Tag: Ahmed Dangiwa

Lagos, Dec. 13, 2024 (NAN) The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, yesterday urged owners of Federal Government owned lands and houses in Lagos State to remit their ground rent to the government’s coffer.

Dangiwa said this during a stakeholder-citizens engagement on land administration and a physical assessment of Banana Island, Osborne Phase One and Two, Park View/ Foreshore estates and shorelines.

He said that the ministry planned to optimise its revenue collections by ensuring that all the occupiers of Federal Government’s assets pay their ground rent to enable it improve on the facilities.

According to him, while the Federal Government is committed to renovating, safeguarding and optimising the value of its assets nationwide, it will also enforce strict compliance to its land and estates administration laws.

Dangiwa said that the Ministry of Housing under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, had resolved to restore order in federal land and asset management.

“The Ministry is resolved to ensure strict adherence to the provisions of the law regarding the control and administration of its assets to maintain order,” he said.

The minister directed the estate associations to stay within their limits, noting that they have the right to collect facility management fees based on agreement with the occupants of the estates.

He warned that whatever the occupants agreed to pay should be used to maintain the estates in terms of electricity, roads and all other facilities they use in the estate.

“This is known to be the facility management fees which all estates usually charge in order to maintain the estate, but they should not go beyond that to collecting ground rent from the occupants.

“The ground rent is meant for the Federal Government.

“If they are collecting it on our behalf, they should remit it fully, otherwise we are going to engage our own staff to do it or engage consultants to do so on our behalf,” he said.

On the need for collaboration between the ministry and the Lagos State Government in resolving land disputes, the minister said that both parties had agreed to form a joint committee.

He said that the committee was expected to resolve longstanding land issues and foster a coordinated approach to land administration across the state.

He said that the federal and Lagos State governments were in talks to harmonise payment of tax on its assets and land administration, to address double taxation on owners of the Federal Government estates and lands.

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“We are one government, and it is vital that we work as partners to ensure effective administration of Federal Government assets.

“Proper coordination will prevent exploitation by third parties and ensure compliance with the law,” he said.

Dangiwa said that the stakeholder engagement on land administration provided an opportunity to share insights and contribute to the Federal Government’s strategy for sustainable urban development.

He also said that the interactive session was a critical step towards improving land administration in Lagos, and delivering on the ministry’s promise of affordable housing and urban development for all Nigerians.

He said the ministry was ready to address the myriad of challenges affecting the estate and land owners, having understood their needs, concerns and areas for improvement.

The Minister expressed concern over the poor condition of federal assets and uncompleted housing projects, vowing to expedite their renovation, upgrade and completion.

“We have resolved to optimise these facilities and put them to good use so that they can provide value to the government and Nigerians.

“Our aim is to fast-track the completion of housing projects to increase the stock of affordable housing for Nigerians in Lagos,” he said.

According to him, plans are underway to transform the Ministry of Housing field offices into modern, functional workspaces to boost staff productivity and enhance operational efficiency in Lagos.

Addressing irregular developments along the Lagos shoreline, Dangiwa reiterated the Federal Government’s authority over shoreline titles.

He warned developers who failed to comply with legal requirements of appropriate sanction.

“To curb these practices, the ministry issued a one-month ultimatum for all developers on shorelines to regularise their papers or risk having their properties revoked and demolished.

“We have observed numerous haphazard developments along the shoreline, where people have reclaimed and built on land without proper clearance or authorisation. This is unacceptable,” Dangiwa said.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa says the ministry will henceforth ensure the prosecution of persons responsible for building collapse in the country.

Dangiwa said this during a review meeting of recommendations of the ministry’s building collapse committee alongside regulatory bodies in the built environment.

He said that the measure would ensure proper investigation and prosecution of culprits.

The minister charged the Ministry’s Committee on Building Collapse to develop a checklist of professionals involved in the construction process.

This, he said, was to ease investigation and identifying the culprits.

“You must come up with a checklist of things to observe during inspection or assessment of building collapse and there must be a column to apportion blame to whom is culpable.

“The checklist must ensure quality assurance of the design, concrete quality and soil tests before the construction”, he said.

Dangiwa said that the checklist should also cover who designed the building, who certified the designer, who approved the design and who supervised the construction.

He said that this was to identify those culpable to stop the embarrassing tales of building collapse in the country.

“Once there is building collapse, we should immediately move there with our checklist, identify it and fill in.

“Once that is done, you can independently sit down and identify the culprit and support it with tangible evidence that this is the person that hasn’t done the correct thing.

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“It should reveal either the design had not been done or if the professional is not certified or development control has not given approval or supervision was not done by a professional and if the building was converted to different use,” he noted.

Dangiwa said that the checklist, when developed, would be presented to the National Council on Housing for all to understand and be carried along in the implementation.

He asked the regulatory bodies in the built environment to forward their submissions and inputs to the Committee on Building Collapse set up by the ministry for consideration and inclusion in the checklist.

Commenting on the committee’s recommendations, the Chairman of the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Mr Samson Opaluwah, commended the minister for the initiative.

Opaluwah said that the committee presented 12 recommendations for consideration.

These are reconstitution of the National Building Code Advisory Committee and the review of the acts establishing architects and builders councils.

He said that this would make them more effective in curbing quackery.

He said that other recommendations included the implementation of punitive measures and sanctions for professional negligence and regulatory bodies to collaborate in event of collapse, among others.

“Before, when there was an incident of building collapse, nothing was done to it .

“However, this initiative shows that the Federal Government and the ministry are concerned and ready to tackle this issue to ensure safety and security of lives and property,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that many of the regulators advocated for the implementation of punitive measures on those found wanting to curb the menace of building collapse in the country.

There has also been a call on the ministry to resuscitate the training schools for artisans and technicians to train them to follow the specifications in the drawings while doing their work to ensure a perfect job.(NAN)

• ’National social housing fund underway’

The Federal Government has lamented that over 80 per cent of Nigerians cannot afford mortgage housing because they can’t access housing finance, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, said yesterday.

He spoke yesterday at the opening of the maiden Kaduna International Housing Exhibition, at the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Hall, Kaduna State.

According to Dangiwa, the major issue governments have to address if they must deliver sustainable housing to the people is the issue of affordability.

According to him, statistics have shown that almost half of Nigeria’s population are poor and have weak purchasing power. “In fact, of the 43 million households, over 85 per cent have less than N1.1 million purchasing power. Of this, 40 per cent (about 17.2 million households) fall into the poverty income group and 47 per cent (about 20.2 million) fall into the low-income group.

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He added: “On the whole, statistics reveal that Nigeria is a low-income country as only 13 per cent of its population is middle class. The recent macro-economic challenges including inflation have made things worse.”

Dangiwa however said the President Bola Tinubu led government, through the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, is planning to establish a National Social Housing Fund (NSHF).

According to him, the government aims to pull funds from the budget, philanthropic organisations and well-meaning Nigerians towards providing decent shelter for Nigerians with no income, low income and vulnerable brackets who cannot afford to own their homes.

He said: “Some of these units will be delivered at no cost. We have developed the concept note and it is undergoing review. Once concluded, we will present it to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) for approval and legislation.

“Social housing is not only a necessity, it is also a security insurance for the rich and the poor. Because housing is capital intensive and the government has limited funds, we must find alternative collective avenues to help our brother and sisters who are underprivileged. It is for our collective good.

“This way, the underprivileged will know we are one and we are our brother’s keeper and that will help social cohesion, understanding and peace. This is because home ownership gives individuals a sense of belonging and a stake in the community.”

Governor Uba Sani, represented by Deputy Governor Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, said provision of affordable houses for the people is a priority of his administration, and he is committed to addressing the housing deficit across in line with President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

He said the government has adopted a holistic approach towards filling the identified gap through partnership with local and international investors to address the deficit.

He added: “Qatar Charity, in partnership with the Kaduna State government, is constructing mass housing for the less privileged and Kaduna Economic City, all in Millennium City, Kaduna. I recently performed the groundbreaking for the 3,319 Hectares Nuru Suraj Ungwar Dosa New Extension Layout. This project is being executed through a Public-Private Partnership. Nuru Suraj and the government are working together to develop 35,000 plots for our people.

“The Social Housing Scheme was introduced to provide affordable accommodation as a social service for the vulnerable populace. Efficient design and construction methods, which are key indicators that drive the affordability target of the scheme, were employed.”