Stakeholders participating in the Nigeria Police Housing Summit have advocated the development of measures that can provide affordable and inclusive housing for police officers in Nigeria.
They emphasized the potential of accessible housing to notably increase morale and improve performance while on duty.
Addressing the gathering, Chairman of Cooperative Mortgage Bank Ltd, Mr Femi Adewole in his keynote address, challenges the concept of police barracks, reiterating that addressing the welfare of those responsible for upholding law and order is essential for societal progress.
“At the heart of the rule of law and order, is the police. The quality of policing is the largest driver of the quality of the rule of law in the society and therefore without a decisive, bold and audacious and even sustained focus of reforming the Nigerian police force as a critical part of the wider objective of strengthening law and order, it is extremely doubtful that we can achieve our developmental ambition no matter how much money that we throw at it.
READ ALSO: $1.32 billion approved for migrant aid, affordable housing in Chicago
“Knowing this, we must act decisively. We are at a critical point embracing the ongoing reforms, we have an opportunity to begin to reach for our dreams of a prosperous nation, establishing law and order is at the foundation of that, effective policing and the morale of our police men and women including making sure that everyone of them lives in the most decent housing we can afford is now critically urgent,”
Speaking with Housing TV Africa on the sidelines, real estate expert and the Executive Consultant of Nigeria Police Force Property Development and Construction Company Limited, Hakeem Ogunniran, restated the importance of collaborative partnerships in advancing the vision for accessible housing for the police force.
“Providing housing for the Nigerian police we believe is a matter of urgent national significance because a society that will thrive will be a society that is driven by rule of law and we need the police to enforce law and order and we need to provide the basic necessities of life which include housing for them because that enhances their wellbeing, their productivity and that is why we’ve decided to work along with the police to create the framework that we are working together on.
“If you look at housing delivery all over the world, in all the countries that have succeeded in delivering affordable houses in numbers, it is delivered by a coalition by a coalition by the partners in the value chain…one of the building blocks for us is building a collaborative platform between the Nigerian police and all the stakeholders..and in fact the whole essence of the summit is to create that environment that we have to talk to each other, synergize, work collaboratively, aligning our strengths so that we can deliver the housing in number for them.”
READ ALSO: Federal Government Reiterates Commitment to Affordable Housing for Civil Servants
The Group Managing Director of COPEN Group, Surveyor Ugochukwu Chime, asserted that the purpose of the summit extends beyond merely providing houses for the men of the police force. He suggested that the core issue at hand is whether society truly values the invaluable services rendered by these officers in safeguarding lives and property.
“The issue is not about our policemen, the issue is about our security and if we value our security, we should be able to provide housing for the police men. It is not just about giving them houses, it is about whether we value the services they provide, and being able to do the needed thing for ourselves by providing houses for them, at the local government levels,…the provision of affordable housing got them is critical in securing their families so that they can secure us and our own families”
Member representing Dutsin-Ma/Kurfi Federal Constituency of Katsina state and Chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Habitat, Aminu Balele Kurfi, highlighted the criticality of equitable housing as a matter of national importance.
“We cannot in good conscience continue to watch them in unpleasant conditions. It is essential to provide our dedicated officers with suitable, comfortable housing both during and post service. Not only will this significantly augment the dignity of the police force but it will also serve as a fundamental strategy to maintain the security of our communities and nation at large.
“We have the opportunity, the resources and the capability to make a decisive difference. I envisage a Nigeria where the welfare and living conditions of our police are no longer a source for concern but a model of excellence. We must rally our resources, our will, our collective strength to foster viable housing programs that will enhance the quality of life of our police personnel and by extension strengthen the ties of community and our nation.”
He pledged the ongoing support of lawmakers to ensure that the current structure of the police force to receive adequate assistance in providing housing for its personnel, both during active service and post-retirement.”
The housing summit, a brainchild of the current Inspector General of Police was organized to discuss, strategize, and kick-start initiatives aimed at providing affordable housing for officers and personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) during active service and after retirement.