The Lagos State government is aggressively pursuing innovative strategies and strong public-private partnerships to overcome the significant housing deficit in the region. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s success in delivering more than 11,000 housing units in almost seven years demonstrates the potential for substantially reducing this shortage.
Abdulhafis Toriola, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, highlighted these efforts while welcoming Master’s students from the Centre for Planning Studies at Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, during their visit to the Ministry.
The purpose of the visit was to offer the postgraduate students practical insights into housing administration, policy implementation, and service delivery within Lagos State, while also strengthening the important link between academic institutions and governmental bodies.
Toriola, an engineer, was represented by Mr. Akanji Shadare, the Director of Administration and Human Resources. He praised the students and faculty for their initiative, acknowledging their desire to gain a deeper understanding of how academic theories are applied in real-world construction and development. He stressed the need for continuous collaboration between the Centre, similar university departments, and the Ministry to share research findings, innovative concepts, and solutions relevant to expanding housing availability.
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Regarding housing finance, Mrs. Olabisi Funsho-Peters, Head of the Mortgage and Credit Department, representing the General Manager of the Lagos Building Investment Company (LBIC), engaged with the students and faculty. She emphasized the vital role of mortgage institutions in the real estate sector. She clarified that LBIC, an accredited mortgage bank insured by the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), offers mortgage loans specifically for housing, providing up to 70% financing with repayment terms of 10 years or longer.
Mr. Adeniyi Aromolaran, the Executive Director of Enterprise Services at the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), addressed the team, outlining the Corporation’s role in providing diverse real estate services, encompassing construction, sales, and property rentals. He specified, however, that LSDPC does not participate in social housing initiatives.
Earlier, Professor Aliyu Ibrahim, the Programme Coordinator for the Centre for Planning Studies at LASU, explained that the visit’s goal was to provide firsthand exposure to the processes of housing policy and data generation and management. He identified four critical learning points: gaining an understanding of how the Ministry coordinates housing provision across both public and private sectors, learning about housing investment mechanisms, identifying challenges hindering housing development, and examining the evolution of housing provision and distribution strategies in Lagos State.
Professor Fatai, the Director of the Centre, mentioned that the visit, organized by the Centre (established in 1989), was designed to bridge the divide between academic studies and practical experience. He further stated that this collaboration was particularly valuable because academic institutions often rely on data from the Ministry of Housing for their research.
