The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas, announced on Tuesday the appointment of Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin as the new Chairman of the House Committee on Housing and Habitat.
According to a statement from the speaker’s office, Hon Jibrin is expected to leverage his strong academic background and extensive legislative experience, having previously chaired the Committees on Finance, Appropriation, Transport, and Foreign Affairs.
The statement highlighted that Hon Jibrin’s tenure as Executive Director of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) will be an asset to the committee. The Committee on Housing and Habitat has oversight jurisdiction over the Federal Ministry of Housing and various federal departments and agencies involved in housing.
The committee’s responsibilities include supervising federal housing programs and agencies, such as the Federal Mortgage Bank and Federal Mortgage Finance, overseeing the implementation of government mortgage policies, managing the Family Homes Fund (FHF), and reviewing the annual budget estimates of the ministry and associated agencies.
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The committee will also work to harmonize, coordinate, and streamline housing policies at all levels of government to align with the national housing scheme.
Additionally, the committee’s mandate extends to:
- Acting as a catalyst for habitat agenda principles and sustainable development.
- Promoting the implementation of resolutions by the Regional Council for Africa of Global Parliamentarians on Habitat, which advocates for the institutionalization of Habitat Committees in national parliaments.
- Maintaining relationships with organizations engaged in the Habitat Agenda, including the Global Forum of Parliamentarians on Habitat (GFPH), the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (UNCHS), and Habitat for Humanity International.
- Advising the House on urban development strategies and necessary legislation to align with key principles and commitments of the Habitat Agenda.
Before his new appointment, Hon Jibrin chaired the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.