By Nosa Akenzua
The Governor of Delta State, Rt Hon Sheriff Oborevwori has given reasons why acquisition of land was made easy by his administration.
Represented by his Deputy, Sir Monday Onyeme, FCA, at the groundbreaking ceremony of the construction of 250 housing units at Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, the governor stated that statistically, as at 2023, housing deficit in Nigeria stood at 28 million units and as such, efforts to provide more houses for Nigerians should be encouraged.
He said, “I am very pleased with this project which will help to ameliorate the housing deficit not just in the country but also in Delta State.
“Access to affordable housing in Nigeria is a recurring problem worsened by a rapidly growing population, inflation, poverty, and a lack of access to mortgage; the problems range from shortage, affordability, equality, and accessibility which as a result, many urban dwellers face the risk of displacement, homelessness and social exclusion.
“Recent statistics indicate that as of 2023, the housing deficit stood at 28 million units, marking an alarming 100 percent increase over the past one and half decades.
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“Also, data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, indicates that only 10 percent of Nigerians aspiring to own a house can do so.
“It is therefore imperative that governments at all levels devise creative solutions to addressing the housing deficit in Nigeria.
“As a government, we are committed to facilitating easy acquisition of land for investment purposes because access to affordable land is one of the major obstacles to the provision of affordable housing in Nigeria.
“The 2018 Delta State Public and Private Property Law criminalises forceful entry and illegal occupation of public and private landed properties, violent and fraudulent conducts in relation to public and private landed property.
“The law prescribes various terms of imprisonment and fines for any person who forcefully or unlawfully trespasses or invades another person’s property; through the law, we have taken care of the ‘deve’ syndrome, which was a major impediment to land acquisition for business and private development.”
Governor Oborevwori thanked the Federal Government for including Delta among the 13 States for the commencement of the Renewed Hope Housing Estate project, asserting, “the Delta State government is proud to partner with the Federal Government, through the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which will assist in tackling the housing deficit in the Warri metropolis, it was without hesitation that I approved this land measuring 25 hectares for this laudable project.
“I pledged to give our people meaningful development as contained in my MORE agenda, and we are irrevocably committed to doing whatever it requires to deliver on that mandate.”
Earlier, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arch. Ahmed Dangiwa disclosed that under phase one of the programme, the Federal Government plans to deliver a total of 50,000 housing units across Nigeria.
He added that, with this housing programme, the federal government plans to unlock the massive potential of housing development to create jobs, uplift lives, and boost economic development, which was in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.
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