We laid enduring foundation in housing sector —Eyakenyi

Immediate past Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi took a critical look at her one-year stewardship and posited that she had laid an enduring foundation for her successors to build upon. Eyakenyi who was emotional when she received board members of the parastatals in the ministry who came to bid her farewell, noted that although she came from outside the built environment, she was embraced and supported by all.

“I only spent a year in office but it looks like four years. I have made friends but have also stepped on sensitive toes. But that was the job I was sent to do,” she said.

The former Minister used the opportunity to recount the scorecard of her administration.

Draft roadmap for the housing and urban development sector

According to her, a 30-year (2014-2043) draft roadmap for sustainable transformation of the housing and urban development sector was finalised and approved as a national framework of action by the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development at its meeting in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital in December, 2014 .

Similarly, the revised National Building Code was finalised to ensure improved professional and ethical standards in the housing and urban development sector. The code will competently address other emerging challenges of building and construction in Nigeria, including improving standardization in the housing sector and stemming the rising trend of building collapse across the country.

Development of a zero draft National Land Policy

The former Minister disclosed that under her watch, a zero draft National Land Policy was developed. “When finalised, the administration/management of land and land resources will be better coordinated in order to ensure full optimisation of land for rapid socio-economic development,” she said.

Other achievements listed by Eyakenyi include the development of a framework for undertaking a National Housing survey. “A framework for conducting a National Housing Survey was developed with the overriding goal of establishing whether Nigerians are adequately housed or not.

When undertaken, the Survey will help to establish the true state of housing deficit in the country (instead of relying on forecasts and projections), the quantum of investments needed to meaningfully address the housing gap, as well as the capacity requirements for transforming the housing and urban development sector on a sustainable basis,” she said.

She disclosed that a 30-year concession agreement for sand filling and development of infrastructure in FESTAC Phase II, covering an area of 1,126 hectares between the Federal Housing Authority, FHA and Messrs New Festac Property Development Company was signed. A total of 7,000 plots will be realised and sold to members of the public for housing development under the scheme.

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN and Federal Housing Authority, FHA, were both strengthened to perform optimally.

Vanguard