Steve Oni, Ilorin
The federal government has called for inclusion of every stakeholder in housing, land and urban sector of the economy in order to ensure employment
generation and sustainable development.
Speaking at the fifth meeting of national council on land, housing and urban development in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital, on Thursday, the Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN), said the process had helped to build the infrastructure of Europe, Asia and many parts of the Middle East.
He said: “I must advise that inclusion and employment will not happen by
happenstance. They will not happen simply because government plans to
spend money and actually does so. Yes, the budget will work, money will be spent, but inclusion may not happen and the people targeted for the benefit may not benefit if the benefit is transferred to foreign countries, to foreign factories because professionals either do not participate or where they do, they prefer foreign made or imported goods to local ones. So, one objective of this council meeting and its theme is to emphasise to all members that it is only those who are willing to act, those who are willing to work, and those who are willing to get their hands dirty by blasting rocks, by moving sand, cement, iron rods, making doors, moulding blocks, pouring concrete and so on; who will help us to create inclusion in this economic process.
“This is a process that has helped to build the infrastructure of Europe, of Asia and indeed many parts of the Middle East. It is the process by which we would also rebuild our economy. This is part of what diversification means. This is part of what President Buhari means when he talks of diversifying the economy through agriculture and through mining. Indeed it is from agriculture that we would get wood and timber to build, and it is from mining that we would get sand, that we would get rocks, that we would get cement and make tiles with which to finish our houses. This is why our housing policy is critical to drive the economy in this direction.”
Also speaking, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state stressed that Lands, Housing and Urban Development sector is vital to the transformation of our economy.
He said: “To begin with, housing plays a vital role in socio-economic development as it is a key indicator of economic well-being besides its other enormous economic potential. Yet with a population of one hundred and eighty million, about ten percent of our people are without suitable housing. That is without factoring in the needs of the business and commercial sectors.
“Therefore, as our population grows at an exponential rate without an approximate growth in urban infrastructure, the current housing deficit of 17 million is certain to expand and with it opportunities for lucrative investment and critical jobs.
“It is also common knowledge that many forms of development are predicated, primarily, on availability of land and a safe environment. Besides land’s key role in housing, it is also vital to industrial development, commerce and, importantly, agriculture.
“However, despite these composite contribution of lands, housing and urban development to personal and national development, the latent opportunities remain largely untapped. Let me at this point add that this stagnation is not for lack of institutional effort as demonstrated by this annual assemblage and the numerous strides by governments at national and subnational levels to bridge the gaps that I have earlier identified.
“For me, the other major challenge that has hobbled this promising sector for decades is the lack of adequate manpower. It is for this reason that I find the theme of this meeting: ‘Building Adequate Capacity of Professionals, Artisans and Tradesmen in the Built Environment’ rather timely. This is because adequate supply of qualified personnel, especially in the building subsector, is critical to urban and development planning.”