Housing development is well captured in all the policies of the government since independence till date. It is contained in the vision 202020 and the transformation agenda or national development plans of the past government in Nigeria. Housing is a right for the citizen to have comfortable accommodation, yet the rights have not been fully enforced.
Today, more than 60% of the Nigeria populations lives in settlements that are unplanned with poor living conditions.
Today, mortgage loans and advances stands at 0.5% to GDP in contrast to 30-40% in emerging economy and 60-80% in advance economics.
In the past 40 years it is reported that 40,000 housing units were built. Experts hazards a projection of around 80,000 housing units, twice the present projections
The nation’s housing deficit stood between 16-17 million and efforts are in place to bridge the gap by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA)
The Federal Housing Authority was established in 1973 with a mandate of providing affordable and accessible housing delivery especially for the less privilege and low income earners.
Insecurity is the absence of security. It is the direct opposite of security. It can be caused by total disregards to rule of law, violation of human rights, and bad governance. Violation of the rights of citizen to affordable housing is a violation of human rights. Lack of housing for citizen of country is both environmental and socio economic threats.
The provision of housing is an element of social security. Others include old age benefit, unemployment benefit, maturity benefits and provision of social infrastructure, which the poor in the society can access at little or no cost, without these criminal and insecurity and conflict will increase.
The provision of affordable and accessible to citizen has psychological impacts to their behaviors and sense of wellness and integrity. It promotes sense of family values and cohesiveness.
It promotes the ability of a family to transmit positive values, and tolerance. Many young men that formed bad companies lacked houses to put on their heads. Many of the promiscuity witnessed in the society is traceable to housing deficit.
Lack of affordable and accessible housing has been a contributory factor towards brain drain and mass exodus abroad by the victims.
Apart from other relevant legislation and policies, the provision of affordable housing remains key antidote to addressing the issue of insecurity. Government must exhibit political will to back up private entrepreneurs and the federal housing authority in their efforts to contribute to the housing delivery in Nigeria.
One of the greatest price determinants on the process of housing delivery is the value of land as well as its availability. Fall in oil price has no impact on the housing sector much because the value of the land is always fixed and influenced by demands, but the land use acts.
The urban renewal project embarked upon by the Interim Management Board of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) is bound to contribute to mitigate insecurity as it will provide more job opening to engage the unemployed youths and also clear out slums that fosters gansterism, drugs abuse and crime.
The higher the nation’s population growth, the higher will be the demand for housing infrastructures. Housing deficit has negative impact on the society and its security
The new wave of insecurity and terrorism as well as desertification dictates the need for enable housing laws to urban planning, architecture, house location and numbering as well as design.
Madiba Lapinni,
Abuja
