Agbato, the Director, School of Environmental Studies in MAPOLY, stated this at a news conference to commemorate the 3rd International Conference of School of Environmental Studies, held at the institution premises in Abeokuta on Wednesday.
He highlighted the critical challenges facing Nigeria in the realm of housing and sustainable development.
The environment expert shed light on the government’s proactive stance towards tackling these issues.
One of the key points he emphasized was the dire shortage of housing in Nigeria, which currently stood at over 28 million units, affecting both rural and urban areas.
He added that to mitigate the impact of rising building material costs, the conference would explore innovative approaches to construction materials that are both cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
Agbato also called for a review of the Land Use Act to facilitate easier access to land for development purposes.
He pointed out that addressing land-related challenges remained a crucial step towards addressing the housing shortage.
He mentioned that the Federal Mortgage Bank has increased its available funds from N15 million to N45 million, emphasizing the need for more substantial and accessible funding mechanisms.
He urged the government to establish a framework that ensures participants in the National Housing Fund have unhindered access to these funds and suggested an increase in the fund to N60million.
He stressed the importance of a thriving mortgage industry to provide long-term loans for long-term housing projects.
He called on the government to revitalize both educational and mortgage institutions to better serve the needs of the populace.
” Am still saying that government need to do more in ensuring that that mortgage institution is working, a lot of people paid money for national housing fund, yet they don’t have access to the fund.
” So government need to come up with a framework that will reflect that reality, that as long as you are participants in that field, you should have access to the fund and of course they should increase that fund to N60million, so that you’ll be comfortable.
“We need a long term loan to fund a long term project, that’s why the mortgage industry must come alive. So government must revitalize our institution as well as the mortgage institution that are concern,” he said.
Also, speaking, Mr Olabisi Baiyewu, the Chairman, Conference Planning Committee, said the upcoming International Conference would take place between September 28th and 29th, 2023, at the school premises.
Baiyewu explained that the conference would focus on the theme “Sustainable Built Environment and Innovative Development in the 21st Century.
“This event aims to gather experts, scholars, and stakeholders to generate solutions for building a sustainable environment in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
” Seven tracks have been established to cover a wide range of topics related to sustainable development, including innovative planning, administration, and factors influencing sustainable development,” he said.
