To bridge the housing gap, the Federal Government has announced that it will provide 5.5 million housing units over ten years in the 36 federation states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa made this known during the maiden meeting with the Federal Controllers of Housing from the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja on Wednesday, according to a press statement by Salisu Haiba Badamasi, Director of Information.
Dangiwa said the Federal Government intends to achieve this ambitious goal by using the existing instruments of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, as well as leveraging collaborations and Public-Private Partnership arrangements and the Renewed Hope Cities project.
According to the minister, the first phase of the Renewed Hope Cities project would provide 40,000 units across the federation and the FCT, to bridge the housing gap.
The minister further revealed plans to carry out Slum Upgrading and Urban Renewal projects in select states to improve the welfare of Nigerian citizens.
Key performance targets expected Federal Controllers of Housing across the federation
At the maiden meeting with the Federal Controllers of Housing from across the federation, the minister tasked them to provide monthly updates and statistics of projects in their respective states to the ministry.
- “As our ambassadors, you are to effectively liaise with the state government and provide updates to the ministry. We intend to run a ministry driven by data and so you are expected to go beyond the routine inspection of projects” the minister said.
Furthermore, Dangiwa mandated the Controllers to protect the interest of the Ministry, liaise with state governments and officials on matters relating to housing and urban development, provide up-to-date reports on activities in the state as they affect the programs of the Ministry, in addition to serving as Chief Implementation Officers for the various projects of the Ministry across the states, among others.
The minister also asked that each Controller establish a land bank in their respective jurisdictions that would contain relevant information such as the land’s location, hectarage, status, physical state, and recommendation of what it should be used for to support effective planning, among others.
Dangiwa also said the Controllers should leverage the facility management structure to maintain the integrity, liveability, and quality of the estates. He also tasked them to be involved in the planning process and site selection of the National Housing Programme, as well as ensuring cost-effective, affordable, and organic designs.
On the National Housing Projects for each state, the minister demanded that every Controller across the federation submit monthly reports with clear recommendations and evaluation of developers’ capacities.
- “Pre-handover exercises should be carried out for completed estates, involving the relevant Directorates at the Ministry’s head office, so that handed-over projects can be easily identified and monitored. The Directorate will ensure that the level of completion and any outstanding works can be reported accordingly. At hand-over of completed projects, the contractor must hand over their security guards to the ministry to watch alongside officials of the NSCDC for post-construction security management of the site”, he further explained.