National Housing Programme: You Can Apply on Behalf of Your Residents, Indigenes, Fashola Urges States .....Says Nigerian Housing Sector is heading in the right direction as 11th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development ends in Sokoto .....Over 5,000 C of O’s issued and 2,738 Consent to land transactions granted by FG since 2017 .....Charges States on land reforms; need to think and act on how to make payment of rent easier for both tenants and landlords .....In a Communiqué Council approves recapitalization of FMBN to meet world standard, among other recommendations The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has said that State Governments could apply on behalf of their residents and indigenes for the houses currently being subscribed to from the National Housing Programme across 34 States of the country. Speaking at the Executive Session of the 11th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, with the theme “Housing our People By All of Government and All Our People”, which held in Sokoto, the Sokoto State capital, from Monday, July 25 to Friday, July 29, 2022, Fashola explained that the State Governments could apply to fund the acquisition of parts of the National Housing Programmes constructed in their States should they desire to do so adding that after the acquisition, the State governments could then allocate to interested residents and indigenes.  “Let me use this platform to inform the meeting that State Governments can apply on behalf of their residents or indigenes to fund the acquisition of parts of the National Housing Programmes constructed in the states should they be so desirous,” the Minister informed the gathering which had in attendance the host State Governor, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, State Commissioners in charge of Housing and land matters, law makers, the Permanent Secretary, Mr Bashir Nura Alkali, senior Ministry officials and representatives of various stakeholders in the  Housing Sector. Expressing delight that the National Housing Programme that was initiated by the Ministry under the Muhammadu Buhari administration is now delivering on its objective, the Minister added that apart from stimulating the economies of the 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the communities where work is being undertaken, the construction sites have become and remain centres of supply for building materials and other commodities. The Minister, however, pointed out that whatever the Federal and State Governments could do by way of housing construction was limited compared to what the private sector could do adding that the evidence out there showed very clearly that the bulk of housing in the society and across the world was delivered by the private sector consisting of individuals and corporate bodies. “In this regard, I am happy to report a visible increase in the participation of the private sector in Nigeria’s housing sector”, he said adding that the evidence of the development of estates across the nation could be seen, read and heard on the many media platforms in the country. “This is most welcome and must be encouraged”, he said. On the theme of this year’s Meeting, Fashola, who said the message emphasized the need for the collaboration of all levels of government and the private sector in housing delivery, declared, “From what I have said so far about what the Federal Government is doing, what the states are doing and what the private sector is doing, the Nigerian housing sector is heading in the right direction even if there is more work to be done”. The Minister said even with this realization, there was need for consciousness that not everybody wants a house built by government adding that there are those who would wish to build their houses themselves and only seek access to land. “We must, therefore, reform the process that governs the allocation of land and issuance of title documents such as Certificates of Occupancy” he said adding, “While the Federal Government has land mainly acquired from the States, the bulk of the work that needs to be done lies with the State Governments because of their almost total control of land by virtue of the Land Use Act”. Dismissing the argument in some quarters that the Land Use Act is the problem about access to land, Fashola pointed out that if there were such problem it would be with the administration of the law adding, “How much have we automated our land administration processes in order to make them efficient before complaining about that law? States that have made this type of investment will report an improvement in their land administration system”. “Today I can tell you that since 2017, when the President delegated his power under the Land Use Act to grant Consent and issue Certificate of Occupancy to the Ministry, we have issued over 5,000 Certificates of Occupancy and granted 2,738 Consent to land transactions”, the Minister said, adding that there is need to pay attention to the documents to facilitate housing delivery and housing finance. On the issue of rent, the Minister, who urged that Housing supply and demand be seen beyond ownership alone to include rental housing, said that the Federal Government has introduced, at its own level, the Rent-to-Own system into its acquisition/sale model for the disposal of the Houses in the National Housing Programme. He acknowledged that majority of the houses belong to the private sector who “expect legitimate income from rent for the properties”, but added that asking for two to three years rent in advance from working class people (as distinct from corporate tenants who may prefer to pay in advance) does more harm than good to all concerned and to the economy. Fashola, who also conceded that rent is a local matter over which the Federal Government has no constitutional authority, however, added, “I use the platform of this meeting to challenge and provoke all state representatives to thoughts and action about how we can make the payment of rent easier and comfortable for both tenants and landlords”. “This would be a most revolutionary intervention when working class people can pay their rent when they receive their salaries. This is possible if we try and this will give the fullest possible expression to the theme of this meeting which is “Housing Our People, By All of Government and All Our People”. Welcoming all the participants to the meeting, Fashola also thanked the Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, the people and government of Sokoto State for accepting to host this year’s meeting and for all the provisions they made in that regard adding that as a result of the National Housing Programme many people who hitherto were unemployed have had their dignity restored “because they can leave home every day saying to their families – I am going to work”. “This is the part of the change we promised, and Sokoto State has not been left out”, the Minister said expressing delight also that the Ministry is now in a “Season of Completion”, as many of the houses have been completed and are now being handed over to the beneficiaries “who follow the allocation procedure set out in the National Housing Programme web portal (https://nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng)”. On the various commissioning currently going on across the states, he recalled that on March 22, 2022, the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, represented President Buhari to Commission the Sokoto State National Housing Programme adding that the first phase in the State included 80 units of housing comprising 4 units one bedroom, 48 units two bedroom, 28 units three-bedroom bungalows. Describing the ongoing commissioning as the evidence of Change, Fashola declared, “Today, people who had long dreamt to be homeowners now live that reality as they have been successfully allocated some of these houses”, adding that one of the most pleasing impacts of the National Housing initiative is that it has been used by President Buhari, to redeem the housing promise made to the 22-man squad of the Super Eagles since winning the African Nations Cup in 1994. “A promise that remained unfulfilled for 28 years has been redeemed by President Buhari, and if you ask the members of the Super Eagles, they will tell you that things have changed for them for the better”, the Minister said adding, however, that the National Housing Programme is only one initiative of the Federal Government to address the housing needs of our people. According to the Minister, “There are others by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) by way of direct construction in various states, just as the Federal Mortgage Bank has financed the construction of about 6000 housing units at various stages of completion. “Similarly, the Federal Government has increased its financing intervention support for housing through the Federal Mortgage Bank by increasing the number of mortgages that have been issued and reducing the equity contribution requirement to make it more accessible”, he said. He commended the State Governments for efforts in this direction adding, “I cannot ignore the various interventions by State Governments who have sensibly deployed resources to provide housing in their states and our host, Sokoto State is a good example”. In its Communiqué, the Council, among others, approved that the Government recapitalizes the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and build its capacity to the standard of similar World Class Institutions to take charge of housing development and finance, advocacy, compliance, mortgage guarantee, securitization, training and capacity building, improvement of communities, energy efficiency and drive positive growth in the overall economy. The Council also urged all States concerned to domesticate the National Urban and Regional Planning Laws in order to improve on the quality and sustainability of the environment. ...

Fashola Charges States to Embark on Land Reformation to Ease Housing Delivery, Finance The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, has given a charge to State Governments to reform the process that governs the allocation of land and issuance of title documents such as Certificate of Occupancy in a bid to facilitate housing delivery and finance. Fashola gave the charge in Sokoto, Thursday at the eleventh Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development with the theme "Housing Our People, By All of Government and All Our People.” The Minister noted that the title documents are important to facilitate housing delivery and housing finance that government at all levels should pay more attention to, in addition to the process involved in granting permits for construction and approvals. He explained that citizens would need land as they prefer to build their houses by themselves because buying of houses built by government do not interest them, as such simplifying the processes would help in that regard, noting that housing provision is a collaborative effort by all levels of government and the private sector. " We must therefore reform the process that governs allocation of land and issuance of title documents such as Certificates of Occupancy" he said Accordingly, the Minister said that the bulk of the work to be done on lands lies with the States because of their almost total control of land by virtue of the Land Use Act. The Minister also encouraged State Governments who were yet to digitize their land acquisition to do so in order to facilitate the issuance of title document as well as encourage investors who might need land to establish one business or the other. On the payment of rent in advance, Fashola said "I hold a strong view that asking for 2 to 3 years rent in advance from working class people (as distinct from corporate tenants who may prefer to pay in advance) does more harm than good to all concerned and to the economy," He urged that State governments and Lawmakers to come up with policy that could ensure payment of rent is made after collecting salary, saying it would be a most revolutionary intervention rent payment system in the country. "This is possible if we try and this will give the fullest possible expression to the theme of this meeting which is “Housing Our People, By All of Government and All Our People." he said Fashola also informed the delegates that the National Housing Programme initiated by Federal Ministry of Works and Housing at the onset of the Muhammadu Buhari led administration has been completed and handed over to the beneficiaries He noted that the programme has begun to deliver the objectives for which it was created such as owning a house and job creation to lift people out of poverty through the engagement of engineers, builders, masons, and food vendors to work on the various sites across 34 states and FCT "The construction sites have been and remain centres of supply for building materials and other commodities. Many people who hitherto were unemployed have had their dignity restored because they can leave home every day saying to their families – I AM GOING TO WORK," he said. The Minister also stated that many houses have been completed and are now being handed over to the beneficiaries who follow the allocation procedure set out in the National Housing Programme web portal (https://nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng)," For flexibility and easy purchase of the houses, Fashola stated that a Rent-to-Own option has been introduced into the acquisition and sale. In his address, the Governor of Sokoto, Rt Hon, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal urged delegates to carefully study the presentation that has been put together by stakeholders to enable them make the most viable and effective decision which could become a model of preference in the built environment. ...

National Council on Housing Meeting Opens in Sokoto. The eleventh (11th) meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development has commenced in Sokoto, Sokoto State, North West, Nigeria, Monday, July 25th, 2022. The four-day meeting has the theme "Housing Our People by All of Government and All Our People." The meeting is taking place at Dankani Guest Palace Hotels Limited in the city of Sokoto. This annual meeting of stakeholders in the built industry is being organized by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing as part of its statutory mandate. The meeting is significant as stakeholders in the housing sector have the opportunity to gather, brainstorm, share ideas, identify challenges in the sector and adopt policies that will impact on moving the sector forward in the delivery of affordable houses to Nigerians. Participants at the meeting included; 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 noted that the Federal Government would vitally need the full participation and collaboration of the State Governments and Private Sector in increasing the stock of affordable housing to Nigerians. " The theme of the Meeting presupposes that Federal Government alone cannot address the gap in the housing development across the country which brings to focus the fact that, State Governments and the Private Sectors are critical stakeholders that have to collaborate effectively towards addressing the housing challenges by bringing to the forefront desirable strategies to increase the stock of affordable houses to Nigerians," he said In a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Sokoto State Ministry of Lands, Housing, Survey and Urban Planning, Engr. Ahmed Moyi Tambuwal, said that provision of affordable shelter is a basic necessity for everyone. He said " We are all aware that, Shelter is a basic necessity to every citizen. Such shelter must be affordable while at the same time meets globally acceptable standards. It is critical to family security, child upbringing and economic growth," Engr. Tambuwal noted also that the absence of shelter renders the society vulnerable to precarious situations and backwardness. While drawing the attention of the participants to the importance of the theme of this year's council, the Permanent Secretary pointed out the importance of collective contribution in tackling the housing challenges in the Country, stating that every contribution no matter how small it might be would be important He disclosed that the Sokoto State government would willingly provide land and other requirements to interested developers in the built industry who might be willing to partner with the state in the provision of housing for the citizens. ...