The Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) has expressed concern over the growing housing supply deficit in the country, particularly in urban centres, warning that many Nigerian cities risk turning into sprawling slums by 2050 if urgent measures are not taken.
Speaking at a symposium organised by the Ebonyi State chapter of the Institute in Abakaliki, Professor Ibem Eziyi, former Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), said the rapid pace of urbanisation in Nigeria has far outstripped the rate of housing development.
The event, themed “Bridging the Housing Deficit: Collaborative Strategies for Sustainable Low-Cost Housing Delivery in Nigeria,” brought together architects and policymakers to discuss practical solutions to the nation’s housing crisis.
Eziyi noted that Nigeria, one of the fastest urbanising nations in Sub-Saharan Africa, is projected to have a population exceeding 400 million by 2050. He warned that unless deliberate and coordinated efforts are made to expand access to affordable housing, the situation will worsen.
“In most Nigerian cities, low-income earners struggle daily to secure decent accommodation,” he said. “The result is the proliferation of slums substandard environments that undermine health, well-being, and productivity. If the trend continues, a majority of our cities could become slums within the next 25 years.”
He urged government and private stakeholders to scale up public-private partnerships, promote cooperative housing models, adopt indigenous building materials, simplify land tenure systems, and streamline building approval processes as part of a national strategy to close the housing gap.
In his remarks, the Ebonyi State Chairman of the NIA, Arc Emmanuel Udoniaye, described the symposium’s theme as a call to action rather than a mere academic discourse. He stressed that architects must lead efforts to design innovative and sustainable housing solutions that can meet the needs of Nigeria’s growing population.
