The right to the city is dead – or never lived.

The average Nigerian is a minister for urban development.

Urban governance in Nigeria remains an abstract concept in many parts of the country, for the most part. This is attributable to the fact that urban governance functions more effectively at the municipal or neighbourhood level, where it is better suited to address the specific needs and concerns of residents. However, local governments exist in name only (or if you count the taxation of mundane services such as radio and television taxes). Moreover, the practice of urban governance in Nigeria is often conflated with political governance, and the provision of urban services heavily mirrors the political governance style – top-down, performative and overly obsessed with erecting monumental structures rather than providing actual, beneficial services.

Public or Private Urban Governance?

Efficient provision of reliable electricity, telephone, water, and transport services has remained elusive in the Nigerian economy, especially since the oil boom in the 1970s. The failures of publicly-led urban governance are glaring, evident in the rising number of urban ‘ministers’ or ‘commissioners’ overseeing the provision and management of urban services and infrastructure, and dare we say, doing it better. In many parts of Nigeria, urban residents must rely on private boreholes to supply water to their homes and businesses. The sale of water is a common experience in urban cities such as Kaduna, Enugu, Lagos and so on. Incessant electricity disruptions across the country have also recreated the electricity supply chain in local communities – from the normalisation of Fuel Generators to the repair or purchase of public electricity transformers by private citizens. Transport services are not left behind – many urban residents in low-income areas contribute to repairing roads or constructing bridges long abandoned by local governments. When commuting in Lagos during the rush hour, one regularly comes across private vehicle owners charging willing passengers slightly subsidised rates for moving them to their destinations.

Making a case for neo-liberal urbanism

As Nigeria’s urban institutions grapple with the challenge of delivering urban services to a rapidly burgeoning urban population, it is crucial to explore alternative models that recognise the currently existing private sector-led urban service delivery to better meet the needs of urban residents. A hybrid neoliberal approach to urbanism, which emphasises greater private sector participation and decentralised local governance, offers a promising pathway.

Nigerian institutions can leverage existing community-based models to support and empower local communities to engage in micro-PPP urban projects while providing regulatory oversight and support. At the community level, the primary objective remains to deliver affordable and accessible urban services instead of profit generation prioritised by multinational corporations. For instance, community-driven initiatives for water supply supported by local businesses and residents can create more responsive and tailored solutions while considering the local context to address the specific water supply challenge. Government support is provided through capacity development, monitoring and regulation, and incentives such as tax breaks, subsidies, or grants to private individuals and entities willing to invest in urban infrastructure and services in their local communities.

The way forward

The major criticism of neoliberal urbanism is its prominent focus on market-driven forces and profit generation, which may be detrimental to social and urban equity. However, assuming that the Nigerian urban infrastructural deficit will be resolved by strictly public service-led development is unrealistic. Rather than adopt an opposing or nonchalant stance to community-based urban models, the holistic and case-by-case integration of these models into the urban governance framework can plug this deficit, freeing up government funds for critical heavy infrastructure delivery.

It can be argued that private sector-led delivery of urban services and infrastructure signals the decline of the right to the city. Unfortunately, the right to the city is dead in Nigeria and has been the case for a long time.