The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has called on political parties and candidates to move beyond promises on security, healthcare, infrastructure and economic growth to prioritising housing at the centre of national conversation.

It lamented that for too long, housing had appeared in political manifestos as a few paragraphs promising thousands or millions of homes.

However, it noted that while many of those promises disappear soon after the elections, rents continue to rise, mortgage access remains difficult, land administration becomes cumbersome and the cost of construction continues to increase.

In a new report by its Research and Economic Unit, HDAN argued that housing is not merely about putting roofs over people’s heads but is directly connected to poverty reduction, employment creation, infrastructure development, public health, family stability, industrialisation, wealth creation and the overall quality of life.

Consequently, it urged every candidate seeking to govern Nigeria to be prepared to answer the question of where and how Nigerians would live under their government.

It insisted that the 2027 election must be different, with every presidential and governorship candidate presenting Nigerians with a clear, measurable and properly funded housing strategy.