We Implement Various Policies to make Housing Affordable for Nigerians - FG The Federal Government has stated that several unique programmes and policies are already being implemented in a  bid to make housing affordable and accessible in the country. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Babangida Hussain, disclosed this in his opening remarks at the ongoing 9th National Council on Land, Housing and Urban Development Meeting, holding in Jos, Plateau State. "The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is implementing programmes and policies that are aimed at providing affordable and accessible housing to the citizens," he said. Some of the programmes, according to him, were:  "collaboration with the private sectors on the provision of affordable and quality housing in the country through the Site and Services Scheme, improved Land Administration and Management, National Housing Programme which is in the second phase, the development of the Nigeria National Building Code and Energy Efficiency Code.". Hussaini also explained that the Federal Government had been conscious of its responsibilities, and as such came up with relevant policy measures that would lead to socio-economic wellbeing of the people. He described the theme of the meeting “Housing Delivery in the Covid-19 era and beyond: The Strategies for Affordability and Accessibility" as apt as it would provide opportunity for an extensive discourse by the stakeholders on how to achieve accessibility to and affordability of housing in the country. In his contribution, the Executive Secretary Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, Alhaji Ibrahim Mairiga, stated that for the Government to increase access to affordable housing among public servants, it should adjust and harmonize the salaries of core civil servant to improve their capacity to take higher loans that could deliver houses to them. Alhaji Mairiga made this submission in a paper titled "Housing the Workers: Increasing Access to Affordable Housing for Housing for Public Servants" presented on his behalf by Mr Akinwande Adegbola, the Board's Head of Public Relations. He also suggested other measures to include: provision of special Federal government grants and outright subsidy towards home ownership and adequate funding of the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB) to enable it provide loans to any civil servant who desires to own a house. Similarly, the Executive Secretary also listed the activation of the inter-ministerial Committee on Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) Program to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders to take off the cost of provision of needed infrastructures like roads, drainages and power. He further mentioned that the board’s initiatives for increased access and affordable housing included introduction of starter loan scheme which aimed at providing housing loans of between six to eight million Naira for officers on grade level 08 -10 to enable them purchase completed houses, online application and automated loan process to achieve transparency, accountability and inclusion of Federal staff in state and field officers. Mairiga disclosed that the board was proposing a new enhancement loan for all cadres in the service, adding that this type of loan would encourage workers to own their own homes early in their career service. In furtherance of this, he said the board had been in partnership with Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH), Family Homes Funds (FHF), indigenous estate developers to ensure it achieves its much -desired result of providing affordable and accessible housing to Federal Public Servants.   ...

9th Meeting of National Council on Housing Opens in Jos The ninth (9th) meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development has commenced in Jos, Plateau State, North Central Nigeria, Monday, April 26, 2021. The four-day meeting has the theme, "Housing Delivery in the Covid -19 Era and Beyond: The Strategies for Affordability and Accessibility." The meeting which is taking place at Kwararafa Multipurpose Hall, Elim-Top Suites Limited, Gulf Course, Mai-Adiko, Rayfield in Jos City, Plateau State Capital is an annual meeting of stakeholders in the built industry being organized by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, whose mandate among others is provision of affordable housing for Nigerians. Participants at the meeting include: State Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries for lands, housing and urban development, General Managers of housing corporations, Surveyor -Generals, professional/regulatory agencies in the housing sector and other stakeholders in the built industry. In an introductory remark, the Director Planning, Research & Statistics, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Olajide Ode-Martins disclosed that the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development is an annual event and the highest policy making organ of the Housing Sector which affords stakeholders in the sector an avenue to deliberate on issues concerning the growth of the sector. In a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Plateau State Ministry of Housing, Engr. Alfred Datoel, noted that Land, Housing and Urban Development were the life wire of all towns and cities of the world. He said "Land, Housing and Urban Development are the life wire of all towns and cities of the world. We know that no land, no house, no comfort and security of life no urban development no beauty of towns and cities." Noting the importance of developing slums to towns and cities and their proper management, Engr. Datoel urged all the participants to come up with policies for implementation by practitioners in the public and private spheres of lives with a view to improving the standard of lives of the average Nigerian. He added that new ideas and policies generated from the meeting would combat the challenges of increasing slums within towns and cities across Nigeria. He further appealed to government to implement very important resolutions which could have good bearing on improving the quality of life.   ...

Budget 2021: Our Priorities Remain Completion of Ongoing Housing Projects - Fashola Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has stated that the priority of the Housing Sector of his ministry in the 2021 budget is completion of ongoing projects. Mr. Fashola stated this during the 2021 budget defense of the Housing Sector of his ministry before the Joint Senate and House Committees on Housing, Thursday, November 12, 2020. "The basis of the 2021 Budget will be anchored on the following priority areas; completion of the construction of the remaining 2140 units of houses under the National Housing Program in 34 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)," he said. Other projects prioritised for completion in the 2021 budget according to the Minister are; completion of the construction of ongoing Federal Secretariats in six (6) States of Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Osun and Zamfara. Fashola also listed, building and maintenance works for other MDAs nationwide, upgrading , completion and running of Building Craft Training Schools in Harvey Road , Yaba and Onikan , Lagos State and Design and Installation of Solar Power PV Microgrid System and Energy Retrofitting of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Headquarters Mabushi Abuja as amongst the priority projects of the Ministry. The Minister told the committee that the ongoing projects under the Housing Sector includes the construction of 3,926 National Housing Projects across the six geo-political zones of the Federation and FCT, out which he said 1,786 units have been completed. He also mentioned that eleven (11) Federal Secretariats are being rehabilitated, while six (6) in Bayelsa, Anambra, Ekiti, Osun, Zamfara and Nasarawa are under construction. Accordingly, the Minister reminded the Committee that, President Muhammadu Buhari had during the presentation of the 2021 budget proposals repeatedly emphasised the necessity to focus the Budget on completion of projects. Speaking on the challenges, Fashola said: "The major factor militating against the timely completion of projects is insufficient budgetary provision for projects to sustain annual cash-flow requirements levels." He suggested that MDAs should provide a sum representing 2-10  percent of Capital Budget annually as maintenance provision, pointing out that the peculiarities of public buildings and dynamics of indigenous operational imperatives warrant greater flexibility, necessitating a more robust and pragmatic provision. The Joint Senate and House Committees on Housing led by Senator Sam Egwu suggested that to address the issue of insufficient budgetary provision for projects and to be able to sustain annual cash-flow requirement levels, the Ministry should key in the 2020 outstanding liabilities into the 2021 budget proposal or any other future budget appropriation. His suggestion was informed by the huge outstanding liabilities to the tune of N69.9 billion as against the N76.4 billion 2021 budget proposal. He pointed out that if the 2021 budget proposal is used to defray the 2020 liabilities, nothing would be left to execute and sustain 2021 projects.   ...