Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned stakeholders in the real estate sector against violation of Abuja master plan and tasked them to always get approval before embarking on building projects.
The permanent secretary, FCTA, Mr Olusade Adesola, stated this at the opening ceremony of the 17th Africa International Housing Show (AIHS) with the theme “Beyond rhetoric to homes: making housing happen.”
Adesola who assured stakeholders in the built industry of partnership towards housing development, warned that traditional rulers in the FCT have no title to lands hence, lands acquired through them becomes null and void.
He said the administration was ever ready for a long-time investment partnership for housing development, adding that the demand for housing in Abuja was constantly on the increase.
He said, “Every four years, new tenants come to Abuja and the demand for housing constantly increases.”
Abuja was conceived to be developed as a well-planned city.
“It was conceived as an affordable and well planned city. Going forward, we remain dedicated to execute the master plan meticulously for a balanced and equitable settlement. Therefore, we take serious exception to violation of the master plan.”
On land acquisition, he warned, “Do not buy lands from chiefs, they do not have lands. When you want to buy land. Search with FCTA, if the land is available, we’ll show you and if it is not pls don’t buy it because sooner or later it will become subject of litigation.”
The chairman of the occasion, Suleiman Hassan Zarma, said challenges of housing in Africa has deferred solution. He lamented that the cost of housing has continued to get out of reach of an average citizen.
The former minister of environment reiterated that housing remains a basic need of man, adding that Nigeria’s housing sector has potentials yet to be tapped.
In a good will message, the chairman, Urban Shelter, Malam Ibrahim Aliyu said Nigeria’s housing sector demands rapid attention to salvage.
Represented by Musa Aliyu, he called on stakeholders to set an agenda for housing sector development.
Declaring the event open, the senate president Godswill Akpabio assured the gathering of the support of the 10th National Assembly to ensure affordable housing for all.
Akpabio who was represented by Senator Asuquo Ekpeyong said the provision of decent shelter for all was non-negotiable.
He therefore charged them to come up with proposals on the various challenges inhibiting housing development for legislation.
The president Nigerian Institution of Surveyors (NIS), Dr Matthew Olomolatan Ibitoye, said owning a decent house is still an unattainable goal for many African households due to many factors which include amongst others lack of affordable housing finance, high costs of urban land, weak tenure security, rising construction costs, and the prevalence of slums.
Ibitoye who was represented by Yusuf Aro-lambo highlighted that building collapse was one of the recent challenges facing the construction industry, adding that Nigeria has unenviable statistics of its occurrence in the past few years.
