FHA identifies impediments to housing

The Chairman, Board of Directors of the Federal Housing Authority, (FHA), Lawal Shuaibu has identified policy summersault, deficient operational capacity and incessant precarious funding obstacles as the major impediments to full actualisation of the FHA mandate.He lamented that the annual average of FHA production over the years was never more than 1000 housing units prior to the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Speaking at the formal presentation of the annual report of the FHA to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing,  Babatunde Fashola in Abuja,  Shuaibu said there is need for immediate actions to strengthen both the institutional and operational capacity of FHA as well as inject fund and sound management of entire assets of FHA.

He noted that historical antecedents in the agency for the past 40 years would lead to the minister arriving at the same conclusion with the board that the FHA could have done much better for Nigerians in housing delivery. Shuaibu explained that the board has seized the prevailing opportunity to help FHA retrace its steps and focus.
Shuaibu said that the report was aimed at highlighting the efforts made by the board in the first year towards injecting new ideas and designing strategies for improved governance and service delivery in the agency.

Responding , Fashola observed that the board has identified the critical role housing development can plan in addressing the challenges the country is facing presently and urged FHA to duplicate the ecosystem of housing provision across the country while FMBN should open up to more mortgage lending.

The Minister said he was delighted that within a year of the inauguration of the board,  they were able to look into the records describing it as a strong validation of the present administration’s commitment to accountability.  

Fashola assured that he will go through the report and raise the salient points to the President for further actions ll other parastatals in the ministry that has not submitted their annual reports will see this as a challenge.