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By Tayo Ogunbiyi
In a rapidly growing megacity like Lagos, where population growth continues to put a huge pressure on infrastructure and social services, housing remains one of the most critical pillars of urban development.
It is in realization of this that the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu views public housing delivery as a key driver of social stability, economic inclusion, and sustainable urban growth.
One of the defining features of the administration’s housing policy is its commitment to mass housing schemes across diverse locations. Through agencies such as the Lagos State Ministry of Housing, the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC), and the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LagosHOMS), the government has significantly expanded access to housing for different income groups.
In the past seven years, the administration has delivered a total of 10,623 housing units across the state, reaffirming its commitment to tackling the housing deficit and expanding access to affordable homes. To put it in another way, the government has completed and commissioned 23 housing estates across the state since 2019.
Some of the estates include 420-unit Akinsanya Sunny Ajose Estate (Phase I), Badagry, LBIC Housing Schemes in Amuwo-Odofin, Channel Apartments in Victoria Island, Lagos, 48-unit Greater Lagos LBIC Apartments in Pen-Cinema, Agege, Lagos, 480-unit housing project in Ibeshe, Ikorodu, and 774-unit LagosHOMS, Sangotedo Phase 1.
Others are a 100-unit home in Ikate, Lekki, Lagos, a 360-unit home in Igbogbo, Ikorodu, 252-home units in Idale, Badagry, 84 home units in Lagos Homes, Lekki, Phase 2, 132-home units at the BRF Housing Estate, Iponri, Surulere, 120-unit Courtland Villas, Igbokushu, Lekki, 492-home unit in Lateef Kayode Jakande Housing Estate, Igando, and 660-housing units at Odo-Onosa-Ayandelu Housing Scheme in Agbowa LCDA, among others.
A breakdown of the home delivery shows that 4,414 housing units were delivered through direct government funding, while 6,209 units were delivered through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP). This underscores the growing role of partnerships in Lagos’ housing strategy.
By leveraging private sector expertise and funding, the government has been able to scale up project delivery while minimizing fiscal pressure. Developments such as the Ilubirin Housing Scheme exemplify this model, combining residential, commercial, and leisure components to create mixed-use urban spaces. This approach not only enhances housing supply but also stimulates economic activity and job creation.
It is gratifying to note that, upon completion, ongoing projects—including schemes in Egan-Igando, Sangotedo, Epe, Ibeshe, and Badagry—are expected to contribute substantially to the state’s housing supply with a long-term projection of over 14,000 units.
A key component of the state’s housing scheme is affordability. The government’s main goal is to make homeownership accessible to low- and middle-income earners. Initiatives such as LagosHOMS and other state-backed schemes are designed to ease financing barriers and create flexible payment structures for prospective homeowners.
All schemes initiated by the LagosHOMS are designed to make home ownership more accessible to first-time buyers. It allows beneficiaries to pay a modest initial deposit—typically about five percent—followed by installment payments spread over a period of up to 20 years. This rent-to-own model has enabled thousands of families to transition from tenancy to ownership, thereby promoting financial stability and long-term asset creation.
It is also important to stress that a rebate program, enabling civil servants to access homeownership, has led to the allocation of home units to teachers, health personnel, and other categories of civil servants.
Also, in a bid to reduce incidences of building collapse, the cost of property development, and enhance quality in housing development, Governor Sanwo-Olu has unveiled plans to build the competence of local artisans and craftsmen in the State.
The purpose of the plan, the governor said, is to improve the skills of local artisans and bring them on par with their contemporaries in the region and the world at large. Since everyone can obviously not benefit from the State’s housing schemes, the government is working on the commencement of a monthly rent payment scheme, which will commence soon in the State.
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The Sanwo-Olu administration has also prioritized the geographical spread of housing projects to ensure inclusivity. Several estates have been developed or completed in areas such as Gbagada, Agbowa, Ajah, Surulere, and Epe, reflecting a conscious effort to decentralize urban growth and reduce pressure on Lagos Island and other densely populated districts.
For instance, the development of the LagosHOMS estate at Odo-Onosa/Ayandelu in Agbowa delivered approximately 660 housing units, comprising one-bedroom, two-bedroom, and three-bedroom apartments. Similarly, the Ndubuisi Kanu Estate in Gbagada added 72 units, while a resettlement scheme in Agbowa provided an additional 144 homes for displaced residents.
These projects are complemented by essential infrastructure such as roads, drainage systems, water supply, and electricity, ensuring that the estates are not merely housing clusters but fully functional communities.
Given the State’s limited land mass and the increased pressure on available lands for housing and other developmental ventures, the time is ripe for thinking outside the box.
In the course of time, the government is keen on evolving an inclusive strategy through which owners of old homesteads partner with the government in terms of releasing old properties to the government for vertical developments of blocks of homes.
The land on which the homes are will be viewed as equity for the family concerned, while the government will partner in building high-rise accommodation to serve as homes for more people. This is a strategy that will also result in urban renewal and regeneration of old homesteads.
“Developments such as the Ilubirin Housing Scheme exemplify this model, combining residential, commercial, and leisure components to create mixed-use urban spaces. This approach not only enhances housing supply but also stimulates economic activity and job creation.”
The government is also actively driving cluster arrangements via Cooperatives to satisfy the yearnings of as many people as possible in this bracket. This group is accommodated through the ‘Rent to Own’ Scheme, which is our unique way of increasing affordability.
This scheme enables an allottee to pay only 5 percent as an initial payment, with the rest spread over 10 years at a minimal interest of 6 percent. Effective mortgage funding at a reasonable interest rate to reduce the high cost of funding for housing is also part of our policy considerations. In addition, the government is actively encouraging research into the use of local building materials to reduce the cost of building.
In this way, the issue of affordability is being addressed while also energizing the economy through reduced import costs. On the whole, governmental policies in all sectors are being tailored towards a more integrated and fully incorporated synergy for the total benefit of the people.
With this, the location of housing schemes, either in rural or urban parts of the State, will soon be inconsequential in choosing homes, especially with multimodal means of transportation embarked upon by the government. Looking ahead, the government plans to release over 1,600 more homes as ongoing projects reach completion.
Looking ahead, the government is poised to scale up housing delivery, deepen partnerships, and explore innovative financing models to meet the growing demand for homes in Lagos. Residents are assured that the government remains focused on delivering quality, affordable, and sustainable housing, as the sector is vital to economic growth, job creation, and social stability.
With ongoing projects and ambitious targets, the government is positioning Lagos for a more inclusive and sustainable urban future—one where decent housing is within reach for a larger segment of its residents.
• Ogunbiyi is Director, Public Enlightenment & Community Relations, Ministry of Information & Strategy
