The lawmaker representing Kajola state constituency in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Hon. Akeem Mustapha has said that his appeal to the state governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde to lessen procedures to access housing loans for civil servants has started yielding results.
The lawmaker stated this while reacting to the proposed loans law forwarded to the state Assembly by Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde on Thursday, last week.
Hon. Mustapha, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Public Finance and Appropriation, while applauding the state governor, said that the proposed loans law for the council staff is long overdue considering the prominent role played by local government in the development of grassroots.
The lawmaker in the appeal urged the governor to lessen procedures to access the housing loan so that civil servants can have access to it and complete their abandoned houses across the state.
He noted that there is over 500 million naira lying fallow in the housing loan account without being able to access.
In a letter to the House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Adebo Ogundoyin, Governor Seyi Makinde is requesting the speedy passage of the Oyo State Local Government Staff Loans Board Bill, 2022.
The bill which has passed through first reading will provide loans for local government staff and aimed at enhancing their productivity and boosting their morale.
The governor said that it is another effort of his administration to fulfill his election campaign promise to the state workers.
Hon. Mustapha, while reacting to causes of high rate of abandoned or dilapidated building in the state, “Majority of abandoned buildings belong to civil servants who will start the building projects and find it difficult to complete them, and this can be addressed if the government can lessen the procedure to obtain the housing loan.
“The procedure is very strenuous to the extent that almost half a billion naira is in that account lying fallow and people may not be able to access it. Imagine, almost 500 million, the tedious aspect of it is that one must get Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) before he can be able to access it, and civil servant who finds mean of getting the land, you know how much it will cost to get the CofO and how much is going to take before one can get. So, instead of getting the CofO, most of them will prefer to get numbers of blocks to build one or two rooms.
“So, if the government can lessen the procedures it will be better and majority of them will have access to the housing loan and this issue of abandoned building will reduce to the barest minimum,” Hon. Mustapha said.
