Post by Ismail Auwal Garba (@ismail_auwal_garba)

A housing project can be completed without becoming affordable to the people who need it most. The price of the house is only the beginning. Transport to work, water, electricity and the terms of payment help determine whether a family can actually live there.

Today is the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. This year’s focus, “Safe Homes for All”, gives Nigeria a practical question to answer: who can afford the homes being promised?

The World Bank’s October Nigeria Development Update examines how increased state revenues are being spent. That conversation should reach beyond budget totals and commissioning ceremonies.

For every publicly supported housing scheme, citizens should be able to see the eligibility rules, the full cost to the occupant, how beneficiaries are selected and whether basic services are working.

A useful measure of progress is whether a household can secure a safe home and still afford food, schooling and the journey to work.

What would make the biggest difference where you live: lower rent, more manageable payment terms, or reliable services closer to affordable homes?

File photo: Housing blocks under construction at the Renewed Hope Housing Project, Karsana, Abuja. Photo credit: AbujaCity.com.

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