Infrastructure First: A Regional Vision for Sustainable And Inclusive Housing скачать в хорошем качестве

Infrastructure First: A Regional Vision for Sustainable And Inclusive Housing

KEYNOTE SPEECH DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, THE IMMEDIATE PAST VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE TITLED: “FROM BODIJA TO THE FUTURE: UNLOCKING LAND AND INFRASTRUCTURE FOR INCLUSIVE HOUSING, A REGIONAL AGENDA” AT WEMABOD 2026 REAL ESTATE OUTLOOK ON THE 3RD OF FEBRUARY, 2026 Protocols Let me begin by thanking the Board and Management of Wemabod for the very kind invitation extended to me to give this keynote address. In a few short years, WEMABOD has become one of West Africa’s largest real estate companies. I am especially grateful to my dear brother and friend, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, the Chair of the Board. He had conveyed this invitation to me possibly over six months ago, but those who know him will agree that not only is he extremely meticulous, but he also will not take no for an answer. He reminded me almost every month since then that I had to be here today! I believe we can all agree that Odu’a Investment Company and its subsidiary, Wemabod, are unlike most business entities. By virtue of their history and the circumstances of their founding, under the visionary leadership of what is widely regarded as the most progressive government in Nigeria’s history, the Government of the former Western Region. They were conceived with a responsibility that extends beyond commerce. They were shaped to be agents of socio-economic transformation. This heritage imposes a moral and developmental obligation to create value not merely for a privileged few, but for the wider region and, indeed, the nation as a whole in diverse and enduring ways. For WEMABOD, therefore, real estate cannot be viewed solely through the lens of profit. Housing is not simply a commodity for those who can afford it; it is a powerful instrument of socio-economic transformation, with implications for equity, dignity, and collective prosperity. It is this deep sense of social responsibility that, in my view, underpins the theme I have been invited to address today: “Unlocking Land and Infrastructure for Inclusive Housing: A Regional Agenda.” However, I have chosen to slightly reframe the title, for reasons that will become clearer as I proceed, so that it now reads: “From Bodija to the Future: Unlocking Land and Infrastructure for Inclusive Housing, A Regional Agenda.” Across the South West of Nigeria, from Lagos to Ibadan, Abeokuta to Akure, our cities are growing at extraordinary speed. This growth is not accidental. It reflects population dynamics, economic concentration, and increasing regional integration. The real challenge before us is not urbanisation itself, but how it is being managed. Too often, growth is disorderly, exclusionary, and inefficient. Nowhere is this more evident than in housing. Housing is not merely a social good; it is core economic infrastructure. It shapes how far people travel to work, how much they spend on transport and energy, how cities expand spatially, emit carbon, and whether urbanisation becomes a pathway to opportunity or a mechanism for deepening inequality. Yet housing policy in much of South West Nigeria has been reduced to real estate delivery, largely disconnected from land governance, infrastructure planning, regional coordination, and long-term sustainability. ******************************************** The official YouTube Channel for Oluyemi Oluleke Osinbajo, Nigerian Lawyer and Politician who served as the Vice President of Nigeria from the 29th of May 2015 to the 29th of May 2023. Before this, he served as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in Lagos State from 1999 to 2007. With a background in law and governance, he currently chairs the Climate Action Platform for Africa and serves as a Global Advisor for the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet. He's also the Guardian of the Timbuktoo Africa Innovation Foundation and Chair of Future Perspectives. Follow Prof. Osinbajo online: Website: www.yemiosinbajo.ng Facebook: Professor Yemi Osinbajo Twitter/X: @ProfOsinbajo Instagram: @ProfOsinbajo LinkedIn: @Prof. Yemi Osinbajo