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Jonathan’s Housing Minister slams OBJ’s Monetization Policy
Newsdiaryonline Friday May
13,2011
A very clear indication has emerged that
President Goodluck
Jonathan’s regime is not happy with some of the policies of ex
President Olusegun
Obasanjo’s government.In
particular, a serving minister has
openly described the hitherto well-celebrated monetization
policy of Obasanjo’s regime as a ‘wrong policy’.
Nduese Essien ,the minister of
land ,housing and urban development said yesterday that
the “Monetization policy was a wrong
policy’’.He made this
declaration at the
NUJ People’s Forun held at Sheraton Hotel Abuja. The minister
who was responding to a question about the monetization
programme which led to the sale of houses of federal lawmakers
among others, said if government had any reason to sell houses,
those meant for 'members of the National Assembly and other
birds of passage' should have been kept.
He recalled that over 1000 houses built for national assembly
members were sold,thus
compelling new lawmakers to go into the nook and cranny of Abuja
to look for accommodation . Sadly, he noted, the government
which sold those houses did not build new ones.
Essien however gave an insight into why the past government took
that draconian step.He said he understood that government was
worried about the cost of maintaining such houses especially as
renovations, purchase of new set of furniture
among others were bound to make keeping such buildings a
very expensive venture.
The land,hounsing and urban development minister said he
inherited a backlog of unsigned land titles.He however
tackled that problem by
signing about 2165
titles within one year in office.Only those with legal or
related issues remain unattended to .He acknowledged that some
of the land problems have to do with the challenges posed by the
Land Use Act,but
assured Nigerians that
all the problems will be addressed by a bill before the national
Assembly seeking to review the act.
Asked whether he was comfortable with the level of housing
development in the country,the minister said he was not
comfortable.``Iam not comfortable with the level of housing
development’’.He also said President Goodluck Jonathan is not
comfortable with the situation too ; that is why the
president established
the ministry so that housing and urban development issues will
be tackled.
Essien equally decried the planless nature of
Nigeria’s urban centres unlike the situation in Mali.``I
visited Mali-a poor country-
but I was surprised to see the planning in a few Malian
cities’’ the minister said.
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