Federal govt inaugurates task Teams on Tinubu’s housing reforms

The federal government on Tuesday, January 16, inaugurated task teams on President Bola Tinubu’s vision for four housing sector reforms.

The housing sector reforms include Housing Institutions reform, the Multi-Agency Project Delivery reform, Land reforms, and the Building Materials Manufacturing Hubs.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa inaugurated the reform teams for the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda for housing and urban development on Tuesday in Abuja.

Dangiwa emphasised that to realize the Renewed Hope Vision Target of establishing a 1 Trillion-Dollar Economy, there must be a prioritization of housing.

According to him, this entails embarking on comprehensive reforms in the housing sector to address systemic and prevailing issues that have contributed to underdevelopment.

He said: “First is the Housing Institutions Reform Task Team. The task of this Team is to develop a robust framework for ensuring that housing agencies under the supervision of the Ministry are optimized to deliver effectively on the Renewed Hope Vision for the provision of quality, decent and affordable homes to Nigerians.

“This includes a thorough review and facilitation of necessary legislative amendments of relevant housing industry laws including the National Housing Fund (NHF) Act,1992, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Establishment Act, 1993, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Act,1973, and PenCom Act (to allow for increased investment in housing). The Team will also map out strategies for driving the nationwide adoption and passage of the model mortgage foreclosure law in States.

“Second is the Multi-Agency Project Delivery Task Team. The aim is to ensure that all housing agencies under the supervision of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development work collaboratively towards optimizing their strengths to deliver decent and affordable housing to Nigerians. Part of its Terms of Reference includes developing a comprehensive strategy and roadmap for the construction of at least 50,000 new houses per year for a start through multiple funding sources.

“Third is the Land Reforms Task Team. This Team is tasked with developing a blueprint that will aid the sustainable implementation of much-needed reforms necessary for streamlining land administration and ensuring easy, cost-effective, and efficient access to land in Nigeria.

He stated: “Primarily, their job is to conduct a thorough assessment of the current state of the building materials manufacturing sector in Nigeria, including existing facilities, capacities, and key players. They are to also identify challenges and opportunities within the sector.

“The result will be a blueprint that will ensure sustainable implementation of reforms for the sector and the establishment of building materials manufacturing hubs in each of the six (6) geo-political zones across the country. This may include feasibility studies on the most viable locations for the hubs within each zone for siting of housing projects.

“The Task Teams have been carefully constituted to include all relevant stakeholders, such as agencies of government, professional and regulatory bodies, the academia, industry experts, traditional rulers, and other groups. The goal is to tap from the wealth of knowledge and experience of these relevant sectors and individuals, and come up with strategies that are inclusive, wholesome, and can stand the test of time.”