Reps panel on Housing, Habitat Receives New REDAN President

***Sets up Joint Committee to Review RECON Bill

By Ben Ogbemudia, Abuja

The House of Representatives Committee on Housing and Habitat led by Hon. Aminu Balele on Wednesday received in audience the newly elected President of Real Estate Developer’s Association of Nigeria (REDAN) Prince Adeoye Akintoye in his office.

The committee members who were excited to receive the REDAN 7th Executive members unanimously agreed to turn the visit into interactive session.

Hon Balele while welcoming the Prince Adeoye Akintoye and his Executive members to the National Assembly said the committee is ready to work with them particularly in the area of amending some acts that will help regulate the housing sector in Nigeria.

The Chairman of the committee and its members therefore agreed on a joint committee with REDAN to look into the RECON Bill.

According to Hon. Balele, “we appreciate your coming at this critical time where there is a lot of changes.

“We are going to work together and we are going to come in where you want us to come in, particularly in an area whereby we can amend some acts and other things. An area whereby we can collaborate with other committees to work hand in hand to better the housing situation in Nigeria.

“There are a lot of areas we can touch together, like the issue of people running houses without certificate, this is something we should look into. We need to do this urgently. And so, we are going to set up now a joint committee between you people and our committee to seat down and look at the area that needs an amendment. We assured you that we will push it with our colleagues in Senate and through to the President for absent.”

Earlier, the President of Real Estate Developer’s Association of Nigeria (REDAN) Prince Adeoye Akintoye said REDAN as an advocacy group that will always advocate for the cost of housing and all matters pertaining to allied matters around Housing sector.

Prince Adeoye Akintoye said Housing industry remains one of the avenue to provide employment in a very humongous capacity.

While he strongly believe that working together with the committee will go a long way to change the face of housing in Nigeria, he therefore solicited for the National Assembly help in scaling through the RECON Bill which the 9th Assembly earlier passed but was not absent to by President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“There are so many things that we can push together, concerning the land administration system in Nigeria , I think we have to do more. We practitioner represent property development companies today and the sector is not well controlled. We have signed a strategic agreement with SCUML, EFCC to collaborate with them in shipping out the bad eggs in the built industry.

“We brought a bill and the bill was passed by this honourable house at the last assembly. Both the senate and the House of Representatives, passed the Bill, but getting to the presidency it was not signed and I think that bill has lapsed now.

But today, we will be seeking the help of this honourable committee because we like to bring the bill back. So , our plea is in the area of Synergy, the area of collaboration and the area of advocacy. We assure you that we will not do anything that is outside the law. whatsoever subject that we are asking you to involve in, it will definitely be to the benefit of Nigerians and for the good of the country. When REDAN starts to lend their voice and participate in the renew hope agenda, many Nigerians will get more shelter.

The REDAN President however reminded the committee that, Alh Jakande was the 1st president of the group and by the grace of God he is the 5th president.