BY MIKE EFFIONG

The Chairman House Committee on Housing, Hon Usman Aminu, has lashed out at the National Housing Fund over poor housing delivery in the country.

“Since I assumed office as the chairman of this committee, I realised that NHF is not working .Why is it not working? Let’s team up and collaborate and see how it can work. From what I understand about NHF, any Nigerian can contribute part of his income so that he can reap or access housing in life time.”

Speaking at the official commissioning of Emerald court in Abuja, he noted that the essence of fund is to encourage saving to access houses much later in life has so far not been achieved.

Aminu pointed out that it was pertinent for developers to consider building houses for the masses, as having shelter could address the problem of insecurity and provide employment.

“But the participants, especially most of you from banks are not doing their jobs. That is why the fund is not optimum and it needs to be optimum so that at level of social housing, we will be able to do something”, he said.

He emphasised that most of the houses being built by developers are accessible by high income earners, while low income earners find it difficult to access the houses, saying that in every society, the middle-class make possible for the society to be at peace with itself but in Nigeria, we are yet to appreciate that.

“Please let’s come together and collaborate and see what can be done.” He stressed that the committee had passed a bill on building collapse, which he hoped would see the light of the day and that professionals would submit the code.

Also the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Senator Bala Mohammed, stated that providing result oriented houses could curtail rising cases of youth restiveness, insecurity amongst other.

Mohammed who was represented by the Perm Sec, Engineer Anthony Ozodinobi stated that “ In order to arrest the increasing gap on the demand and supply of housing for the teaming population of Abuja in particular and Nigeria in general, the government and all its agencies, private and public organisation must step up on all machinery that is meant to deliver the goal”