By Mashe Umaru Gwamna
Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development said its building projects that are disability friendly and
mindful of all the relevant sections in the provisions of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018 that ensures the rights to accessible structures for persons with disabilities.
This was contained in a statement signed and issued by Oluseyi Kate Nwachuku Assistant Director (Press & Public Relations) for Director .
Minister of Housing and Urban Development Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa gave this assurance when a delegation from National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) paid him a courtesy visit.
He acknowledged that housing was key to human development as well as a human right to all Nigerians as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and as such the Ministry was mindful of all the provisions in the Act establishing the Commission in ensuring that houses being delivered were mindful of the Accessibility Act or Regulations in the document.
“We are glad that you brought the document to us today, we will henceforth look at it to ensure that our houses are very much affordable, accessible and acceptable to the commission”, he said.
He informed that the Housing Ministry being one of the first few Ministries that has adopted the regulations in the document, has started the implementation with actions such as the addition of a ramp at the entrance of the Ministry to enable easy access to people with disabilities and the installation of an elevator to assist staff and visitors within this category access offices upstairs.
On section 7 of the Act which mandated that Persons With Disabilities should be first considered in accessibility to houses constructed by government, Dangiwa assured the commission that his ministry would comply, emphasising that maximum scrutiny of building plans would be done before approval of building plan to certify provision of accessibility facilities are incorporated.
Accordingly, the Minister stated that the ministry is mindful of the penalty against defaulting any of the regulations.
The Minister further explained that the ministry has demonstrated it in its public buildings by making sure all the federal secretariat buildings Nationwide being managed by the Ministry are fully equipped with accessibility facilities.
He noted that among the plans rolled out for all Nigerians including the persons with disabilities under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu include groundbreaking for the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates program in 13 states and FCT.
To this end, he disclosed that the housing units being built under the program are made affordable, accessible and acceptable to Nigerians through ownership options such as outright purchase, installmental payment, mortgage and rent-to-own, to which the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) provides a single digit interest rates to run for thirty years.
The Minister further explained that the houses are being built organically to allow owners build more rooms as their income or family increases.
In the area of urban renewal, Dangiwa also notified the delegation that the National Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrade has been flagged off in twenty eight sites, four sites each in each geopolitical zone and the FCT, respectively.
