Nigeria’s Presidential Candidates call for a focus on housing

L-R: Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Young Progressive Party (YPP); Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN); Omoyele Sowore, African Action Congress (AAC); Fela Durotoye, Alliance for New Nigeria Party (ANNP); and Isaac Ositelu of the Accord Party, during the town hall meeting in Lagos

LAGOS, January 2019 – Thousands of people watched a live debate between five candidates aiming to become the President of Nigeria who discussed the country’s housing situation.

The candidates in the election scheduled for 16 February all agreed on the urgent need to focus towards on housing to ensure social and economic development was a consensus amongst all candidates. They also discussed the need to protect the housing rights of people in informal settlements, institutionalizing social housing policy, involving communities in housing issues, and creating special housing funds.

The meeting was organized by the University of Lagos, a UN-Habitat Partner University, and its Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (CHSD) with the Roland Igbinoba Real Foundation for Housing and Urban Development ((RIRFHUD) and the FESADEB Media Group.

The meeting at the University, the first of its kind to be organised by an academic institution in Africa, was attended by 1,200 participants with a further 8,000 viewers following the livestream. It can be watched on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSSjySB_FaE

The Townhall was opened by Professor Timothy Nubi, Founding Director of CHSD and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics and Research), Professor Wole Familoni who represented the University’s Vice chancellor. It was moderated by Dr Taibat Lawanson, Co-Director of CHSD, and Mr Roland Igbinoba, Founder of RIRFHUD.