Business
ODA Urges Housing Scheme Extension To Rural Areas
The Omu-Aran Development Association, (ODA) has urged the Federal Government to consider expanding its housing scheme to the grassroots to attract investors to rural communities and reduce rural-urban migration.
Chief Bisi Adeyemi, the President of ODA made the call on Thursday in an interview with newsmen in Omu-Aran, Irepodun Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Adeyemi said that the urgent need to build and rehabilitate homes at highly subsidised rate, especially for people in the rural communities informed his call.
He said that this could be achieved by the Federal Government through partnership with the local government councils, individuals and relevant groups.
“It could also be achieved by a synergy and collaboration between the state government, the local government authorities and the private sector.
“Such government intervention will go a long way to attract investors and entrepreneurs in hotels, banking, industries and other related businesses to rural communities,” he said.
The community leader observed that development at the grassroots was not conducive enough to attract the desired transformation and integration.
“Such housing deficit, especially at the grassroots, if not properly addressed could be a stumbling block to the efforts toward reducing the challenge of rural-urban migration confronting the country.
“There is therefore the urgent need for government to promote and facilitate an aggressive development drive to attract the desired investment at the grassroots.
“This will equally help to raise the living standards of the people of the communities,” he said.
Adeyemi blamed the high concentration of government housing projects in state capitals and urban settlements to lack of development being witnessed in many rural communities.
“The absence of such well-equipped, decent and affordable houses is making it more unattractive for public officials on essential duties, like teachers, doctors to work in rural communities.
“The housing situation is usually compounded when residents affected by rainstorms in towns and villages are often left unassisted and unattended to,” he said.
Adeyemi, however, described the present high level of infrastructure decay in most communities across the country as worrisome, adding, “they require urgent government attention’’.
The Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) has said that Bank Verification Number (BVN) enrolments rose by 6.8 per cent year-on-year to 67.8 million as at December 2025, up from 63.5 million recorded in the corresponding period of 2024.
In a statement published on its website, NIBSS attributed the growth to stronger policy enforcement by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the expansion of diaspora enrolment initiatives.
NIBSS noted that the expansion reinforces the BVN system’s central role in Nigeria’s financial inclusion drive and digital identity framework.
Another major driver, the statement said, was the rollout of the Non-Resident Bank Verification Number (NRBVN) initiative, which allows Nigerians in the diaspora to obtain a BVN remotely without physical presence in the country.
A five-year analysis by NIBSS showed consistent growth in BVN enrolments, rising from 51.9 million in 2021 to 56.0 million in 2022, 60.1 million in 2023, 63.5 million in 2024 and 67.8 million by December 2025. The steady increase reflects stronger compliance with biometric identity requirements and improved coverage of the national banking identity system.
However, NIBSS noted that BVN enrolments still lag the total number of active bank accounts, which exceeded 320 million as of March 2025.
The gap, it explained, is largely due to multiple bank accounts linked to single BVNs, as well as customers yet to complete enrolment, despite the progress recorded.