Lagos: A retired Professor of Sociology, Lai Olurode, has urged the Federal Government to partner the private sector to deliver affordable housing for the vulnerable in the country. Olurode disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Olurode was reacting to the Federal Government’s proposed construction of 100,000 social housing units for vulnerable groups across the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country. He suggested that the housing could be smaller units like a room and parlor, instead of full flats, to reduce costs. He also recommended using local materials such as mud and thatch for construction to lower expenses.
Olurode emphasized the importance of considering the cultural context of the target beneficiaries’ locations to prevent abandonment of the housing units. He urged the government to ensure that the housing project benefits the vulnerable groups it intended to serve and called for proper monitoring to avoid being hijacked by powerful individuals and elites.
He remarked on the government’s decision to deliver large scale houses across all LGAs, stressing the need for accessibility to be guaranteed for the vulnerable group. Olurode questioned the criteria for reaching the vulnerable groups and ensuring they are not short-changed in the process.
He advised the government to use the Lateef Jakande’s housing project in Lagos as a successful model targeting low-income groups. Additionally, he highlighted the need for accurate data collection to identify the vulnerable population and advocated using National Identification Numbers (NINs) for gathering information about the unemployed, uneducated, and homeless.
Olurode noted the failures of past programs due to a lack of accurate targeting and suggested working through local governments and grassroots organizations to identify vulnerable individuals. He further commented that housing alone is insufficient to tackle the challenges in the country and proposed a comprehensive system of social services, including basic income support for those in need.
Olurode concluded by emphasizing the significance of social services in development, suggesting that with proper data and support systems, the burden on working individuals could be reduced, allowing for better support of vulnerable family members.