Ben Gbade Ojo
Fadekemi Ajakaiye
The Economic Sustainability Committee (ESC) has been advised to adopt the Bitek Wall Blocks Russian System of affordable mass housing in the execution of its newly proposed mass housing programme.
The National Coordinator of Forward Nigeria Movement, a pro-democracy and good governance group, Mr. Udenna Orji, made the call recently to the ESC, led by Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
The ESC had in the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan 2020, prepared by it and submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari last month, recommended among other things, a mass housing programme which the Committee said “is expected to deliver up to 300,000 homes annually, engaging young professionals and artisans.”
Orji commended the ESC, and urged the committee members and the federal government to take advantage of the Bitek Wall Block Russian System of mass housing as “housing industry watchers are excited about the unfolding entry into Nigeria of this housing technology which has been used to eliminate housing deficit in Russia and create jobs. It is the solution to Nigeria’s housing and employment needs as the materials used are abundant in Nigeria.”
Orji revealed that a Nigerian, Mr. Ben Gbade Ojo was an expert in this Russian housing technology and called on the ESC members and the federal government to consult him immediately in order to make the government’s new mass housing programme a huge success.
Ojo, a housing development and mortgage expert and member, Nigeria-Russia Business Council (NRBC) and Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry had recently urged the federal government to tackle Nigeria’s growing housing deficit by launching a “Housing for all by 2030” programme, using the Bitek Wall Block Russian system of affordable housing.
He said “such a housing programme can successfully develop about 22 million high quality affordable housing units nationwide within 10 years, effectively spurring industrialization and job creation and eliminating the nation’s housing deficit at a low cost.”
Dr. Valentine Boyko, a Russian housing expert had last February told newsmen in Abuja that houses built with Bitek Wall Blocks last for about 300 years and that it takes about 30 days to build a 3 bedroom bungalow of 100 square metres at a cost of about N3.6 million. He said the houses are fire resistant, water resistant, eco-friendly and 40% cheaper to build than conventional cement houses adding that the same materials are used for the roofing and ceiling of the houses and are recyclable even after 300 years of existence of the building and can be used to rebuild or redesign the house.
