The Federal Government has announced its intention to rehabilitate and lease unused and dilapidated federal buildings in Lagos through partnerships with private investors.
This development was disclosed by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, during an official facility assessment visit to Lagos on Tuesday, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria.
Dangiwa highlighted the government’s readiness to upgrade such properties in the coming months, emphasizing that many of these structures have been neglected over time, creating challenges and security concerns for the state.
He noted the dire state of several federal government buildings, citing issues such as lack of water, electricity, and general disrepair.
“The buildings that the federal government can put its money for upgrade will be done, while the ones requiring collaboration with the private sector will be rehabilitated and upgraded by private investors,” Dangiwa said.
“The private sector will bring in their money, rehabilitate and upgrade them to a befitting status and then rent them out to willing off-takers to recoup their investment before returning it back to the federal government.”
The NAN report noted that during his visit to the Lagos Field Headquarters’ Office at Tafawa Balewa, which houses over 40 federal government ministries, departments, and agencies, Dangiwa observed that most institutions were not allocating any of their budgets toward improving their office facilities.
“Since they are expecting only the Ministry of Housing to do that, we decided to step in to see what could be done to upgrade it,” he said.
More insight
The Minister also explained the government’s phased approach to rehabilitating these facilities. He instructed the Controller of Housing to prioritize key projects for immediate attention.
- Dangiwa’s three-day assessment tour covered 12 federal facilities, including the old Federal Secretariat in Ikoyi, the Federal Land Registry, and various training schools and housing projects across Lagos.
- He expressed concern over the state of these assets, many of which were abandoned following the relocation of Nigeria’s capital to Abuja in 1991.
- In addition to inspecting facilities, Dangiwa and his team met with Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss areas of collaboration. Both parties agreed to form a tripartite committee to address concerns and foster better cooperation between the federal and state governments for the benefit of residents.
The Controller of Housing in Lagos, Mrs. Funmilayo Olayiwola, also shed light on the operational challenges faced by federal facilities in the state, including dilapidated structures, lack of power supply, and outdated operational vehicles, all of which hinder productivity.
This initiative aims to address these challenges while creating a mutually beneficial model for the government and private sector investors.
