Approximately N500 billion is required by the Federal homes Authority (FHA) to offer affordable homes to Nigerians, according to Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the agency’s managing director and chief executive officer.
As to the United Nations, Nigeria is facing a severe shortage of housing, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.
But Senator Ashafa said that the organisation under his direction is making every effort to close the gap related to the nation’s housing deficit during a press conference he gave yesterday at the Authority’s headquarters in Asokoro, Abuja, to kick off the celebrations of the FHA’s 50th anniversary.
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The Federal Capital Territory’s Zuba, Mboro, Bwari, Kabusa, and Maitama 2 neighbourhoods are among the areas where he listed some of these interventions, which also include various FHA estate projects designed to meet the housing needs of high, middle, and low-income earners. Meanwhile, similar plans are underway in the nation’s six geographic zones.
Our goal is to repeat the Rent to Own Delivery model we started with the Zuba estate in the first phase of our Bwari estate, which is located close to the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja. We have started building 340 units of houses there. The Golden Jubilee Estate is being built in the Mbora District of Abuja as a celebration of this Golden Jubilee. He promised to build such estates in every region of the nation, with Lagos being the next in line.
With its estates scattered across the nation, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has suffered from a decline in quality delivery over the past 50 years, as Senator Ashafa expressed regret. She noted that during the Authority’s 50-year existence, it has passed through successive governments with policies that have had an impact on the agency’s operational efficiency. Several of the policies were poorly executed despite our best efforts.
“For example, in 1992, the government proposed to FHA that it be partially commercialised and that it receive a take-take off grant through the Technical Committee for Privatisation and Commercialization (TCPC). The Agency was split between being seen as a commercialization organisation and a pure civil service organisation, which led to an identity problem that started with this transfer.
In2023, we were totally cut from the budget and did not receive the projected take-off money, which further weakened the Authority’s position. This meant that, as required of us, we were unable to continue building affordable homes.
Still, the head of the Federal Housing Administration revealed that his organisation is implementing numerous improvements via his administration in addition to building new housing complexes for Nigerians.
The speaker highlighted several accomplishments, such as the reduction of the backlog of promotions, enhancement of employee welfare through the provision of necessary work equipment and a supportive work environment.
“We encountered an organisation with some of the best professionals in the built industry, low morale, and unmotivated employees when our management joined the team.” An inverted pyramid-shaped organogram with no succession plans, subpar working conditions, and inadequate equipment for the job were the problems associated with career stagnation. The Authority was at risk of collapsing when the best employees retired without any plans for succession, due to a confluence of factors including low productivity, industrial strife, and a propensity for corrupt practises.
Yet he added, “We were able to replace the junior cadre of the staff and balanced the organogram to have a pyramidal shape, giving room for succession plan, with the support of our board and parent ministry.”
