The housing deficit in Nigeria came to the fore recently when the Lagos State Government Task Force swooped on shanties beneath the Dolphin Estate Bridge and started the process of dismantling them. Figures from Datahyte indicate that Nigeria has an estimated 28 million housing deficit as of 2023, indicating that the country needs at least 28 million housing units to provide adequately for the population. Governments at Federal, State, and Local Government levels have yet to figure out how to generate the estimated sum of N21 trillion, which is required to provide housing units to fill the deficit.
According to analysts, the recent demolitions by the Lagos State Government, of the shanties discovered under the Dolphin bridge apartments should not be an end in itself. They rather believe the situation should be a reminder about the role of the government in serving as a facilitator of processes, which would lead to addressing the housing shortages in the country.
The Explainer gathered that demolished Dolphin shanty apartments had 86 partitioned rooms, sized “10×10 and 12×10,” with each tenant paying an average of N250,000 annually as rent.
Speaking via his X handle, the State Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources, Tokunbo Wahab, said the enforcement team of the ministry had successfully removed all structures, including a container utilised for various illegal activities under the bridge.
Also speaking on the discovery, Kunle Rotimi-Akodu, Special Adviser to the state government on environment matters, via his X handle, said, “Squatters there have been paying an average rent of N250k per annum.”
“Squatters dwelling under the bridge leading from inward Dolphin Estate, Ikoyi were evicted on Tuesday by officials of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps, LAGESC (aka KAI),” he said.
“These people created their own illegal settlement under the bridge, thereby exposing the critical infrastructure to impending destruction. 23 persons have so far been arrested and MoE/KAI will continue to monitor the place. The law will definitely take its course,” he added.
