Seeing the possibility to break the endemic rising housing challenges, which Nigeria and her populace is currently wallowing in, construction industry experts and stakeholders have again called on the government to pursue a multi-dimensional approach towards solving the problem.
Indeed, housing has remained an unfulfilled promise by several administrations as the nation at all levels, suffered absence of political will, dysfunctional institutional arrangements, policy summersault by various regimes and legislative impediments. It is on record that most governments, whether federal or state have repeatedly failed to deliver.
As the crisis and issues persist, experts gathered last week in Lagos to brainstorm on the best possible ways to handle the situation. The coming together was at the instance of Beachland Resources Limited and Eko FM, both of whom organised the 11th Lagos Housing Fair, held at Agidingbi, Ikeja, Lagos. Others however spoke with The Guardian during a chat on the housing problem.
Interestingly, all of them spoke with similar passion, believing that housing challenge in Nigeria could be scaled down if the government pays diligent attention and takes drastic and pragmatic steps once and for all like it had been done in other climes.
Speaking at a week-long fair titled “Access to Land and Housing Delivery”, the first Civilian Governor of Lagos State, who is also the first president of Real Estate Developers’ Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Alhaji Lateef Jakande, called on government at all levels to review the controversial Land Use Act put in place by the military government.
Stressing the importance of housing as one of the most essential needs of man, Jakande lamented the abysmal performance in the sector, urging serious attention and workable policy that could ensure the actualisation of housing provision for the teeming Nigerians.
To achieve success, the former governor advocates synergy of all stakeholders in the housing sector strong enough to reduce the attendant obstacles in housing delivery. Such obstacles include unfavourable policies, high cost of building materials such as cement and reinforcement and most importantly, access to land.
Similarly, the President of Association of Professional Bodies of Nigeria (APBN), Mr. Segun Ajanlekoko, sought the review of the present structure, said to be aiding corruption in the polity.
According to Ajanlekoko, four major changes were predominant. One, review of Land Use Act of 1978; two, easy access to title documentation; three, establishment of construction bank; and four, establishment of construction industry board.
Ajanlekoko said there was need to develop a new blue print for the construction sector in order to tackle the challenges in housing delivery.
“Eminent Nigerians have been advocating for the review of Land Use Act. The land policy has been one of the greatest impediments to functional housing provisions,” adding that access to land by the prospective house owners and developers should be pursued with urgency.
APBN president said housing for the masses had never being conceived by policy makers in the recent time. He lamented what he described as “building as if we are rich,” by which he meant that housing delivery in Nigeria did not take into cognisance the need of the majority who are in dire need of accommodation.
He was of the view that re-orientation of Nigeria’s architectural flair that could design a functional housing rather than elitists’ designs would go a long way in solving accommodation problem.
“A new design concept is needed. What we need is a house that has bathroom, toilet and bedroom for the common man. With this at the back of our mind, we can provide one million housing units yearly.”
Ajanlekoko said it was a challenge for any serious government to follow such recommendation for the desired results to be achieved.
On the issue of construction bank, he said professionals in the building industry have been advocating for the establishment of the bank for a long time, noting that its existence would go a long way in making funds available for the people “since the current mortgage facilities are out of reach of the masses.”
He added that establishing a construction industry board would enhance the activities of the stakeholders in Nigeria. “That was what happened in Malaysia that made them to export their skills to other countries today. We need to create specialised fund for construction companies,” noted Ajanlekoko.
Earlier in his address, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) President, Mallam Kabiru Yari, deplored the standard of housing situation in the country.
According to Yari, average Nigerians are not living in decent houses. This, he attributed to lack of statistics to show the number of people domiciling in a certain locality, which he said had made planning so difficult, to the extent that the number of Nigerians that needed accommodation was not known.
The NITP president, while commending the organiser of the fair, urged the town planners to forge ahead and provide a blue print that could ensure the maximum use of the available land in a way that housing delivery would be achieved with ease.
He also advocated for the production of new, but functional technology that is cheaper and easily adaptable to the Nigerian society. “With this in mind, there is the likelihood of reducing the cost of housing delivery.”
Yari, while urging the Lagos State Government to make land available, added that, “there cannot be a sustainable housing delivery without sustainable access to land.”
Chairman of the Housing Fair Committee, Moses Ogunleye, said the state government had to do more for the low-income group, by “improving the mortgage system and having more of site and service scheme.”
Ogunleye added that, with an improved mortgage system, more people would be given access to owning houses.
“Mortgage is not virile in Nigeria. Before we can improve our mortgage system, we need to improve access to work because people must have stable work,” he said.
“To own a house is an issue and to rent is a big problem. People spend so much money to provide roads, water, and so on for themselves. A builder who has provided such services on his own will want to recoup his investment, so he transfers it (the financial burden) to the tenant,” he said. “Government should make it possible for people to buy land depending on their financial capabilities on site and service schemes, which already have the infrastructure and roads provided.”
President, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Otunba Olufemi Deru, also explained that the vehicle on which housing delivery was anchored was the provision of long-term ownership through the establishment of development banks, and private public partnership establishments and other ventures.
“The Land Use Act of 1978 instead of providing the much needed succour has only deepen the problems in the sector as many stakeholders have complained bitterly about the various encumbrances in acquisition of statutory certificate of occupancy of Governor’s accent.”
In the same vein, Managing Director, First World Communities Limited, Mr. Femi Adewole said there was need for the government to develop a housing finance market, adding that there are a dozen mortgage institutions and commercial banks having mortgage arm, saying the interest rate, which many of these institutions give was not encouraging.
Adewole, an architect and a development expert, said that these institutions offer loans on that high rate based on the risks involved, adding that the government could come by taking over some of the risks, which he said would automatically force down the lending rate.
While noting that there have been several housing plans and policies in the past 20 years without delivery, he tasked the government not to rush into setting fresh targets.
According to him, there is a long list why the delivery has been the issue. One of such is lack of organisational capacity, adding that average development company in Nigeria is still run as a one man show, querying why financial institutions would want to commit their hard earned customers’ funds into such ‘unbankable firms’.
Secondly, he said he had observed that some of our professionals equally lacked the technical skill.
Source: The Guardian Nigeria Website