The federal government has been urged to make deliberate housing policies that will encourage teachers at all levels to become land owners, considering the role they play in molding and shaping society.
The call was made by Festus Uko, chief executive officer, Real Estate Synergy Support Associate, (RESSA), while speaking at the 2024 annual ‘Teachers Must Become Landlords Summit’ held in Egbeda Lagos.
Uko also called on the federal government to provide necessary amenities for teachers’ as well as a platform where they will have peace of mind while teaching.
While emphasising the need for systemic changes to support teachers in their journey towards land ownership, the RESSA CEO highlighted how the project is filling the gap to proffering solutions to the housing deficit among low-income teachers in Lagos State.
Explaining how the project works, he said: “What we do is to encourage them to form a team of eleven teachers in their schools, we understand that they do monthly contributions and because they do not have any project to execute, the moment they receive their monthly contributions, they spend it, but now we encourage them to invest their contributions in acquiring properties.
‘’So, when they receive their contributions, eleven of them will add it together and buy a piece of land for one person, before one and half years all of them would have become land owners, we will give them time to pay for the remaining part of the money. We wave both agency and agreement fees for them.’’
On the choice of teachers for the project, he said: “Our focus on teachers was born out of passion for proper education and also for the fact that they are not financially balanced due to poor remuneration.
“When you give that teacher purpose he will be committed and when he is committed, he becomes creative and when he becomes creative, he becomes productive and when the person is productive, he becomes successful and when he is successful he becomes impactful’’.
In addition, he said that when teachers are comfortable they will be able to positively impact those they are teaching.
On the other hand, he advised teachers to be transparent and honest in their dealings.
“Integrity is crucial in the life of every individual, so be a man of integrity no matter what it will cost you in life’’.
He revealed his organisation’s plan to extend the project to Nigeria’s police, adding that teachers and the police are the worst paid in the country.
Speaking on the new minimum wage, he appealed to the government to ensure private school teachers benefit from the payment.
Driving his point home, he said: “The new minimum wage currently does not concern private school teachers and they are all workers in the same country, federal government can financially support private school owners so as to enable them to pay their teachers well’’.
Some of the participants who spoke in an interview lauded the organisers of the forum, describing the RESSA project as an opportunity for teachers to invest with their little resources.
