Lagos State was the former capital of Nigeria before it was moved to a more central location which is Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. The movement of the capital really help to reduce the population in Lagos because of the land mass and other economic activities that happen in Lagos. However, the properties of the Federal Government are in ruins after 25 years.

These buildings are predominantly on the Island spanning Onikan, McCarthy Street, Federal Secretariat, Nitel building, Defence Headquarters, Broad Street and residential properties scattered all over the sprawling neighbourhood of Ikoyi. Many of these high-rise buildings, as far as Nigeria is concerned, are being wasted and used by miscreants to perpetrate their evil deeds around the Island.

The political class has also taken undue advantage of the situation. Some years ago the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE) sold some Federal Government properties to different people and many of these landmark buildings that has contributed significantly to the history of the country were sold to the political class, who can afford it, at the expense of the citizenry. The story of the sale of NITEL Tower comes easily to the mind of Nigerians.

These buildings have been vandalized by street urchins who remove the entire fittings one after the other selling it as imported second-hand products to unsuspecting buyers. All these have turned these houses to the shadow of their former selves. These houses are now frames that would need a lot of refurbishment to make it commercially viable.

Before these abandoned building of 25 years can be put to use, there needs to be a holistic scrutiny of the buildings to ensure that it is still safe for habitation, so that, when repairs are completed; it does not collapse in the course of usage neither does it become an environmental threat.

The Economist Intelligence Unit, according to the BBC has placed Nigeria’s economic capital, Lagos as the third worst place in the world to live in. The report says the worst cities are Dhaka- Bangladesh followed by Port Moresby- Papua in New Guinea; then Lagos, Nigeria, ranking 138th of 140 cities surveyed for worst living conditions. These government properties can be used to change the ranking of the city in subsequent reports.

The residential quarters in Ikoyi that is either uninhabited or inhabited by illegal occupants should be discovered. Illegal occupants should have an options of either paying accumulated rent, outright purchase of the property or evacuation. Government should not be regarded as a ‘father christmas’ who doles out properties. The Federal Ministry of Housing need to be generating revenue for the government but many of them are cost centres. As such, all government officials should be accountable for all the properties in Lagos.

Theo Lawson, the CEO of Total Consult Limited and the ‘Chief Warden’ of Freedom Park took Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha and Professor Wole Soyinka, Nobel Laureate on a tour of the dilapidated structure of the National Archives in Lagos in January 2015. These are records that have to do with Nigeria as a colony till the early 1990s in this building. The building is opposite the former colonial prison, now Freedom Park on Broad Street, Lagos Island. Many records have been lost to inferno, flood and mismanagement of this nature. Some of the documents that should have records of the houses owned by the Federal Government cannot be traced for many selfish reasons among top civil servants, politicians and former military leaders in Nigeria.

The cost of renting an office space or a living apartment on the Island is a fortune. If all these government houses are renovated and well refurbished, there would be respite for many people dreaming of being an entrepreneur if the cost of getting an office space is minimal. Almost some of these apartments can be turned into studio apartments for young people in the city. This will force landlords to reduce the cost of renting out office spaces and accommodations in Lagos.

There are a lot of private facility management companies in Lagos and estate management companies that can bid for the management of these buildings under the Private-Public Partnership arrangement with the Federal Government. These companies would be charged with the responsibility of managing the buildings and remitting funds into government coffers for other developmental purposes.

Taxes used in constructing these buildings must not be wasted. 25 years is such a long time that money had been lost as these buildings have been lying fallow. The administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through the Honourable Minister of Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN must put these buildings into profitable use to the delight of Lagosians and the nation at large.