By Abiola Olawale
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Friday, fired Senator Gbenga Ashafa as the Managing Director of Federal Housing Authority (FHA).
The president, replaced Ashafa with his son-in-law, Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo as the CEO of the Agency, a development that is currently triggering concerns.
The appointment has sparked concerns as Ojo is married to Tinubu’s eldest daughter, Folashade while Ashafa is said to be an ally of former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and a former Governor of Lagos state, Mr Babatunde Fashola.
Meanwhile, Ojo’s appointment was contained in a State House press statement, signed by Mr Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity.
The New Diplomat reports that Mr Ojo was elected into the Ekiti state Seventh House of Representatives as Member representing Ijero/Efon/Ekiti West constituency between 2011 and 2015.
Below is the full statement announcing the appointment of Ojo as the new managing director of the FHA.
The full statement announcing the new appointments reads:
PRESIDENT TINUBU APPROVES LEADERSHIP CHANGES IN THE HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT SECTOR
As part of a holistic approach to repositioning the national housing and urban development sector to meet the present and future needs of Nigerian families nationwide, President Bola Tinubu has approved the reconstitution of the executive management teams of parastatals under the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development:
Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN):
(1) Managing Director / CEO — Mr. Shehu Usman Osidi
(2) Executive Director (Finance & Corporate Services) — Mr. Ibidapo Odojukan
(3) Executive Director (Loans & Mortgage Services) — Mr. Muhammad Sani Abdu
(4) Executive Director (Business Development & Portfolios) — Ms. Chinenye Anosike
Federal Housing Authority (FHA):
(1) Managing Director / CEO — Hon. Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo
(2) Executive Director (Housing Finance & Accounts) — Mr. Mathias Terwase Byuan
(3) Executive Director (Business Development) — Mr. Umar Dankane Abdullahi
(4) Executive Director (Project Implementation) — Engr. Oluremi Omowaiye
(5) Executive Director (Estate Services) — Arc. Ezekiel Nya-Etok
New FMBN CEO, Mr. Shehu Osidi, is a banker with over 30 years of work experience, including 13 years of experience in mortgage banking. He is an alumnus of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government as well as the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Housing Finance.
New FHA CEO, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, is a former Member of the House of Representatives with over a decade of work experience in the housing and hospitality industries. He holds a Master’s degree in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Greenwich, United Kingdom.
In view of President Bola Tinubu’s historic approval of the establishment of Building Materials Hubs across all six of the nation’s geo-political zones; financing and establishment of a National Social Housing Fund for low income and vulnerable groups, and land reforms to collaboratively streamline access to land across all states and unlock nearly $300 billion of dead capital in the sector, his expectations are high that the above-named appointees will hit the ground running in the delivery of affordable housing for millions of Nigerians in need, while providing millions of new job opportunities for Nigeria’s talented youth population presently searching for work.
