Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), has called on the federal government to utilise opportunities in the housing sector as a pathway to economic recovery.
The president of the Council, Victor Onukwugha, made the call while speaking on the state of the nation’s housing event, held in Abuja, in commemoration of World Habitat Day, themed: “Mind the gap. Leave no one and place behind”.
He said, “It is pertinent to recognise that the housing sector possesses the most viable platform to rescue the nation from sliding into recession if approached pragmatically.
“Housing sector has a great multiplier effect on job creation and it has been tested and proven over time that a three-bedroom unit has potential to engage at least about 25 skilled and unskilled labour ranging from architect, engineer, builder, bricklayers, masonry, carpenter, food vendors etc.
“We want a nation where the potential of the housing sector can be tapped for driving our economic recovery with pragmatic and concerted efforts to tackle housing deficit and affordability challenges.”
Onukwugha stated that the theme of this year’s World Habitat Day has clearly exposed government’s lack of commitment to lead the crusade of converting opportunities in the housing sector to deliberate and profitable economic ventures and growth that could reduce the gap and leave no one and place behind.
Providing solutions on filling the gaps between the housing sector and the huge economics potentials, Onukwugha stated that the government’s renewed commitment to developing affordable housing, ministry disengagement from direct housing construction, rental housing, proper funding of housing projects and creation of agriculture villages to reverse urban migration would solve the problems.
On the impact of politics in the housing sector, the president said:
“It is obvious that it will be virtually impossible to separate housing from politics as many aspirants would want to use housing to solicit and campaign for support of the people. However, one critical challenge of the past mass housing delivery is political interference which derailed policy implementation and is principally responsible for increasing housing deficit in our nation.
“We urgently need to deviate from this political sentiment and quagmire with departure from the usual practice of discrediting viable policies of past regimes. Our leaders are implored to embrace progressive ideology whether instituted by their government or not irrespective of political affiliation in implementation and execution of viable housing policies and programmes and seek to pursue sustainable delivery of affordable housing on a large scale to reduce housing deficit in the country as we approach the next dispensation of governance.”
