Housing experts have urged the government to convert abandoned and underused public buildings into affordable housing units in Lagos.
They said repurposing existing assets could complement new housing projects and help address the city’s growing accommodation shortage.
The experts made the call during “Reclaiming the City,” a webinar examining Lagos’ housing crisis and idle public properties.
The Rethinking Cities Initiative and Heinrich Böll Stiftung convened the session.
The programme brought together Lagos State housing officials, urban researchers, developers and green building professionals.
The discussions questioned why governments continue building new estates while some publicly funded properties remain unused.
High rent deepens affordability crisis
A policy brief presented at the session linked Lagos’ housing shortage to several structural challenges.
These include population growth, land scarcity and policies that have left valuable buildings and serviced land idle.
The brief also highlighted the financial pressure facing low-income residents.
It stated that most Lagos residents earn below N100,000 monthly, while 92.7 per cent of workers operate within the informal economy.
Many households reportedly spend between 40 and 60 per cent of their income on rent.
Some tenants also pay rent one or two years in advance, further increasing household financial pressure.
Experts recommend adaptive reuse
The policy brief recommended repurposing suitable abandoned public buildings instead of selling them.
It proposed allowing cooperatives, community organisations and social housing providers to manage selected properties under transparent arrangements.
Professor Timothy Nubi of the University of Lagos said unlocking empty buildings depends on stronger institutional frameworks.
He said legal and financial constraints often prevent usable public properties from returning to productive use.
Former South-West Vice President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria, Debo Adejana, said housing affordability had become increasingly difficult.
He noted that even households earning between N100,000 and N150,000 monthly struggle to secure decent accommodation across parts of Lagos.
Adejana, however, warned that adaptive reuse does not automatically guarantee cheaper housing.
He said sound existing buildings could reduce material costs, construction expenses and carbon emissions.
However, inadequate assessment could turn poorly selected projects into financial risks.
Experts seek stronger public rental housing
Taibat Lawanson, a Leverhulme Professor of Planning and Heritage at the University of Liverpool, called for greater investment in public and social rental housing.
She said government housing policy should go beyond constructing units for sale.
Lawanson argued that publicly funded housing should remain accessible to low-income residents instead of eventually entering the open market.
She also called for a comprehensive inventory of vacant public properties.
According to Lawanson, professionals should document their locations, conditions, functionality and potential for adaptive reuse.
Such information, she said, would help governments make better planning decisions.
Retrofitting could reduce environmental impact
Oluseyi Orenuga of the Green Building Council Nigeria supported the retrofitting of suitable existing structures.
He said reusing buildings could provide environmental benefits compared with demolishing them and starting new construction.
Orenuga also urged developers to integrate sustainability into housing projects from the planning stage.
Lagos considers new housing strategies
Lagos State Commissioner for Housing Moruf Akinderu-Fatai acknowledged the difficulties confronting the housing sector.
He cited high construction costs, inadequate housing data and declining property sales among the challenges.
The commissioner said the state was exploring vertical development to accommodate more residents on limited available land.
He said the state had identified several abandoned buildings but faced ownership and jurisdiction challenges.
Some disputes involve federal properties, making efforts to return the buildings to productive use more difficult.
Akinderu-Fatai also highlighted plans to strengthen rental housing and develop homes around rail stations and major transport corridors.
He said a proposed bill before the Lagos State House of Assembly would address aspects of landlord-tenant relations and promote more sustainable rental arrangements.
The commissioner also said the state was considering seed land for housing development.
He added that building permit arrangements could support the upgrading of informal and low-income communities.
The proposal puts the spotlight on how Lagos can make better use of public assets while expanding affordable housing.
For policymakers, the immediate challenge is identifying usable properties, resolving ownership issues and creating transparent systems for their conversion.
