Why housing delivery is poor – Expert

Managing Director, Oladele Construction Company Limited Isiaka Oladele said lack of funding and enabling environment are the major factors hindering the delivery of affordable housing in Nigeria. Oladele who stated this in an interview with Daily Trust blamed the government for not creating the necessary environment for building and construction industry to strive like in […]

Managing Director, Oladele Construction Company Limited Isiaka Oladele said lack of funding and enabling environment are the major factors hindering the delivery of affordable housing in Nigeria.
Oladele who stated this in an interview with Daily Trust blamed the government for not creating the necessary environment for building and construction industry to strive like in other developed countries in the world.
“In Malaysia, Singapore and Arab countries that are developing fast, government created the enabling environment for their industries. Singapore has the highest mass housing delivery called low income earner, they have a bank specifically meant for only building and construction industry. But here, the bank and enabling environment are not there, getting land and approval from the government  is so difficult. Also the building materials are on the high side,” he lamented.
According to him, until stakeholders in the industry like government, building material manufacturers, professionals and clients agree to do it right by having an enabling environment and creating funding for the industry, nothing tangible would be achieved in terms of housing delivery.
Oladele blamed the incessant building collapse on the engagement quacks to construct houses instead of professionals by house owners in order not to pay the right fees.
“Quacks are so many in the building industry and Nigerians are not well informed that they have to patronise professionals in the building industry from the design to execution stage. It is good to pay for the service at the beginning and get the right job done on time,” he explained.
 He said, “For instance, we have different types of foundation for a house depending on the nature of land, building, material used and purpose, whether it is commercial or private. It is only the professional who knows this differentiation.”