ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND STRATEGIES FOR ADVANCEMENT

The Nigerian construction industry stands at a critical juncture, facing challenges and opportunities in its journey towards sustainable development. This study aims to investigate the current state of sustainable construction practices and sustainability challenges in Nigeria, with a focus environmental, social and economic domains. Three hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed to respondents from the construction companies used for the study out which three hundred and thirty seven were utilized for data analyses in Linear Structural Relation (LISREL) using Confirmatory Factor Analyses tool. The result of the data analyses indicates a moderate to weak sustainable construction practices with the factor loadings ranging from 0.55 to 0.65 for the variables across all the constructs. This implies inconsistent practices or lack of commitment to sustainable construction practices by the construction companies. The result also shows high level of sustainability challenges with environmental sustainability challenges emerging the highest of threat followed by social sustainability and economic sustainability challenges. The result reflects a relatively positive scenario where the respondents are aware of and acknowledge sustainability challenges. These findings offer critical insights for policymakers, industry practitioners, and researchers seeking to enhance sustainability efforts within the Nigerian construction sector, guiding strategic interventions and decision-making processes to address sustainability challenges effectively and foster a more sustainable construction industry.