THE STUDY OF THE CHALLENGES IN HOUSING DEMAND: THE EXPERIENCE OF FUTMINNA STUDENTS IN GIDAN KWANO SATELLITE TOWN

This study examines the housing demand challenges encountered by students at the Federal University of Technology, Minna (FUTMinna) in Gidan Kwano satellite town, Niger State, Nigeria, from 2015 to 2025. The research investigates housing types, sources, availability, and related challenges via a structured questionnaire distributed to 400 students and 172 landlords/caretakers, achieving response rates of 82% and 60.47%, respectively. The results show that 55.56% of the people who answered live in self-contained apartments off campus, and 37.96% found housing through agents. Proximity to campus (51.39%) and access to utilities (29.17%) are the most important factors that affect housing choices. 57.64% of people think that housing is expensive or very expensive. Key challenges include irregular electricity (34.72%), high rent (29.17%), and poor water supply (13.19%). Due to the growing student population (64.58%), housing demand has increased significantly (81.48%), but 21.3% of respondents say supply is still insufficient. To solve these problems, the study suggests building more university residence halls, enforcing rent laws, enhancing infrastructure, and encouraging public-private collaborations.