For its affordable housing delivery and job creation which have not only put smiles on the faces of many families, but also raised hope for others, Family Homes Funds (FHF) was recently recognized and given ‘Housing Impact Intervention Award’ at Nigeria Housing Awards (NHA) 2020 in Abuja.
A federal government social housing intervention scheme established in 2016, FHF came as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to catalyse the delivery of affordable housing nationwide. Its overall mission is to provide 500,000 affordable homes and to create 1.5 million jobs through the housing value chain.
NHA organizers explained in a statement obtained by BusinessDay at the weekend that the family fund has distinguished itself as a unique body catering to the housing needs of the low to middle income earners in Nigeria.
“The impact of the Funds is already being felt across the country with thousands of low cost houses built for those who, on their own, wouldn’t have dreamt of ever owning houses,” Festus Adebayo, NHA’s CEO, noted, adding: “The Funds is currently in partnership with several state governments to realise the most efficient and speedy ways of providing mass and affordable housing for their people.”
FHF is also collaborating with a number of housing sector institutions with the aim of fashioning out ways of using local resources for building houses in order to bring down cost of production.
“Not only is FHF building affordable homes for those who need them most, but it is also providing thousands of direct and indirect jobs that contribute to the production of these houses. The Funds has, indeed, been a source of hope in the typically difficult Nigerian housing industry,” Adebayo disclosed.
He explained that it was these and many more achievements of the Funds that made the organizers of the housing awards to deem the Funds fit for the recognition which, they believed, would spur them to do more and open more opportunities for low income earners to own homes in the country.
Read also: Time to own homes is here as FHF unveils low cost houses at N1.8m/unit
Meanwhile, operators in the housing industry have been tasked to maintain ethics and standard in their efforts to provide affordable housing for all. Abubakar Bwari, former minister of state for solid minerals, who gave the charge, also urged the industry players to remain committed to hard work and excellence.
“We shall not rest until the last person owns a decent home in Nigeria. As we make that dream come through, we should also be mindful of achieving excellence in our urban planning; standard of housing and other ethical issues pertaining to housing delivery,” Bwari asked.
He noted that an award is meant to encourage and sustain hard work in an industry, adding, “the significance of an award ceremony like this is not just in the raising of award plaques or in clinking of wine glasses, but also in its ability to establish and sustain a culture of hard work and excellence.”
According to him, “he who rewards excellence, makes room for healthy competition and that is the kind of competition that will enable real change; the Nigeria Housing Awards is now synonymous with excellence and we expect nothing short tonight.”
Bwari commended the organizers of the event, saying they stood out for their unparalleled advocacy in the area of housing in Nigeria. “I encourage them to do more; I join many Nigerians in appreciating their remarkable efforts and for thinking it worthwhile to recognize those whose performance is worthy of recognition,” he said.
