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FG laments lack of standards in housing sector

By on September 7, 2014

The federal government has said it decided to initiate reforms in housing sector to ensure proper regulation and institute standards, which is currently lacking in the sector.

The Director General, Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Mr. Benjamin Dikki, said the current government reform processes in housing would also replicate the kind of regulatory mechanism in the telecoms, electric power and other key sectors of the economy.

Speaking in Abuja at an interactive meeting with the umbrella union of workers of the Federal Housing Authority, the Senior Staff Association of Communications, Transport and Corporations (SSACTAC), an affiliate of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Dikki explained that the objective of the reforms in housing sector was to further ensure the sector becomes vibrant, utilizes local content and facilitate private sector investments.

Dikki also assured the workers that their interests would be protected in the cause of the reforms as government places high premium on workers’ welfare during reforms and privatisation exercises.

He stressed that government would always take cognisance of labour issues, hence the inclusion of labour leaders in the membership of the National Council on Privatisations (NCP) and the Steering Committee on the Restructuring of the Housing Sector, which he said. “is key in the growth and development of the nation’s economy.”

According to the DG, it was in keeping with the government’s commitment to workers welfare that the entire proceeds from the privatisation of the power sector $2.6 billion and an additional N45 billion from the federal treasury were committed to the payment of the entitlements of the former workers of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).

He said the meeting with the union leaders was called to address the concerns of the workers on the housing sector reforms and to keep them on the same page with the government.

Also speaking, the acting Director, National Facilities and Agricultural Resources, BPE, Dr. Vincent Akpotaire, allayed the fears of the workers about the alleged outright privatisation of the government entity. He said the intended reforms of the FHA was for full commercialisation that is meant to enable the entity attract funds for its operations.

Responding, the President General of SSACTAC, Mr. Mohammad Yunusa, said the FHA had in the past discharged its mandate satisfactorily but was presently hamstrung by poor funding.
He promised that SSACTAC was willing to partner the federal government in addressing the estimated 17 million housing deficit in the country.

Yunusa noted that the cardinal objective of SSACTAC is to ensure that FHA survives, adding that the authority had to thrive to guarantee employment opportunities for its members
In a statement by BPE spokesman, Mr. Chigbo Anichebe, he, however suggested that instead of commercialization, the federal government should inject more funds into FHA to enable it execute its mandate as shelter was a statutory responsibility of the government.

 

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