The basic amenities in life, over time, had been identified as the provision of food, clothing and shelter (arranged in no particular order), and its availability to mankind had always been the subject matter relevant all over the world.The provision of shelter particularly, had been the subject of discourse in all governments across the world and in Nigeria; just successive governments had tried to tackle the demand for qualitative and affordable housing for its citizens, with little success. This failure had made Nigerians to question if the promise of shelter for all was either a myth or a reality. It was for this reason that the Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, House of Representatives, Honourable Michael Bamidele, decided to clarify issues as regards housing for Nigerians in Ibadan recently, when he gave a lecture at the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), themed 'Shelter for all: A myth or reality.'Bamidele corroborated the claim that housing had been universally accepted as the second most important essential human need, after food, stressing that housing, in all its ramifications, meant more than mere shelter since it embraced all the social services and utilities that essentially make a community a liveable environment.He identified that the problems associated with housing in Nigeria were quite enormous and complex, each exhibiting apparent and marked regional differences; the problems of quality housing and environment for urban areas; a deficiency of which resulted in the overcrowding of homes; neighbourhood and communities; its resultant pressure on infrastructural facilities and deteriorating environment whereas in rural areas the problem is not just of poor quality housing but grossly inadequate infrastructural facilities. While lauding the establishment of the housing policy in Nigeria, he stressed that the ultimate goal of the policy was to ensure that all Nigerians owned or had decent, safe and sanitary housing accommodation at affordable cost; regretting that the ineffectiveness of the enforcement of the policy was particularly borne out of the lack of political will of successive governments.He, however, stressed that emphasis was being placed on the new strategies being adopted by the states and the Federal Government for obtaining better results from the new housing policy. Bamidele listed the objectives of the new housing as development and sustenance of political will for government; to provide adequate incentives and a conducive environment for greater private sector participation in the provision of housing; strengthen all existing public institutions involved in housing delivery at federal level; promote the use of Nigerian professionals, and appropriate design and technology in housing delivery; promote the development of a national housing market, among others.To achieve these objectives, he emphasised that the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development must be strengthened to improve its capacity in harmonising and monitoring housing delivery, establish a department in the National Standards Organisation to set standards for building materials and methods in the building industry; restructure and adequately capitalise the various mortgage institutions in the country and the Acts related to housing and land use. While stating that the country's urban population growth, which was currently put at 50 per cent and an annual growth rate of 3.5 per cent, he stressed that the government, as a matter of urgency must develop more housing projects especially through its Federal Housing Authority (FHA) with reasonable interest rates and the provision of an enabling environment for the private sector. By doing all these and some other points which he listed, he stressed that mass housing delivery would not be a myth but indeed, a reality.
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