‘Anti-corruption Drive Revives FHA, Clears N12bn Debt, Boosts  Revenue’

The managing director and chief executive of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, on Wednesday declared that a strict anti-corruption campaign, sweeping institutional reforms and prudent financial management have transformed the once debt-ridden agency into a self-sustaining revenue generator that is now remitting billions of naira to the Federation Account.

Ojo disclosed that the agency inherited liabilities exceeding N2 billion when the current management assumed office about two years ago, with staff salaries and allowances unpaid and operations crippled by years of institutional decay. He, however, said the debt was completely liquidated within one year without seeking financial support from the Federal Government.

Speaking in Abuja after receiving an Award of Excellence from the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), the training and research arm of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the FHA boss said the authority has since become financially stable and has begun making substantial returns to the Federal Government.

According to him, the agency remitted ₦3 billion into the Federation Account in July this year and is on course to double the figure to about N6 billion by December.

“We met an organisation that could not even pay salaries. There was over N12 billion deficit backed by a Supreme Court judgment, but we resolved that we would not allow the institution to die. Within one year, we cleared the entire debt and today we are making returns on government investment,” he said.

Ojo attributed the turnaround to decisive leadership, transparency, digital transformation and a zero-tolerance policy on corruption, insisting that responsive leadership remains the strongest weapon against corrupt practices in public institutions.

He explained that the management deliberately refused to seek government subvention, choosing instead to maximise internally generated revenue through improved operational efficiency and tighter financial controls.

The FHA chief disclosed that one of the administration’s landmark reforms was the digitalisation of the authority’s vast property records, estimated to be worth more than ₦10 trillion, describing the exercise as critical to eliminating revenue leakages and improving accountability.

He said although the reform initially faced stiff resistance, the management remained committed, resulting in a dramatic increase in revenue generation within three months of implementation.

According to him, the financial recovery enabled the authority to restore staff welfare by ensuring prompt payment of salaries, introducing a 13th-month salary, clearing promotion backlogs, paying allowances before the beginning of each year and providing free transportation for workers.

Ojo also said the authority has revived local and international staff training programmes after more than 15 years of neglect, with employees already undergoing specialised capacity-building programmes in the United Kingdom, the United States and other countries to strengthen the agency’s technical competence.

He stressed that improving workers’ welfare was deliberately linked to the administration’s anti-corruption agenda.

“If a worker is not paid or is neglected for years, the temptation to engage in sharp practices becomes high. We decided to eliminate those excuses by making welfare our priority while enforcing strict discipline and accountability,” he said.

He added that the authority has introduced a clock-in, clock-out attendance system to strengthen discipline, warning that absenteeism and misconduct would no longer be tolerated.

Earlier, the Provost of the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN), Professor Sheriff Ghali Ibrahim, said Ojo was selected for the award in recognition of his commitment to integrity, institutional reforms and collaboration with the ICPC in promoting transparency within the Federal Housing Authority.

He commended the FHA management for embracing anti-corruption training and building the capacity of its workforce, saying the agency’s renewed commitment to ethics, accountability and professionalism has become a model for other public institutions.

Professor Ibrahim said the academy honours individuals and institutions that demonstrate exceptional commitment to the nation’s anti-corruption agenda, noting that Ojo’s leadership has not only repositioned the FHA but also strengthened Nigeria’s broader integrity and accountability framework.