Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, Dr. Gift O. Worlu (in white), flanked by the Board Chairman, Rivers State Housing and Property Development Authority, Ndanyeozuru Anthony Egwurugwu (right), Acting General Manager, Mrs. Ibaraye Uranta, as well as management staff and board members of the Ministry of Housing and Rivers State Housing Authority.
By Edu Abade
The Rivers State Government has stressed the need for sister agencies to work together in synergy to improve the life of the people in line with the manifesto of the Governor SIminalayi Fubara-led administration by complementing one another, rather than engage in unhealthy competition.
Rivers State Commissioner for Housing, Hon. Gift O. Worlu, who made the call when the Board members and Management of Rivers State Housing and Property Development Authority visited him in his office, said the Authority was keen on actualizing Governor Fubara’s vision and dreams for the state’s housing sub-sector.
He explained that this informed the decision to convene the meeting so that they could both map out ways in which the Ministry and Housing Authority could synergize and aggregate ideas for moving the state forward in realizing the government’s mandate in providing decent and affordable housing for the people of Rivers State.
Worlu stressed the importance of housing, which he described as “not only important and fundamental human need, but also correlates with the well-being and increased productivity of the populace.
He said housing ought to be one of the major focuses of any serious-minded government in the third world, saying the present government of the state, under the leadership of Governor Fubara, has a clear understanding of the housing needs of the people.
He, therefore, charged the Housing and Property Development Authority to work in tandem with the Ministry to ensure the achievement of consolidating on what had earlier been done in the state.
However, the commissioner, who announced that the Federal Government has proposed 1,000 housing units targeted at the low and medium income earners in each state of the federation, charged the Housing Authority to work together with the Ministry to see that the state’s share of such houses gets delivered to the state on time.
Worlu also disclosed that the Federal Government led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu enjoined the ministries of housing in the 36 states of the federation to strengthen their housing authorities, agencies or commissions saddled with housing development, saying the meeting is part of fulfilling that mandate.
He urged the Authority to reciprocate the gesture by initiating viable programmes and ideas towards making houses available and affordable to the people and promised to meet with the authority regularly in the spirit of working as a team and as partners.
Responding on behalf of the Board and Management of the Authority, the Chairman, Ndanyeozuru Anthony Egwurugwu, who commended the commissioner on his thoughtfulness in convening the meeting, assured that the Authority was ready and willing to partner and work with the ministry.
Egwurugwu congratulated the commissioner on his appointment and enjoined Worlu to keep an open door policy and a listening ear to make the synergy to have the desired favourable impact and positive outcomes.
He said the major challenge faced by the Authority remains the dearth of land for needed development and pleaded with the commissioner to facilitate the process of releasing the Certificates of Occupancy (Cs of O) on the parcels of land so far acquired by the government.
Directors of the ministry and other Board members, including the Acting General Manager of the Authority, Mrs. Ibaraye Uranta, attended the meeting.
