Go Back Home? No. Let’s Talk Facts: Why Deputy Governor Hamzat’s Advice On Housing Is Practical, Not Surrender

BY SOLA FAJOBI

I don’t like shouting matches online. I have bills to pay in Lagos like everyone else. But when I saw the backlash to Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat’s comment advising young workers to “live with parents, relatives, or share accommodation instead of rushing to rent expensive apartments,” I felt we were missing the point.

The headline was weaponized. The context was ignored. The data was buried.

Let’s talk facts.

1. The Reality: Lagos Has A Land Problem, Not Just A Policy Problem

Lagos is not like other states. We are running out of dry land.

Lagos State Land and Housing Deficit- Quick Facts:

– Total land area: ∼3,577 sq km. With reclamation it’s now ∼4,050 sq km

– Lagos Metro land: 999.6 sq km

– Population 2025 estimate: 17.8M in metro. 21M for greater metro area

– Density: 6,871/km2. Urban density hits 14,469/km2

That means 21 million people are fighting for space on land smaller than Oyo State.

About 22% of Lagos is water. We can’t create more land without spending billions on reclamation like Eko Atlantic, Orange Island, and Banana Island —and those end up expensive by design.

Result: A housing deficit estimated at 2-3 million units. Demand will always outstrip supply until we address land plus transportation. So is telling people to “share accommodation” surrender? No. It’s what every mega city does.

2. What The Deputy Governor Said Is Already Global Best Practice

London: A 1-bedroom in Zone 1 is £1,500 – £2,500/month. That’s ₦3M – ₦5M/month. So people live in Watford, Luton, Reading and commute 1hour plus by train.

New York: Young professionals have 3-4 “roommates” in a 2-bedroom in Manhattan/Brooklyn.

Toronto, Dubai, Singapore: Shared housing and living with family into your late 20s is normal.

The Deputy Governor wasn’t saying “don’t be independent.” He was saying: “Be strategic while the system catches up.” That’s not failure. That’s financial intelligence.

Mistaking culture for policy is what critics did. But the truth is: sharing flats, living with family to save, and moving to affordable corridors is both a personal strategy and a stop-gap that governments worldwide encourage.

3. What Lagos Government Is Actually Doing On Housing

To say “there is no plan” is to ignore what’s on ground. The Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat administration has been the most aggressive on housing in 10 years:

A. Mass Housing Delivery

– Lagos State Rent-to-Own and Rental Schemes: Schemes in Igbogbo, Sangotedo, Iponri, Odo-Onosa/Ayandelu to reduce upfront burden.

-Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme – LAGSHOM: Subsidized mortgages for civil servants and private sector workers.

-Public-Private Partnerships: Over 20,000 housing units delivered or ongoing across the state.

B. Fixing The “Yearly Rent” Problem

The Lagos Tenancy Law already caps agency/legals and encourages monthly, quarterly, half-yearly rent. Enforcement is the challenge, and LASRERA is currently clamping down on violators.

C. The Real Game Changer: Transport

This is where the Deputy Governor’s thinking makes sense. You don’t fix housing in Lagos by only building in Lagos Island. You fix it by making Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu, and border towns in Ogun viable.

– Blue Line Rail: Operational.

– Red Line: 80%+ complete.

– Green and Yellow Lines: In planning/procurement.

Goal: Live in Badagry, work on Lagos Island, and get to work in 1 hour.

When that happens, land pressure reduces. Rents drop. This is exactly what London, Tokyo, and Paris did.

4. The Missing Piece: Regional Solution

Lagos cannot do this alone. We need Ogun and Oyo to play.

Imagine: 100,000 housing units built along the Berger-Magboro-Abeokuta corridor with direct BRT/Rail links to Lagos. Ogun provides land. Lagos provides jobs. People win.

That’s the regional megacity model that works globally. The Deputy Governor and Governor have been pushing this in the DAWN Commission and with the Ogun State Government.

5. So What Should Leadership Say?

Here’s what leadership is saying, and what the Deputy Governor meant:

“We know rent is high. We are building thousands of housing units. We are enforcing rent laws. We are building rail so you can live affordably outside the core.

While we do that, be smart: share accommodation, live with family to save, and don’t trap yourself in debt chasing a postcode.”

That is not “go back home.” That is “let’s build the ladder together.”

Conclusion: Criticize With Solutions, Not Soundbites

I’m not in government. I’m a Lagosian paying rent too. I know the pain. But we must separate frustration from facts. The housing crisis in Lagos is a math problem: too many people, too little dry land, too slow transport.

The answer isn’t vibes. It’s more housing plus cheaper rent options plus working trains plus regional planning.

That’s what this administration is working on. And that’s why I believe Deputy Governor Hamzat, who has a background in urban planning and finance, is the right person to continue this work as the next Governor.

We don’t need recycled outrage. We need builders.

Let’s build the ladder.

Sola Fajobi is a Lagos-based entrepreneur and writer. He writes about business, entertainment, media, policy and everyday life in Lagos