FG Secures 200 Hectares for Lekki Housing Hub to Cut Production Costs

The Federal Government has secured 200 hectares of land within the Lekki Free Trade Zone, Lagos, for a building materials hub to reduce housing production costs.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa, disclosed this during a tour of industrial areas within the Lekki and Lagos Free Zones.

The Lagos Free Zone is part of the larger Lekki Free Trade Zone ecosystem, a commercial hub integrated with the Lekki Deep Sea Port.

Dangiwa inspected various housing projects, industries, building materials testing laboratories, the deep sea port, Alaro City, Lagos Coastal City, and other ongoing developments.

He said establishing a building materials hub is part of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at cutting construction costs and providing affordable housing.

According to him, the hub will promote local content, curb rising costs of materials, encourage domestic production, and ensure sustainable housing delivery nationwide.

He added that President Tinubu’s vision is to establish similar hubs across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The minister, conducted round the projects by Lekki Worldwide Investments Ltd Managing Director, Mr Adeniyi Akinlusi, commended the firm for its remarkable achievements.

Dangiwa also thanked the company for providing a strategic site for the proposed Federal Government Building Materials Manufacturing Hub within the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

During inspection of Alaro City, he praised the management’s sustainable building efforts, saying they align with the government’s plan to close Nigeria’s shelter gap through PPPs.

He said the building materials hub is a key agenda of the current administration’s Housing and Urban Development Renewed Hope programme.

According to him, one hub will be built in each zone of the country, with the Lagos hub already sited within the Lekki Free Trade Zone.

The minister said intermodal transport infrastructure, including a seaport, airport, rail and roads, will support the effectiveness of the hubs.

He disclosed that an investor has been secured for the project, which will cut Nigeria’s housing deficit by boosting local building materials production.

Dangiwa stressed that this would reduce foreign exchange spent on imports, while creating jobs through local manufacturing of essential construction inputs.

Interacting with businesses, he noted their operations were driving economic growth, with houses and residential areas springing up within the zone.

He explained that infrastructure such as ports and an airport inevitably attracts real estate, as housing is required to support these developments.

“We are pleased, some houses here have already been acquired by off-takers,” he added.

Earlier, Akinlusi provided updates on projects, noting that the free zone was designed to stimulate growth, reduce imports, attract investment, create jobs and boost housing.

Highlighting real estate and industrial aspects, he described the 16,500-hectare Lekki Free Trade Zone as a national asset.

“The whole zone is Nigeria’s best-kept investment secret,” he said.

Industry heads within the zone also showcased power plants, manufacturing sites and new projects, explaining their operations to the minister during the tour.

In a related development Dangiwa, said President Bola Tinubu will, in the coming weeks, inaugurate the Renewed Hope City Project in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos.

He described the project as one of the flagship schemes in the South-West under the Renewed Hope Cities initiative, being developed across the six geopolitical zones and the Federal Capital Territory.

According to him, the Ibeju Lekki project is already 80 per cent completed, with over 700 housing units ready for allocation.

“We have come and seen that the project is almost 80 per cent completed, and it is about to be commissioned by Mr. President.

“On that day, he will also lay the foundation for the second phase of the scheme,” Dangiwa said.

The minister explained that the Lagos scheme, when fully completed, would deliver 2,000 housing units.

He added that the project underscored President Tinubu’s commitment to bridging Nigeria’s housing deficit.