Socio-Economic Landscape and Housing Aspirations: The Role of Staff Cooperative Societies in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions

Abstract

In Nigeria, where access to affordable housing remains a persistent challenge, public servants in tertiary institutions are increasingly turning to community-driven solutions. This study quantitatively examines the role of staff cooperative societies as crucial enablers of housing aspirations, using data from a large-scale cross-sectional survey of 2,178 members across nine public tertiary institutions in Oyo State, Nigeria. The findings reveal high homeownership rates (>70%), confirming cooperatives as effective, self-reliant systems in meeting housing aspirations of members. However, a multivariate interaction model demonstrates that this success is highly conditional and unevenly distributed across different groups. The analysis reveals a significant academic advantage at lower-middle income thresholds (specifically, N100,000–N200,000), as the probability of homeownership for academic staff increases substantially, whereas it declines for their non-academic peers in the same income bracket. This conditional disparity based on professional status exists alongside a significant and persistent gender gap that disadvantages female members. We conclude that staff cooperative societies function as a potent but imperfect engine of housing aspiration, reflecting how broader institutional and social hierarchies shape outcomes. The study highlights the need for policies that support these cooperatives and address the intersecting inequalities within their ranks and operations.