After identifying a deficit of 2.5 million housing units, Nigeria is now planning to construct at least 187,000 housing units yearly as remedy for housing deficit in Lagos.
Gbolahan Lawal, the Commissioner for Housing, revealed this during a courtesy call to the office of the Acting Deputy British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Bashir.
According to Lawal, the Lagos State Government will come up with policies that will not only hasten the process to achieve this, but which will also make it successful.
“Governor Akinwumi Ambode has formulated people-oriented policies that will ensure the supply of 187,000 housing units yearly to address the state’s 2.5 million housing deficit over the next five years,” he said, adding that the Housing Ministry would model its affordable housing after the British social housing programme.
The Commissioner added that the state will explore the vertical style of building so as to make housing units available in the employment centres, particularly for the lower and middle income earners, and address the shortage of skilled workers in the construction sector.
He said the state government plans to address the problem of skilled workers in the building sector such as carpenters, masons, steel fabricators, electricians, jointers, painters, tillers and many more through a plan called Master Craftsman Project
The Master Craftsman Project, he added, intends to encourage the younger upcoming generation to embrace skills in construction, noting that the older artisans were ageing without younger ones being trained to replace them.
Bashir added that the United Kingdom had shown interest was ready to assist the ministry in offering training for craftsmen in the state. He appealed for additional investment in housing for short stay in the state, especially for tourists and businessmen.
