A leading Advocacy group , Housing Development Advocacy Network has called on the Edo and Ondo States Governorship candidates to showcase their housing agenda for their respective States.
The group made the call on Monday in a statement signed by Festus Adebayo.
The group noted that various states have not performed well in the area of affordable housing delivery which according to them is a catalyst to economic development.
“We call on the Edo and Ondo States Governorship candidates to showcase their housing agenda to the electorates .
The group stated that there are enormous potentials in the sector, urging the candidates to make housing a priority in their agenda.
“The housing sector is the bedrock of the economy and an important tool for stimulating growth. The benefits to the economy of a thriving housing sector include job creation, infrastructural development, growth of complimentary industries, training, beautification, tax collection, education, disposable income, lifestyle and wellness”.
According to the Advocacy group, housing affects all facets of life and should be well harnessed to stimulate growth.
“Investment in housing affects all facets of life through its multiplier effect on economic development, forward linkages to the financial markets and backward linkages to land, building materials, tools, catering, furniture and Labour markets”.
Delineating on its position, the group said “the construction of a medium sized (2/3 bedrooms) bungalow is capable of directly creating employment for an average of 32 workers.
“The number goes up significantly when the forward and backward linkages are factored into the process. Therefore for 1000 housing units scheme of two bedroom bungalows, up to 32,000 workers will be engaged for a period of between 12-18 months.
“Accordingly, if in a year we build a 1000- housing unit estate in each of the 36 States of the federation and FCT, we would create a workforce of 1,184,000 per annum”.
While urging the candidates to massively key into housing, the group said Nigerian would achieve greater strides in meeting the needs of its population and could address the housing deficit more effectively if there were greater emphasis on mobilizing private initiatives to improve the capacity of the existing housing stock to provide more decent units, both qualitatively and quantitatively.
The group also called on the electorates to make informed decisions during the elections. “We call on the electorates to make informed decisions during the elections. The destiny of your State is in your hands so you should ensure to make decisions that will bring about the desired change we all clamour for”.
“This is the best time to commit those asking for your votes what they will do in the area of provision of affordable housing”
Housing Development Advocacy Network is the largest non-profit, Non-governmental organization promoting affordable housing in Africa.
