Lagos Assembly Lawmakers to Receive ₦155m Houses Each

The Lagos State House of Assembly has again stirred controversy after documents revealed that each of its 40 lawmakers could be allocated a residential property worth ₦155 million. This comes as part of the Assembly’s 2025 budget, which earmarked ₦6.2 billion for the acquisition of 40 houses in either Lagos or Abuja.

According to the state’s second-quarter budget performance report, ₦1 billion had already been spent on the scheme by June 2025 — about 16.1% of the total sum. With 40 members in the chamber, the arithmetic is clear: every legislator appears to be the intended beneficiary of a taxpayer-funded home.

The move has ignited debates over legality, morality, and governance priorities in Nigeria’s commercial capital — a city grappling with housing crises, skyrocketing rent, collapsing infrastructure, and widening inequality.

Anatomy of the ₦6.2 Billion Allocation

The controversial allocation appeared under the capital expenditure section of the 2025 budget. Its wording referred to “acquisition of residential properties for legislators,” leaving little room for ambiguity.

Total allocation: ₦6.2 billion
Spent by June 2025: ₦1 billion (16.1%)
Beneficiaries: 40 Assembly members
Implied benefit per legislator: ₦155 million house

This is not the first time such provisions have appeared in Lagos’ fiscal planning:

2023 – ₦1.22 billion budgeted, ₦1.131 billion expended (92.7%).
2024 – ₦6.2 billion budgeted, but only ₦126 million (2%) eventually spent.
2025 – ₦6.2 billion budgeted again, with ₦1 billion already disbursed by midyear.

What remains unclear is whether these houses are outright gifts, official residences, or assets tied to Assembly service. The budget report offers no clarification.

Legal Grey Zone

The Nigerian Constitution of 1999, under Section 124(5), permits state assemblies to legislate pensions or gratuities only for governors and deputy governors. No such provision exists for state legislators.

This makes the Assembly’s scheme constitutionally questionable.

Past precedents show the judiciary has frowned upon similar attempts:

Bayelsa 2019 – Governor Seriake Dickson declined assent to a bill granting “life pensions” to lawmakers, calling it unconstitutional.
Abia 2023 & Benue 2023 – Generous pension laws for ex-governors were repealed after public outcry.

For Lagos lawmakers to be allocating themselves multi-million-naira properties from the state purse raises not just constitutional doubts, but also moral ones.

Political Irony: Lagos’ Own Pension Drama

The irony is thick. In 2021, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced his intention to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law, which guaranteed pensions for former governors and deputies.

However, by October 2021, the Lagos Assembly only amended the law, halving the benefits rather than abolishing them.

Fast forward to 2025, and the same Assembly has found a new frontier — properties worth ₦155m each — while Lagos residents grapple with crumbling public schools, decaying roads, and record unemployment.

Citizens React: Anger on the Streets

For ordinary Lagosians, the news has landed like salt in a wound.

“These people are buying themselves houses with our money while we can’t even afford rent in Ikorodu,” fumed a trader at Mile 12 market.

“We are battling flood every rainy season, but they are building mansions for themselves,” said a resident of Ajegunle.

On social media, hashtags like #LagosAssemblyLoot and #155MillionPerLawMaker have begun trending, with civil society groups mobilizing to challenge the expenditure.

Housing Crisis vs. Lawmakers’ Luxury

The stark contrast between Lagos’ housing reality and the Assembly’s allocation cannot be overstated:

Over 70% of Lagos residents live in rented accommodation.
Rent prices have doubled in parts of the city since 2022.
The state faces a housing deficit of 2.5 million units.
Slum evictions in Makoko, Badia, and Okun Ajah continue to displace the poor.

While millions live in makeshift wooden shacks over water, 40 lawmakers stand to collect mansions subsidized by the state treasury.

Experts Weigh In

Dr. Funmi Adeoye, a constitutional lawyer, noted:

“This is legislative recklessness. Section 124(5) is clear: assemblies have no authority to award themselves pensions or benefits outside salaries. These houses are unconstitutional, period.”

Prof. Tunde Bankole, a political economist, added:

“The optics are bad. At a time Lagosians are struggling with inflation, flooding, and unemployment, this creates a trust deficit. It tells citizens their leaders live in a different Nigeria.”

History of Legislative Perks in Nigeria

The Lagos case is not isolated. Across Nigeria, lawmakers have been accused of extravagant self-rewards:

2007–2011 – Reports surfaced of Abuja mansions allocated to federal lawmakers under subsidized schemes.
2015 – Outrage over ₦4.7 billion SUVs purchased for federal legislators.
2019 – Zamfara State passed a law granting ex-speakers new cars every four years.
2022 – Kano Assembly approved ₦30 billion in “constituency projects” widely seen as slush funds.

The Lagos housing scheme is simply the latest chapter in a long-running saga of legislative excesses.

Why It Matters: Governance, Trust, and Priorities

The controversy is not just about numbers. It is about:

Governance priorities – Should state funds buy luxury houses for legislators or build public housing for the poor?
Public trust – Can citizens trust lawmakers who enrich themselves while neglecting public welfare?
Precedent – If unchallenged, this could embolden other state assemblies to replicate the scheme.
Equity – Teachers, nurses, and civil servants retire with unpaid pensions, while legislators exit with mansions.

Potential Outcomes

The fate of the ₦6.2 billion allocation will depend on:

Civil society pressure – NGOs like SERAP may challenge the scheme in court.
Public protests – Lagos has a vibrant activist community capable of mobilizing.
Judicial review – If litigated, courts could strike it down as unconstitutional.
Political compromise – Governor Sanwo-Olu may be forced to step in, either to defend or amend the arrangement.

A Test of Democracy

The Lagos Assembly’s ₦155m house scheme poses a fundamental question:

Is governance in Nigeria about public service or personal enrichment?

As Lagosians watch their leaders set aside billions for luxury real estate while public hospitals run out of drugs and schools lack chairs, the divide between the rulers and the ruled grows wider.

This controversy is not just about 40 houses. It is about whether Nigeria’s democracy can discipline itself — or whether public office will continue to be treated as a gateway to private fortune.

Lagos Assembly Lawmakers to Receive ₦155m Houses Each

The Lagos State House of Assembly has set aside ₦6.2 billion in its 2025 budget to acquire 40 properties in Lagos or Abuja, effectively handing each of its lawmakers a house valued at about ₦155 million.

According to the state’s second-quarter 2025 budget performance report, ₦1 billion 16.1% of the total had already been spent by June. With 40 members in the Assembly, the appropriation suggests the package is designed as a parting gift for every legislator.

This line item has become a recurring feature of the Assembly’s budgets. In 2024, the provision for properties rose sharply from ₦1.22 billion to ₦6.2 billion, though just ₦126 million (about 2%) was eventually spent. By contrast, in 2023, lawmakers expended ₦1.131 billion of the ₦1.22 billion allocation over 92% of the sum largely before the fourth quarter. The document, however, was silent on whether those earlier purchases went to members of the ninth Assembly, which concluded that year.

The legality of the arrangement remains uncertain. Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, under Section 124(5), permits state assemblies to legislate pensions or gratuities for governors and their deputies, but does not extend this privilege to legislators.

The controversy mirrors past clashes in other states. In 2019, then-Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson refused to assent to a “life pension” bill for lawmakers, arguing that assemblies could adjust pension amounts but not extend eligibility. More recently, Abia and Benue States scrapped generous pension laws for ex-governors, reversing years of entrenched perks.

Lagos itself has a mixed record. In 2021, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu pledged to repeal the Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law, which guaranteed benefits for former governors and deputies. Ten months later, however, the Assembly opted only to slash those entitlements by half rather than abolish them.

This latest allocation has reignited debate on the often