‘A lot Of Time Praying’: Meet The Man Building Affordable Homes In Nigeria
ABUJA, Nigeria — Annah Aweh lived with her three children in a shanty in the town of Masaka, located about a 60-minute drive from Nigeria’s capital. Her husband was confined to an asylum at the time and she ran a small business selling children's clothes.
Aweh, 42, complemented her meager income through volunteering at the local primary healthcare centre in Masaka, where she sometimes receives stipends. It was during one of her shifts at the center that she overheard patients talking about a foundation that assists low-income families to own houses.
“Where I stay with my children is not where I can boast. It was old, unsafe and without facilities. We had to manage it because there was no other option available to me,” she said.
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The housing crisis in Nigeria is fueled by a shortage of affordable houses and a surplus of substandard houses. The Nigerian housing report estimated a housing deficit of 20 million units.
Bassey Bassey, a sustainable housing advocate and executive director of Hipcity Innovation Centre, noted that the cost of construction and land administration are also drivers of inadequate affordable housing in the country.
“There [are] a lot of issues around land racketeering, land speculation and cost,” Bassey said. “Cost of building is getting out of hand, price of cement, iron rods and cost of labour keep rising in addition to inflation. These are areas that the government can intervene and reduce the overall cost for housing provisions.”
With her volunteering and small-scale business, Aweh had no hope of owning her own home. This was why she visited the Millard Fuller Foundation after overhearing how they assist low-income families buy homes.
With their aid, Annah now owns a two-bedroom apartment in Masaka and a renewed faith in God.
“I thank God, now I have peace and somewhere to hide myself and the children,” she said. “My children are more excited than me. I keep feeling like I'm not the one this is happening to.”
The Millard Fuller Foundation began in 2006 to provide affordable housing to low-income families in Nigeria. Affiliated with the Fuller Center for Housing, Sam Odia founded the Nigerian branch after divine encounters with God while immersed in prayer.
“When I was approaching my 40th birthday, I began to seek God’s face because I was running a successful architectural business, but I still felt there was a gap in my life,” Odia said. “God specifically mentioned to me that I would be building houses, and that was his ministry for me. I heard an audible voice telling me you will build houses.”
He added: “I was spending a lot of time praying. I had a group of friends I prayed with weekly, and God was just showing me step by step. It came through prayer, and it has been a faith journey.”
Initially, Odia said he was confused as to what this ministry entailed, but soon after, he began to see opportunities to serve as a house builder to Nigeria’s homeless.
“I had never seen an example of a ministry of house building before, but he led me to a house-building Christian ministry called Habitat for Humanity International,” he added.
Odia began an internship with U.S.-based Habitat for Humanity International in Abuja in 2001, designing and supervising houses in rural Nigeria. Two years later, he was named National Director of Habitat for Humanity International in Nigeria. However, in 2005, he left the organisation following the resignation of Millard Fuller, the founder of Habitat for Humanity International.
Millard Fuller began another housing non-profit called the Fuller Center for Housing. In line with his calling, Sam got approval from Millard Fuller to register in Nigeria as the Millard Fuller Foundation. Since then, an estimated 200 affordable houses have been built and handed over to low-income families in Nigeria.
The foundation targets families that live under the minimum monthly wage of $55 or less to own a one-bedroom or two-bedroom apartment under a mortgage system with zero interest rate.
At Millard Fuller Foundation, beneficiaries pay only half of the cost of construction. A 10 percent deposit is collected, and the balance is spread over 10 years at zero profit and interest. A one-bedroom apartment is built for three million naira, and a two-bedroom apartment for $8,800.
The foundation makes a call for applications when funding is secured and carries out assessments and home visits to ensure that beneficiaries are vetted. Construction then takes five months or more, after which beneficiaries pay the deposit and move into their new home.
The foundation currently has several housing estates in Masaka, in Nasarawa state. The estates are sustainably structured with green spaces, recreational areas and waste management. The nonprofit leaders said they regularly pray for the recipients and give a Bible alongside the key to the new homeowners.
Idowu Aderile, 52, a businesswoman and mother of two, said her household income is under $74 each month and it would have been an uphill task to build her own house. With the Millard Fuller Foundation, she now owns a two-bedroom apartment and pays just 35 cents each month for the next 10 years.
“I never believed I could own a house before; I couldn’t believe it. It’s not easy to build a house now in Nigeria,” Aderile said. “This house is God’s grace to me; it’s the mercy of God that made me own it, and I’m grateful to God.”
Despite this success, there are some drawbacks. John Olugbemi said that some beneficiaries default on their repayment plan intentionally because they believe a nonprofit should not seek repayment.
“Some of them come in and refuse to share community utilities,” he said. “Maybe if you ask them to pay for refuse disposal, you find two or three who don’t care and want to deposit their waste anywhere.”
Chinonso Kenneth is a writer based in Lagos, Nigeria.