Housing reform: Minister charges teams on performance, dedication to duty

By AKOR SYLVESTER-Abuja

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa yesterday charged the newly inaugurated housing Reform Task Teams to develop a robust framework that will optimise ministry agencies to deliver quality and affordable homes to Nigerians.

Dangiwa who gave the charge at the inauguration of the Reform Task Teams towards the realisation of the presidential deliverables for the housing sector under the renewed hope agenda in Abuja Tuesday, urged members of the teams to be dedicated to duty in order to deliver on their mandate.

He challenged the teams to map out strategies for driving the nationwide adoption and passage of the model mortgage foreclosure law in States including a thorough review and facilitation of necessary legislative amendments of relevant housing industry laws, the National Housing Fund (NHF) Act, 1992, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Establishment Act, 1993, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Act, 1973, and PenCom Act to allow for increased investment in housing.

Accordong to him, “The housing reform task team includes the Housing Institution Reform Task Team, Land Reform Task Team, Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs Task Team, and Multi-agency Project Delivery Task Team.

“The Housing Institution Reform Task Team comprises housing industry sector experts, stakeholders, agency representatives, professional bodies, and academia.

“The reforms and legislative amendments that the Reform Team will carry out in collaboration with stakeholders and the National Assembly will be the most comprehensive set ever done in the history of Housing and Urban Development in Nigeria,”.

He further said “the Task Teams have been carefully constituted to include all relevant stakeholders, such as agencies of government, professional and regulatory bodies, the academia, industry experts, traditional rulers, and other groups.

“The goal is to tap from the wealth of knowledge and experience of these relevant sectors and individuals and come up with strategies that are inclusive, wholesome, and can stand the test of time.

“We have chosen individuals who are not only knowledgeable, and experienced, but also passionate about the development of the housing sector. These are the people with the political will to do what is right for the benefit of Nigerians.

“This sincerity of purpose and political will we now have in His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,”.

Dangiwa enjoined all team members to see the work that they have been called up to do as part of making history and charged them to give it their best for the good of Nigerians and posterity.

On his part, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Marcus Ogunbiyi noted that the event marked the commencement of the much-needed reforms necessary to address the multi-faceted challenges of effective housing delivery in the country.

He said “The action plans for the sector include strengthening the regional capacity of federal housing agencies, Increasing the supply of decent and affordable housing stock, establishing a national social housing fund, implementing land reforms to streamline land administration and ensure easy access to land for Nigerians and private sector players, setting up building materials manufacturing hubs and implementing urban renewal and slump upgrading programmes to develop new cities that are integrated and inclusive,”.

The permanent secretary assured the members of the Reform Task Teams of the Minister’s support in ensuring the success of their various activities for optimal performance

He urged the teams to put in their best to compliment the ministry’s effort to reform the sector for good.