Summit to explore ways to reduce housing deficit – Minister

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Musa Sada, disclosed this during the commemoration of the 2013 World Habitat Day held in Abuja.He said that the summit is being organized to explore new frontiers for the provision of affordable housing for the citizenry in order to progressively reduce the hosing deficit in the country […]

Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Musa Sada, disclosed this during the commemoration of the 2013 World Habitat Day held in Abuja.
He said that the summit is being organized to explore new frontiers for the provision of affordable housing for the citizenry in order to progressively reduce the hosing deficit in the country and to propose strategies for stemming sprawling slums in virtually all our towns and cities arising from unplanned settlements.
He  said that by 2015, the country`s urbanization rate is projected to rise to 60 percent of the national population, adding that urbanization is increasing at a rapid rate in Nigeria with 50 percent in 2013 compared with 10 percent in 1950 translating into a net gain of 40 percent in 63 years.
He described the themes of this year’s habitat celebration ‘Urban mobility` as apt in view of the challenges of urbanization in the country.
He said, “The focus on urban mobility as the theme of this year`s celebration is instructive because cities and towns are the engines of growth and also one of the defining features of human civilization from time immemorial. Accordingly, it is uncommon to find a well-functioning and livable city in any part of the world which is not properly designed to promote mobility and accessibility in order to maximize its socio and economic potentials for national development.”
The minister noted that the Habitat Day celebration will afford the country to reflect on progress made as well as the opportunities the nations has missed in its housing policies and delivery.
In his  message  on the Habitat Day,  United Nations Secretary –General Mr. Ban Ki- moon  called on all nations to commit to making our cities and towns accessible to all, resilient to disaster ,socially inclusive, economically productive and environmentally sustainable.
Also in his message, UN –HABITAT Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos said that in an environment characterized by scarcity, there is   need to ensure that the cities of the future are well-planned, sustainable and accessible to all for our good standard of living.