Nigerian Housing Sector is heading in the right direction as, the 11th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development ends in Sokoto State, South-west Nigeria.
So far, over 5,000 Certificates of occupancy have been issued and 2,738 Consent to land transactions have also been granted by the Nigerian government since 2017.
In a Communiqué issued by the ministry of works and Housing at the end of the 11th conference in Sokoto State, the Council approved the recapitalisation of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to meet world standards, among other recommendations.
It also urged States on land reforms to think and act on how to make payment of rent easier for both tenants and landlords.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola has disclosed that State Governments could apply on behalf of their residents and indigenes for the houses currently being subscribed to, by the National Housing Programme across 34 States of the country.
At the Executive Session of a week-long Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Fashola explained that 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.
He said after the acquisition, the State governments could then allocate to interested residents and indigenes.
The Minister expressed delight that the National Housing Programme that was initiated by the Ministry under the Nigerian President, Muhammadu Buhari’s Administration is now delivering on its objective.
He further explained 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 remained centres of supply for building materials and other commodities.”
The Minister, however, stated that whatever the Nigeria and State Governments could do by way of housing construction was limited compared to what the private sector could do stressing 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…And 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, ‘Housing our People By All of Government and All Our People,‘ Mr Fashola, said the message emphasised the need for the collaboration of all levels of government and the private sector in housing delivery.
The Minister said; “From what I have said so far about what the Nigerian 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.
“Even with this realisation, there was need for consciousness that not everybody wants a house built by government.. There are those who would wish to build their houses 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. While the Nigerian 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 the Land Use Act.”
Dismissing the argument in some quarters that the Land Use Act is the problem with access to land, Mr. Fashola said that if there were such a problem it would be with the administration of the law.
He said States that have made this type of investment would report an improvement in their land administration system as there is need to pay attention to the documents to facilitate housing delivery and housing finance in the country.
Me Fashola said; “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.”
On the issue of rent, the Minister said Housing supply and demand should be seen beyond ownership to include rental housing
According to him, the Nigerian Government has introduced, at its level, the Rent-to-Own system into its acquisition/sale model for the disposal of the Houses in the National Housing Programme.
Me Fashola acknowledged that majority of the houses belonging to the private sector expect legitimate income from rent for the properties.
He also conceded that rent is a local matter over which the Nigerian Government has no constitutional authority.
“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 more 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,” the Minister stated.
Mr Fashola also thanked the Governor of Sokoto State, 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.
“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,” he stressed.
According to him, 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 (nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng)”.
On various commissioning ongoing across the States, the Minister said that “on March 22, 2022, the Minister of Police Affairs, Maigari Dingyadi, represented President Buhari to Commission the Sokoto State National Housing Programme. The first phase in the State included 80 units of housing comprising 4 units one bedroom, 48 units two bedroom, and 28 units of three-bedroom bungalows.”
Describing the ongoing commissioning as evidence of change, Mr Fashola said that the people, who had long dreamt to be homeowners now live that reality as they have been successfully allocated some of these houses.
He said; “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 the Nigerian President and if you ask members of the Super Eagles, they will tell you that things have changed for them for the better.”
He, however, said that the National Housing Programme is only one initiative of the Nigerian Government to address the housing needs of the 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 Nigerian Government has increased its financing intervention support for housing through the Federal Mortgage Bank.”
In its Communiqué, the Council, among others, approved that the Government recapitalises the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and build its capacity to World Class Institutions to take charge of housing development and finance and drive positive growth in the overall economy.
The Council also urged all States concerned to domesticate the National Urban and Regional Planning Laws to improve the quality and sustainability of the environment.
This year’s 11th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development had in attendance the host State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, State Commissioners in charge of Housing and land matters, lawmakers, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bashir Nura Alkali, senior Ministry officials, and representatives of various stakeholders in the Housing Sector.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
