HDAN urges govs, ministers to publish C of O’s signed quarterly for transparency

In order to ensure transparency and promote accountability in the housing sector, Nigeria’s leading advocacy group, Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN) has called on public sector stakeholders like governors, ministers of housing and that of the Federal Capital Territory to publicly reveal its dealings, especially the signing of Certificate of Occupancies (C of 0s) on a quarterly basis.

According to a statement signed by Festus Adebayo, such initiative will win the confidence of investors and general public on the public stakeholders and further the current progress being made in the housing sector.

Adebayo described an effective housing sector, as one that thrives on transparency and accountability, where both policy makers and implementers should endeavour to always open their books for public knowledge.

According to him, this disclosure of title issuance for example, they said, is a key performance indicator for tracking housing development and ease of doing business in the country.

The statement also harped on the need to make public the number of mortgages created by all primary mortgage institutions in the country.

Adebayo, however, lamented that lack of accurate data has continued to pose challenges to the operators in the sector, stressing that there should be public information portable that is accessible for all.

He cited Rwanda as a relevant case study and urged Nigeria to key into how the country has successfully managed to achieve this, even when they came out of genocide.

He disclosed that every single plot of land in Rwanda has now been registered 100 per cent and so if you have the right application, you can input a plot in Rwanda and it will tell you who the owner is.

Adebayo said “If government understands the economic imperatives involved in land titling and making consent easier, maybe things will be better for us. Land titling is like tax nets, the government can raise income through property taxes”.

Speaking further on the significance of making the data public, Adebayo maintained that this information will assist the sector to have data that will help in policy formulation toward a better housing sector investment.

“In a situation where a minister or a governor knows that he will need to give an account of number of C of O he signed in a particular period of time, such a minister or governor will have somebody who will be seriously responsible for that and if that person makes him not to deliver as at when due, you can rest assured that such a minister or governor will do what is right to such staff,” he added.

Adebayo insisted that there is no better time to have information on number of C of O being signed by governors and ministers for housing in this country than now, noting that this should be regarded as part of dividend of democracy, even as the Freedom of Information Act allows any organisation or citizen to write and seek information but even without getting to that level.

He said that all they are calling for is a sense of responsibility that will make Nigeria to have information on matters like this in the public domain.