—– Says housing remains a basic human need and should not be treated as a luxury reserved for a privileged few.
A Public Affairs Analyst and Financial Secretary, Guild of Public Affairs Analysts of Nigeria, Enugu State Chapter, Umeh Clinton, made this known while speaking on a topic “Enugu State 2026 Budget: A Periscopic Analysis,” on Freedom Square, a programme on Solid FM, 100.9, anchored by Uchenna Cyril Anioke.
Umeh called on the Enugu State Government to scrap what he described as an elitist housing scheme and replace it with an affordable housing programme targeted at the masses.
According to him, “ his excellency should pay attention to the housing crisis in Enugu. What is in Enugu is the elitist housing scheme. There is nothing for the common civil servants to afford because if you don’t have 20-30 million, you can’t even talk about land, not even a house in Enugu. So I will tell his excellency, pls can we bring investors, can we go into partnership at least let’s start with the civil servants first especially those that have convincing sources of income. Can we look at giving a low housing scheme another opportunity to thrive. Elim Estate failed completely, today you can afford a house in Elim Estate. I will tell his excellency, we need to invest in low cost housing estates. You don’t even need it inside Enugu town. We can move 30 minutes away from Enugu town. At least you are bringing in new buses, these buses can sort out the transport issues. And again to regulate these people I chose to call agents of darkness called “Agents.” These are people that will tell the landlord that your house is undervalued, give these people quit notice and I will rent this for you one million and it will happen. It is people’s greed . Let’s look at how we can sort it out.”
Umeh urged the state government to redirect its housing policy towards building cost-effective homes that workers, traders, artisans and young families can afford.
He emphasized that when public housing is priced beyond the reach of ordinary citizens, it defeats the purpose of social development and widens the gap between the rich and the poor.
Umeh noted that an affordable housing scheme would not only reduce the housing deficit in Enugu but also stimulate economic activities by creating jobs for local artisans, builders and suppliers.
He called on Governor Peter Mbah and the Enugu State House of Assembly to immediately review existing housing initiatives, scrap elements that serve elite interests, and redirect resources toward mass housing solutions that can truly transform lives across the state.
He therefore expressed confidence that with the right political will, Enugu State could emerge as a model for affordable urban housing in the South-East, ensuring that decent shelter is accessible to all segments of society.