Expert seek review of Land Use Act

Dr. Lanre Towry-Coker, an architect, has called on delegates at the on-going National Conference to undertake a clinical review of the 1999 Constitution with regard to the provisions of the Land Use Act which he said have become obsolete and constitute obstacle to the provision of affordable mass housing in Nigeria.

According to him, this is necessary because the constitution has made active participation of the private sector difficult, adding that there is urgent need to free the housing sector from the existing legal technicalities which have undermined previous national policies on mass housing.

Towry-Coker, former Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development in Lagos State called for the declaration of national emergency on the Housing Sector, emphasizing that a robust national housing programme will address the prevailing problems of poverty and unemployment.

According to him, “The mass housing sector in Nigeria is grossly underrated and constitutes in itself a massive opportunity for economic and financial emancipation of millions of Nigerians, bearing in mind the multiplier factor and the fact that a decent house is in itself, a formidable financial instrument.

“It’s a complete disgrace that in a developing economy like ours, affordable mass housing is relegated to the background by virtually all tiers of government.”

Towry-Coker urged the conference to include the right to housing as justifiable human right under the new constitutional framework, stressing that this is capable of ensuring accountability and commitment on the part of future governments in the country.

The architect called for a more effective institutionalized partnership between all tiers of government in Nigeria and the organized private sector in the area of housing the poor, adding that government at the local level should be further strengthened to play the foundational role expected of it in this regard.