ADEQUATE housing is clearly one of the most basic human needs, and a criterion for measuring growth and development of a society. In Nigeria, the right to adequate housing, is far from guaranteed, making the enactment of the National Housing Policy in 2006 a mere academic exercise, begging for expedited action.
The policy introduced the concept of social housing with the hope of providing houses for the low- income earners by developing low- cost housing estate compared to luxury homes, as well as make funds available for people in the informal sector, in an effort to ensure that every Nigerian gets a house.
Presently, Nigeria has a significant housing deficit, with an estimated 28 million units needed to meet the country’s needs. The housing crisis is worsening mainly due to rapid population growth and urbanization. With a current population of about 234 million, the United Nations predicts this figure will double to 400 million by 2050. As the population continues to grow, the housing supply is struggling to keep up with the demand.
Considering the fact that the immediate and visible consequences of population growth is the housing shortage crisis, the recent disclosure by the Delta State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Godknows Angele, of the government’s resolve to establish low-cost housing across the various local government areas of the state is heartwarming. The government’s intention, according to the Commissioner, is to mitigate the accommodation challenge currently being faced by residents, particularly the vulnerable ones in the state.
The state government’s plan is a welcome development, as it will contribute to the actualisation of the National Housing Programme, aimed at providing adequate and affordable housing through home ownership and rental schemes for all Nigerians, both in urban and rural areas.
The importance of housing is underscored by the fact that it provides shelter and raises the quality of life. It also generates conditions which facilitate the achievement of social objectives such as health, sanitation and education, as well as provide employment opportunities to the rural and urban people.
Safe, accessible, and affordable housing remains major propeller for empowering the poor and securing their active participation in nation building for both physical, social and economic growth besides taking care of major urban ills related to infrastructure, services, healthcare and unplanned development.
However, for this laudable housing initiative of the state government to be realized, efforts should be geared towards addressing the problems associated with public housing schemes. Basic amenities such as water, electricity and sanitation are still lacking in many urban and semi-urban areas. This hampers the development of affordable housing projects and limits their accessibility to the wider population.
Acute shortage of affordable homes for the low income families adversely impacts their productivity, quality of life, economic growth and active participation in the welfare programmes launched by various local, national and international agencies. Hence the urgent need to address the challenge posed by worsening housing crisis.
To achieve the planned low- cost housing scheme, government should embark on more large scale housing programmes and encourage the use of tested local materials, as well as promote local manufacturing of materials that are of high quality, low cost, energy efficient and environmentally friendly. While proactive measures should be taken to reach out to the banks to consider giving soft loans to individuals with credible means of repayment to enable them get their own houses.
We urge the government to partner private estate developers to build affordable houses for civil servants and vulnerable people in the state. With the use of Public, Private Partnership (PPP) model, government can design a policy to attract estate developers to engage in massive housing schemes for the benefit of the vulnerable in the society.
The relevant laws should be restructured and adequately funded to avail the people effective and efficient mortgage services to enable them own houses. It is equally important for the government to emplace actionable programmes to provide direct financial assistance to low- income families and individuals in need of affordable housing to ensure that they do not continue to expend a large chunk of their income on rent.
