BARRIERS TO THE APPLICATION OF PROJECT PLANNING TECHNIQUES IN PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS IN ABUJA, NIGERIA: AN ASSESSMENT OF BARRIER SEVERITY

Abstract

This paper assesses the severity of barriers to the application of project planning techniques in public construction projects in Abuja, Nigeria, with a view to establishing which constraints most critically inhibit structured planning practice. A quantitative survey design was adopted. Stratified random sampling was used to administer structured questionnaires to 175 registered construction professionals (Architects, Quantity Surveyors, Engineers, and Builders) operating across public ministries, departments, and agencies in the Federal Capital Territory. A total of 162 valid responses were analysed (92.57% effective response rate). Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, specifically frequencies, percentages, and mean item scores (MIS), with standard deviations used to assess consensus. Institutional, governance, and financial constraints emerged as the most severe barriers. Insufficient funding for planning activities ranked highest (M = 4.41, SD = 0.76), followed by corruption and mismanagement (M = 4.35, SD = 0.82), bureaucratic delays (M = 4.28, SD = 0.79), and political interference (M = 4.19, SD = 0.87). Individual-level factors, such as resistance to change (M = 3.29, SD = 1.07) and unclear project objectives (M = 3.05, SD = 1.15), were rated considerably lower. Low standard deviations across the leading barriers indicate strong practitioner consensus on their severity. The study provides empirical evidence that structural governance and funding defects, rather than practitioner-level deficiencies, constitute the primary obstacles to formal planning in Nigerian public construction. This reframes capacity-building interventions toward institutional reform.