Abuja - July 14 (Viewpoint Housing News) – The National President of Building Collapse and Prevention Guild in Nigeria (BCPG), Sulaimon Yusuf has called on the new administration of President Bola Tinubu to review land use policy in the country by making it lands available for housing development.
Speaking with The Sun, he said every human is meant to have access to land and enable better participation in the provision of housing.
He also said the private sector ought to be supported to improve the state of housing provision in the country.
“We need to look at our land policy, government needs to free land to enable better participation in housing, he disclosed.
“There will be need to encourage more private sector initiatives. For us to have the low cost housing we are looking at, there must be a change in policy. You need to provide enabling environment to the private sector. You want them to deliver the low cost housing. It means government on its own must be ready to provide infrastructure in those developments.
“The present government must be looking at how it will refocus the land policy, encourage adequate participation, provide incentive to the private sector to enable them build the low cost housing. They need to give them land free, provide infrastructure in those areas, for that will reduce their expenses in those houses.
“Then, for the state government too, they have to provide the land, provide houses too by engaging estate developers who can develop, then tailor your land policy to ensure that when you give land to all these people, certain percentages, about 30 per cent should be dedicated to the provision of low cost housing within the estate.
Yusuf, a Fellow of the Institute of Town Planning, further revealed that part of the reasons for the reoccurences of building collapse in the country could be the lack of adherence to rules and high level of indiscipline.
“We don’t obey rules and regulations, he said.
“The indiscipline is so high. People are feeling that they can do anything and go away with it. We don’t give proper recognition to the professionals. People are trained in various aspects and they are trained to be made available to assist in the building industry.
But, what you see now is when people build, they hardly engage the right professionals to handle the project. So, government on its part should put up regulation standards, grant building approval.
“How many buildings in Lagos submit building approvals for vetting? Probably, you may see about 40 per cent but, the rule is that before any construction, you must obtain permit from government. They don’t want to obtain permission from government and that is indiscipline.
“Even after granting you approval, when you want to construct, you let them know, you inform LAMCA. If you tell them, they will be able to monitor what you are doing and advise you as you are moving on stage by stage. By that, if there is any error, they will be part of it”, he queried.
