The Lagos state government has disclosed its intention to provide 20,000 affordable housing units in the first 3 years of the current administration.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by his deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, disclosed this at an event themed “Housing Policies, Affordable Homes”, organised by the government to mark the 2017 World Habitat Day at Alausa, Ikeja.
Ambode said his administration is poised to provide an enabling environment for investment in the housing sector in line with its desire to provide decent and affordable housing for all the residents irrespective of their tribe or background.
The governor expressed happiness at the state government’s ability to deliver a total of 4,355 housing units across the 3 Senatorial districts under the popular Rent-To-Own scheme, adding that the ongoing redevelopment work at Adeniji Adele Phase I-V is part of the efforts to ease accommodation problem of the residents.
He said, “The redevelopment of Isale-Gangan Phase 1 into the construction of 11 floor-structures with 48 serviced luxury apartments and the second Phase of the project would yield a 13-floor apartment structure also aimed at easing the problem of accommodation in the State”.
Ambode noted that it is a clarion call by the United Nations on governments around the world to provide housing within the reach of the common man.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the present administration to providing housing units that will be affordable to the common man, saying “Our promise to make life more comfortable for our people was made, keeping in mind, the need to provide decent and affordable housing for all”.
A former Commissioner for Lands in Lagos state, Fola Arthur-Worrey, in his lecture identified policy inconsistency and restructuring as well as lack of true and binding national affordable housing scheme, as factors hindering the provision of affordable housing in the country.
He urged governments to consider trends and disparities in income and wealth in policy formulation to address the challenges of affordable housing.
”Governments should put in place rent control legislation and control to curb landlord’s excesses and protect the rights of tenants. They should also improve economic output and income for people to be able to cater for their housing challenges, ” Arthur-Worrey said.
