THE Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on Tuesday assured that the Federal Government was fine-tuning plans aimed at reducing housing deficit in the country.
Its Permanent Secretary, Mr Mohammed Bukar, who spoke in Abuja at the technical session of the ongoing 8th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, said the government would create an enabling environment for greater sub-national governments and the private sector’s participation in addressing the nation’s housing problems.
The theme of the meeting was: Housing Development and Consumer Credit as Strategies for National Prosperity.
Represented by the ministry’s Director of Planning Research and Statistics, Dr Famous Eseduwo, the Permanent secretary said housing was one of the fundamental human needs in every society.
He said housing was a veritable indicator of standard of living in any society, adding that housing was currently in short supply and not affordable.
Bukar said the nation’s current National Housing Programme was an initiative specifically designed to encourage local manufacturers, professionals, artisans and craftsmen toward creating employment and wealth.
He said the housing programme had promoted the use of home-grown building materials in the construction of the houses, except where such materials could not be produced locally.
Bukar said the ministry was working in collaboration with the office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation and cooperative societies in providing affordable houses.
He enjoined the delegates and stakeholders to make meaningful contributions on the submitted memoranda to enable government formulate policies that would facilitate more Nigerian home ownership.
In an address, Dr Eseduwo said the event was in recognition of government’s new initiatives to generate more jobs and create wealth for Nigerians through affordable housing construction.
He identified factors militating against construction of affordable houses in Nigeria to include limited access to finance, high cost of land registration, lack of access to land and insecurity.
The event, which started on Nov.4, will end on Nov.8 and is being attended by the ministry’s directors, heads of government agencies, private developers and delegates from all states, professional bodies in the built industry and the academia.
Source: thenationonlineng
