SOCIOECONOMIC FACTORS INFLUENCING HOUSING POLICY FORMATION IN NIGERIA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF KANO AND LAGOS CITIES

Abstract

Nigeria faces a persistent housing deficit, estimated at over 20 million units, with urban centers such as Kano and Lagos among the most affected. Despite various federal and state-level interventions, housing affordability, accessibility, and sustainability remain elusive due to multiple socioeconomic constraints. This study examines the socioeconomic factors shaping housing policy formation in Kano and Lagos, focusing on affordability, land acquisition, income levels, urbanization pressures, and institutional capacity. Using documentary analysis of recent government policies, grey literature, and secondary empirical data (2020–2025), the paper compares how state contexts mediate housing delivery outcomes. Findings suggest that while Lagos policies are increasingly shaped by rapid urbanization, land market pressures, and private sector dominance, Kano’s housing policies are influenced by low-income household structures, land tenure complexity, and federal-state project alignments such as the Renewed Hope Estates. The paper argues that effective housing policy must balance affordability and inclusivity with innovative financing and public-private partnerships. It is recommended that; to effectively address Nigeria’s 28-million-unit housing deficit, policymakers must abandon uniform federal strategies and implement localized, context-specific reforms