The President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr Femi Deru, has urged government at all levels to evolve policies that would make houses available to ordinary Nigerians.

Deru made the plea in Lagos at the Honours’ Nite and Launching of the Journal of Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV).

He said availability of houses in the country was not growing astronomically with the population because of rising cost, warning that this required immediate attention.

“Housing in urban and sub-urban areas has outgrown the population and many areas have turned to slums.

“As professionals, we know that the problem of housing is affordability. I, therefore, call on the government to develop immediate policy action to address it,” he said.

Deru urged government to tackle the problems of rising cost of building materials, registration of land use structure and interest rate regime.

Government, he said, should equally look into concerns about mortgage finance, house designs, collapsed building, site and service schemes and the Land Use Act.

“Government should also consider the development of local capacity and the reduction in the importation of buildings materials,” he added.

The LCCI president noted that a robust long-term fund was critical to the development of housing.

He said LCCI was worried about the constant collapse of buildings and the inability of government to penalise those found culpable.

Deru urged real estate practitioners to check the activities of quacks and those engaged in unethical practices, saying this would help restore dignity to the profession.