NIESV urges government to establish housing data bank

The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), has urged the Federal Government to establish a housing data bank to enable the nation plan purposefully and effectively. President of the Institution, Rowland Abonta, who made the call in PortHarcourt at the body’s national council quarterly meeting, said, without the data bank, it would be difficult for government to plan effectively to meet its target.

According to him, for government to successfully meet its target of addressing the housing deficit in the country, it should as a matter of urgency, carry out a survey on the housing needs of Nigerians. Abonta noted that the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, who attended its national conference early this year in Lagos, agreed that the nation needs a data bank for housing and real estate to ensure effective planning.

He said, “This administration should start with a proper housing survey that would establish the housing needs and stock of Nigerians, it is when you have these data that you can plan effectively.

“The returning Minister of Works and Housing, Fashola was in our national conference we had early this year in Lagos and we agreed that the nation needs a good data bank for housing and real estate.“We have agreed to work together to bring the data bank to be, because housing needs to be properly planned for to be delivered to meet the set target of government”, he said.

The NIESV President also charged the government to create an enabling environment for the private sector to drive the housing delivery in Nigeria, as well as remove bottlenecks in the process of land acquisition and access to mortgage finance by Nigerians.“Government should restrict itself to policy formulation, planning, evaluation and monitoring to ensure the private sector drive the housing delivery in Nigeria.

“It is an offence for a private developer to go into a virgin land and start developing without the government’s provision of roads and other infrastructure, government should make sure that service plots are made available to engender good estates for developers”, he added.