By Modestus Umenzekwe
Part of the goals of every reasonable, responsible and responsive government, is to provide the citizenry with decent and affordable shelter; for outside air, water and food, the next most essential need of man is shelter, hence the importance of shelter cannot be over stressed.
Since coming into power in 2015, the APC government has shown that it has mass housing mantra as the fulcrum and major trust of its central policy, as housing over the years has become a measurement index for good governance. In this regard, both the federal government and the states under the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) mass housing see mass housing as an oxygen that has sustained the party and they have continued to implement mass oriented housing policies across the country.
Beyond that, having the right policies is good but the most germane in policy implementation is having the right personnel to oversee the government policies are implemented to the letter. No wonder, the man at the helms of affairs of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) since 2020, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, has displayed unalloyed sense of passion, professionalism, hard work, courage in the implementation of the APC housing agenda right from the time of former President, Muhammadu Buhari and now the Renewed Hope Administration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
I was present on the occasion of the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the Federal Housing Authority which took place on November 23, 2023, at the International Conference Centre in Abuja, and I watched with admiration the humility, confidence and courage of Senator Ashafa, as he read his address, reeling out achievements of the Authority under his watch. In the end I have no objection to all that he said, and the entire guests nodded their heads in concurrence and agreement to all he said.
The Federal Housing Authority as we all know, was created by law which came into effect on 1st October, 1973 with the functions of the Authority being the preparation and submission from time to time to the Government of proposal for national Housing programmes; the making of recommendations to the Government on such aspects of urban and regional planning, transportation, communications, electric power, sewage and water supply development as may be relevant to the successful execution of housing programmes approved by the Government; the execution of such housing programmes as may be approved by the Government, among other responsibilities.
As a management, the authority under Senator Ashafa has taken a number of proactive steps to reposition the authority in the delivery of its mandate, first when he took over the affairs of the Authority was to restore the confidence of the staff by clearing the protracted issue of backlog of promotions, which was contentious between staff and management of the authority. Through the support of the then board and parent ministry, the Authority under Ashafa was also able to strengthen the manpower by bringing in staff in the lower rung of FHA’s organogram, towards ensuring a planned and seamless succession.
With his management team, he ensured that lands belonging to the Authority across the country were recovered and secured from encroachment.
The authority also completed and commissioned the Zuba Housing Estate in Abuja, with a dedicated Independent Injection Power station that services the estate. Ashafa has also kick-started the construction of the phase one of the Bwari Housing Estate and commenced the FHA Golden Jubilee Estate in the Mbora District of Abuja, a project that will be replicated in all the geo-political zones of our country.
Also arrangements are ongoing for the commencement of the Diaspora Smart City in Kabusu, Maitama 2. The project was conceptualized as a response to the challenges the compatriots in the diaspora face in acquiring befitting houses back in Nigeria. It will also cater for Nigerians at home, by providing such standard environment and infrastructure that can compete anywhere in the world in line with the Green Environment Regime.
The CEO, known for showing gratitude, also expressed appreciation to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his Blueprint in the Housing industry, by giving Nigerians a separate Ministry of Housing. He also appreciated the President for appointing a very competent professional in the housing financing, in the person of Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa as the Housing Minister and Abdullahi Tijani Gwarzo as the Minister of State for Housing.
For efficient and effective mass housing delivery Ashafa pleaded with the President and the leadership of the National Assembly to continue to support the authority in the effort to timeously complete the amendment of the authority’s enabling laws. Of course with such laws they would enhance operational capacity of the housing authority.
Other partners that have contributed to the success of the authority according to Ashafa include the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Family Homes Funds Limited, Shelter Afrique, the Nigerian Navy and other numerous partners and contractor.
Since coming into the office in 2020, it was revolution in the housing sector, nothing else matters to Ashafa, his only preoccupation is to see the accomplishment of the mandate of the government in power, from the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to that of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and Ashafa is doing this with all the amount of energy in him to ensure affordable and sustainable housing.
The coming of Ashafa in the FHA was a game changer that transformed the trajectory of housing in Nigeria, for the first time, government housing provision performance became the face saver of an administration. When it became too obvious that the government of President Muhammadu Buhari was being dimmed by the activities of terrorists, bandits, and general insecurity, it was the works and housing ministry that provided something to cheer for that administration as infrastructure sprang up in all the nook and cranny of the six geopolitical zones in the country. And who made it happen? Ashafa was the man in the saddle of FHA to implement the housing vision of the minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). Since then it has been good news after another in the housing sector.
Even when during the Buhari’s Administration, the Management of the FHA was reshuffled, the objective of which was to enhance the implementation of the maintenance of FHA Estates across the country which will generate new businesses and jobs in the construction industry in pursuance of the Federal Public Assets Maintenance Policy approved by the Federal Executive Council, yet Senator Gbenga Ashafa, remained the Managing Director/Chief Executive of the Authority; when President Tinubu took charge, Ashafa is still there, then there must be something unique, exciting, reassuring, beautiful, transparent, accountable about the professionalism and personality of Senator Ashafa.
Senator Ashafa of course is not alone in this success story as he has a team of management and staff that have keyed into his vision for the housing agency to achieve its assignment. Working with him are Barr (Mrs) Hajara Kadiri, in charge of PPP; Engr. Chinonso Sam Omoke, Executive Director, Projects Implementation; Hauwa Babakobi, Executive Director, Estate Services; Adama Kure, Executive Director, Finance and Accounts; Samuel Omole, Ag. Executive Director, Management Services and his team of General Managers and Zonal Managers. These are tested hands in their various callings.
Estates under Ashafa’s jurisdiction include Festac Town, Lagos; Ipaja New Town, Lagos; Abesan 1&4, Lagos; Satellite 2, Lagos; Abesan 2; Lagos; Gwaninpa 11, Abuja; Maitama, Abuja; Asokoro, Abuja; Kado Phase 1 & 11, Abuja; Old Karu Phase 1, Abuja; New Karu, Phase 11, Abuja; Kubwa Phase 1, 11, 111, & 1V, Abuja.
Other estates include Rumueme/TransAmadi, Port Harcourt; Sharade, Kano; Mariri, Kano; Gonin Gora, Kaduna; North Bank, Markudi, Benue State; Runjin Sambo Phase 1&2, Sokoto; Old Airport Road, Sokoto; Egbeada, Owerri; Irete, Owerri; Iguosa, Benin, Edo State; Osogbo, Osun State. Lugbe, Abuja; Apo/Guzape, Abuja; Zuba, Abuja.
These estates are not just estates, but they sit on acreages that if combined may be bigger than some African countries and an indication that Senator Ashafa is a good manager of resources, superintending over a conglomerate of estates and he is managing them effectively, and he deserves all the support, funding, and latitude to excel in this national assignment of housing infrastructure of the federal government of Nigeria.
