Nigeria’s housing policies have failed to deliver the desired results over several decades because of weak political will, inadequate funding, corruption and poor continuity between successive administrations, a built environment expert, Mr. Olufemi Oyedele, has said.
Oyedele, who said he reviewed the country’s housing policies from 1928 to 2024, argued that many government interventions were introduced as political promises or responses to international expectations, rather than products of rigorous research, strategic planning and sustainable implementation frameworks.
He identified the absence of effective monitoring and evaluation mechanisms as another major factor responsible for the persistent failure of housing programmes, warning that the country would continue to struggle with its housing deficit unless governments addressed the structural weaknesses undermining policy delivery.
He said, housing policies often suffer from poor implementation because governments lack the commitment required to translate policy objectives into tangible results for Nigerians.
He said inadequate financing also undermined housing delivery, noting that policies were frequently announced without proper funding arrangements or a comprehensive framework for execution.
Oyedele further blamed corruption for the poor outcomes of some housing programmes, alleging that houses developed with public resources were sometimes allocated to politically connected individuals or people who already had accommodation, instead of being made accessible to those who needed them most.
He cited the mass housing programme associated with a former Lagos State governor, Lateef Jakande, as a contrast to situations in which political connections allegedly influenced the allocation of publicly funded housing.
Oyedele, who doubles as the Managing Director/CEO, Fame Oyster and Co., also identified discontinuity in government policies as a major obstacle to sustainable housing development, noting that successive administrations often abandoned programmes initiated by their predecessors.
He expressed concern over the apparent loss of momentum surrounding plans to establish building materials manufacturing hubs across the six geopolitical zones, saying land had reportedly been secured in Lagos for one of the proposed facilities.
According to him, abandoning such initiatives undermines long-term planning, wastes resources and prevents the country from building on lessons learned from previous housing interventions.
To address the challenges, Oyedele called for the establishment of independent monitoring and evaluation teams to assess the implementation of housing policies, identify obstacles and document lessons for future programmes.
He proposed that such teams should comprise housing advocates from civil society organisations, academic housing experts, real estate developers, representatives of built environment professional bodies and officials of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
He argued that independent oversight would strengthen accountability, improve implementation and ensure that housing policies were evaluated against measurable outcomes rather than political announcements.
Beyond policy implementation, Oyedele called for strategic urban planning and the systematic review of land use to address the pressures created by rapid population growth and unplanned urban expansion.
He observed that new communities were emerging across Lagos State without adequate government provision of essential infrastructure, including public schools, waste management facilities, tarred roads and public health centres.
The situation, he said, highlighted the need for governments to coordinate housing development with transportation, infrastructure and social services to create functional and liveable communities.
Oyedele also drew attention to the paradox of vacant plots in prime locations, completed but unoccupied properties and abandoned construction projects existing alongside a substantial housing deficit.
He put Lagos State’s housing deficit at 3.4 million units, compared with an estimated 1.8 million units for Ghana, arguing that the scale of the challenge required more deliberate planning and effective land management.
The expert further warned that excessive commuting times could have adverse implications for public health and the environment, stressing the need to organise cities in ways that bring homes, workplaces and essential services closer together.
He suggested that Nigerian cities could draw lessons from established urban planning models, including the Burgess Concentric Zone Theory and the Hoyt Sector Model, while adapting them to local conditions.
According to him, regular planning and replanning of urban land use would help governments manage population growth, reduce commuting pressures and improve residents’ quality of life.
Oyedele maintained that tackling Nigeria’s housing crisis required more than the introduction of new policies, insisting that the priority should be to ensure that existing and future programmes are properly funded, transparently implemented, monitored and sustained across successive administrations.
He said that a combination of political commitment, accountability, strategic urban planning and continuity in government programmes was essential to translating housing policies into affordable homes and better living conditions for Nigerians.