By Ebunoluwa Sessou

Stakeholders in the housing sector have called for the establishment of a strong advocacy group in Nigeria to defend the housing rights of citizens and hold government accountable, drawing lessons from the successes recorded by activists in South Africa.

Speaking at a forum on housing rights and urban development, organised by Heinrich Boell Stiftung in partnership with Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, Unilag and African Cities Research Consortium, the Director of the Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (CHSD), Professor Timothy Nubi, emphasised the urgent need for a collective platform that would give voice to the poor and confront policies that have worsened homelessness and urban inequality.

According to him, the rising number of homeless people and the exclusion of the urban poor from Nigerian cities make it imperative for professionals, journalists, lawyers and civil society actors to unite in demanding better housing policies.

“We are here to raise an advocacy group that will do what activists are doing in South Africa — giving voice to the voiceless. Unfortunately, we do not have such a strong and coordinated group in this country,” he said.

The scholar recalled an experience in 2006 after presenting a paper in the United Kingdom, when a South African participant questioned why Nigerians rarely organised protests over basic services such as electricity and water.

“He asked me, ‘You do not protest in your country? No light, no water?’ He explained that in South Africa, citizens organise themselves to confront government, go to court, and demand their rights. That is the kind of body we are trying to create here,” the professor explained.

The expert also lamented what was described as the absence of institutional memory in Nigeria and many African countries, noting that many people often assume the country has never made progress in housing development.

However, the professor argued that Nigeria once had effective housing policies and programmes that addressed the needs of low- and middle-income earners.

Citing examples, the scholar noted that in the 1980s public servants on relatively junior salary levels could afford to live in areas such as 1004 Housing Estate in Lagos, which is now considered an exclusive high-income neighbourhood.

“In the 1980s, civil servants on levels eight to ten could live in 1004. But today, only the very wealthy can afford to live there. What went wrong?” the professor asked.

The academic further referenced the Employee Housing Act of 1977, which required employers with at least 50 staff members to provide housing for their workers.

According to him, the policy contributed to the development of major housing schemes such as Satellite Town in Lagos, where the federal government acquired land and allocated parcels to organisations to build housing for their employees.

“Within five years in the early 1970s, about 5,000 housing units were built in Satellite Town. That was a major achievement. The question now is: where is the next Satellite Town after 1977?” the professor queried.

The expert also pointed to the National Housing Fund, which requires workers to contribute 2.5 per cent of their income to support housing development.

While describing the policy as potentially transformative, the professor said poor management and lack of awareness have prevented many contributors from benefiting from the scheme.

“If the National Housing Fund had been properly managed, it could have become one of the largest development funds in Africa, similar to the pension fund system,” the scholar noted.

The professor further recalled large-scale housing initiatives implemented during past administrations, including the construction of about 40,000 housing units across several estates aimed at providing affordable homes for low-income Nigerians.

However, the housing expert argued that many of these programmes declined after economic reforms introduced during the Structural Adjustment Programme era, when international financial institutions encouraged governments to privatise services and reduce public spending.

“Government was told to withdraw from providing housing, water and social services. Everything was to be determined by the market — demand and supply. Today we are suffering the consequences of those policies,” the professor said.

The scholar stressed that historically, African cities were inclusive spaces where the rich and the poor lived side by side, unlike the modern trend of gated communities and urban exclusion driven by capitalism.

“In traditional African cities, the rich and the poor lived together. A large mansion could stand beside a small house. It was capitalism and market-driven policies that pushed the poor out of the city,” the professor explained.

The expert therefore urged stakeholders across different sectors to collaborate in redefining housing policy in Nigeria.

“Lawyers, journalists, academics and civil society groups must work together to change the direction of housing policy in this country. We must reclaim the idea that housing is a right and ensure that our cities are inclusive for everyone,” the professor said.

The proposed advocacy group, according to the scholar, would mobilise citizens, challenge unjust policies and push government institutions to prioritise affordable housing as a critical component of national development.

Also speaking, Lagos City Manager, African Cities Research Consortium, Dr. Temilade Sesan, has called for stronger advocacy and collective action to address housing challenges and homelessness in Nigerian cities, stressing that access to housing and public goods is a fundamental right of every citizen.

Sesan examined policy approaches across West and East African countries and their implications for Nigeria.

According to her, cities play a crucial role in national development because they attract large populations and serve as hubs for economic activities.

“Cities hold a special place in national development. That is why you have dense concentrations of people working in and around them, which catalyse economic growth. But everyone has the right to participate in and benefit from what the city offers,” she said.

Sesan noted that advocacy must begin with the recognition that citizens have equal rights to public goods, including decent housing within cities. She stressed that governments must be held accountable for ensuring those rights are protected.

“If people have a right to the city, they also have a right to decent living and housing in that city. Where income differences make this difficult, it becomes the responsibility of government to put measures in place,” she explained.

She emphasised that funding alone cannot solve the housing deficit, noting that effective policies and collaboration between government, the private sector and other stakeholders are necessary.

Sesan also rejected the notion that housing should be treated as a purely private concern.

“The idea that housing is a private problem and not the business of the state is false. When housing problems arise, the public consequences become evident — people sleeping under bridges or being labelled as criminals because they are homeless,” she said.

She stressed that homelessness and inadequate housing are societal challenges that require collective solutions rather than individual blame.

Highlighting the importance of solidarity, Sesan urged Nigerians to revive communal values that traditionally emphasised shared responsibility.

“We often say it takes a village to raise a child. That communal spirit exists across Africa. In some places it is called the Ubuntu spirit — the understanding that we are in this together,” she said.

According to her, excessive individualism in urban societies has weakened this sense of collective responsibility, making it harder to address social challenges such as housing inequality.

She disclosed that efforts are currently underway to build a broad advocacy movement that will involve stakeholders from different sectors, including academics, journalists, creatives and community activists.
The initiative, she explained, aims to mobilise support for inclusive housing policies and promote citizens’ right to live in cities.

“We are still in the early stages. The idea is to start with commitments from people in the room and allow it to grow through their networks,” she said.

Sesan cited examples of grassroots movements in other countries, noting that successful advocacy efforts often begin with small groups before expanding into larger movements.

She added that outcomes from the current engagements would be shared with the media and other stakeholders as part of efforts to build a structured advocacy platform aimed at improving housing and living conditions in Nigerian cities.