The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Nigerian chapter has called for new strategies and policy implementation frameworks to address the country’s housing deficit and promote inclusive, quality housing for all Nigerians.
The group stressed the need for a National Urban Master Plan to guide how cities expand, connect, and evolve, shifting the nation from ad hoc development to coordinated urban growth.
Speaking at the 2025 RICS Nigeria Conference, themed “Building for 300 million,” in Lagos, the Chief Executive Officer of Orange Island, Yinka Ogunsulire, said the nation must deploy a broader mix of innovative tools to close its housing gap.
She urged stakeholders to establish urban development funds, leverage blended finance, explore municipal bonds and tax incentives, and strengthen local governments’ revenue capacity. “Financing bridges ideas and impact, turning plans into homes, jobs, and infrastructure,” she said.
Delivering a keynote address titled “Building for 300 million: A National Imperative,” Ogunsulire warned that without urgent and coordinated action, Nigerian cities would continue to absorb growth “in the worst possible way, informally, inefficiently, and unsustainably.”
“If we’re serious about building for 300 million Nigerians, we must deliver infrastructure and housing that serve everyone, not just the privileged few,” she said. “Developers should be treated as partners when they build infrastructure for public benefit, not penalised with levies for the same improvements they provide.”
She called for the creation of integrated infrastructure corridors linking cities, ports, rural areas, and markets to enhance productivity, inclusion, and regional balance. Ogunsulire urged RICS Nigeria to convene a built environment roundtable to develop a clear, actionable urban strategy aligned with government priorities and backed by measurable milestones.
She also recommended the modernisation of urban planning laws, digitisation of land records, and the adoption of data-driven land use decisions. “We must move from static master plans to living templates, rethink how we plan, design, finance, and govern our cities,” she said. “This goes beyond bricks and mortar; it requires leadership, discipline, and a shared national vision.”
Experts at the conference emphasised that housing should be treated as a fundamental human right and a foundation for productivity, not as a luxury. They advocated a stronger focus on mass and rental housing for informal sector workers such as artisans, traders, drivers, and security personnel, the people who power cities but remain excluded from formal housing markets.
They further called for the establishment of a Construction and Infrastructure Bank tailored to long-term nation-building goals, noting that prevailing interest rates above 30 per cent make affordable housing delivery nearly impossible.
Chairman of RICS Nigeria Group and Chief Executive Officer of Build Africa, Mr Tayo Odunsi, described the “Building for 300 million” theme as a clarion call rooted in demographic certainty. With Nigeria’s population projected to reach 300 million soon, he said the profession must rise to the challenge with renewed commitment to global best practices.
“As estate surveyors, valuers, quantity surveyors, project managers, financiers, and academics, each of us plays a distinct yet interconnected role in building sustainable real estate that supports living, work, and leisure,” Odunsi said.
Representing Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Special Adviser to the Office of the State Surveyor-General, Ayokunnu Adesina, said the government is deepening collaboration with RICS and other professional bodies to build capacity, mentor young professionals, and enforce international standards locally.
Acting RICS President Nick Maclean, represented by Uche Obi, said the conference theme captures the urgency and scale of Nigeria’s development needs. “From the 250 million people who live here today to the 300 million projected within a generation, the demand for infrastructure, housing, skills, and professionalism has never been greater,” he said.
He commended RICS Nigeria for its six decades of autonomous operation, describing it as a vital cornerstone of RICS’s global network.
Earlier, the Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, said the state has delivered over 20,000 housing units and remains committed to inclusive housing, regeneration of old communities, and reducing the 3.4 million-unit housing deficit.
