By By Ademola Ajao
THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Kayode Adebowale, has called for an accelerated housing application process from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) on behalf of the university’s staff.
This demand was made during his speech at a sensitisation programme organised by the university in collaboration with the FMBN, held at Trenchard Hall, University of Ibadan.
Professor Adebowale urged the mortgage bank to increase funding allocation through a deliberate policy that designates a significant portion of the National Housing Fund (NHF) collections specifically towards addressing the housing needs of federal universities, in recognition of their strategic importance.
Speaking on the need for university-centric product design, the Vice-Chancellor emphasised the importance of developing housing products and financing models that accurately reflect the income profiles, career progression, and unique needs of both academic and non-academic staff of the university.
On the issue of transparency, he stressed the need for regular engagement, open communication, and adequate capacity building between the FMBN, university staff, and the unions.
The FMBN Product Head, Mrs Sotuminu Funmilayo, while addressing attendees at the sensitisation, disclosed that the current challenges being faced by beneficiaries began in 2020 when funds were diverted to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), and the deductions meant for FMBN were no longer forthcoming.
In her words: “It’s not affecting UI alone. It also affects all federal universities. State and private universities don’t have issues with us—only federal universities—and we are resolving them one by one.
“As I’m speaking to you, we have resolved the issue with University College Hospital (UCH). As of now, we have not received any information concerning UI that would allow us to further process your applications. So, what I’m saying is, it’s not that you will never have access to your money.
“Once we receive the necessary information, we will process it.”
Dr Mike Anjonrin, who led representatives from Timik Engineering Construction Ltd, assured participants that his company would follow up and recover their funds. He added that he had earlier discussed the matter with a member of the House of Representatives before attending the programme.
He reiterated that his company is in a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) with the Federal Housing Authority for the Ajoda project, saying, “We are here to offer you a unique housing solution.”
Dr Anjonrin also drew attention to the representatives of the Federal Housing Authority Mortgage Bank, noting that they
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