The Federal Government has restated its commitment to providing more housing units for the masses through the adoption of alternative building technologies.

Nigeria is estimated to have a housing deficit of about 17 million units, and according to the Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the figure is increasing by two million units yearly.

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Ama Pepple, said during a facility tour of the UAC Property Development Company Plc’s Metro City in Abuja on Thursday that the Federal Government was already exploring alternative building technologies with its development partners to make houses available to both the low and medium-income earners in the country.

She said the government was looking forward to collaborating with the private sector to stem the nation’s housing deficit and had already commenced works on some estates with a technology that would make houses available and accessible to everyone.

Pepple urged UPDC and other developers to explore alternative technologies in their construction methodologies.

She said her ministry was committed to providing affordable houses as part of the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.

“The President is committed as part of the transformation agenda to provide houses that will be affordable and accessible at all levels, and we at the ministry are also committed to that,” she said.

The minister said the Federal Government had also started giving out parcels of land that had been left fallow in most states to contractors for housing development, while acquiring more.

Pepple said, “We had so much land in most of the states of the federation that have been left fallow because they haven’t been used for a long time, and some state governments were threatening to take those lands from us.

“But last year alone, we gave out land to 89 contractors, who are partnering with us on public-private partnership basis.”

She added that her ministry was also partnering with local manufacturers to procure building materials at reasonable prices that could bring down the cost of houses.

“We are having an arrangement with people producing building materials locally; we have cement producers and a lot of other producers who are into quality local products such as door and tiles. Just as we have done with cement, they will deliver at factory cost prices, and this will help in bringing down the cost of houses,” she said.

On land titling, Pepple said the Federal Government was working into reducing the cost and process of title document procurement, and had already met with state governors on the issue.

“In November last year, we had a presidential retreat on housing and the state governors who were present promised that they would reduce the cost and time of titling. We have asked that a memo be done and presented to the Economic Council where all the governors are members so that we can get a commitment from them,” she stated.

She said the ministry and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria were working on providing more housing units.

The Managing Director, UPDC, Mr. Hakeem Ogunniran, said Metro City and other projects being handled by the company were aimed at bridging the nation’s housing deficit.

Located on 11.17 hectares of land, Metro City comprises 225 units of of premium and luxury house types.

Ogunniran said UPDC was committed to the agenda of providing more houses and was looking at building for the middle class in partnership with the Federal Government.

“Prices of houses depend on the cost of infrastructure and the land. So, where the government provides land and primary infrastructure, it will enable us to deliver houses at affordable prices; that is why we are partnering with the Federal Government and some state governments,” he said.

SOURCE: http://www.punchng.com/business/homes-property/fg-woos-developers-to-alternative-building-technologies/