Osinbajo seeks solution to affordable housing

The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has urged professionals to deploy the right skills towards meeting the housing needs of over 70 per cent Nigeria’s low-income earners.

He gave this charge at the opening of the National Housing Fair organised by the BSTAN Group in Abuja. Osinbajo observed that issue of cheap and affordable housing for Nigerians and reducing deficit seemed to have defied all solutions since independence.

According to him, low- income earners in the country are seeking for homes they can afford. Represented by his Chief of Staff, Adeola Ipaye, he challenged built environment professionals to devise means and methods, by which the huge housing deficit in the country can be bridged.

He said: “This challenge which has over the last six decades continued to evade sustainable solution must be tackled. But I can assure you that it is also one of the issues this administration is seriously determined to resolve.

“Athough, there is no shortage of policies and programmes enacted by various governments to tackle this debacle, effective implementation remains the persistent problem.”

The vice president commended the Managing Director, BSTAN Group, Dr. Becky Olubukola, for providing individuals and stakeholders with the resources and professional guidance to make homeownership a reality for millions of people.

Also speaking at the forum, Princess Fifi Ejindu, insisted that the country must build two million housing units yearly to bridge the gap by 2030.

She said the country must develop slums and strengthen local building materials industry to enable it provide affordable housing for the citizens. Ejindu called on financial institutions to come up with innovative financial services that will cater for the housing sector.

Olubukola said the firm has concluded plans to build about 100 affordable housing units in rural areas to tame rural-urban migration, warning that if the nation fails to tackle slums in the cities, the dwellers will make the cities unhabitable.

She further disclosed that the housing sector has capacity to build the nation, explaining that: “When you provide shelter for every member of the society, you have provided employment, food and businesses in those environment.”