Housing Deficit, Urban Migration and Slum Development in Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Increased population coupled with rapid urbanization has led to the
unavailability of affordable decent accommodation which has caused many urban residents to seek shelter in unacceptable living places like the Slums. This study therefore adopts the survey method to assess Housing Deficit, Urban Migration, and Slum Development in Abuja, Nigeria. The major aim is to unearth what the major causes of slum development in the study area are. The study centres on the slum areas of Abuja metropolis. Questionnaire is used for data collection. Copies of the questionnaire were distributed in four different slum locations of Garki Village, Utako slum area, Jabi slum area and Durumi slum area. Pictures were also taken from some of the Slums to compare with the high brow areas within the city where they live side by side. Major findings show that many Slum dwellers would not wish they live in such deplorable conditions, but are forced to live there because there are no decent houses that are affordable. The few available houses are extremely expensive to either rent or purchase. Another major problem is the high cost of land within the city which makes it very difficult for low income earners to acquire plots of land to develop their own houses. There is the need for
government to concentrate effort in the development of the rural areas by providing basic social amenities in the rural towns so as to reduce the desire of citizens migrating to the bigger cities where there is no enough provision of houses to accommodate them.