The Nigeria Institute of Building has charged the in coming administration to consider it as a priority to begin to develop mass houses for Nigerians.
It says the the provision of mass housing units will not only address the housing deficit but will also solve a social welfare problem, it will also reflects the economy that will create jobs for our teaming populace.
Speaking on the sidelines of a 2-day workshop organised by Nigeria Institute of Building held in Abuja with the theme: “Innovation and technology in housing development” with the sub themes:”Understanding the Nigeria housing challenge, technology driven mass housing provision and innovations to address housing affordability,” the president of the Institute, Prof Yohana Izam said that there is urgent need for mass housing provision.
“We have look at the deficit in housing which some people have put the figures at 20 million. So I will say that the incoming administration should consider it as a priority to begin to develop mass houses for Nigerians that will solve a social welfare problem and it will also reflects the economy that will create jobs for our teaming populace,” he said.
Izam while reflecting on the paper he presented at the workshop about dry construction noted that dry construction is about addressing the issue of speed of construction.
He said that dry construction is seems to minimise the amount of onsite activities. That is talking about industrialised building system that use more of refabricated components which will be assemble within a short time on the construction site.
“So it is dry because the operations are being considerably reduced because most of the construction components are being produced off the site and they are only been assembled.
“The time for construction is reduced and on the long time factory production of considerable number of components improve the quality of the components and also in the long time it will also reduce the cost of production.
“That is what other countries are using to address the issue of mass housing provision. We are talking about large numbers, if we can do 700,000 units in Nigeria for the next 10-20 years then we will now stabilise in the housing sector then Nigerians can have affordable housing,” he said.
In the same vein, the second vice president of NIOB, Abimbo Kolade said that the housing challenge we have in Nigeria is enormous that even to know the actual data for housing deficit that we have is another challenge.
He said that we all need shelter and the innovative and technology must be put into the way that we do housing delivery in Nigeria both from the initial stage to the production stage and even at the usage stage.
He further said part of what they are discussing in the workshop is that they know that the new administration is coming especially some of them that are in the building industry that there is need for them to set up an agenda for this new administration on how they can in housing provision in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Isimaila Adamu of Yobe State University Damaturu said that providing affordable housing units to low income group is base on using lean technology techniques.
He said Lean technology is a technique for project protection management where you use the cut down cost through eliminating waste and activities that does not add value. When you use this construction techniques in providing housing units, you will find out that you have produced at the end affordable housing units with low cost. Why? Because you eliminate waste and you also eliminate any activities in the production process that does not add value to the building.
“Since we are looking for innovative way for affordable housing units, people have presented allots of techniques and I also think that we have to look at the production cost and the construction techniques. When you look at the affordable houses, it depend on who you are providing affordable housing to
“When we are talking about affordable houses we are referring to certain class who are ready for those houses that are provided. Because if you can see now there are houses that government provided but people are not ready to live in those houses. So our concern now let those who are ready for the affordable houses let the houses to be affordable for them.
“So you cannot generalised it that the houses are not affordable. They are affordable but the situations that make them to be expensive. May be there some factors. So eliminate those factors, use local materials. So this are the techniques that we are talking about now,” he said.
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