An Empirical Analysis of Informal Settlements in North-Central Nigeria: Implications for Systemic Sustainable Urban Policy

Vollständiger Abstract

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Acute housing sub-standardization, high population density characteristics, and systematically limited infrastructure profiles are becoming more prevalent in informal settlements throughout sub-Saharan African corridors. In North Central Nigeria, population relocation and rapid public-sector planning structural shortfalls have led to extraordinary peripheral urbanization along important transit and economic corridors. In three sentinel sub-regional urban corridors: Minna, Jos, and Nasarawa. This study investigates the systematic intersections of spatial informality, socio-economic dynamics, infrastructure baseline capacities, and public health risks. 385 structured household surveys and retrospective public health facility diagnostic registries were used to collect primary data from 24 dense informal settlements using a non-probability sampling methodology. The results show serious structural vulnerabilities: primary healthcare service thresholds do not cover 84% of the target population within a statutory 5-kilometer spatial buffer, and only 16% of households across these informal corridors maintain access to safely manage piped water infrastructure. Regional waterborne and vector-borne pathogenic dynamics are mostly predicted by high room-occupancy densities, poor internal ventilation ratios, and unmanaged waste vectors, according to logit regression parameters. The findings show how local livelihood assets are disrupted and structural inequity is exacerbated by historical, punitive clear-and-evict operational approaches. In order to integrate sub-national spatial governance frameworks with UN Sustainable Development Goal 11, this study creates an actionable framework that emphasizes decentralized basic utility deployment, land tenure regularization, and participatory in-situ improvements.