Hon. Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has said that the ministry is ready to partner with relevant stakeholders to deliver the housing needs of the country, noting the huge potential and economic value chain available in the sector.
Speaking when he received members of the Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), led by the President, Alhaji Mohammed Adamu in his office, the Minister said the Ministry is working hard to evolve agreeable and adaptable housing designs that would be replicated across the country and is thus ready to partner with cooperatives, housing associations and the private sector to expand on the housing delivery and bridge the gap.
He noted that the provision of housing to Nigerians goes beyond construction alone but includes the industrialization of the various materials used in the construction of the houses such as windows, doors etc. in order to boost the nation’s economy and provide jobs for the people. He said he is also concerned about how the required building materials could be produced on massive scales locally and subsequently translated into “industrializing the delivery”.
The Association President, Alhaji Adamu, earlier in his remarks said his Association is not oblivious of the housing challenge facing the country, hence it has designed a programme tagged ERAHOMS and is proposing to develop 740, 000 housing units within the next five years at 148,000 units annually across the 36 States of the federation. He solicited the Federal and State Governments support to execute the proposed Programme.
Adamu requested the inclusion of the association in the Ministry’s activities and the need to decentralize housing activities to both the state and rural level with trained manpower to address housing problems at the grassroots.
He informed the Minister that the association has commenced training of its professionals to address the use of sub-standard materials in housing construction to curtail the incessant cases of housing collapse in the country.
Eno Olotu (Mrs)
For: Director Information
