Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
The federal government plans to upgrade 26 slums in the six regions of the country, to improve the living standards of residents and the urban poor, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, said yesterday.
Dangiwa, who spoke while delivering his keynote address at the 12th meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development, in Kaduna State, promised to rewrite the story of housing and urban development in the country.
Stressing that President Bola Tinubu has the vision of making housing a top priority for his government, the minister explained that the ministry’s goal was to implement the ‘most historic’ housing and urban sector reforms ever witnessed in the country.
This, he said, would be achieved by driving initiatives that would create an enabling environment for easier, safer and profitable private sector investments in the sector.
He stated that the agenda of the current administration was tied to four key presidential priorities, including economic growth and job creation, access to capital, social inclusion and ending poverty.
“The achievement of these targets would require an ‘All of Government’ approach and actions that foster continuous engagement between governments at all levels along with the private sector and relevant international organisations operating in the housing sector,” he added.
He reiterated the plan to establish a national land commission whose work would be partly to outline clear implementation guidelines for the Land Use Act to chart a new path of effective land administration in the country.
The minister further disclosed government’s readiness to commence phase 1 of the ‘Renewed Hope Cities and Estates’, which he said targets the delivery of 34,500 housing units in 30 states of the federation.
“For the Slum Upgrading Programme, the ministry’s plans to upgrade 26 slums in the six regions of the country, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to improve the living standards of the slum residents and urban poor by providing key infrastructure and ancillary services.
“To ensure affordability for Nigerians, we have already mapped out the following options which include Rent-to-Own, Public Rental, Mortgage Loans, and where applicable, outright sale,” he explained.
He said Kaduna was one of the first states in the country to adopt and pass into law the Model Mortgage Foreclosure Law (MMFL) which coordinates and promotes housing investments and mortgage development activities.
In his address, the guest of honour, the executive Governor of Kaduna State, Senator Uba Sani, represented by the Commissioner of Housing and Urban Development, Aminu Shagali, informed that the government in its effort to increase the housing stock came up with a direct construction of 624 affordable housing units.
He added that the state further plans the construction of a total of 222 houses of 1, 2, 3, 4 bedroom terraces as well as duplexes, directly and through partnership.
According to him, the state was in partnership with 52 developers to provide between 20,000 and 30,000 houses which are at about 50 per cent completion.
The governor further expressed the willingness of the state to continue in partnership with the federal government to facilitate the provision of decent and affordable houses to Nigerians, while also welcoming investors to the state.
In his goodwill message, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Housing, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, pointed out that positive progress cannot not be made in the housing and urban development Sector without funds.
While acknowledging that sourcing funds was a difficult one, he noted that the problem was not unconquerable, given that construction in housing remains a major way of redistributing wealth and should be encouraged.
Tambuwal further assured of the support of the National Assembly in realising the outcomes of the council’s decisions.
