Physical development in the housing sector of the nation’s economy is facing a lot of challenges, which include some forms of bureaucratic bottlenecks that pertain to access to land for construction of houses by real estate developers and investors. This particular issue poses a serious drawback to developers in the industry, as they make conscientious efforts towards closing the huge housing deficit in the country. The bureaucracy involved in accessing land often leads to delay in project execution and delivery. It attracts discouragement and in some cases, the frustrations result in loss of interest in the continuation of certain proposed projects already mapped out by investors for certain locations. The 1978 Land Use Act and the attached complex documentation processes should not be allowed by state governments to affect financial and developmental inflows of housing investments into their constituencies; especially where it is obvious that such funding comes from genuine, credible and legitimate local and/or foreign investors.
Within the economy, many investors in the built industry target concentration of high income earners, who are clustered around big cities, for their various businesses. The choice of big cities is that it appeals to attractive economic engagements and other irresistible and financially beneficial commercial activities going on within the system. Governments should therefore be smart enough and very sensitive not to allow unsolicited financial inflows proposed for investments (especially in the establishment of housing projects) elude them. Such funds are typically non-appropriated government funds that can contribute to the economic wellbeing and growth of their states. The developments should be seen as adding to the economic performance of the sitting government.
The ambitious regional projects in the South Eastern part of Nigeria, “REDAN City”, in each of the five states, with 2,000 units of affordable smart modern homes in a well planned estate layout with installation of facilities that assure availability of suitable amenities; including provision of basic infrastructural services (boreholes for sustainable water supply, asphalted roads and properly constructed drainages, good sewage system, dedicated transformer plus solar street light; enhanced security in a well gated and fenced community, inclusive of other ancillary services) still need huge support from the governments to make this laudable initiative realisable. REDAN has been enjoying great interactions with the relevant arms of government in the built industry but, as “Oliver Twist still wants some more”, these arms of government, vis-a-vis the ministry of lands, ministry of housing, and the various states housing authority or corporations need to prompt the executive governors of the respective states to promote this course by protecting and making these private investors in their respective states enjoy ease of accessing, processing, and eventual legal acquisition of land for the seamless production of houses, without the unnecessary delays that frustrate most of the investors in that sector of the economy. Developers should be seen by the governments as effective partners in the progress of developing their various states’ economies.
To bring it closer home, in Anambra State for instance, the state chapter of REDAN is enjoying great relationships with the relevant organs of government in the housing sector. Now that the executive governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo is being sworn in for his second tenure in office, REDAN expects that the erudite professor of economics shall facilitate the programmed activities of the REDAN City project in the state by expressly releasing and allocating land within urban areas of the state for this project to become a reality. The low income earners, the retired civil servants, indeed every eligible adult who has a legitimate and sustainable means of livelihood (including artisans), is entitled to own a home within his or her level of social income class in the society. As the good people of Anambra State wish Professor Soludo a successful tenure as he assumes administrative state-assignments in this second tenure, it is the hope and wish of the REDAN registered estate developers in the state that he specifically partners and work more closely with these housing investors, to make the state’s economy graduate to higher heights in housing development. By making such a move he additionally raises the hope of numerous civil servants in the state that they are entitled to own their personal homes after retirement from service to the state. This is the collective prayer, and wish that “the light of the nation” shall surely shine even brighter in the lives of the entire citizenry within his constituency. The REDAN Anambra chapter therefore, wishes the executive governor another exciting tenure in office, towards improving the economic status of his subjects.
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