The Managing Director/Chief Executive, of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria Shehu Usman Osidi, recently played host to the President and Chairman of Council, the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN), Dr. James Ekerare Neminebor, and other Principal Officers of the Association on Wednesday, at the Bank’s headquarters in Abuja.
While on the visit, both the FMBN and ANAN resolved to enhance their partnership towards the professional development of staff of the Bank and provision of affordable housing to ANAN members, among other deliverables.
As he gave his opening remarks, Osidi emphasized the importance of the visit and how it would provide both organizations a great opportunity to strengthen their connections, share knowledge, and look into potential areas of future collaborations.
Osidi disclosed to the visitors of the Bank’s mission to support low- and middle-class Nigerians’ aspirations of becoming homeowners by offering them affordable mortgages. The overarching goal of this initiative is to expand the housing finance and mortgage industry in order to contribute more to GDP, increase the number of Nigerians who become homeowners, create wealth and economic prosperity, and significantly reduce the nation’s housing deficit.
“ANAN stands as a beacon of excellence in the field of accountancy, fostering professionalism, integrity, and innovation among its members,” in recognition of the organization’s priceless contributions to the accounting profession and larger society., the Chief Executive stated.
Here at the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, the undeniable impact and influence of ANAN runs through the institution with members manning important job functions and overseeing critical departments,” . He continued by saying that the Bank alone is delighted to boasts of about 47 members of ANAN as its staff, which stands out as one of the highest in any institution in the country.
In view of achieving the Bank’s mandate, Osidi urged the members of ANAN, as a section of Nigerian workers and as contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF), to take advantage of the array of the Bank’s products to access affordable housing opportunities. Additionally, the Managing Director pledged the commitment and readiness of the Bank to engage with ANAN on specialized training for staff of the Bank, while promising to look into the request for resumption of ANAN’s Mandatory Continuous Professional Development Programmes (MCPDs) for staff members.
Representing the President and Chairman of Council, the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Kayode Olusola Fasua, asserted ANAN’s support for the initiatives of the Bank, especially under the administration of one of their own, Shehu Osidi. Dr. Fasua noted that the association was established in 1979 and chartered in 1993 with over 56,000 members across the 36 states of Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory, United Kingdom, United States of America, Canada and Cote d’Ivoire. He said ANAN has a Nigerian College of Accountancy which has existed for the past 30 years, admitting 5000 students for further studies yearly, and also established ANAN University in 2020/2021, making it the only professional body in Nigeria and probably the world to have a university and a residential college at the same time. Dr. Fasua further appealed to the MD/CE to approve the resumption of the MCPDs for staff of the Bank, as well as support in the area of specialized training. He also called for the support of the Bank in providing houses to its members through the Cooperative Housing Development Loan (CHDL). “We also require your support to see how our staff can have access to your services in the form of Mortgage loans for houses,’’ he said. The collaboration is one among many others being forged by the Federal Mortgage to deliver on its mandate towards the actualization of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the housing sector.
