FOR some time now, Nigerians have been complaining about the exploitative activities of housing agents. Property renters and consumer rights advocates have been quite vocal in their call on the government to curb the antics of real estate agents who habitually create hurdles for house seekers. Across the country, many are complaining bitterly about arbitrary rent increases and excessive agency, service charge, and legal fees. They are accusing the agents of high massive extortion. Over the years, state governments have of course made various attempts to regulate the real estate sector. For instance, in 2011, the Lagos State government enacted its tenancy law, which prohibits excessive rent collection. However, enforcement has been lax, and, not surprisingly, the government recently frowned on the activities of landlords and property agents engaging in exploitative practices in the state. It also indicated that its tenancy law was under review.
Given Nigeria’s severe housing needs, it is no surprise that issues of housing remain on the front burner of national discourse. Recently, organisers of the Africa International Housing Show announced a partnership with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the 19th edition of the event, putting a spotlight on sustainable strategies and practical reforms that could accelerate housing delivery across Africa. According to the AIHS Coordinator and founder of Housing TV Africa, Festus Adebayo, “Together, we aim to open up access to land, promote local production of building materials, and support innovation that will make affordable.” Also recently, the Federal Government unveiled a plan to use bamboo plants to build affordable, durable, and smart houses for low-income and middle-income earners across the country. This was disclosed by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mrs. Esuabana Asanye, during a workshop on “The Relevance of Bamboo for Climate-Smart Housing Construction” held in Abuja on June 11. According to her, bamboo, when combined with effective technologies, can provide a reliable and scalable solution to Nigeria’s housing shortage without causing harm to the environment. She added that the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI), an agency under the ministry, was taking steps to address housing needs by using green building technologies, especially bamboo-based construction for smart housing
If, across the country, shylock agents are taking advantage of desperate accommodation seekers, it is because the government has fostered such a situation by its negligence, poor performance, and accustomed lethargy Obviously, the government should regulate the activities of real estate agents, enforcing the relevant laws, but most of the problems can be surmounted by rolling out innovative strategies to solve the housing problems. Some 24.4 million Nigerians are estimated to be homeless, representing roughly 13 per cent of the population. Additionally, a report indicated that 108 million Nigerians lack adequate housing: they are either without a roof over their heads or living in substandard housing conditions. Indeed, according to the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, Nigeria faces a substantial housing deficit, with estimates ranging from 17 to 28 million housing units.
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The challenge is indeed daunting. If anything, the cost of building materials is prohibitively high, and so houses cannot really be cheap or affordable. It is a fact that even housing units built by the government at federal or state levels are not affordable. The government, therefore, has to address the situation holistically and decisively, working with private sector players. Since, globally, people are making houses from various materials, there is nothing stopping the government from adopting such innovative strategies in Nigeria. The government must encourage innovation and creativity in housing. In this regard, we endorse the plan to build bamboo houses for low-income and middle-income earners. Nigeria has extremely severe challenges, and whatever innovative methods the government and private sector players can come up with are welcome, even if they are meant to offer temporary relief. The ugly picture of Nigerians living under bridges and in extremely pitiable conditions has to be erased.
For instance, houses made from shipping containers are durable, sustainable, and can be easily modified to create comfortable living spaces. Also, to address Nigeria’s severe housing needs, the government can provide subsidised lands, offer tax waivers and incentives to developers; streamline land titling and approval processes, develop public-private partnerships, and increase funding for housing initiatives. Currently, under the Renewed Hope Social Housing Programme, the Bola Tinubu government aims to construct 77,400 homes across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas. The Federal Integrated Staff Housing Programme focuses on providing housing for Federal Government employees, while the Family Home Funds Housing Financing Project offers financing options for affordable housing. There is also the National Housing Programme, which addresses the country’s massive housing deficit. States also have various housing projects, but they are grossly inadequate.
Nigeria’s housing challenges are complex, and responses to them need to be broad-based and well thought out. According to a real estate practitioner, Osilama Osilama, solving the challenge of housing unaffordability would mean promoting local building materials in order to reduce the high cost of housing production, investing in research and development to improve the quality and affordability of locally sourced materials, diversifying the economy to reduce dependence on volatile sectors while investing in infrastructure to improve transportation and logistics; streamlining customs and import processes to reduce delays and costs, and encouraging bulk purchasing and cooperatives for smaller building firms. It also means streamlining land acquisition by simplifying land registration and titling processes, establishing transparent and efficient land administration systems, and implementing land reforms to reduce speculation and land grabbing. Apparently, these are commonsensical recommendations, and if governance is problem solving, then the government must pay heed. It must make a difference in the lives of Nigerians by enabling them to have good shelter over their heads. Will it?
and then