Would it not have been lovely if the Nigerian Governors Forum agreed on this housing policy at its recent meeting in Abuja?

By Ayo Akinfe

(1) Given that there are 200m Nigerians out there with about 50% of them being 18 and over, we should have a plan to build 40m housing units over the next 20 years
(2) Of these 40m units, the federal government will build 10m in Abuja and Lagos
(3) All 36 state governments must build houses as a matter of principle to make up the remaining 30m units
(4) Each state must build at least 10,000 housing units a year
(5) At least 50% of all these houses must be social accommodation for letting
(6) State governments will be allowed to run housing corporations
(7) State governments will also be allowed to enter into public-private partnerships with private companies
(8) Private companies who build in excess of 1,000 units will get a one year tax break
(9) The Federal Mortgage Bank will offer 25 year single digit loans to buyers
(10) State governments who build more than 50,000 units a year will get a federal grant