FG Moves to Reform Housing Sector, Sets Up 4 Task Teams on Building Materials, Others

•Dangiwa promises swift implementation of reports 

•Ministry says only 30% of Nigerians are homeowners

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The federal government through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development yesterday ramped up its planned reforms in the housing sector, with the inauguration of four separate task teams.

The teams include: The housing institutions reform task team, multi-agency project delivery task team, land reforms task team and the building materials manufacturing hubs task team.

Speaking at the event in Abuja, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, stated that for over the 60 years of Nigeria’s independence, it had witnessed successive governments roll out series of housing development plans and policies.

Despite the many plans, the minister noted that the country had failed to meet the housing needs of Nigerians as the country still grapples with a huge housing deficit.

According to him, the housing sector’s contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) hasn’t moved in any significant way over the past several decades, with housing development institutions still only functioning at sub-optimal capacities, and the enabling housing laws still obsolete.

“Researchers and experts have stated clearly that most of the housing plans and policies since independence failed to deliver the expected results due in large part to a lack of political will on the side of the government,”  he stated.

But the minister said that President Bola Tinubu recognises that to achieve the “Renewed Hope” vision target of building a $1 trillion economy, the housing sector must be prioritised.

The housing institutions reform task team, he said, is expected to develop a robust framework for ensuring that housing agencies under the supervision of the ministry are optimised to deliver effectively on the the provision of quality, decent and affordable homes to Nigerians.

“This includes a thorough review and facilitation of necessary legislative amendments of relevant housing industry laws including the National Housing Fund (NHF) Act,1992, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Establishment Act, 1993, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Act,1973, and PenCom Act (to allow for increased investment in housing).

“The team will also map out strategies for driving the nationwide adoption and passage of the model mortgage foreclosure law in states,” he stated.

For the multi-agency project delivery task team, Dangiwa said the aim is to ensure that all housing agencies under the supervision of the ministry work collaboratively towards optimising their strengths to deliver decent and affordable housing to Nigerians.

“They will outline frameworks for synergy between the ministry, FMBN, FHA and Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL) and propose processes to eliminate bottlenecks in housing development to increase the national housing stock, amongst others,” he stressed.

Part of its terms of reference, Dangiwa said, includes developing a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for the construction of at least 50,000 new houses per year for a start through multiple funding sources.

On the  land reforms task team, Dangiwa said it is tasked with developing a blueprint that will aid sustainable implementation of much-needed reforms necessary for streamlining land administration and ensuring easy, cost effective and efficient access to land in Nigeria.

Comprising state governments, traditional rulers and other stakeholders,  the minister noted that the team will draw from the extensive work of the Presidential Technical Committee on Land Reforms (PTCLR) which had been working for the past 14 years.

“Fourth is the building materials manufacturing hubs task team. The ministry is setting up the building materials manufacturing hubs task team in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda to boost building materials manufacturing in the country towards ensuring economic growth, creating jobs, reducing dependency on imports, and lowering the cost of construction materials and housing delivery.

“Primarily, their job is to conduct a thorough assessment of the current state of the building materials manufacturing sector in Nigeria, including existing facilities, capacities, and key players. They are to also identify challenges and opportunities within the sector.

“The result will be a blueprint that will ensure sustainable implementation of reforms for the sector and the establishment of building materials manufacturing hubs in each of the six geo-political zones across the country. This may include feasibility studies on the most viable locations for the hubs within each zone for siting of housing projects,” he added

In his remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Marcus Olaniyi, said the much-needed reforms will tackle the multi-faceted problems in the sector, stressing that just about 30 per cent of Nigerians are homeowners.

The housing institutions reform, multi-agency project delivery, land reforms and the building materials manufacturing hubs task teams have Adedeji Adesemoye, Brig.- Gen. PMO Reis (rtd), Rev. Ugochukwu Chime and Nuhu Wya as heads.