Eyakenyi: Our Vision Is To Provide Housing For All Nigerians

Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi is the minister in charge of Lands, Housing and Urban Development. She told BRIDGET CHIEDU ONHOCHIE that though she would not want to quote figures, she would like to be remembered for tackling headlong the 17 million housing deficit she inherited on assumption of office in March, 2014. She also spoke on women participation in politics.

Your feeling on being appointed Housing Minister

I felt all right. I did not have any fears because of my past experience.  I am not just coming into political office for the first time. In fact, I started from the grassroots, from the local government level as a supervisor. I also served at the state board and as a commissioner before I came up here. So, I had experience of seeing government situations— how to deal with the public and how to deal with issues. I knew I was coming to an area that is not my area of specialty, but I am an educationist and as such, I’m supposed to fit in anywhere I find myself except if one was not properly trained. When I came, it took me just two weeks to get to know what the Ministry was all about. 

Your target while in office

  I do not want to put a figure to it, but I have developers such as Signature Group that is working in Gwagwalada. They have the capacity to give me 20,000 houses. I have a group in Apo that has the capacity for 100,000. I have other developers who are on ground with their resources for stated number of houses. I have the Chinese group, who are ready to give us 20,000 houses. The major problem I am facing is having encumbered land because you cannot separate land from houses. We partner with state governors, but we cannot move in until land and other necessary requirements are provided. That is the reason I cannot put a figure to my target, but my vision is to ensure that the 17 million deficits we are talking about crash before I leave office.

Greatest achievements so far 

  I was appointed to this Ministry about a year ago, precisely on March 5, 2014.  It has been a good experience for me. When I came, I realised that the housing sector was one of the key point agenda among the Seven Point Agenda of the present administration. Before I came, the housing sector had major issues, such as housing deficit. Having realised that Nigeria has 17 million housing deficit, which was a very serious challenge, we went into action to ensure it was tackled. We also realised we were having frequent issues of collapsed buildings. We also went into action to ensure they were properly tackled. For one year, I tackled the problem of 17 million deficits by ensuring that we have projects to provide affordable, qualitative houses for Nigerians. We have key projects including the Ministry External Housing scheme whereby federal government budgets certain sum of money each year to provide affordable houses, the Ministry sells the houses, return the money and build more houses. We have the 100,000 housing units project, which President Goodluck Jonathan flagged off in December 2014 beginning with 20, 000 houses in Apo. 

  We also have the 10,000 Presidential Housing project, which is being backed by mortgage institutions in Nigeria. The one in Apo is on going, we have started the one in Gwagwalada and 18 states of the federation have also keyed in by providing land. The governors will give us Certificate of Occupancy and other requirements and we will move in to build the houses. But in all these, we know that government cannot provide all the houses alone and as such, we adopted the public/private partnership approach.  

Your assessment of women’s participation in politics

  For appointive position, I would say we are getting the 35 per cent affirmative that we have been fighting for. For example, at the federal level, I must commend President Goodluck Jonathan for being there for Nigerian women. You can see the constitution of the Federal Executive Council; the number of women is more than 35 per cent. He has really done well in that area by encouraging women to occupy high positions of authority in the nation. This is not just in the Ministerial appointments, but also on boards and parastatals, where women are also given one responsibility or the other. Same thing is happening at the state level, where women are encouraged with positions of authority. In my state, Akwa Ibom, a woman is the Chief Judge, a woman is also the Head of Service and we have women in the Council and boards as heads.

  So, for appointive positions, women have been encouraged to contribute to national development, but it is not so good in elective positions and the reason is that the masculine nature of men always show up there. Men come out with guns to fight, but women do not have that disposition to fight publicly for elective offices. At times, you find men taking issues beyond what women can stand. That is what our President is trying to stop by canvassing ‘one man, one vote.’ If the peaceful atmosphere is allowed for contesting and voting, women will definitely fare better because most of the people dominantly coming out to vote are women.

  Another issue affecting women’s participation in politics is finance. You cannot compare women’s financial position with those of men. To mobilise people for elective office is capital intensive and until women have equal resource opportunity with men, elective positions will continue to elude them. However, women in high positions should also reach out to fellow women to enable them stand. If that is done, with time, women will get there because women are the embodiment of peace and are able to shoulder any responsibility placed on them.

   I would like to be remembered as a one that came to turn the housing sector in Nigeria around positively by ensuring that every Nigerian has a shelter over his or her head. 

Likely challenges on your path

  The challenges we are facing have basically to do with funding. This is in the sense that government’s purse cannot carry the provision of required number of houses for Nigerians. So, we call on the private sector to come and assist us. So far, I have added about 46,000 units and we are doing more.

Holding an office and managing the home

  For me, it is not an issue. I have never allowed my home to suffer at the expense of my office. I would like to advise women to remember that they were created as help mates. A woman must respect her husband even when she is the breadwinner. When you identify what your duties are as a wife and mother and do them, there will be no problem. If you are supposed to give your husband breakfast before going to work, wake up early, do your prayers and put meal on his table before you step out. If you give him his right of place, you will not have problems. I still cook for my family; I still serve my husband his meals. 

  That single act of a woman putting all the ingredients in the pot and cooking gives the man satisfaction. Though you may have people assisting you with one thing or the other, it gives your husband joy that his wife prepared the food. With that, there would be peace in the home and when there is peace, it shows, but if there were no peace at home, that transferred aggression would be there. 

  So, the fact that a woman has found herself in a place of authority through the Lord’s grace does not make her the head of the family. She is still the wife and mother and should know what is happening in the home and know what the children are doing.

  It is wrong when a woman tries to usurp the man’s position because she is the one bringing money. Another man seeing that attitude may not want his own wife to aspire, believing that such is the attitude of women. But if a woman is a good model, another man seeing her may encourage his wife to also aspire. Also, a woman should be disciplined and know what she wants.

  On the other hand, the men should learn to trust. If a woman has the potentials to be great, the man should encourage her to do so. The world is very bad and because some people do not want her progress or that of her husband’s, they may go to the man bearing false tales. But the man should discountenance that, knowing that his wife is not such. Rather, he should encourage and guide her.

Your upbringing 

   I grew in a peaceful home. I thank God for my background and the good parental upbringing, which has affected my life positively. I was trained to know that in whatsoever you find yourself to do, you should do it well and for the good of humanity. This philosophy has been my motivator. As I am here to serve Nigeria, I make it a point of duty to see that Nigerians are happy at the end of the day; that one who could not afford a home has been able to get one. That is my focus in life— to do what is right and serve humanity.

Fashion sense

  What makes the woman beautiful is not just the make-up or the dress she puts on or the other adornment. Beauty comes from within and it radiates. A simple dress or wrapper of N2, 000 can come out beautifully on one woman, while another wearing that of N100, 000 won’t get noticed. The carriage also matters just as the Lord’s radiation. A woman’s smile or her grace can attract people to comment positively about her. I am an African woman and I love African dress sense. I am very simple in whatever I wear.

Your wish for Nigeria in 2015

  It is that God will help Nigeria to remain one, peaceful nation. I also wish the nation peaceful elections that are devoid of violence or the ‘do or die’ attitude.