The Federal Government has sought increased collaboration among state governments and other stakeholders to strengthen mortgage, land and institutional systems for accelerated and inclusive housing delivery.
The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Dr Shu’aibu Belgore, stated this during the Technical Session of the 15th National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development on Wednesday in Sokoto.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event is themed: “Strengthening Mortgage, Land and Institutional Systems for Accelerated and Inclusive Housing Delivery.”
Belgore thanked the government and people of Sokoto State for hosting the national gathering, describing the state’s hospitality as heartwarming.
He said the theme was carefully chosen in recognition of three critical pillars of housing delivery: access to finance, access to land, and strength of institutions.
The perm-sec said the National Council remained one of the most important platforms for policy dialogue, coordination and collaboration between the federal government and the states on lands, housing and urban development.
“It provides an opportunity for us to collectively examine the challenges confronting the sector, review existing policies and programmes, and most importantly, agree on practical measures that can be implemented at all levels of government”.
According to Belgore, access to mortgage facilitates home ownership adding that the system must respond to the realities of Nigerians, especially low and middle-income households.
“Necessary steps should be taken to alleviate the issues hampering access to mortgage. Our mortgage options available to off-takers should be attractive to elicit increased demand.
“Without accessible, properly planned and efficiently administered land, sustainable housing delivery will remain difficult.
“There is a need for greater collaboration between the federal and state governments in addressing land-related challenges.
“While land administration is substantially within the purview of state governments, the implications for housing delivery require a coordinated approach,” Belgore said.
He described institutions as vehicles through which policies were translated into action.
“Where institutions are weak, even well-designed policies may not achieve their intended objectives.
“We must therefore continue to strengthen the capacity of ministries, departments and agencies at the federal and sub-national levels to optimise performance.
“This includes improving technical capacity, strengthening inter-agency coordination, promoting the use of data and digital systems, and improving regulatory processes”.
The perm-sec commended the seven thematic groups that deliberated, stressing that the real value of the council would be measured by the quality of decisions and their translation into action.
He said the meeting of Permanent Secretaries serves as a bridge between the technical sessions and the policy-level meeting of Commissioners and Ministers.
“Our task is to carefully examine the reports emerging from the thematic groups, identify areas requiring clarification, reconcile overlapping recommendations.
“Efforts are also geared toward eliminating inconsistencies and ensuring that the proposed recommendations are realistic, actionable and aligned with responsibilities of various levels of government”.
Also speaking, the Sokoto State Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development, Mr Nasiru Dantsoho, said the state government was committed to providing policies that would enhance housing delivery.
“We hope by the time we are leaving here, we will be able to provide policies that will enhance housing delivery to make sure that each and every citizen in this country is able to get shelter.
“The Sokoto State Government is constructing over 1,500 housing units in three locations, including New City and Wajake, as part of efforts to bridge the housing deficit in the state,” Dantsoho said.
NAN reports that the Technical Session was attended by representatives of the Surveyor-General of the Federation, professional bodies, stakeholders and partners, including UN-Habitat.
