FG Tasks Architects On Affordable Housing

Determined to find
solutions to affordable housing design in Nigeria, the Federal Government has charged the nation’s architects to come up with workable template that could lift the nation’s capital and strive to create housing for the populace.
The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Mohammed Bello, said, though government was greatly concerned about the 17 million housing deficit in the country, the architects’ body has a lot of work to do towards this national challenge.
The Minister said of the nation’s 17 million housing deficit, the FCT has between five to 10 per cent.
He stated that government is not deferred saying that it would embark on the strategic plans to address the issue in order for citizens to have affordable and comfortable accommodation.
The FCT Minister gave this indication in Abuja at the 9th edition of Architects Colloqium, organised by the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON), tagged, Architecture and National development Agenda”.
He said the shortage of housing units in the FCT was due to the peculiar demography of the city occasioned by the massive influx of people into the city.
Bellow said it was worthy of note that the total built-up space of the 8,000 square Km the city occupies is still about 20 percent, stressing that the onus, therefore lies on the council to assist the government build befitting edifies, affordable, liveable and environmental-friendly houses for residents.
According to him, “The task of building a befitting capital in the face of scarcity of funds and mass influx of people still remains a challenge. In our search for solution to this challenge, I am very optimistic that the architects’ association will help us to navigate out of this murky water by construction of affordable, liveable and environmental friendly housing alternatives that ensures that our people have access to housing”.