UNHabitat sets seven-point agenda to transform Nigerian cities raquo; The Guardian Nigeria

WITH debate raging, on ways to overhaul the persistent narrative of extreme poverty in the midst of growing wealth, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN–Habitat) has proposed a seven-point housing and urban agenda, if adopted by the in-coming Buhari administration could transform Nigerian cities into functional, productive, equitable, resilient and safe places to live in. The document authored by Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka who is currently Director and Chief Scientific Advisor, UN–Habitat and most senior Nigerian diplomat working at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, urged the new administration to enforce properly legislative and planning rules, which will make access to land easier for the rapid housing and industrial expansion that will follow economic growth. "Many of us are not aware that in China, the former bastion of communism, housing is almost totally private sector driven. Of our country’s projected overall GDP of $1.3 Trillion by 2030, residential estate will contribute $591 billion and industrial real estate $53 billion if the urban plan is properly harnessed to make the Nigerian economy realize its full potential. THREE: Government must focus on Integrated Urban Basic Services . "Nigerian roads are in deplorable states, characterized by poor drainage system, potholes, lack of pavements, combined with a growing urban population often that lead to traffic congestion in the urban areas. By a rough estimate, the infrastructure deficit in the country will require continuous expenditure of almost $14.2 billion per annum, or about 12 per cent of GDP over the next decade. Currently, about $6 billion (about 5 per cent of GDP) per annum is budgeted for federal infrastructure, China by comparison in the mid-2000s expended about 15 per cent of its GDP solely on infrastructure investment." FOUR: Leverage construction technology/Partnerships and new technologies. Nigeria has shown itself rather poor at leveraging frontier technologies and partnerships both locally and globally. "We have neither drawn on properly on local professional expertise nor taken advantage of global partnerships. We need to broaden our investment net and take advantage of the global sources of finance to which oil has blinded us. We need to change our attitude to foreign investment, learn to draw investment while protecting national interests." FIVE: Evolve a robust mortgage system: our housing finance market is miniscule. Less than 1per cent Nigerians have residential mortgage compared to 70-90 per cent in Europe and more than 70 per cent in the USA.  However, this should not be so, given the depth and growing sophistication of Nigeria’s financial sector and contributions it makes to pan-African institutions such as the African Development Bank or the Pan African Housing Finance Institution – Shelter Afrique, in which Nigeria is the largest sovereign shareholder. "Working with Nigerian and international private partners (credible lending and mortgage institutions) and international agencies including UN Habitat, strategic Nigerian Government entities – the Central Bank of Nigeria, National Mortgage and Reinsurance Company (NMRC), Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority – we can develop an affordable funding structure for the Housing Programme including facilitating Technical Assistance. nigeriasite.com We will start with financing a pilot phase and syndicating the significant capital required to finance both the construction and home loan elements." SEVEN: Poor political and bureaucratic leadership is a sure recipe for poor performance and ultimate failure. "We are operating in a knowledge-driven globally competitive environment and we need to entrust critical sectors that touch the lives of millions to capable, committed and knowledgeable leadership. Right now the expectation of Nigerians is at stratospheric level. "Real change is driven by a fundamental change of mindset. We have to up our game as a people, as a nation to lead Africa. The idea of ‘this will not work in Nigeria’ is an excuse to inaction, a worrying negative exceptionalism that allows us to pervert all good policies that work elsewhere and to continue in the path of mediocrity." Oyelaran-Oyeyinka explained that Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is projected to grow from $525 billion in 2014 to $4.2 trillion by 2040,  Central to this change dynamic is the role of our cities; this time around the "urban Goal" is now a stand-alone goal designated SDG 11. Estimates have it that over 900 companies, including multinational, have relocated all or part of their manufacturing facilities outside Nigeria largely in search of reliable power supply. For the struggling firms capacity utilization www.yohaig.ng/ has more information dropped steadily from a high of 80per cent in the 1980’s to below 30per cent in recent times. The truth is that most Nigerian politicians do not know what you are talking about and many do note care to know. Reason &#8211; their mindset is different. It is not people centered but self centered. Loot, loot, loot!!! What happens to urban planning is immaterial provided they have one mansion in Asokoro or Maitama another at home state capital, another in Europe or Dubai and another unidentified location in Lagos. nigeriasite.com To hell with your planning. That is 2/3 majority mindset both in the read and green chambers. So we shall wait until technocrats get into those chambers. For now majority are thugs and ballot box carriers.