeria between 1990 and 1995 were 121,451 of these figures, 15.66% totaling 19,049 cases occurred in Lagos, Nigeria’s metropolitan city (Danmole, 2002). Sustainable development is a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs (WCED, 1987). The primary objective of sustainable development is to reduce the absolute poverty of the world’s poor through providing lasting and secure livelihoods that minimize resource depletion, environmental degradation, cultural disruption and socially instability (World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987). The earth summit (UNCED), which recognized the pressing environment and development problems of the world, and through the adoption of agenda 21, produced a global programme of action for sustainable development in the 21st century. Agenda 21 stresses the importance of partnership in improving social, economic and environmental quality in urban areas. It suggests