Innovation is vital for improving productivity and competitiveness in the global construction industry. However, research on innovativeness in the Nigerian construction firms is limited. This study appraised innovation practices and challenges within Nigerian construction companies. A questionnaire survey was used and targeted at Construction Firms. A sample size population of 468, using Yamane’s formula with Salkind adjustment, was got. Data were collected from middle level managers who provided information about their firms, selected based on an unrestricted random sampling design. Data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The findings show that construction firms lack innovative capabilities, because of the nature of construction market and the industry itself. It is recommended, amongst others, that given the nature of the construction industry, specifically its market-push approach to transactions as opposed to the demand-push approach, which is evident in other industries (e.g. manufacturing), innovativeness may just be the way to go. This will assist in breaking the ‘industry cancer’ i.e. the popularisation of innovation in construction that is clogging the improvement agenda of the construction industry.