Low-cost housing policies and squatters struggles in Nigeria: the Nigerian perspective on possible solutions

Abstract

This paper investigated the low-cost housing (LCH) policies in regard to squatters and offered a descriptive comparative analysis that affords insights into the Malaysian potential squatter zero programmes that could be applied to tackle the long-standing chronic urban slums in Nigerian cities. To achieve this, data were collected via in-depth oral interviews. Phenomenological type of qualitative research and snowball type of non-probability sampling technique was adopted respectively. MAXQDA 2018 with the support of thematic analysis was employed to analyze the three themes generated, and five major cities in Nigeria were covered. The study found that rural-urban migration, unemployment, high cost of the rental fee, inability to access housing loan and shortages of LCH were the reasons people engaged in squatting. From the findings, weak institutional framework, corruption, inadequate LCH policy, political will, and absence of national housing database emerged as the major hindrances to the implementation of LCH programmes that could have mitigated squatting. Nigerian Government should strengthen public housing institutions via a strong institutional framework for the sustainability of LCH programmes and tackle corruption head-on. This can be achieved if the government sees LCH provision as one of the major pillars and synergy with other constructs of welfare.