Shelter along with food and clothing remains essentials of life identified by Abraham Maslow’s human basic needs. There is a sense of pride, security and level of fulfilment humans derive from owning their homes.
It has been well established a fact that housing is very important to mankind and to economic growth.
Housing problems abound in Nigeria both in rural areas and urban centres. The problem in the rural areas has to do with qualitative housing while the problem in the urban centre is both quantitative and qualitative in nature. Almost half of Nigeria’s population live in cities, with 80 percent living in overcrowded slum areas and generally poor living conditions coupled with inadequate infrastructural amenities. Rural houses are of generally poor condition, and they are characterized by lack of potable water, toilet and decent environmental conditions.
Since independence, all the housing policies by the federal government, though laudable, have failed because they were built on unsustainable tenet that houses will be provided by the government. This is an anomaly which must be corrected for the country to move forward and achieve a remarkable reduction in the housing deficits.
The presidential technical committee set up by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo headed by Prof Akin Mabogunje did set a great agenda for housing. In fact, some of the surviving housing projects in Nigeria today are results of that highly respected committee.
Also under President Goodluck Jonathan, the then Minister of Finance deserves kudos for getting the World Bank’s support for housing finance which many thought would have put the country’s mortgage system in a better shape.
While these moves are commendable, they have suffered due to lack of commitment from stakeholders who succeeded them.
A good number of housing advocates have bemoaned the selfishness of most public and private sector players in the industry who only target short term projects that are not sustainable in any way.
The quality of housing stock in Nigeria is poor because the construction industry is driven by cost minimization rather than value maximization. The lack of a regulatory body and a non-existent legally binding building code has led to the continued poor performance of contractors leading to poorly constructed buildings.
Given the current state of things in the Nigeria housing sector, it will be difficult to provide housing unless issues of access to land, commercialisation of building approvals, provision of secondary infrastructure, affordable housing finance and many others are addressed.
It is obviously beyond the might of the government to address all the challenges in the housing sector, and that is why a lot of stakeholders are advocating for more corporate personalities and businesses to focus their corporate social responsibilities towards housing.
While acknowledging the support of philanthropists like Alh. Aliko Dangote in spending a lot of money in providing houses for IDPs, there is need for more corporate social responsibilities and constituency projects in the area of social housing for the masses. The productivity of people will improve if they have access to their own houses.
It is now expected that the stakeholders in the sector begin to speak with one voice especially when dealing with the government. They need to persuade the government to address some critical problems facing the sector, and this can only happen when stakeholders are united in their advocacy.
Without a doubt, the current administration headed by President Muhammadu Buhari needs to show more interest in the housing sector. While it is laudable creating a body like Family Homes Funds, there is need for more support for all housing related agencies to deliver on their mandates.
There are a lot housing sector related laws like the foreclosure law, the land use act, housing sector regulation and many more that needs to be passed both at the federal and state levels. There is need for more commitment towards regulating the activities of private sector in order to deter shylocks, unprofessional and fraudulent practises.
A couple of institutions in the housing sector have begun initiatives like rent to home and cooperative housing to make it easier for those in need of a home have affordable access to them. Such initiatives should be given more support by the government.
It is only through such strategic interventions that the Nigeria housing sector can be functional in a way that it can deliver affordable housing for millions of Nigerians who are currently homeless and stranded. Opportunities and potentials abound in the housing sector, but only possible if the right things as mentioned above are done.
