Mr. Linus Nwokoye, an estate surveyor, has said the housing deficit in Lagos will continue to increase despite efforts by private developers to flood the city with mini- estates because the housing supply in the state is not commensurate with the demand.
Nwokoye said that buildings in residential areas of Lagos are being converted into offices and business premises against the state government’s building approvals and environmental protection laws.
He said, “Apart from the environmental impact of turning a residential area into a commercial enclave, converting buildings meant for residence has enormous implications for Lagos whose major social problem is housing accommodation for its residents.
“It is estimated that 80 percent of Lagos residents live in rented accommodation, spending about 50 percent of their income on house rents. This is to be expected in a sprawling city sitting on a small land mass with an over-arching population that is well above 18 million. The state has a housing demand-supply gap estimated at three million, requiring about 200,000 houses to be built annually to close.
“These are the sources of concerns raised by officials of the state government who warned those involved in the indiscriminate conversion of buildings to desist from such. The conversion is no respecter of locations as it happens on the island as much as it does on the mainland,”he stated.
He noted that places like Ikoyi, Lekki and Victoria Island on the island have witnessed this almost on equal measure with places on the mainland including Ikeja GRA, Surulere, Ilupeju, Apapa, etc. Commercial activities in these locations have degraded the environment considerably.
