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By Maduka Nweke and Ikwunne Precious Chinasa
Stakeholders in the built environment have chided the lackluster attitude of the Federal Government in the area of infrastructure development. The stakeholders that spoke to Daily Sun noted that with the increase in urbanisation and population growth and poor infrastructure, the government should match the difference with the corresponding infrastructure development in the interest of the economy.
A pioneer engineer at the National Steel Plant of the Ministry of Science & Technology in Research Development and innovation, Razaq Babatunde Lawal, in his assessment of urbanisation observed that by the late 1960s and early 1970s, Nigeria was experiencing rapid urbanization and industrial growth, especially in cities like Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha and Kano. He noted that the expansion came with a surge in land disputes, land speculation, and unequal access to land.
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According to him, “Wealthy individuals and corporations were able to amass large tracts of land, while ordinary Nigerians faced barriers to ownership, further entrenching inequality. It became clear that the government needed to create a unified framework that would standardize land ownership and make land accessible for development, agriculture, and residential purposes. This laid the groundwork for the creation of the Land Use Act. The Land Use Act of 1978 was introduced with several key objectives in mind. The Nigerian government intended to centralize land administration, ensure that land was used for the public good, and simplify the complex land tenure systems that had previously existed,” he stated.
Dr. Chiedu Nweke Chairs Periwinkle Residences Limited and MD/CEO Swampsea Construction Company Limited while discussing management of urbanization said that if you look at Lagos, at the end of Lekki Phase 1 here, you start going to Epe; the area is not urbanized because anybody can do any road, anybody can do anything. So the only place that looks like an urban town is Lekki, Victoria Island and Ikoyi. Once you go down to Ikate, Chevron, this and that, sometimes you see a road. But do you know these things are what the government should have done? The government should have provided those infrastructures before even the developers entered those areas up to that Epe. But they left it and after people have built roads, constructed homes around the areas then they come and start squeezing new roads. That is very poor urbanisation and that is the challenge we are having. So, most areas are not properly planned. He noted that with urbanization increasing, more and many infrastructures will be needed to contend with the population surge.
Mr. Joash Enendu, a real estate developer asserted that these factors if provided will help to drive increased demand for both residential and commercial properties. “Rapid population growth and urbanization put a huge pressure on housing and infrastructure in Nigeria. While they can drive demand for real estate, they also maintain the need for sustainable development plans to ensure that growth is managed effectively and that the necessary infrastructure is in place to support it. Here in Lagos State, the epicenter of Nigeria’s urbanization and home to a rapidly growing population, the demand for housing continues to outpace supply by significant margins. The resulting housing deficit poses a critical challenge, one that the current administration feels determined to address head-on. But are they matching it with infrastructural development? He queried.
