TRANSITION TO A PERFORMING AGENCY
THE STORY OF FHA UNDER THE MANAGEMENT OF HON. OYETUNDE OJO
On appointment of the management of Federal Housing Authority under Hon. Oyetunde Ojo on 16th February, 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR,) gave them a clear mandate: revive the Authority to provide houses to Nigerians.
On assumption, Hon. Ojo and his team were far from pleased with what they met in the Authority. They met an FHA that was still operating analogue in the 21st century, a system that created the loopholes for the many sharp practices prevalent in the Authority. On the clear charge of the President and in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, the team swiftly went into work.
By 1st of May 2024, Hon. Ojo launched FHA’S digitization and ended all analogue operations of the Authority’s property files. This new era not only ended the incessant loss of property files, double allocations and forgery but ensured the protection of property documents and increased the speed of service delivery.
Hon. Ojo’s management discovered that the Authority a depleted land bank which is a key factor in housing delivery. He immediately embarked on land drive and acquisition. To date, the team has visited 28 states of the country, where lands have been acquired, and in most cases free of charge with compensations paid. It is worthy to note that 95% of the visits were done by road.
As a team on a reform mission, Hon. Ojo’s management understood the need to carry along the workforce. Consequently, two retreats have been organised for staff to engender the much needed attitudinal change in the new FHA that is evolving.
Hon. Ojo found it unacceptable that FHA with a lot of assets remained financially unstable and was grossly short changed through abuse in Development Control in all of its estates, illegal land annexations, building without or outside approval and gross under payment and valuation of the Authority’s statutory charges.
To address these issues, he immediately constituted several committees on Development Control and Revenue drive, commenced a nationwide verification exercise where window of opportunity were provided to property owners to regularize their property documents.
The MD went on to constitute an Enforcement team set up, to ensure compliance of Development Control directives and opted to be the leader of the team. The team has worked in all zones of the country. This singular move resulted in boost in the Authority’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), which is its only source of funding.
Hon. Ojo also embarked on getting the accurate and proper account of FHA’S properties. For this, he acquired a MAX 350 drone for the Authority with which every single property of the Authority has been identified, all illegally encroached and annexed lands exposed.
From the onset, the FHA Chief Executive made it clear that management was not after any body’s property, but was after proper regularization and commensurate payment for the Authority’s land. Through this effort, the Authority’s revenue profile further increased tremendously and reflects on staff welfare.
FHA was among the first to implement the new National minimum wage, including its Adhoc staff. The Authority under Hon. Ojo steadily pays all remunerations and emoluments.
Still on staff welfare, management upgraded the Authority’s Staff Canteen to standards befitting of a corporate entity, and food sold at a subsidized rate. The Authority for the first time participated in the Federal Civil Service games and now has a football team that plays in the FCT League.
FHA under this management has witnessed rise in Human Capital development, where staff are continuously trained both locally and internationally. The Authority is nearing full digitalization in all operations, and staff operating under maximum comfort in the most conducive work environment.
Management under Hon. Ojo became the first in the Authority to achieve inter connectivity of all the Zonal offices. Staff of the head office could communicate real time with zonal staff because of the strong internet infrastructure in the Authority. Hon. Ojo’s management has introduced the Clocking machine to check truancy and engender punctuality to work.
Hon. Ojo vowed to complete all abandoned projects he inherited. On the 21st of July 2025, he commissioned the first phase of 100 units of houses in FHA Estate, Ajoda Ibadan, which was abandoned since 2018. Management has also completed the Express View Estate 1, in Lugbe, FCT, awaiting its commissioning.
The Authority is also set to commission its Shopping malls in Lugbe and Gwarinpa estates, projects that were moribund before now. Under this Management, the Authority’s Mortgage bank, under the Chairmanship of Hon. Ojo has moved into its corporate head office in Gwarinpa estate, Abuja, FCT.
Management under Hon. Ojo also has the record of setting up the FHA Energy Company Ltd, the Authority’s second subsidiary, licensed to distribute energy with the target of powering all of the Authority’s estates.
The Authority also, recently set up a laboratory to carry our integrity tests on buildings and geological surveys under the Research and Innovation Department.
Perhaps, one of the greatest achievements of Hon. Ojo led management within its 17 months in office, is the staff recruitment exercise. Having worked very hard to increase the Authority’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), he has been able to recruit more than 250 young Nigerian professionals into Authority.
This move has not only given hope to Nigerians drawn from across all divides of the country, it has also been a real definition of Renewed Hope for some physically challenged persons given employment, Youth Corpers retained and Adhoc workers now fully employed.
With a workforce that is facing depletion due to retirement, the bold move by Hon. Ojo towards this succession plan has ensured the continuous existence of the organisation
Despite all this record, Hon Oyetunde ojo and his Executive Management Team are among the few, if any in the country that do not drive SUVS, but chose to adopt Hilux vehicles as official cars.
With this plethora of verifiable and self-evident achievements, It is obvious that these reforms must have stepped on some toes. However, Hon. Oyetude Oladimeji Ojo remains on the mission of taking FHA from the doldrums of a decaying and low impact agency to a high performing institution.
Just like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu said in 2007, Hon. Ojo is reechoing “I am on a mission to move FHA forward. They Attack Me Because They can’t Match My Intellect”.
“Where others react, He calibrates and where others retreat, He re positions. And where others sleep, he selects - people, places and wisdom”.
A man with enormous grace and wisdom”
Kenneth Chigelu
(Head Public Affairs)
