Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN), a frontline Non Government Organization in Africa’s Real Estate Market, has commemorated one of Africa’s brilliant brains Professor Akinlawon Mabogunje who clocked 90 today.
Speaking in Abuja on Monday to Mark the 90 years birthday of the great icon, the Executive Director of HDAN, Festus Adebayo described prof Mabogunje as a great mentor and one of the best brains in Africa who has done extremely well in the area of urban development and housing in Africa
“For those who may not know, I am one of those people mentored by the professor and remember how he and his team at the presidential technical committee worked hard to bring some changes into the activities of the FMBN. Without the presidential approval got by the committee, many of those who benefitted from the estate development loan of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) would not have benefitted because it was a special window created by them to increase the supply side of housing” Adebayo stated.
The HDAN boss therefore called on Nigerians to always celebrate their heroes when they are still alive.
Mabogunje was a member of a Presidential Technical Committee on Housing and Urban Development was inaugurated by Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2002.
The Committee which lasted a period of 5 years under the Chairmanship of Mabogunje to implement the Dr Peter Odili Report on Housing and Urban Development made ground breaking achievements which until date remains an indelible legacy in the housing sector.
It will be recalled that the 7 member Technical Committee among some of its laudable achievements was responsible for the
reorganization of the the newly created Federal Ministry Housing and Urban Development from having two administrative and two professional departments to two administrative and four professional departments.
It liquidated the Federal Morgage Finance Ltd to allow for the strengthening of Private Sector Primary Morgage Institutions under a strong Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria(MBAN)
it is also credited with the restructuring of the the Federal Morgage Bank of Nigeria(FMBN) to make it a more effective Secondary Mortgage Institution. According to a summary of the committees activities obtained by africa housing news, this was carried out by preparing and submitting to the National Assembly, 7no Draft Housing Laws which sadly has remained un passed into Law.
The team completed the over 8yrs abandoned FMBN building and moved the Bank’s Corporate Head Office from Area 3 to its present location.
It also organised and sponsored the setting up of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria(REDAN) and the Building Materials Producer’s Association of Nigeria(BUMPAN) to enable the private sector to respond to the challenge of Mass Housing in Nigeria.
The Mabogunje Technical Committee also Reviewed the activities of the Urban Development Bank of Nigeria(UDBN) and Designed of Blue Print for the Bank’s Repositioning which the Government did not consider before selling off the Bank.
Last but not the least of the Committee’s remarkable legacies included visiting many States and held discussions with Key Stakeholders like the then Oshiomole led NLC to increase the number of Contributing States on the National Housing Fund(NHF) from three to Seventeen by 2005.
