Slums, Its Spread, Effects and Stemming the Tide in Nigeria: A Case Study of Abuja Federal Capital Territory

One of the negative effects that have risen as a result of the migration of people from several parts of the country to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja over the years has been the development of settlements most of which are sub-standard. The aim of this research will be to carefully examine the factors that contributed to the spread of slum in the study area, the effects of slums and ways it can be curbed. Descriptive survey method was adopted for gathering data for this research, this is essential to describe the residents in the eight selected areas in an accurate way. A total of four hundred (400) questionnaires were distributed randomly to the residents. The research identified that the mass movement of people from rural areas to urban centres, rapid growth of urbanization, demolition of settlements without proper resettlement plans for such residents, unplanned neighbourhoods among others are factors that led to slum development. The study also observed that a dirty and unhygienic environment which is a breeding ground for disease-carrying organisms, high crime rate due to high level of unemployment, and disasters such as the collapse of buildings, flooding are some of the effects of slum development in the area considered. Thus, proper resettlement plans should be made by the government before embarking on demolition of existing structures and decentralization of development programmes and projects to help reduce rural-urban drift.