We are set to commence the development of 100units of houses in each local govt in Nigeria – REDAN PRESIDENT

By Onoja Johnson Baba
The president of Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria and the chairman/CEO of JEDO Investment Company, Alhaji, Dr. Aliyu Wamakko has revealed that plans are afoot by his association to deliver, at least, 100 housing units to each of the 774 local governments in Nigeria.
Dr. Aliyu made this known while speaking with Africahousingnews on issues bothering on housing development in Nigeria, the performance of the housing sector in the last 60years and the impact of REDAN on house assisting.
In assessing the performance of the Nigeria housing sector since independence, the Doctor said there are tons of challenges staring at Nigeria Housing Sector and that only a little impact has been made so far as the country is still lagging behind with a housing deficit of about 22 million. He, however, hinted that the government is on the starting point for initiating the 300, 000 housing units under the economy sustainability plan.
He said, “You see, there are a lot of challenges, honestly, and we are still having a deficit of about 22 million housing deficits in the country, and that is huge. You can see we are starting from somewhere. If you are going to the moon, you start by claiming a table, I think you have done something. You have started the journey. 300, 000 housing units, if you look at the ratio of 22 million Nigerians looking for a house to live, covid-19 will have been an easy situation for us if these houses were available. But now that the government has woken from sleep and try to do that, we in return, we are ready and willing to compliment the government efforts to make sure these houses are available.
“But let us look at the history of housing in Nigeria and you will find out that, very few or meagre impact is been made in the aspect of House provision to Nigerians. And these are because of some of the hiccups in the housing industry, which I have earlier indicated to be the land titling, which is obsolete and the intervention fund is not there. If you can intervene, give intervention food on agriculture, give intervention fund on health care delivery, give intervention fund on entertainment industry.
“ I believe it is timely to give intervention in housing development because we are still left behind. And this is what I think the developed countries is doing to make things easy for anybody to own a house. And that is what we think is the benchmark of a living citizen.”
According to him, “obsolete” laws and lack of funding have been the major factors bedeviling the Nigerian Housing Sector. He emphasized that the laws are due for reformation and its timely for adequate funding of the Nigeria Housing Sector.
He acknowledged that the Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmed El Rufai, the governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, the Lagos state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Ekiti State governor and others have done well in easing land titling.
The REDAN president who also appreciated the Vice President of Nigeria, His Excelency, Yemi Osibanjo for making the intervention fund and housing development for the 300,000 units under the economic sustainability plan a private sector driven project.
“If you look at the laws governing the titling and housing production in Nigeria is almost obsolete since 1956, which is no longer tenable. Now, I think the rule needs to be reformed to make the ease of doing business. And that is why we are congratulating some state governors who has taken the bull by the horns. Somebody like everybody like Elrufai, the Nasarawa state governor, governor of Lagos State, Ekiti State. They have made titling very easy and accommodating. So, we believe these are some of the challenges that Nigeria has been facing and since the time of Shagari era, where some houses were produced all over the nations. It is unfortunate that there is no program of that nature until now.
“And that is why we felt we are proudly happy with the federal government of Nigeria for making the intervention fund and housing development for the 300,000 housing units under the economic sustainability plan. This makes us proud because we feel first and foremost, it would reduce the housing deficit in Nigeria. It will create employment, most especially during this era of covid-19.
“Also we sincerely thank the foresight of his excellency, the vice president, Professor Yemi Osibanjo, for making it clear to Nigerians that these houses are to be privately being driven by the private developers.
“So we felt for him to see it is going to be privately driven by private sector. We are happy to hear that from His Excellency Osibanjo,” he said.
On the plan of his association towards housing development in Nigeria and ease of home ownership, Dr. Aliyu buttresses on their collaboration, partnership and platforms put in place towards delivering houses to Nigerian low income earners, creation of job and nursing of young professionals. He said, “we have initiated a lot of projects for the benefit of Nigerians, which we are working closely hand in hand with Family Home Funds Limited, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, and also Mortgage Financing Company. Let me take it one by one for you.
“The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria has never given any because we stand at the supply chain of their mortgage creations and we have since been doing that since the inception of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria. And we are pretty doing good, even though Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria as of now is short of funds because its capital base is low and we have been calling on the federal government to recapitalise it for ease of doing business.
“Because it is only window we get at least a single digit interest on the aspect of house provision. Family Homes Funds, Recently, we have a very strong collaboration with them, which they are willing to support the Association with Construction Finance. We initiated a project tagged Rural Urban Housing Initiative 774 local government. Our intention is to build at least 100 housing units in each of the local government in the federation, where viable, peaceful and possible. This is what they have indicated their interest to do the finance of this construction, and it is loaded with a lot of things.
“If I may just go ahead and have a privilege to explain to you we have already have a strong collaboration with the building industry stakeholders, just to mention few out of it. Nigerian Institute of Architects and (NIB) Nigeria Institute of Building, Nigerian Society of Engineers, just to mention a few. All this since we have a collaboration with them in the aspect of achieving standardization in the production of these houses.
“We have got indication of interest by various paramilitary organizations, military itself, Nigerian Union of Local Government, who has indicated interest to take at least 30 out of each hundred houses produced in a local government. And, Nigerian Union of Teachers also indicated interest to take at least 20 out of this. So the formation of optical base is already a foregone issue. We are only waiting to finish our arrangement with Family Homes Funds which remain a little, maybe out of hundred percent, 20 percent. And this is to determine the selling price of these houses because it’s meant for low income earners and also the repayment, and the mode of repayment of these houses.
He also emphasized that the houses planned to be built will be delivered to intended Nigerians who are the low income earners that can afford them and that about 90 percent materials that will be employed in the building projects will be made-in-Nigeria products, in other to create jobs and contribute to the economy.
“The houses we are going to build are for Nigerians. Any Nigerian who has an income with the capacity to repay back, the houses belongs to them. The paramilitary and Nigerien Union of Local Governments, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, these houses are tagged with them, but not only because we know they have verifiable income and other Nigerians who can make upfront payment.
“These houses can be repaid from our predictions, and our understanding with Family Homes Fund. These houses can be paid through three stations, maybe through the ISIPPS Office of the Accountant General, direct deduction from those beneficiaries to be paid back to Family Homes Funds or through upfront payment or rent on program or equally, we can create mortgages because we also have an understanding with Mortgage Bankers Association of Nigeria who are willing to profile off takers through the value chain consultant and create mortgages for the beneficiaries of these houses.
“So we believe our target is the low income earners.
“Equally, we have a collaboration with Building Materials Association. We have written letters to so many of them, which they have indicated interest to provide their corporate social responsibility. Some of them give us up to 25 percent discount for the provision of these houses. And, we believe we are going to produce in a Nigeria house, a Nigeria house, that means we are going to use 90 to 100 percent local content. And this will help to revitalize the Nigera Industries on building materials producers. So this is exactly what we are trying to do for Nigeriens. And we believe the Sky’s the limit. We are going to take this in phases so that to be able to see how the acceptability of these houses will be.
Further more, he added that, “we believe the program or the initiative is going to create a lot of job opportunities for Nigerians. We are targeting at least 2.5 million jobs, at least two thousand five hundred per local government. And, our interest is after we create the jobs, we equally mentor the young engineers coming into the professions. We have already opened all our offices in all the states of the federations. And the registration is right now going on for this project.”