Tackle housing deficit to reduce corruption, group tasks Buhari

The Association of Nigerian Tenants (ANTs) said it has developed methods of complementing the Federal Government housing policy by constructing several affordable housing units across the country to curb housing deficit and reduce corruption. The president of the association, Mr Edward Olutoke, said in Abuja that access to affordable houses would reduce corruption, saying “until […]

The Association of Nigerian Tenants (ANTs) said it has developed methods of complementing the Federal Government housing policy by constructing several affordable housing units across the country to curb housing deficit and reduce corruption.

The president of the association, Mr Edward Olutoke, said in Abuja that access to affordable houses would reduce corruption, saying “until we deal with housing problem in Nigeria, we can’t successfully fight corruption.’’

He said the association had a duty of empowering Nigerians economically using modern ways of generating credible and stress-free passive income with which they could move into their own houses with ease.

“We simply work with tenant-members and investors to create as many affordable housing projects as possible around any centre with minimum of 500 members.

“So, we need people of good intention and that is why we created a compensation system that rewards every effort without leaving anyone behind in the pursuit of housing dreams,’’ he said.

He urged the public to support the present administration’s policy on housing, stating that the government had good housing policy.

He recalled that the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, recently reiterated the importance of synergy between the Federal Government and the private sector in the building industry to provide mass housing to Nigerians.

According to him, ANTs also has an empowerment programme – FREEDOM – aimed at liberating Nigerians from the difficulties they experience from unemployment, underemployment and lack of access to credit facilities.

“If people can earn more, the quality of their lives will increase, they can eat the kind of food they want, live in their own houses, free from burdens of rents and send their children to good schools.

“FREEDOM provides the opportunity for our members to have a steady growing source of income supporting them to enjoy good things of life and live in decent houses,’’ he said.

He observed that ANTs would contribute in no small measure in solving the challenge of estimated housing units’ deficit in Nigeria estimated to be between 18 million and 20 million.