HOUSING SECURITY AND WORKERS’ SOCIO-ECONOMIC WELLBEING IN THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY (FCT), ABUJA, NIGERIA
Itegbe, Nwakuso Joan, Mohammed Bello Baban Umma, PhD and Abubakar Tafida, PhD
Volume 14 Issue 2
Abstract
Housing insecurity remains a persistent developmental challenge in Nigeria's Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, where rapid urbanisation, population influx, and inadequate housing supply have combined to marginalise large segments of the working population. This seminar paper examines housing security and worker’s socio-economic well-being in the federal capital territory (FCT), Abuja, Nigeria, with three specific objectives: to determine the main challenges faced by workers in accessing and securing affordable housing; to investigate how housing insecurity impacts the socio-economic well-being of workers; and to ascertain workers' perceptions of current housing policies in the FCT. A cross-sectional survey design was adopted, and a sample of 384 respondents were drawn from a population of formal-sector workers across selected ministries, departments, and agencies in the FCT using stratified random sampling. Structured questionnaires were administered, and data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis via IBM SPSS Statistics 27. The results revealed that unaffordable housing costs, inadequate supply of low-income housing units, and bureaucratic bottlenecks constitute the principal barriers to housing access (β = 0.512, p = .000). Housing insecurity was found to exert a significant positive effect on negative socio-economic well-being outcomes, including reduced productivity and poor mental health (β = 0.438, p = .002). Workers' perceptions of current housing policies were generally negative, though the relationship between policy perception and housing security was positive but not statistically significant (β = 0.091, p = .213). The paper concludes that urgent policy reforms targeting affordability, supply expansion, and inclusive financing mechanisms are imperative for ensuring sustainable housing security for workers in the FCT. Recommendations include the revitalisation of the National Housing Fund, upward revision of housing allocation quotas, and mainstreaming of public–private partnerships in affordable housing delivery. Keywords: Housing Policy, Housing Security, Affordability, Workers, FCT Abuja, Nigeria
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