Nigeria, August, 3, 2016 – The Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal has said that the Ambode-led administration has formulated people oriented policies that would ensure the supply of 187,000 housing units yearly to address the 2.5 million housing deficit in the next 5 years.
The Commissioner made this remark today during his courtesy visit to the Office of the Acting Deputy British High Commissioner in Nigeria, Mr. Ahmed Bashir, commending the High Commission for its assistance to the State Ministry of Agriculture during his tenure as Commissioner at the Ministry.
Lawal revealed that the State Ministry of Housing, which he presently supervises, is modelling its affordable housing policy after the social housing programme in Britain, as part of efforts to make housing affordable to the lower and middle income earners in the State.
He emphasized that the Ministry is also determined to redress the dearth of skilled workers such as masons, carpenters, steel fabricators, plumbers, electricians, painters, joiners, tilers and the likes, through the Master Craftsman Project in the building industry.
According to him, “The Master Craftsman project of the Ministry was developed to train the younger generation as skilled workers in the building industry as the old artisans are gradually ageing. We intend to train about 4000 artisans in the next 5years to fill the vacuum being left by the old generation artisans.”
Responding, Ahmed Bashir, the Acting Deputy British High Commissioner expressed his appreciation for the visit and commended the State government on its Master Craftsman Project Initiative, promising that the Commission is ready to assist the Ministry with the project by providing good craftsmen trainers.
