Speaking at the 20th anniversary edition of the Africa International Housing Show (AIHS) 2026 in Abuja, Mrs. Adenike Okebu, the acting general manager of ESHDC, presented the Corporation’s housing model as a practical strategy for tackling Nigeria’s housing deficit through sustainable, people-centred development.

The six-day conference, held at the Transcorp Hilton, brought together participants from more than 30 countries, including government officials, policymakers, investors, developers, housing finance institutions, and construction experts to explore innovative policies, financing models, and partnerships for expanding access to affordable housing across Africa.

Addressing participants during a panel session on affordable housing, Mrs. Okebu, who is the senior special assistant to the Governor on Revenue, identified poor location planning as one of the major reasons many low-income housing schemes across Nigeria fail to achieve their objectives.

She observed that several government-built estates are situated far from places of work, schools, healthcare facilities, and other essential services, making them unattractive to the very people they are intended to serve.

“Affordable housing is not just about building houses. It is about providing homes where people actually want to live, with access to jobs, schools, healthcare, and the basic infrastructure that supports everyday life,” she said.

She stressed that affordable housing should not be measured merely by the cost of construction but also by its accessibility, convenience, and livability, noting that housing developments must reflect the aspirations and lifestyle preferences of their intended beneficiaries.

Mrs. Okebu explained that ESHDC is addressing this challenge by adopting a demand-driven model that provides affordable land in desirable locations, enabling individuals and families to build homes at their own pace and according to their financial capacity.

According to her, the approach minimizes the risk of developing housing estates that ultimately remain unoccupied because they fail to meet the expectations of prospective homeowners.

The Acting General Manager also showcased “Tomorrow Is Here,” ESHDC’s flagship housing development in Owo, Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State, describing it as a model for modern, sustainable, and well-planned communities.

She said the estate is being supported with critical infrastructure, including road networks, drainage systems, electricity, water supply, and other essential amenities required for a functional and attractive residential environment.

Speaking on the role of government and private investors, Mrs. Okebu emphasized that government alone cannot bridge Nigeria’s huge housing deficit, calling for stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors.

“Government cannot solve the housing deficit alone. We must build strategic partnerships with the private sector that deliver reasonable returns for investors while making home ownership more accessible and affordable for ordinary Nigerians,” she stated.

Her presentation generated robust discussions among housing experts, developers, and policymakers at the conference, reinforcing ESHDC’s commitment to innovative, inclusive, and sustainable housing solutions.

Now in its 20th edition, the Africa International Housing Show has evolved into the continent’s foremost housing and construction platform, providing a forum for policy dialogue, investment promotion, technology exchange, and collaboration aimed at expanding access to decent and affordable housing across Africa.

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If you wanted to verify a property, pay a housing fee, or secure a Certificate of Occupancy (C-of-O), you had to brace yourself for a labyrinth of manual paperwork, missing files, unexpected delays, and the inevitable “come back tomorrow.”

But in Enugu State, that script is being aggressively rewritten.

The Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESHDC), historically a traditional state agency, is undergoing a quiet digital transformation.

It is fast becoming a case study in how state-level bureaucracy can swap legacy inefficiencies for modern GovTech systems.

At the center of this transformation is a newly launched digital land transaction and documentation system.

Introduced under Governor Dr. Peter Mbah’s broader governance modernization agenda, the platform is designed to take the friction out of the housing sector.

Property verification, workflow coordination, digital payments, and C-of-O issuance are all migrating from dusty filing cabinets to the cloud.

Enugu Housing Corporation Digitises Land Transactions

But ask anyone in the tech ecosystem, and they will tell you that software is only half the battle. Digital transformation in the public sector rarely fails because the code is bad; it fails because institutional culture rejects it. Tools are only as good as the systems, and people, built around them.

Enter Adenike Okebu.

Injecting Corporate Rigor into Public Service

Okebu’s profile reads less like a career civil servant and more like a high-flying corporate strategist.

With a professional background that spans EY Nigeria, Deloitte, BUA Group, Platform Capital, and Pinnacle Oil and Gas, she brings a formidable mix of Big Four audit rigor, venture ecosystem understanding, and corporate financial governance to the table.

In the world of governance reform, this kind of talent crossover matters. When governments try to deploy technology without first restructuring their operations, they simply end up digitizing chaos.

Industry observers note that Okebu’s work behind the scenes at ESHDC, focusing on audit-driven reforms, plugging revenue leakages, and introducing corporate-grade accountability structures, is what actually paved the way for the corporation’s digital migration. By auditing the operational frameworks first, the corporation built a transparent foundation capable of supporting a modern digital infrastructure.

The Bigger Picture: Investor Confidence

For Enugu State, this isn’t just an internal IT project; it’s an economic strategy. By cleaning up records management, tightening revenue collection, and eliminating manual bottlenecks, ESHDC is attempting to solve a major pain point for the private sector: trust.

For domestic real estate developers and international investors alike, a transparent, predictable digital registry is the ultimate green flag.

The early results are already showing up in improved internal workflows, better data coordination, and a noticeable shift in public trust. ESHDC is transitioning from a traditional housing agency into a model of institutional modernization.

As the tech ecosystem watches states like Lagos and Kaduna lead the GovTech charge, Enugu’s structured, audit-first approach to digital transformation offers a compelling new blueprint: sustainable governance isn’t just about launching apps, it’s about building institutional accountability, one audited process at a time.

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Instead, years of unresolved allocation issues, payment disputes, and concerns over record-keeping left many wondering whether their investments were truly secure.

Now, the Enugu State Government says it is moving to change that narrative.

In a major intervention aimed at restoring confidence in the state’s housing sector, Governor Peter Mbah has deployed the Governor’s Governance Delivery Team to the ESHDC to undertake a comprehensive review of the Corporation’s operations and transactions.

The move, announced in a statement issued by Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, the secretary to the State Government, is part of a broader reform effort designed to improve transparency, strengthen accountability, and reassure investors and property owners that their interests are being protected.

At the centre of the exercise is a forensic examination of the Corporation’s financial records, land allocations, remittances, and title documentation.

The team, led by Adenike Okebu, Senior Special Assistant on Revenue, has been tasked with uncovering discrepancies, reconciling payments and allocations, and ensuring that legacy records are properly accounted for.

Beyond the audit, the government is also embarking on what could become one of the most significant changes in the Corporation’s history: the digitisation of its operations.

Thousands of paper-based files and historical records are being converted into digital formats as part of efforts to create a more efficient and transparent land administration system.

The transition will ultimately see the Corporation move to a fully digital workflow, covering everything from application and payment processing to land allocation and title management.

According to the government, the intervention was prompted by longstanding concerns expressed by property owners and investors.

“The Governor acknowledges the frustration felt by many property owners over the years. That is precisely why this intervention was ordered,” the statement noted.

Officials believe the reforms will not only address historical challenges but also create a more transparent and investor-friendly environment for future land and housing transactions in Enugu State.

By combining forensic review with digital transformation, the government hopes to rebuild trust in the Corporation and provide greater certainty for current and prospective property owners.

As part of the reforms, all persons who purchased land or property from the ESHDC were directed to register and upload their documents through the Corporation’s digital portal.

Required documents include allocation letters, receipts, survey plans, deeds, and related correspondences. Property owners will receive verification notifications and email confirmations after submission.

Complaints and unresolved issues can also be submitted through the portal or via the official email address, eshdc@enugustate.gov.ng.

The government warned members of the public against making payments to any individual or agent for registration or verification.

“You are not required to pay any amount to any individual or agent to register your property or facilitate your verification. Any person demanding payment in connection with this process is acting illegally,” the statement warned.

Under the new framework, prospective buyers are expected to benefit from a fully transparent end-to-end online application and processing system, instant issuance of allocation letters upon completion of purchase processes, processing and delivery of Certificates of Occupancy within 72 hours of allocation, real-time tracking of application status through the ESHDC portal, and secure digital records backed by verified documentation.

The government reiterated its zero tolerance for unauthorised charges, facilitation fees, and informal payments, stressing that the reforms are part of Governor Mbah’s broader agenda to position Enugu as Nigeria’s most investment-friendly state by eliminating opacity, rebuilding institutional trust, and ensuring that every legitimate investor and property owner receives full value for every valid transaction.

“The portal is open. The team is working. Resolution is near,” the statement added.

The government assured the public that all valid transactions would be honoured and appealed for patience and cooperation as the verification exercise continues.

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