During the launch of the National Housing Strategy Blueprint, Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Works and Housing, acknowledged that the government cannot solely provide all of the housing needs of Nigerians.
He emphasized the importance of creating an environment that allows the private sector to contribute to the solution, stating that private enterprises are responsible for providing more homes than the government.
According to him, the private sector remains the real driver of housing solutions in the country, adding that the document will unleash the power of private capital in the sector.
He said, “There is nothing the government does in the housing sector that outcompetes and provides more than what the private sector can do. Whether it is a state government building or the Federal Government, the real drivers at the end of the day are the capacity of private capital for providing more houses.
“When you look at the scope of land holding, apart from the state government that owns the bulk of land, the Federal Government doesn’t have as much land as the collective land holding in the hands of the private sector.”
Fashola, who reiterated the need for data, assured that the scheduled population census will reveal the real size of housing problems in the country.
He said, “I am launching this document with mixed feelings and I say that because as an initiative of the private sector, the document is a very welcome and alternative solution to the housing problem.
“So, this document is to support and unleash the power of private capital and the private sector to provide houses.
“Recently, The chairman of the National Population Commission and his team were here to brief me and they shared some of the work done which is commendable.
“One of the data that will be collected will be who lives in a rented house, who owns his house, those who have other houses, and what type of house people live in.
“So let’s hold our breath; and when the figure comes. It will be very reliable upon which we can see the real size of the problem.”
