Finally Solved: Affordable housing in Nigeria

Deolu Lana

The application of efficient methods of construction and materials technologies to the residential sector can have great multiple positive impacts on the costs of these homes.

Back in the 80’s and 90’s, the days of NITEL’s analog landline phones, vinyl musical records and the typewriter. These formerly separate big sized and heavy products, have in under just 10-15 years been made outdated/extinct ,as a result of quick progress in science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics.

It’s now possible to produce these three different things into one product -the smart phone.

This new product does not just fit into your pocket but equally fits into the palm of one’s hand and is readily available to all members of the public.

The same technological approach has now been applied to residential design and construction.

Some of the common characteristics of technology

Is that it makes things, faster, easier, smaller, and cheaper.

On the African continent, prior to the arrival of the Europeans and their subsequent imposed building methods, materials, cultures and design philosophies.

Housing or any kind of building was -a non issue.

The community simply joined hands and minds together and built for each other as a collective team effort.

These kind of superior practices need to be scientifically and culturally updated.

In some continents of the world where this approach has been applied, a two bedroom (factory price) costs is about N2 million.

Hence, must we not also learn from our ECOWAS neighbours, as has been recently demonstrated by the global award winning Burkinabe architect Debedou Francis Kere.

Who initiated the provision of a modern African primary school in Gando, which built by communal effort and with local materials.

I confidently announce to all Nigerians that everything required to make houses affordable is already existing in the hands of Nigerians and has been finally solved.

It is quite a matter of thought and approach to achieve the double sided results of creating the highest architectural quality at the least Material usage & construction costs.

This was and still is the very substance, the very heart and evidence/proof of true wisdom, value and true creativity.

Achieving this required us to rebuild and update our natural African communal age old proven social and economic practices and systems.

A selective blending of the traditional and the scientific to create new possibilities and potentials, for the good of all Nigerians. So we make bold and declare, Finally Solved: Affordable Housing in Nigeria.

Deolu Lana, a sustainability project manager, is the projects director at PETOLAH a design and build firm based in Lagos, with expertise in manufactured housing