Assessment of Compliance of Residential Building Development to Zoning and Development Control Guidelines in the WUSE Master Plan, Abuja FCT, Nigeria

Development control compliance is fundamental to planned urban environments, yet persistent non-compliance undermines planning objectives in capital cities worldwide. In Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory, the Wuse District has experienced substantial residential development control violations since its creation under the 1979 Master Plan. This review synthesizes evidence on the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of non-compliance with zoning and development control guidelines in residential building development within the Wuse District of Abuja, Nigeria. Following PRISMA guidelines, systematic searches of Google Scholar, Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, and institutional repositories were conducted for studies published between 1990 and 2026. Twenty-five sources (16 primary studies and 9 government sources) met inclusion criteria and were synthesized using thematic analysis. The review reveals that land use violation is the dominant form of non-compliance, documented at 42% in the sole Wuse-specific finding corroborated by recent FCTA enforcement actions targeting 374 properties on Wuse II streets in 2025. Setback violation (28%), density and height violation (26%), and fence height violation (4%) were also significant. Institutional challenges including inadequate funding (RII = 0.952), corruption, and staffing deficits were root causes. The penalty framework (N10,000 since 1992) is economically obsolete, while the absence of geospatial monitoring creates critical compliance tracking gaps. This review provides a systematic synthesis of Wuse District development control compliance, revealing governance coordination failure requiring simultaneous intervention across institutional, legal, technological, and economic dimensions. The findings establish an evidence base for Master Plan revision, penalty reform, and technology-enhanced compliance monitoring.

Development Control, Zoning Compliance, Wuse District, Abuja Master Plan, Residential Buildings

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