Nigeria @ 60: Family Homes Funds MD urges Nigeria to dedicate the next 60 years to massive housing programs

 

By Onoja Johnson
 
 
As Nigeria hits 60 years of being an independent nation, stakeholders in the housing sector have continued to lend their opinions towards fixing the country’s housing sector which is said not to be faring well after about 6 decades of independence. Femi Adewole, the Managing Director of the Family Homes Fund, has, among many things, enjoined Nigeria to put up robust programs towards bettering the housing sector in the coming 60 years.
 
 
According to him, outlining the achievements of the Nigeria’s housing sector at this point is quite “difficult” because the expectations of the majority of Nigerians are yet to be met even though the country has come a long way and has done little well by starting from the scratch and has now etched its position clearly in the comity of nations.
 
 
He stated, “First let me outline what I see as our achievement as a nation. And this is quite difficult because one of the attributes for us as Nigerians is that we have very high expectations but when we reflect on how far we have come, the fact is that we have come a very long way. We have built a nation from scratch, that’s at least, in the community of nations in the world today, holds its own.
 
“We have grown a large population of highly talented, highly respected, highly innovative people. We have created a vast range of opportunities for our people across all sectors but we know that is not all rosy, that there is a significant number of areas where we have future expectations for improvements and that is only natural because in the history of states we are quite young.
 
“And I think I look on the positive side of a glass half full, that we can look back at the last 60 years and thank our founding fathers, thank our leaders for their sacrifices for bringing us thus far and I encourage the young people of our land that for the next 60 years the baton must pass on to them to build an even greater nation. In times of my own specific sector which is housing, again like the nation, the expectations are very high. Sometimes it appears that the achievements are much less than the expectations of the vast majority of people. And that is understandable. But we must look at what we have achieved in terms of the cities, that our cities are being built, in terms of a middle class that is existing and sustaining the economy.
 
“But we must now go on from the past into the future and dedicate the next 60 years to a massive housing program. What I see in the next 60 years are cities that are modern, cities that are sustainable, cities that are green, cities that Nigerians are proud to call home. That is my vision for the next 60 years.”
 
 
Femi wished Nigerians a happy independence day and specifically felicitated with Mr. President, Muhammed Buhari with a message of hope for Nigerians. “With a lot of gratitude to God. I want to wish the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria our political leaders, our leaders in all aspects of our national life and the vast population of Nigerians a very happy independence. As a nation we have come a long way over the last 60 years. And I believe that on behalf of my team and I, that the best is yet to come for Nigeria. The future is ours and the future is bright.