Factors Shaping Housing Affordability in Secondary Nigerian Cities: A Theoretical Exploration of Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.

Abstract

Housing affordability remains a pressing challenge in Nigeria, particularly in secondary cities where weak institutions, fragile economies, and rapid urbanization converge to limit access to adequate shelter. This paper examines the factors shaping housing affordability in Makurdi, Benue State, using a theoretical approach that integrates Urban Land Economics, Neoclassical Housing Market Theory, and the Political Economy of Housing. Drawing on national and city-level literature, the study conceptualizes affordability not merely as a financial ratio but as a multidimensional construct influenced by income dynamics, land tenure systems, construction material inflation, population growth, infrastructure deficits, financial exclusion, and security-related displacement. The findings reveal that affordability crises in Makurdi are driven less by household-level demand constraints than by structural barriers in land administration, housing finance, and governance. The analysis further demonstrates that conventional cost-to-income metrics obscure hidden affordability burdens associated with transport, services, and security, underscoring the need for residual-income and sustainability-aware frameworks. Theoretically, the study highlights the limitations of single-framework analyses and calls for integrated approaches that blend economic, socio-spatial, and political perspectives. Policy implications include reforms in land governance, construction cost regulation, mortgage innovation, infrastructure provision, and security-sensitive housing strategies. By situating Makurdi within broader affordability debates, the paper advances the understanding of housing challenges in secondary Nigerian cities and contributes to re-centering them in both scholarly and policy discourse.