A former military Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, has urged all tiers of government to invest in mass housing and engage in direct construction of houses for low income earners.
Abubakar said this at the opening of the 13th Lagos Housing Fair in Ikeja on Monday.
He said housing development had multiplier effects on many other sectors of the economy and urged stakeholders in both the private and public sectors of the building and construction industry to invest more in the sector.
He said, "I urge the key players in the housing development process, governments at all levels, developers and financiers to realise that investment in housing is a long term one, which requires a longer period of gestation.
"Although a school of thought has argued that governments need not be involved in direct construction of housing, while this may be true to some extent, I say it will be necessary to intervene through direct construction for the sake of low income earners."
Abubakar said low income earners needed such intervention as they would normally not be able to pay the market value of houses.
The former head of state commended the efforts of some state governments in the provision of direct housing and urged them to do more to bridge the housing shortage in the country.
He also commended a former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who was present at the event, for starting the legacy of direct construction of houses for the masses during his administration in the state.
Speaking on the theme of the fair, 'Climate change and housing delivery', Abubakar said there was need to combat the phenomenon from different angles.
"We need to adapt to the situation in the way buildings are designed and constructed in order for them to withstand the excesses of climatic elements," he said.
In his address, the General Manager, Lagos State Radio Service and Chairman of the Lagos Housing Fair Board, Mr. Aderoju Adepoju, said the fair would beam searchlight on the implications of climate change on housing development.
He said, "Among the concerns of key players in the housing sector is the need to live in a sustainable way in the face of climate change challenges. The design of a house should promote, more than ever before, ventilation so that less power or energy is used in the cooling.
