The Federal Government has identified effective land management, urban renewal, promotion of local building materials, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) as proven critical catalysts for sustainable housing delivery.

In Lagos State, the government has doubled down on its commitment to tackle the chronic housing deficit gripping Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, citing a strategy built on aggressive private sector engagement and technological innovation.

The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Shuaib Belgore, maintained that land only becomes a true asset when it is properly titled, registered, digitised and verifiable.

Belgore, at the 14th meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, yesterday, in Ilorin, remarked that secure land documentation enhances access to finance, stimulates investment and unlocks wealth.

According to him, the theme of the meeting, ‘Achieving Housing Delivery and Sustainable Cities through Effective Land Management, Urban Renewal, Promotion of Local Building Materials, and Public-Private Partnerships in Nigeria’, underscores the urgent need for innovative, practical and holistic approaches to addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit while promoting sustainable, resilient, and inclusive cities.

THE Lagos State Ministry of Housing disclosed that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had overseen the delivery of more than 11,000 housing units.

While seeming significant, the figure represents a drop in the ocean for a megacity where demand for affordable shelter continues to outstrip supply at an exponential rate.

Speaking during a working visit by postgraduate students at the Lagos State University (LASU) Centre for Planning Studies, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Abdulhafis Toriola, argued that the state’s recent output serves as clear evidence that the housing crisis can be mitigated through sustained policy intervention.

The engagement, led by the Ministry’s Director of Administration and Human Resources, Mr Akanji Shadare, highlighted a growing desire within the government to align academic research with bureaucratic implementation.

Toriola urged LASU and similar institutions to move beyond theoretical frameworks, calling for a sustained exchange of ideas and the sharing of research outputs that could provide practical solutions to the unique challenges of the Lagos built environment.