The Nigeria Integrated Social Housing Cooperative Society Limited (NISH) has thrown its weight behind the police housing saying this would motivate members of the force in carrying out their duties diligently.
The Managing Director/CEO, NISH, Dr Yemi Adelakun said on the sidelines of the Nigeria Police Housing Summit in Abuja on Monday, commended the initiative saying it was long overdue.
The programme organised by the Nigeria Police has the theme:” Renewed Hope for Police Housing in Nigeria ”.
“I can assure you with the kind of strength put behind this programme, it’s going to be a success.
“Housing police is not about the police themselves but it’s about us. If they (police) are well motivated, they will do a good job.
“If they are happy we are all secured but if they are not, we are not secured. So this is why we in the affordable housing are putting our strength supporting it so it gets the will to be delivered, so it’s not going to be another project undelivered,’ he said.
Also, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mortgage Bank Ltd., Femi Adewole called for an affordable housing policy framework that would be transparent enough and benefit members of the force.
Adewole said that a clear plan that must include a long term structure should be put in place.
He added that affordability of the houses must also be put in place noting that 70 per cent of the members of the police are on very low income.
“We have about 340,000 police men and only about 30,000 of them are housed today so we have about 300,000 to go. Even if we build 10,000 houses each year, it will take us 30 years to meet the need and that is assuming the police don’t increase in number. So there must be a plan for now and in the future.
“Also, the plan must be clear as to how we are going to pay for this houses so they should have a clear financing plan behind it. When you have a plan and you don’t know where you are going to pay for it, it makes one dreaming.
“So we must have a plan that tells us specifically how we are going to pay for it, where the money will come for and when it will come.
“The plan must also ensure we have affordability because 70 per cent of the members of the police are on very low income therefore this housing must be accessible to those of them earning low wages.
“The plan needs to be clear as to how we are going to house those people. The plan must have some clear leadership and accountable leadership who is responsible for this, who gets the praise when it works and gets their heads chunked off when it is not working.
“We need to be serious about it. It also has to be something that is transparent that we can measure how well they are doing. If transparent, we can correct ourselves and recalibrate the plan but if it is secret or when it is crowded in secrecy, then we have no chance to amend the plan when we need to,” he advised.
Earlier the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun stated that in line with the renewed hope agenda of the President, providing affordable and fit-for-purpose shelter during and after service was essential.
Egbetokun explained that no stone would be left unturn to ensure that more programmes prioritising the improvement of living standards of Police Officers were implemented.
Also, the representatives of the Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa, and his counterpart from the ministry of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidan, pledged governments support to ensure that affordable houses were delivered for effective policing.