By Jude Njoku

For affordable housing to become a reality in Nigeria, the Federal and State governments should embrace the public private partnership, PPP approach and make conscious efforts to eliminate all impediments to housing delivery in the country.

File photo: The floor of Stock exchange

These impediments include high cost of land, transfer fees and registration processes. These views were canvassed by commissioners in charge of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, chieftains of housing agencies and mortgage finance institutions and related professionals who brainstormed at the just concluded 4th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Uyo, the capital of Akwa-Ibom State.

The Council which was presided over by the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Lands,

Housing & Urban Development, FMLHUD Mr George Ossi, on behalf of the Minister, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, also called on the governments to adopt deliberate measures to promotes training of labour, provision of ancillary infrastructure and recapitalization of mortgage institutions.

The meeting which was attended by 182 delegates made up of 23 commissioners and 159 senior officials of relevant Federal and State Ministries, Departments and Agencies MDAs, representatives of professional/regulatory bodies and other stakeholders, noted that despite the significant progress made by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN in its operations and management of the mortgage industry in Nigeria, the bank is still constrained by the failure of some states to embrace the National Housing Fund NHF scheme.

Specifically, the Council called on the six non-participating states – Lagos, Kano, Edo, Oyo, Ekiti and Ondo to return to the NHF scheme.

Decrying the non-passage of critical mortgage related bills and delay in the recapitalization of FMBN, the Council called on the Federal Government to seriously consider recapitalizing the apex mortgage bank.

In a communiqué issued at the end meeting, the experts stressed the need to promote the unfolding paradigm shift in housing delivery by further creating the enabling environment for private sector participation in affordable housing with special emphasis on the use of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency appliances as viable options for reducing the costs of buildings.

They also stressed the need to scale up the level of National Cadastral and township mapping in Nigeria by facilitating the provision of Continuously Operating Reference Station, CORS, adopting singular mapping control network and establishing an Enterprise Geographic Information System, GIS for the entire country.

Cadastral mapping

Besides, they advocated that the office of the Surveyor- General of the Federation should be supported to provide at least one CORS Station in every state with a view to fast- tracking the process of cadastral mapping and creating an Enterprise Geographic/Land Information System (GIS/LIS).

The Council also enjoined state governments and other key stakeholders to support and collaborate with FMLHUD in its efforts to prepare and produce the first National Physical Development Plan, NPDP as well as its efforts at eradicating slums in Nigeria.

While lauding the Federal government for its modest achievements in the implementation of the Power Sector Roadmap, the Council charged the Federal M& Urban Development to collaborate with the Federal Ministry of Power in solving the problem of right- of-way which constitutes an obstacle to electricity cables installation and power transmission in various States. They also charged the FMLHUD to facilitate the allocation of lands for the construction of sub- stations, Solar Energy Plants and Thermal Plants.

The fifth edition of the Council’s meeting will be hosted by Kwara State in the last quarter of this year.