President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero, has advised the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr. Nyesom Wike, to encourage the home owners in the communities where people live to regularise their documents instead of demolishing their houses.
Ajaero made the plea in Abuja during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between A. G. Mortgage Bank Plc and the Academic Staff Union of Research Institutions (ASURI) for the provision of affordable houses for members of the union.
He said Nigeria is the only place where the government does not have health and housing programmes for the generality of workers and will go ahead to demolish the alternatives which people have made for themselves.
The NLC president said, “I honestly think they should legalise those areas where workers are operating rather than demolishing them. All those places they call slums, where people made provision for themselves about where to stay, that is seen as illegal, should be legalised and the minister should add value by legalizing them even if it is temporarily for those people until such a time when the government is able to provide alternatives for them.”
He said “with a minimum wage of N30,000, it is unlikely that the average Nigerian worker will be able to own a house after working for 35 years and if he struggles to build one with his retirement benefit, the government comes to demolish it. This, he said, is wicked.”
Ajaero also commended the leadership of ASURI for initiating the idea of affordable houses for researchers and advised other unions to emulate the worthy initiative.
The managing director of A.G Mortgage Bank Plc, Mr. Ngozi Anyogu, commended the leadership of ASURI for having the interest of its members and the generality of Nigerian workers at heart and assured that his company was well poised to deliver affordable houses.