From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
Following the pressure on the government to perform, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Architect Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has told the newly appointed Executive Management Teams of federal housing agencies to deliver on the reform targets or leave the stage for others.
Speaking during his first meeting with with the management teams of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and Federal Housing Authority (FHA), in Abuja, the minister said that anyone who fails to perform will be asked to leave adding that the current housing crisis leaves no room for underperformance.
Recall that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on Thursday February 15, 2024 approved the appointment of new management teams for the FMBN and FHA, with Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi emerging as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive of the FMBN and Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo as Managing Director and Chief Executive of the FHA.
Dangiwa noted that the new leadership should see their appointment by the president as a call to impactful service, and not an opportunity to make merry and enrich themselves. He reiterated the president’s resolve to periodically assess and replace appointees that fail to meet expectations, reminding them of their responsibility to Nigerians.
“As Minister of Housing and Urban Development, I have my deliverables from Mr. President. As leaders of agencies under the supervision of my ministry, you are to fashion out ways to deliver on them. If you work hard and deliver, you will stay. If you don’t work hard and fail to deliver, you will leave before your term. I believe that is a strong message that Mr President has already passed across to all appointees. Don’t look at the 5-year term, look at your ability to meet the targets for every review session because when it comes to review of key performance indices (KPIs), I won’t be looking at your faces.
“What we want is action, progress, improved customer service delivery and more Nigerians owning homes. Both the FMBN and FHA Management Teams must see this as a new beginning for real progress. This must reflect in the quantum of houses delivered and fully occupied by Nigerians” he said.
The minister added that despite the harsh economic realities and the rising cost of housing construction, the new leadership must transform and innovate in order to drive Mr President’s Renewed Hope vision for housing and urban development.
On the expectations of the FMBN, he said the bank should work towards delivering a minimum of 5,000 new homes annually; disburse mortgage loans to at least 20,000 Nigerians annually; increase the National Housing Fund (NHF) collection by expanding the subscription net; address the backlog of audited accounts and clean up its books for better financing opportunities, and quickly roll out the Diaspora Mortgage Scheme for increased housing delivery, among others.
“For the FHA, I expect to see more flexibility and innovation in its operations rather than the usual, conventional, docile way of doing things. The ministry expects the FHA to make judicious use of its licence to operate across all income segments in the broad strategy of the government to deliver housing to Nigerians, as well as get more funding from the capital market by issuing bonds to deliver mass housing projects across the country, market them, pay back the loans, and declare profit.
“We also expect to see the FHA delivering a minimum of 5,000 houses annually to Nigerians. The agency should also take advantage of its status as an agency without budgetary allocations to be inventive, partner with credible investors——-local and international financing partners——– to deliver more houses to Nigerians,” he said.
Dangiwa added that the ministry will keep track of the progress in both agencies on a year-to-year basis, noting that their KPIs are the only things that will matter when the time comes to assess them.
“We have a responsibility to Nigerians, and we cannot afford to fail. On our part, we will continue to work to strengthen your capacities and break down the limitations that hamper your performance.
“Let me, once again, reiterate the seriousness of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure the full implementation of the Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development.
” We can see that the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme is one of the signpost projects of his administration. He will not tolerate failure or mediocrity, and neither will I,” he said.
In a statement, other members of the Executive Management Team of the FMBN are Mr. Ibidapo Odojukan, Executive Director, Finance & Corporate Services; Mr. Muhammad Sani Audu, Executive Director, Loans & Mortgage Services. In the FHA Management are Mr. Mathias Terwase Byuan, Executive Director, Housing Finance & Accounts; Mr. Umar Dankane Abdullahi, Executive Director, Business Development; and Engineer Oluremi Omowaiye, Executive Director, Project Implementation.