The Federal Government has claimed that various novel programs and policies are already in place in order to make housing more affordable and accessible throughout the country.
Babangida Hussain, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, stated this in his opening remarks at the ongoing 9th National Council on Land, Housing, and Urban Development Meeting in Jos, Plateau State.
“The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is developing programs and policies targeted at providing citizens with inexpensive and accessible housing,” he stated.
According to him, some of the programs include “engagement with the private sectors on the supply of cheap and quality housing in the country through the Site and Services Scheme, better Land Administration and Management, and National Housing Programme which is in the second phase, the development of the Nigeria National Building Code and Energy Efficiency Code.”
Hussaini further stated that the Federal Government was aware of its obligations and, as a result, devised necessary policy measures that would contribute to the socioeconomic well-being of the people.
He described the meeting’s theme, “Housing Delivery in the Covid-19 era and Beyond: Strategies for Affordability and Accessibility,” as appropriate because it would allow for an extensive discussion among stakeholders about how to achieve accessibility to and affordability of housing in the country.
Alhaji Ibrahim Mairiga, Executive Secretary Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, stated in his contribution that for the government to increase access to affordable housing among public servants, it should adjust and harmonize core civil servant salaries 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 proposed that the Federal Government give special grants and outright subsidies for home ownership, as well as appropriate money for the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB) to enable it to provide loans to any civil servant who wishes to own a house.
Similarly, the Executive Secretary mentioned the activation of the inter-ministerial Committee on Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) Program to increase coordination among stakeholders in order to reduce the cost of providing necessary facilities such as roads, drainage, and power.
He went on to say that one of the board’s initiatives for increased access and cheap housing was the implementation of a beginning loan scheme, which sought to provide home loans ranging from six to eight million Naira to officers on grade levels 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.
