The Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA) has expressed deep concern over the country’s escalating housing supply deficit, warning that unchecked urban growth could turn many Nigerian cities into slums by 2050.
Speaking at a symposium in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, the former Head of the Department of Architecture at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Professor Ibem Eziyi, said the housing crisis is already fueling the rapid spread of slums across urban centres.
The symposium, themed “Bridging the Housing Deficit: Collaborative Strategies for Sustainable Low-Cost Housing Delivery in Nigeria,” brought together architects and urban planners to discuss practical solutions to the worsening housing challenge.
Eziyi noted that Nigeria, one of Africa’s fastest-urbanising countries, faces a severe shortfall in affordable housing despite its growing population, projected to exceed 400 million by 2050.
“In most Nigerian cities, people live in substandard housing conditions that compromise their health, well-being, and productivity,” he said. “If urgent action is not taken, the majority of our cities could become slums within the next 25 years.”
He urged the government and private sector to scale up public-private partnerships, promote cooperative housing schemes, and adopt indigenous building materials to reduce construction costs. Eziyi also called for reforms in land tenure systems and the building approval process to make housing development more accessible and efficient.
In his remarks, Ebonyi State NIA Chairman, Arc Emmanuel Udoniaye, said the symposium’s theme underscored a national emergency that affects the country’s social and economic stability. He described architects as key players in delivering innovative, inclusive, and sustainable solutions to Nigeria’s housing crisis.
