Every few months someone asks whether real estate is still worth it in Nigeria, with the economy the way it is. It is a fair question, but a recent opinion piece in Tribune Online by estate surveyor and valuer Sarah Bamteko makes a case worth sitting with: real estate is one of the few sectors that can pull the wider economy along with it.
Here’s the thread of her argument, and what it means if you’re thinking of buying or investing.
The demand is not going anywhere
Bamteko points to a simple fact: housing is a basic need, and Nigeria doesn’t have enough of it. She cites a UN estimate that the country needs over 20 million housing units to close its deficit. With a population above 200 million and cities growing fast, millions of people are looking for decent accommodation, and many find that rent is already out of reach.
For an investor, that gap is the opportunity. Where demand outruns supply, well-built property in the right location tends to find takers.
Infrastructure moves property values
She also draws a line from roads to real estate. Projects like the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway and the proposed Fourth Mainland Bridge open up corridors that were hard to reach before. When access improves, investment follows, then jobs, then spending. Property near those corridors tends to benefit as the area develops.
The lesson for buyers: look at where infrastructure is going, not only where it is today.
The sector still has real problems
To her credit, Bamteko doesn’t pretend it’s all smooth. She names the obstacles: limited liquidity, difficulty accessing mortgage finance, regulatory gaps, land availability, and the perfection of documents. Her view is that better land reform, cheaper loans, and stronger regulation could double real estate’s contribution to the economy within a decade.
What this means for you as a buyer
The macro story is encouraging, but it doesn’t protect you from a bad individual purchase. A few things we’d always tell anyone before they commit:
- Verify the title and documents independently. Don’t rely on the seller’s word.
- Ask who the developer is and what they’ve delivered before.
- Visit the site and confirm the progress matches what you’ve been shown.
- Understand the payment plan and what happens at each stage.
The documentation point in particular is one her article flags as an industry-wide challenge, which is exactly why it deserves your attention.
The bottom line
Real estate isn’t a quick win, and it isn’t risk-free. But the fundamentals she describes (a large housing gap, growing cities, and infrastructure opening new areas) explain why serious investors keep coming back. If you’re considering a purchase, talk to us at Taurean Max. We’ll walk you through our projects and what to look for.
Source: “Real estate, driver of national economic development” by Sarah Bamteko, Tribune Online, 13 October 2026
