Abuja: The Service Compact with All Nigerians (SERVICOM) has commended the management of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) for enhancing service delivery to its customers. SERVICOM National Coordinator, Mrs. Nnenna Akajemeli, made the commendation at the presentation of the 2024 Service Compliance Evaluation (SCE) Report on 16 branches of the bank, held at its headquarters in Abuja. The evaluation aims to identify service delivery gaps and recommend improvements to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to enhance customer satisfaction and accountability.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Akajemeli noted that a comparison between FMBN’s 2021 assessment and the 2024 findings revealed significant progress in service delivery. ‘FMBN was selected for evaluation to assess its current state of service delivery. In 2021, 17 locations, including the headquarters, were assessed for compliance with the SERVICOM index. To expand the sample, 16 additional state branches were evaluated in 2024,’ she stated.
She explained that the evaluation involved customer interviews, discussions with developers, contributors, State Civil Service Commissions, management, staff, and partners, as well as a review of key FMBN documents and its website. Citing the states of Abia and Osun as examples, she noted that these branches had the highest number of subscribers from the informal sector, who registered as cooperative societies to access housing units. ‘In Osun, the bank has increased access to its services by introducing the Diaspora Loan for those in the informal sector. This shows some innovation in its service delivery process.’
However, she highlighted certain challenges, particularly inadequate oversight of developers at the state level. ‘Some developers used their own funds to construct estates and subsequently raised housing prices to recover costs. This has made it difficult for civil servants in states like Abia to afford homes, leading to losses, as seen in the SLOGANI Estate case. Customers in Asaba, Benin, Ekiti, Ilorin, Osun, and Ondo also raised concerns over the high prices of FMBN-funded houses, particularly under the Rent-to-Own (RTO) product, which they found unaffordable. Some customers in Umuahia, Awka, Uyo, Yenagoa, Asaba, Abakaliki, Benin, and Ekiti complained that there was delay in payment of Home Renovation Loans (HRL) and refunds by the bank. Thus, customers are losing confidence in the scheme and threatened to pull out due to delays and high cost of materials occasioned by inflation. This has depreciated the value of the loan when eventually disbursed.’
To address these issues, Akajemeli recommended that FMBN decentralise decision-making on loan disbursements at the state level to ensure timely service delivery. She also urged the bank to establish clear pricing guidelines and closely monitor fund disbursement to prevent arbitrary price increases by developers.
In response, FMBN Managing Director, Mr. Shehu Osidi, praised SERVICOM for its comprehensive evaluation. ‘I am very excited about this report. Your team has demonstrated an in-depth understanding of our operations, and I appreciate the wide coverage,’ Osidi said. He assured that FMBN would address the identified gaps and further enhance its service delivery. Osidi also took the opportunity to launch the FMBN Customer Care Policy, which outlined clear guidelines for staff and customers to ensure consistent and professional interactions with the public, in line with the bank’s vision of delivering exceptional service. ‘The customer care mandate is also driven by the 4th pillar of the bank’s 5-year strategic plan, enhancement of customer experience, improvement in customer service delivery directly translates to enhance customer experience,’ he said.