Back To 1st Principles- 2 of 8, Getting The Foundation Right- Good Governance for Affordable housing

People, Government, Good Governance, and Affordable housing

If this sounds political, then maybe it should.

A friend once challenged his local government over a project where the cost of commissioning a simple gate far exceeded the cost of the gate itself. You’d expect the community to support his demand for accountability, only if wishes were horses…

Instead, they turned on him.

This reaction captures a deeper problem: our collective reluctance to hold power accountable, even when the truth stares us in the face. Now, imagine asking every Nigerian to list where the government has failed. We’d likely be recording answers for two weeks straight.

Social Responsibility and the Missing Link in Governance

Here’s the thing: if we truly understand that “social responsibility” isn’t a slogan. But it's rather the active participation of citizens in ensuring accountability, transparency, and good governance: the very pillars that make societies functional and equitable.

That means:

• Demanding clarity in leadership decisions,
• Asking questions about public spending,
• Supporting initiatives that improve communities, and
• Holding both leaders and ourselves to ethical standards.

When we talk about “the government” as though it’s an abstract entity, we forget something fundamental: we are the government. And our collective habits, culture, and participation determine how well (or poorly) the system works.

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Housing, Real Estate, and the Power of Shared Responsibility

If the government forms the foundation on which the housing and real estate industry thrives, and if we form that government, then we must admit something uncomfortable: “The failure of the housing sector is partly our failure to uphold social responsibility.”

Because when we step back, ignore civic duties, and defer responsibility, we weaken the very foundation that should support better policies, fairer access, and sustainable development. We often blame the government for the state of housing: rising costs, poor infrastructure, and unaffordable rent.

Yet we rarely ask: What have we done, in our individual and collective capacity, to demand better governance or drive small changes where we live?

The Affordability Conundrum: Who Exactly Are We Building For?

Every time “affordable housing” trends in Nigeria, it sparks excitement—and frustration. Excitement, because it sounds like hope. Frustration, because most people soon realize it doesn’t include them.

But here’s the truth: the problem is not in execution but lack of definition. Before we can make housing affordable, we must first agree on who affordable housing is for.

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Perspective vs. Perception: How Understanding Shapes Policy

One reason housing policy fails is that both citizens and policymakers operate from narrow lenses. Perspective widens when we step back to see the bigger picture to understand that policymaking is about trade-offs. Perception evolves when exposure to better data and examples helps us see why “one-size-fits-all” housing rarely works.

Many citizens assume “affordable” means the same thing for everyone. But in truth, affordability is relative.  What’s affordable to one income group may be a luxury to another.

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The Role of Government: Setting the Benchmarks

Governments define affordability benchmarks: income thresholds, price limits, and financing rules. But Nigeria’s housing problem is worsened by the lack of clear categorization. We use “affordable housing” as a blanket term that could apply to:

• Middle-income earners,
• Low-income earners,
• Very low-income earners, or
• The extremely poor.

Without explicit differentiation, everyone assumes they are the target audience — and when they realize they’re not, distrust deepens. Imagine calling a ₦40 million flat “affordable.”

For a high-earning household, that might be true. But for a family living on ₦300,000 per month, it’s an impossibility. The result is an endless cycle of disappointment, government policies fail to meet expectations, while citizens lose faith in leadership.

In reality, both are operating within different definitions of “affordable.”

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The Way Forward: Defining Before Delivering

To fix this, we need precision. It is important that before any housing intervention, we:

1. Categorically specify its target group (middle-income, low-income, or extremely low-income).
2. Align financing models and subsidies with that specific group.
3. Communicate clearly so beneficiaries understand eligibility and intent.

Once definitions are clear, expectations align, and solutions can actually work.

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Small Actions, Big Shifts

Change doesn’t always begin in policy rooms or political rallies. Sometimes, it begins with something as simple as lending your voice, supporting community projects, or questioning how resources are used in your local area.

If we all did that consistently, we’d strengthen the civic foundation upon which sustainable housing and economic progress depend. Every conversation about housing, affordability, or governance eventually circles back to one truth:

Good governance requires good citizens.

And we can’t build sustainable housing systems on weak civic foundations. Until we start seeing social responsibility as everyone’s duty and not just a “government” obligation, the structures we hope to build, both literally and figuratively, will remain unstable.

So, before we point another finger at “the government,” maybe it’s time to ask: What role am I playing in setting this foundation right?


Next we discuss housing finance—the missing link between income and affordability.

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