BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF
In the last seventeen months of the appointment of the new management team of Federal Housing Authority, by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu under the leadership of Rt Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo and his Executive Directors, in 2024, alot of administrative and operational changes has occurred that has affected the Authority positively, far from the previous order.
Seventeen months down the line , the activities of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, hitherto known for analogue , sharp practices and manual engagements has transformed to modern and modest way, by competing favorably with both local and global housing firms, through digitization of it’s activities.
The procurement of Laboratory to test and run their equipment, including lands was a pointer to full time digitization and online process.
On assumption of duty, Ojo who was visibly determined with his management team to change the archaic modus -operandi of the new Federal Housing Authority, FHA maintained that if private sector , other public sector organizations can thrive in the current dispensation, there is no going back in carrying out the needed major reforms in the Authority.
Imbibing and inculcating the spirit of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the mandate to reform the hirtherto lame duck, over five decades government agency charged with providing Nigerians with affordable houses became needful, which Ojo with versed experience in that area is determined to achieve with his team .
Hon.Ojo who has distanced himself from the usual practice of a public office reduced to the barest minimum, the paraphernalia of office and refused to provide posh jeep cars to himself and the Executive Directors, as the Managing Director/Chief Executive officer , Federal Housing Authority, FHA, he still rides on Hilux car he met on ground, a pilot vehicle of the immediate past head of the Authority.
Vowing to distance himself and the new management from the business as usual, determined to fight systemic corruption, stated that he is all out to reform and drive needed revenue, solicited for the cooperation of staff of the Authority, whose synergy has effected necessary changes in the shortest possible time.
Having taken time to embark on familiarization visits to offices under him in the corporate headquaters and some zonal offices, he also within seventeen months on the saddle visited about 25 states to solicit for land and working relationship with the states governments, a journey he made on road and not flights, drove himself for two consecutive months on the official Hilux van , insisting that staff must emulate and imbibe the culture of prudent management of resources.
On assumption of duty , salaries of staffers were outstanding for months , and for an Authority that had not been on federal allocations for many years, including subvention and renumeration, a situation he normalized without further delay .
His ascension signified the end of irregular monthly salary payments and even allowances of all sorts of workers of the Authorit and , that was the thing of the past for workers of Federal Housing Authority, FHA among other entitlements like Medicals, Transport and others .
Six months down the line in office, he restored and introduced series of benefits for the workers aside restoration of regular payments of the salaries of workers of the Authority .
He promised to continue to prioritize workers welfare and ensured what is due for them is implemented forthwith, but will not condone corruption, collision to shortchange the Authority, customers and visitors through land racketeering and other form of sharp practices, prevalent in the Authority before he assumed duty .
Ojo, also without further delay implemented the new minimum wage across board for the workers, even when agencies were still negotiating on how to implement the wage, including payment of arrears of the wages, furniture allowances among other benefits were paid .
He assured workers that with their cooperation, their welfare will be prioritised and extra efforts recognised, hence the introduction and celebration of Customers Service Week/ workers in 2025, were the Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, FHA staff with distinct performance were recognised and honored .
He ensured all benefits of workers on the job including the abandoned foreign and local trainings, capacity building, seminars, workshops, talkshops and symposiums through orientation and reorientation to improve on the job trainings were reintroduced, execution of both practical and administrative assignments will be simplified.
The five million health emergency policy was introduced for workers of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, as the recent succor extended to a staff of the Authority who was recently indisposed was a pointer to the new order, introduced by Rt Hon Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, as the new Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, FHA.
Ojo who assumed office without electricity (light), no generator,in the offices for many months, restored and regularized the abnormally, and even went ahead to establish an energy company to oversee the energy demands of all Federal Housing Authority, FHA estates in the country, in collaboration with the Distribution companies Discos, and Generation Companies, Gencos for improved power supply to all the Federal Housing Authority FHA estates spread across the country.
Within two years, he paid off arrears of salaries and allowances of staff, implemented the 2022 promotion exercise, cash backed, and re-introduced staff transfer allowances to all parts of the country, payable within 24 hours , a policy that was cancelled before his assumption of duty and rejigged by his administration.
Hon. Ojo has embarked on building of Renewed Hope estates in the country with arrangements to start from some six states in the country, after acquisition and regularization of lands from some state governments, going forward.
The Renewed Hope Housing Estates been proposed across the country, is a policy framework of the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, geared towards providing mass and affordable houses to Nigerians, and to encourage state governments, local governments into keying to such program and policy of the present administration, powered by the present management of the Federal Housing Authority, FHA, under the leadership Rt. Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo as the Managing Director, along with his management team.
Apart from embarking on employment of over 200 workers on assumption of duty , Ojo made it a policy thrust to employ many people with disabilities PWD’s, who were adhoc staff and are graduates working with the Authority on casual basis, a policy he has introduced, converted adhoc staff who have been on the program for 12/13 years to regular workers, employed new staff who are professionals like Surveyors, Engineers , Architects , a policy that will pave way for replacement and smooth transition, as many staff of that category will be due for retirement soon. This is an organization who has not employed for 22 years and 51 years of it’s existence.
He promised to continue to sustain workers welfare provided corruption and transparency will be watchword of their activities in the organization, so as to generate more revenue for the self sustaining Federal Housing Authority, FHA.
Ojo who assumed duty with every departments lacking working tools including internet among many others, ICT, non functional Servicom department/ activities reactivated, restored and rejigged it, so as to compete with other sister agencies of government, and improved digitization activities.
Hon. Ojo light up the Authority by discouraging workers coming to work at will, and earning salaries, coming to work late by introducing clock in , clock out policy to control workers movements in and out of office using finger prints.
The re-introduction of Federal Housing Authority, FHA football club/team ,20 years after it was abandoned and competed in the last civil service games was a pointer to the new management ongoing reforms, as all work and no play makes jerk a dull boy .
The new management also promised to conduct promotion exercise in December, 2025, aside planned conversion of the remaining ad-hoc staff to regular ones also in December, 2025 to encourage them for higher and optimum performance.
Ojo who passionately returned Ten Million Naira (10M) advanced fund to travel out of the country to government coffers recently, after canceling the trip, a decision rare in recent times in the public service, a record he had kept with the General Manager, Finance of the Authority.
Rt. Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo for his detest for corruption among workers of the Authority and tendencies for it , is currently investigating a 70M fraud case involving a staff three years ago, and promised to sustain the tempo, so as to rid the organization of fraud , corruption and other sharp practices.
With determination and zeal to transform the Authority charged at providing Nigerians affordable houses, the new management and his team under Rt. Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo will provide the needed policy framework that will after his four years transform the agency to a new one .
Written BY ABUBAKAR YUSUF on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.
