Challenges of housing development in the Federal Capital City, Abuja

In response to the housing deficit in the Federal Capital City occasioned by the movement of the seat of government from Lagos to Abuja in 1991, the authority of the Federal Capital Territory Administration introduced Housing Development Schemes at different times to develop large scale residential houses and sell to the residents at low cost. However, available statistics indicates that supply of adequate housing to meet the demand of the teeming residents of the territory still remain a mirage. The paper examined the challenges of housing development in the city. Both primary and secondary data were sourced for the study. A total of 312 questionnaires were administered to residents of Mabushi; Utako; Durumi; Wuye and Gudu districts. The data collected was analyzed using descriptive statistics and results were presented by means of tables and figures. Analysis of the data revealed that the schemes were hindered by certain factors such as land use violations; bureaucracy and cost of land registration and titling; inflation in the costs of building materials; land tenure security problems and poor capacity of developers. Based on the findings of the study, the paper recommends strict enforcement of the Master Plan for the city; introduction of affordable Mortgage Electronic Registration and Titling System; government intervention through regulation of prices of building materials; review of the Land Use Act as well as involvement of capable mortgage developers.