By Dada Jackson and Bamidele Ogunwusi

Housing provision in the more than four decades since the nation got her independence cannot be described as pleasant as it concerns the downtrodden of society.

In spite of the various housing schemes that had been embarked upon by most private property developers, the units on the ground have not been able to meet the needs of the people, whether in the lower strata of society or in the high brow bracket.

The total annual housing units required by the populace is conservatively put at about 500,000 but what is available in terms of housing stock is a far cry from the projected need.

It is noteworthy that the number of units being constructed either by government or by private estate developers is far below the minimum projection of the United Nations, which has identified housing (or shelter) as one of the three basic needs of man after food and clothing.

The shortfall in national housing stock vis -a -vis the United Nations benchmark, according to experts, is put at between 12 million and 14 million units, but major beneficiaries of the houses that are being built are the rich in society.

According to major players in the construction industry, the argument that government should hands off housing provision would certainly continue to hinder the prospect of the commoner owning own houses.

The hope of the masses to own their own houses would continue to be a mirage for a long time to come even though a few private developers are contemplating veering into the construction of mass housing but the high cost of land, materials and infrastructure has over the years mitigated against low-cost home ownership.

Some Nigerians, who spoke to Daily Independent, said owning houses has become more difficult due a number of factors. These include among others, high cost of land, irregular supply of essential building materials and high cost of building materials.

Mr. Ademola Ilori, a civil servant, said he has suspended work on his three-bedroom flat at Badore in Eti-Osa Local Government in Lagos State due to the high cost of building materials.

According to him, when he commenced the project in 2004, he was so sure he would move into it before the end of 2006 but developments in the country have shown that one cannot plan with little finances. He said: 'I suspended work on the house because it was affecting other things I have to do'.

Continuing, he said 'I could not continue with the building because of high price of building materials like cement and reinforcement."

Another intending landlord, Mrs. Tolu Imisi, a banker, said she was made to pay for her land thrice at Magboro Village, behind Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministry's camp along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway due to problem of land speculators called omo onile.

Her words: "I think government needs to find a lasting solution to the problem of omo onile in this area. I have spent close to N1 million buying the same plot of land from three different families."

Other concerned Nigerians, who spoke to Daily Independent, said buying land from authentic developers will reduce the problem of land speculators but it cannot solve the issue of high cost of land as plots of land being sold in some towns are expensive and beyond the reach of average Nigerians.

However, industry watchers believe that all hope is not lost if the political will is there to pursue a mass housing programme. They called on government to create the enabling environment for private developers not only to build affordable and functional homes, but also that a viable housing finance system should be put in place to allow easier access by the needy.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Independent, Managing Director of Elleon Property Limited, Mr. Sola Adekunle, said the last 47 years had been a mixed bag for Nigeria in terms of housing delivery.

He said with the exception of some states like Lagos, Ogun and Rivers, which are involved in direct housing delivery, state governments in the country have not done anything significant to address the problem of homelessness in the country.

Vice-President of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON), Mr. Adeola Olufon, said the solution to the problem of homelessness in the country is social housing. He was quick to add that government has a significant role to play in this regard.

Olufon, who is Managing Director of Afribank Estate Company Limited, pointed out that government could not afford to abandon direct housing delivery to private sector players, noting that it is only the government that can provide social housing, which will target the low-income cadre.

He added that because of the fact that private developers build for commercial purposes, and are unable to address the housing shortage, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the less privileged in society to aspire to own their own houses. According to him, the idea of building houses and selling to the rich, as some state governments are wont to do, is anti-social. He stressed that no attention is being given to the low-income earners in this regard thereby making home ownership for this class of people a mirage.