Housing deficit: NIQS kicks against monopoly of knowledge

The President, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mr.Obafemi Oluwole Onashile, has cautioned that while addressing the huge housing deficit in Nigeria, the adoption of monopoly knowledge should be jettisoned.

To this end, he posited that housing crisis in Nigeria requires a robust collaborative strategy by all professionals in the housing sector.

Onashile, who spoke in an interview in Abuja said: No singular person or institution can claim monopoly of the solution to housing, it requires a collaborative effort by all stakeholders in the industry.

“Because we need to look at the supply and demand aspect, and when we talk of demand, we mean, effective demand. So, when we talk about people needing houses, can they afford it? We are talking about demand that can be backed up by purchasing power.
‘’We see people living under bridges or in squalor but we need to find out what their purchasing power is. Can these people purchase a flat? Even if we keep producing flats, will they be able to buy it? There will still be deficit if they cant

‘’Supply is being produced but there is no one taking up it effectively. It’s not an easy solution. That is why the institute is clamouring for a collaborative approach to solving housing problems’’.

NIQS president also called for the establishment of Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB), saying that the board will be an avenue for collaboration between institutions in the construction industry and the government.

He added that part of the mandate of the board will be to find solutions to the problems bedeviling the construction industry.

’Having called for the construction board, there should be an industry approach to the solutions; all the institutions coming together to evaluate all the existing policies and solutions that have been proffered which have all failed. Then sieve them out and fine tune to get good solutions for this housing deficit’’ Onashile said.

Credit: Blueprint