By Ben Ogbemudia
Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), on Thursday, declared that their immediate
focus is to build at least 100 affordable housing units in each of the 774 Local Government Areas of the Federation bringing it to a total of 77,400 housing units where it is feasible and viable.

The President/Chairman of Council of REDAN, Alhaji Aliyu Oroji Wamakko declared this at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding with critical partners in the housing value chain which includes the Family Homes Funds Limited and Shelter Afrique to provide Construction finance; F ederal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria – the Apex Mortgage Institution in the Country and Primary Mortgage Banks under the aegis of their umbrella body, the Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN), and the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company with respect to Rent-to-Own and provision of Retail Mortgage facility to home-seekers who are contributors to the National Housing Fund and others for mortgage origination at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Wamakko who said experts in the Housing industry also called on the Nigerian government and the private sector to take drastic actions to invest in the construction of affordable and decent houses, stressing that REDAN is ever ready to come in.

He commended the efforts of the Federal Government in the provision of social housing for Nigerians and for their commitment to collaborate with REDAN to ensure affordable homes for its citizens.

“REDAN is the umbrella body of the organized real estate sector (private and public) in Nigeria and I cannot overstate our resolve to provide mass and affordable housing to Nigerians in rural and urban areas of the Federation.

” Happily, we are collaborating with all levels of government and some stakeholders in the sector to provide this very important basic need of man i.e., housing, and to reduce the housing deficit in the country.

He said projects will be implemented under our project tagged “Rural-Urban Housing Initiative (RUHI-774)”.

“We are also in collaboration with the Professional Bodies in the Built Industry to achieve quality standards, and Building Materials Producers and Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBBRI) to actualize our quest for a Nigerian House.

” We have worked assiduously with some Paramilitary Organizations, State governments, other employers of labor like the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees etc. to disseminate information about the scheme to their employees.

“I want to express our gratitude to the organizers for allocating a REDAN DAY to the show. This is a demonstration of the value they have placed on our association. It is, therefore, my singular honor and pleasure to welcome you all to the REDAN DAY, a day that is set aside to discuss issues affecting housing development in Nigeria. It is my hope that the discussions will proffer practical solutions on how to increase the stock of housing in Nigeria for our growing population which will lead to the creation of massive employment and immense contribution to the growth of the Nigeria Economy.

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“COVID-19 pandemic took the world by surprise, and although many countries are succeeding to curtail the spread of the virus, it is still a lingering problem and new waves have emerged. Ironically, even though COVID-19 is primarily a public health concern, solutions to the pandemic rest principally with having sufficient functional homes to stay in. These functional homes will ensure that we achieve self-isolation, social distancing, washing of hands, and other hygienic measures which are essential to limit the spread of the disease.

“For Nigerians without adequate housing, it was difficult during the peak of the pandemic and it still continues to be hard to adhere strictly to the guidelines outlined by the Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC).”