The chairman of Senate Committee on Housing, Senator Sam Egwu has restated the commitment of the National Assembly to enacting and amending bills necessary for Nigeria housing sector development.
The Senator and Former Governor of Ebonyi state made this known to Africa Housing News on Thursday in Abuja while speaking at the opening ceremony of the training on emerging trends in real estate development in Nigeria organised by the real estate developers association of Nigeria (REDAN).
He said that as legislators, the National Assembly is prepared to work with all stakeholders in the housing sector by providing the legislative support required to move the sector forward.
‘’The Senate Committee on Housing which I chair is ready to give priority to any bill that seeks to address the challenges of the housing sector so as to make suitable, adeo all Nigerians irrespective of social or economic status,’’ he said.
He also encouraged all stakeholders to recommend such bills to them for consideration.
While the government has the responsibility of providing the enabling environment for the housing sector to thrive, Sam Egwu said the private sector stakeholders have a very critical role to play to enhance citizens’ access to affordable housing irrespective of social and economic status.
To effectively play this very role, he said real estate developers ought to understand the emerging trends in real estate development globally and how to adapt such trends to suit the peculiar circumstances in Nigeria.
However, he bemoaned how the organized private sector seems to have catered only for the middle and upper classes with little or nothing to meet the housing needs of low income earners.
‘’I urge you to look in the direction of low income earners to reduce the current overwhelming housing deficit and provide affordable housing to majority of Nigerians at that level. You are encouraged to explore the advantages of using locally sourced building materials to develop cost effective houses that majority of the country’s low income earners can afford, as against the conventional very costly building materials that has made housing unaffordable to majority of Nigerians.’’
On the alarming rate of building collapse across the country, he said the issue calls for drastic measures by all stakeholders to ensure that buildings meet global standards to safeguard the lives of unsuspecting members of the public and protect investments in the housing sector.
He advised Nigerian real estate developers to always employ the services of professionals and ensure strict compliance to critical specifications at all levels of housing development to guarantee quality and durability of houses in Nigeria.
He also expressed his excitement about the training program and hopes that it will equip and reposition real estate developers in Nigeria to find sustainable solutions to housing development challenges and provide suitable and affordable housing for the increasing Nigerian population.
‘’Globally, the housing sector has evolved over the years following changes in the regulatory environment, scientific advancements, economic and market dynamics, demand supply imbalances and in response to global trends. Suitable and affordable housing is one of the critical needs of man and a nation cannot claim to have truly prospered if its citizens cannot boast of basic shelter.
‘’I congratulate your association for organizing this training and encourage you to always take advantage of both local and international trainings of this nature, on a more regular basis, so as to keep abreast with contemporary global trends and develop the requisite capacity to effectively address the challenges of the housing sector in Nigeria,’’ he said.
He went further to appreciate the President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Ugochukwu Chime and his team for demonstrating capacity, foresight and purposeful leadership, and also the Convener of Abuja International Housing Show and owner of the popular Housing Television Programme, Festus Adebayo for his contributions to housing development in Nigeria.
He urged the participants of the training to make the most of the training and use it to improve all affordable housing efforts in Nigeria.
REDAN is organizing the training on emerging trends in real estate development in Nigeria as part of continuous professional development program for its members.
The training which is a basic and relative training for all stakeholders in housing and real estate will include capacity building, unveiling emerging laws, policies and practice issues in the real estate sector, advocacy programs, and many more.
The trainings are hany more.
The trainings are holding in Abuja on the 14th of November, in Lagos at The Haven AVMC Compound Ikeja on November 20, and Owerri at Graceland Event Arena, Owerri on November 22, 2019 from 9am-5pm.
