From Ndubuisi Orji, Abuja
Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has decried the housing deficit across the country.
Kalu, in a goodwill message at the 17th Africa International Conference on Housing, yesterday, in Abuja, said there was need for stakeholders to collaborate to address the challenge.
The deputy speaker, represented by his Chief of Staff, Toby Okechukwu, said a report by researchers at the African Development Bank (ADB) puts the housing deficit in the country at 16.9million.
“I would like to start with a look at the current state of housing in Nigeria. As you know, it is self evident that we have a huge housing deficit presently in Nigeria. According to a study by researchers at the African Development Bank in the ‘Housing Market Dynamics in Africa’, there is a housing deficit of up to 16.9 million units.
“According to the World Bank, Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, and Abuja, has a 20 percent rise in housing needs yearly. Current total output in the formal housing sector is estimated at no more than 100,000 units. While well corroborated data does not exist, it is clear that the formal sector is only producing a fraction of the total number of urban units needed each year.
“This is a major problem, as it has a negative impact on our economy and on the quality of life of our citizens. There are a number of factors that have contributed to the housing deficit in
Nigeria. These include rapid urbanization, population growth, and a lack of affordable housing finance, “ Kalu said.
He added that the House is committed to working with stakeholders to find solutions to housing challenges in the country.
“We are willing when approached by stakeholder inputs to expend our legislative powers to fixing Nigeria’s housing sector challenges. It must also be stated that the development of Housing would be difficult without huge investments in key infrastructure like roads, urban planning, waste management, and energy. As is the theme of this event, we need to make housing happen in Nigeria.”
Consequently, the deputy speaker implored stakeholders to avail the parliament of ideas and actionable plans for a better housing sector.
“Specifically, we encourage you to propose ideas on how to make it easier to access affordable housing finance; invest in infrastructure to make it easier to build and develop newhousing units; promote public-private partnerships (PPPs) to bring together the resources of the government and the private sector to address the housing deficit.”