Minister Advises FCT Residents On Land Title Ownership

The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple,  has urged residents of Abuja to ensure that title ownership of lands are genuine before embarking on housing projects.

Pepple gave the advice in Abuja as the ministry marks the 2012 World Habitat Day with the theme: “Changing cities, building opportunities’’.

The minister, who was reacting to the mass demolition of illegal settlements in Abuja recently, noted that having genuine titles would prevent demolitions and would ensure proper planning.

“ We don’t expect that in the modern world houses should be located at river banks, sewage, green areas and industries to still stand.

“ The government has plans for projects that will show the value of money,’’ she said.

Pepple explained that the ministry was working in line with Vision 20:2020 to develop cities to world class and tackle the challenge of housing deficit.

According to her, growth and development are needed for accelerated national transformation through building of integrated and productive communities.

The minister said that compensations would be given to some developers whose houses were demolished.

“If we discover genuine cases of developers who had their houses demolished they must be compensated,’’ adding that the ministry would prefer more affordable houses to be built before demolition.

She said that the ministry planned to liaise with building material factories to reduce the high cost of building materials for government and private developers that were liaising with it on social housing projects.

“ The plan is to enhance social and affordable houses for Nigerians,’’ Pepple said.

The minister said that alternative building materials such as the use of bricks and other local materials in building would be encouraged.

She said that the introduction of cooperatives for people in the informal sector was adopted by the ministry to curb housing deficit, adding that businessmen and women “are captured in the scheme’’.

Mr Ban Ki-Moon, the UN Secretary General, said that there was an urgent need to strengthen focus on urban efforts to reduce global poverty and promote sustainable development.

Ban, who was represented by Mr Daouda Toure, the resident representative and coordinator of UN Agencies in Nigeria, also said that better planned and better functioning cities would guide Nigeria the deserved future.

“ We want the development of cities where everyone has adequate shelter, water sanitation, health and other basic amenities.’’

He said that the UN Habitat would ensure the Millennium Development Goal target of significantly improving the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers in 10 years before the 2020 deadline.

Dr Joan Clos, the Executive Director of UN Habitat, said that inadequate urban basic services, climate change, growth of slums, poor sanitation and unemployment were threats to national development.