FG Asks Governors to Provide Lands for Teachers’ Housing Scheme

• Efforts are currently being made by the federal government to ensure that accommodation challenges faced by Nigerian teachers are addressed
• Governors across states of the country have also been written to make provision for lands that would be used for the national teachers housing scheme
• In addition, Nigerian teachers have also been encouraged to tap into various opportunities that could alleviate the challenges they face

The minister of state for education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba on Wednesday, August 18, said that various state governor’s across Nigeria have been approached through written letters to provide lands for a national teachers’ housing scheme.

Nwajiuba speaking during his visit to the housemates at the Naija Teachers’ Reality TV Show said the scheme is aimed at curbing the challenges faced by Nigerian teachers.

Stating that so far, the ministry has received responses from Niger and Cross River states for the scheme, Nwajiuba encouraged teachers across the country especially those employed under the Federal Civil Service to key into the federal mortgage bank and the federal civil service loan scheme opportunity.

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The Naija Teachers’ Reality TV Show, commenced on August 3 with a total of 20 housemates - all teachers - and would be rounding up by August 22, with a winner who would cup N2 million, a two-bedroom Abuja apartment worth N35 million and other consolation prizes. The show is a partnership between the Federal Ministry of Education, the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) and the Teacher’s Naija - its coordinators.

Continuing Nwajiuba said:

“In fact, I am still pushing with all the state governments, we have written them and the Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) asking for lands. We’ve got responses in Niger, Cross River, we have a proposal for the National Teachers’ Housing.

“There are quite a few opportunities but this particular one that is dedicated to teachers are being done with private universities, public-spirited individuals and the NUT.”

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A Collaboration for Better Housing Initiative for Teachers

He said that in all that collaboration, the ministry believes that for every state that has received their letters, their state governors are working to provide the land areas requested where the opportunities are right.

Nwajiuba added:

“However, a national housing policy is also being involved and if you listened to the minister of works and housing, he has pointed out that what Nigeria may have is not housing deficit but might be a user deficit in the sense that there is a lot of migration out of where these properties actually are into areas where they do not exist.”

On the importance of the teachers’ show, the minister said his visit to the Reality Show House is to see for himself what the coordinators are doing.

He said:

“We think it is laudable, the ministry encourages every effort to make education a little bit more attractive, recognised, widely acceptable or elevate its standards. And we think that this is part of showcasing our teacher making the general public fuse into that kind of core place acceptance.

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“What I can give them is what we are doing now - engaging them, encouraging then, supporting them - showing that we are working in tandem with the objectives that our state principles as captured in Chapter 2 of the constitution: that the welfare and the security of the people is the primary objective of the government.”

Speaking on possible collaboration with the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to leverage on the show for better awareness and re-orientation of Nigerian teachers and the general public, the minister said such a move is important.

He however said it should be noted that the NOA is set up by law and would function or operate within the ambit of discipline and what they need to do.

He said:

“I think it is important that we do that, it is the National Orientation Agency, an agency of the government for national orientation and what that implies is that it is in their interest to cultivate every manner of public engagement that would help orientate or re-orientate Nigerians in the direction they would otherwise think is proper.”

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He, however, said the NOA may be constrained by their own law as to what they can do or cannot do.

And the truth of the matter is that Nigeria is made up of a diverse population and the demographics are staggering, our country is made of people with different orientations which are very widespread.

He said:

"This being the case, it may not be possible to say that everybody will appreciate everything the same way, so we expect that that variety of thought, opinions, content is out there and everybody can engage those that they should engage."

Portraying Nigerian Teachers in a Good Light

According to Nwajiuba, the major he visited the Teacher Reality TV Show is because he stands for everything that would project the Nigerian teachers in good light.

The minister said he believes that those associated with education and a global standard kind of schooling here in Nigeria should key into the project.

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Nwajiuba said:

“From my engagement with those (housemates) who are remaining, because I hear about a dozen persons have been evicted, this is a showcase that is very minimal when compared to the 2.2 million teachers in Nigeria.

“And we think that if we can encourage these persons to make the teaching profession look good, it may help us attract more and keep even teachers because we are also haemorrhaging teachers.

“As soon as they get other opportunities they tend to take off and we want our teachers to stay because our children need them, we all are products of some teacher.”

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the establishment of four new universities in four states across Nigeria.

The president's approval is aimed at addressing the shortfall in various academic disciplines including technology, medicine and nutrition in the country.

According to the of education, Adamu Adamu, a whopping N18 billion has been approved by the president for the establishment of the four specialised universities.

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In other news, the director of the Lagos State Agency for Mass Education, Oluwakemi Kalesanwo, has announced that every Lagosian (Lagos resident) must be able to read and write.

Kalesanwo said the state is beginning to witness the influx of many unlearned and unskilled individuals.

She said that as a megacity, Lagos should be able to tackle the menace and ensure that every resident is able to read and write.

Source: Legit.ng