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1. Introduction
The population across all regions of the world is ageing fast at an exceptional scale in the 21st century. Thus, Power (2017) argued that housing purchase is important to the governance of active ageing in welfare states. Examples of such welfare states are the USA, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. The author asserted that despite the significance of housing, home ownership and housing remain vague within examination of active ageing and found that housing is a strategy for an actively ageing Australia. Carder et al. (2018) found that many American housing applicants have poor health, lack social assistance and encounter housing instability. The key worry is the prospect of growing sizes of elderly people with inadequate economic resources to fund housing retirement scheme. In Africa, Nigeria is the largest country in terms of population (Dada and Oyediran, 2016). The National Population Commission has put Nigeria's current population at 198 m people with a prediction from World Population Prospects that by 2050, Nigeria will become the third most populated country with more than 70% residing in cities (Adeyemo, 2018).
The World Health Organisation estimated that the number of aged 60 and older would increase from 900 m to two bn people between 2015 and 2050 because the world is seeing faster ageing than in the past (World Health Organisation Special Topic's study as cited in Okolo, 2018). Walsh et al. (2020) affirmed that this group of people (aged 55–64 years) were vulnerable to housing and homelessness. This is because of the complex, poor health, ineligibility for senior citizens’ subsidised housing, amongst others. Ogunwale (2016) affirmed that Nigerians above 60 years are expected to hit 30 m by the year 2050. Despite Nigeria's economic potential, evidence of huge infrastructure deficits such as housing exists and has affected the quality of life of the elderly (Ebekozien et al., 2017). The possible option for the Nigerian elderly to have shelter is support from family and friends. Housing for this category of people has become a challenge globally and worst hit are the low-income earners (LIEs) in the developing countries. In the developing countries, including Nigeria, policy plans for the housing of this category of people may be inadequate or do not exist compared to the...