The Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the Housing Industry amidst looming housing crisis in the country.
This passionate plea comes on the heels of the discovery by the Lagos State government recently about several dwelling places beneath the Dolphin Estate Bridge in Ikoyi, Lagos.
The under-bridge ‘apartments’ comprised 86 partitioned rooms, measuring “10×10 and 12×10” in size, with occupants paying an average annual rent of N250,000 each.
Consequently, HDAN appealed to the administration of President Bola Tinubu to take a more pragmatic approach to the housing situation in the country.
According to the group, this was owing to the fact that the discovery by the Lagos State Government mirrored the housing deficit in Nigeria.
In a statement by the executive director of HDAN, Festus Adebayo, he said the Lagos scenario was but a tiny silver of such dwellings that were spread across the country.
He said economic downturn has further added pressure to the Housing Industry, as citizens were now subjected to difficult and inhumane conditions.
HDAN also condemned the creation of numerous bottlenecks for estate developers to navigate before obtaining building approval.
Additionally, HDAN criticised the requirement of multiple payments, which undoubtedly acts as a barrier to the delivery of affordable housing to Nigerians. This may explain why many estate developers resort to evasive measures and manipulations to reduce costs.
“HDAN takes this opportunity to call upon the Lagos State government to enhance efforts in creating enabling environments for estate developers operating within the state.
“This glaring fact that individuals are now compelled to reside underneath bridges mirrors the stark reality of the prevailing poverty within the country, underscoring the situation of housing in the Country.
“Urgent Government intervention is needed to stem this tide and bridge the gap, so as to enable Citizens have access to decent living Conditions,” he stated.