By: Tijani Salako.
The Lagos State Government has delivered 10,623 housing units in seven years through direct government funding and public-private partnerships, stressing that adequate housing must go beyond the provision of buildings to include affordability, accessibility, infrastructure and safe communities.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu disclosed this at the 2026 World Habitat Day celebration in Lagos, represented by the Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, who said the housing delivery was part of the administration’s efforts to address the state’s housing challenge.
He said 4,414 housing units were delivered through direct government funding, while 6,209 units were provided through public-private partnership arrangements, with 23 housing estates completed across the five divisions of the state since 2019.
Sanwo-Olu, however, said the delivery represented a contribution rather than a complete solution to the state’s housing challenge, stressing that the quality, affordability and environment surrounding housing units were equally important.
He said the administration’s housing intervention was being approached not only from the standpoint of increasing supply but also affordability and access, citing the state’s Rent-to-Own scheme, under which eligible first-time buyers could take possession with an initial five per cent deposit and spread payment over 10 years.
He added that the Lagos HOMS scheme provides for equity contribution of up to 30 per cent with repayment over 10 years, noting that more than 20,000 Lagosians had been supported through mortgage and rent-to-own schemes over the past 12 years.
The Commissioner, while delivering the message, stressed that the Governor noted that housing estates must also provide the infrastructure required to make them liveable, noting that internal roads, drainage, electricity and water were important components of adequate housing.
He said, “The flat on a flooded road is not an adequate home,” stressing that the quality and environment surrounding a housing unit were as important as the building itself.
According to him, the state was also completing and developing previously stalled housing projects, including the Egan-Igando, Ajara and Abraham Adesanya schemes, while five housing schemes currently under construction through direct budgetary funding would deliver an additional 1,584 homes.
He said the state had also commenced the Ajara Phase II high-rise development, while the Greater Lagos Apartments in Surulere, developed on a former refuse dumpsite, represented an example of how underutilised land could be transformed into a functional residential community.
On tenancy, Akinderu-Fatai said the government was pursuing measures to strengthen tenant protection, including proposed reforms to address arbitrary rent increases, illegal charges and tenancy disputes, while arrangements for monthly and quarterly rent payments were also being considered.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide, said achieving adequate housing required more than constructing houses, stressing that homes must be supported by infrastructure, transportation, employment opportunities, security, healthcare, education, water, sanitation and properly planned environments.
Olumide stated this in his welcome address at the World Habitat Day celebration organised by the Lagos State Government with the theme, “Adequate Housing for All.”
He said Lagos, as Nigeria’s economic and commercial centre, continued to experience rapid population growth and pressure on land, housing, transportation, infrastructure and urban services, making effective physical planning critical to the development of the state.
According to him, the question should no longer be limited to how many houses were being constructed, but also where they were located, how accessible they were, what infrastructure supported them and whether the surrounding environment enabled residents to live safely, comfortably and productively.
He said adequate housing must therefore go hand in hand with proper planning and the provision of necessary infrastructure and services, noting that the ministry was committed to ensuring orderly and coordinated development towards a functional, liveable and sustainable Lagos.
Olumide also highlighted the state’s Electronic Physical Planning Permit Processing System (e-PPPS), saying the initiative was designed to make planning processes more efficient, transparent and responsive while supporting orderly development and protecting the long-term interests of residents.
Supporting the position, Chairman of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, David Olawale, said the World Habitat Day theme was closely aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 11, particularly Target 11.1, which seeks access to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services for all.
Olawale said the increasing population required new and intelligent urban-planning approaches capable of creating safe, affordable, resilient and liveable cities, stressing that sustainable human settlements required shared responsibility between government and professionals.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Physical Planning Appeal Committee, Dr Funmi Osifoye, called for prompt and consistent processing of development permits and effective resolution of planning and building-control disputes.
Osifoye said fair and timely adjudication of planning appeals was part of the housing solution because it protects lawful investments, supports safe construction and gives property owners confidence in the planning system.
He urged planning authorities to maintain current development plans and ensure that developers and property owners complied with approved plans and safety standards, while calling on professionals to uphold ethics and competence in the built environment.
