Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday stressed the need for strong collaboration between government and the private sector to address the growing housing deficit in Lagos. He made the remarks at the Sixth Lagos Real Estate Marketplace Conference held on Victoria Island, organised by the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Agency (LASRERA) under the theme, “Shaping the Future of Lagos Megacity: Infrastructure Investment, Innovation and Affordable Housing.”
Sanwo-Olu noted that affordable and sustainable housing cannot be delivered by government alone, describing homes as essential not just for shelter but for human dignity, economic productivity, and social stability.
“Housing is not just about buildings. It is about the kind of city we choose to become. In Lagos, affordability means homes people can actually live in, pay for and access close to where they work and raise families. This can only be achieved through partnerships, leveraging public-private partnerships, structured finance and demand-led planning,” he said.
The governor emphasised that the state government’s role is primarily to act as an enabler, regulator, and partner in housing delivery rather than the sole provider.
Also speaking at the conference, Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, highlighted that the state’s housing and infrastructure strategies had attracted global attention and positioned Lagos as a model African megacity. He credited LASRERA for ensuring that innovation in housing and construction maintains compliance, safety, and integrity.
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The Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, described the conference as a strategic platform for fostering public-private partnerships and exploring innovative financing and infrastructure solutions to address the state’s housing needs. She also noted that the state government is reviewing a new tenancy bill to streamline real estate practices and provide clearer guidelines for property transactions.
According to the State of Lagos Housing Market Report, Volume 3, published in July 2025, Lagos faces a housing deficit of 3.396 million units, including over 618,000 inadequate homes that are either structurally unsafe, overcrowded, or lacking essential services such as clean water, sanitation, and electricity. The report also noted that 2.5 million housing units had been delivered in Lagos between 1978 and 2025 through combined efforts of the state government, private developers, and federal housing agencies.
Sanwo-Olu called on stakeholders, investors, and developers to partner with the government to deliver real solutions to the housing crisis, saying, “A true megacity is not defined by how tall it builds, but by how well it lives. That is the Lagos we are committed to building, thoughtfully, inclusively and sustainably.”