What Is ADC Saying About Lagos’ Housing Crisis?

Kehinde Adeleye

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has promised to deliver at least 20,000 affordable housing units annually in Lagos State if elected in the 2027 governorship election.

The party’s deputy governorship candidate, Gbadamosi Babatunde, said the proposal is aimed at addressing the state’s housing crisis and the rising cost of rent, which he described as a major challenge for residents.

Speaking during an interview on Hard Facts on Nigeria Info on Monday, Babatunde said Lagos currently operates largely as a landlord’s market because housing supply has not kept pace with demand.

“The issue of rent is one of supply and demand. Right now, it is a landlord’s market, and it has been for much of the last 27 years of the APC’s rule,” he said.

Babatunde said an ADC administration would introduce affordable housing schemes across Lagos, drawing inspiration from the administration of former Governor Lateef Jakande, which he said delivered 20,000 low cost housing units within 4 years.

“About 40 years ago, Alhaji Lateef Jakande was able to roll out 20,000 housing units in just 4 years. Low cost housing. And accessible as well,” he said.

According to him, the resources and economies of scale available to the state could enable an ADC government to significantly increase housing delivery.

“With the economies of scale available to the state in terms of the resources that we’ve got, we think that we’ll be able to roll out a minimum of 20,000 affordable housing units per year,” Babatunde said.

He, however, said the party’s target could increase substantially if its broader plans for the state were fully implemented.

“We might, if things go as well as we think they will, if all our plans come together, we might be able to do 100,000 affordable housing units per year,” he said.

Babatunde acknowledged that even such an ambitious target would not completely resolve Lagos’ housing needs, given the state’s large population and growing number of households.

“When you consider that Lagos has a population of 24 million people or more, and you consider that that calculates out to about 6 million households, you realise that even 400,000 affordable housing units is not really that much,” he said.

The ADC’s proposal comes amid persistent concerns over rising rents and the difficulty many Lagos residents face in securing decent and affordable accommodation.

The party’s governorship candidate, Gbadebo Rhodes Vivour, and Babatunde have positioned increased housing supply as part of their broader plans to tackle the cost of living and improve living conditions in the state.