The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) has urged the incoming Government to prioritise constructing affordable houses for citizens.

NIOB president Yohanna Izam stated this on Thursday at a two-day workshop in Abuja.

Mr Izam said there was an urgent need for mass housing provision in the country to ameliorate the housing deficit. According to him, the provision of mass housing would address the housing deficit and solve a social welfare problem.

“We have looked at the deficit in housing, which some people have put the figures at 20 million. So the incoming administration should consider it a priority. It will solve a social welfare problem, and it will also reflect the economy that will create jobs for our teaming populace,” he said.

Speaking on his dry construction presentation, he said it was about addressing the issue of speed in construction to minimise the amount of onsite activities that involves industrialised building system that use more of prefabricated components.

“We are talking about large numbers. If we can do 700,000 units in Nigeria for the next 10 to 20 years, then we will now stabilise in the sector, and Nigerians can have affordable housing,” said Mr Izam.

NIOB’s second vice-president Bimbo Kolade decried the lack of accurate data on the housing deficit in the country, stressing that innovation and technology must be deployed to address housing delivery in Nigeria from the foundation stage to the last level of delivery.

Mr Kolade said one of the workshop’s objectives was to set an agenda for the incoming administration on the need for mass housing.

(NAN)