FG Urges Private Developers To Ease off Housing Affordability to Nigerians Under COVID-19 The Federal Government has urged private developers and individuals who build houses for commercial gains to ease off the cost which they control to enable Nigerians afford housing under this Covid 19 era. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN represented by the Minister of States for Works and Housing, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, FNSE made the remark at the 9th Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development Meeting held in Jos, Plateau State. "My recommendation for improving access and affordability to housing in the Covid-19 era is for private companies and individuals to give back some of what they control to citizens in the way the Federal Government has given back to citizens some of what it controls," he said. He explained, for example in cases where rent of businesses or individuals are due for renewal, the private landlords can give back, by accepting monthly, quarterly or half- yearly rent instead of one year, two or three years rent in advance. Fashola noted that the Federal and state governments have limited parts to play in the area of provision of affordable housing to Nigerians because houses for sale and rent are mostly built by individuals and private companies compared to that of the federal government. The Minister enjoined Council to recommend, as part of its communique, a legislation that limits payment of rent in advance and add sanctions for violation. He said "It is therefore my candid recommendation to this Council to consider intervention by way of recommending a legislation that limits advance payment for renting an accommodation." In addition, Fashola told Council to consider Cooperative housing as part of their discourse and recommendations for affordability and accessibility to housing in the country. He commended Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for driving the Cooperative housing initiative at the federal government level, adding that it is advantageous because cooperative members can choose what they design and build to fit their budgets and they can leverage their members to get group discount for purchases of building materials as well as engagement of contractors. In his remarks, the Governor of Plateau State, Rt Hon. Simon Bako Lalong told the participants to come up with tangible solutions to tackle the challenges of land titling affecting affordable and accessible housing in the country. He said the absence of Geographical Information System (GIS) is another major challenge impeding affordable housing in the country and encouraged states to embark on it, noting that GIS makes documentation, verification and transfer of land titles easy. The Governor assured the Council that rhe Government of Plateau State would Implement all notable recommendations that would be churned out of the meeting. Among those in attendance were some members of the National and Plateau State Houses of Assembly, Managing Director of Federal Mortgage Bank, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, the Surveyor -General of the Federation, Surv. Samuel Adediran Taiwo and representatives of professional and regulatory bodies in the built industry.     ...

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.   ...