How Festus Adebayo has impacted housing advocacy over the years  

By Dada Jackson

Festus Oluwasogo Adebayo, a renowned housing advocate and media entrepreneur, started his career as a banker demonstrating a keen interest in public advocacy.

His early professional endeavours laid the groundwork for his eventual focus on housing development and media entrepreneurship.

Festus Adebayo’s career as a housing advocate and media entrepreneur is marked by numerous groundbreaking achievements such as Housing TV.

Adebayo founded Africa’s first specialized television station for the housing industry, broadcasting on StarTimes Channel 149.

This platform addresses housing finance, real estate opportunities, and government policies, making it a critical tool for housing education.

On housing development programme, he started at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) before moving to Africa Independent Television (AIT).  This programme has provided over a decade of insightful discussions on housing and construction, influencing both public opinions and policies.

HDAN boss initiated Africa International Housing Show (AIHS).

As the convener of Africa’s largest housing exhibition and conference, Adebayo has fostered collaboration among stakeholders from over 21 countries, including ministers, policymakers, and industry leaders.

His Housing Development Advocacy Network (HDAN), a civil society organization, engages governments on housing reforms, advocating enabling environments for developers and improved housing policies for low-income earners.

Adebayo’s efforts have enabled over 20,000 Nigerians to achieve homeownership through his mentoring, programmes, and advocacy.

As a recognition and appreciation for his tireless dedication to housing advocacy,

Adebayo has garnered numerous accolades including Housing Personality of the Year in 2020 and 2021 by the Association of Housing Corporation of Nigeria and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria.

He equally featured among the 60 Leading CEOs in Nigeria by The Guardian Newspaper,

recognized by the Legislature of Ontario, Canada, for his role in fostering international collaboration between Canada and Nigeria.

Logan Kanapathi, MPP of Ontario, praised his visionary leadership in strengthening economic bonds and creating platforms for meaningful dialogue.

He was also honoured by professional bodies, including the Nigerian Institute of Architects, Nigerian Institute of Building, and Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, for his unparalleled contributions to housing development.

On philanthropy and community development, Adebayo’s philanthropic efforts reflect his commitment to societal development which includes establishment of Festus Adebayo Foundation, which provides scholarships for outstanding students and supporting elderly citizens in his hometown.

The foundation also trains artisans and empowers youths in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, to enhance their housing delivery skills. He is an active member of the CSTEMP Board, that focuses on artisan training for housing delivery.

On international engagements, Adebayo has attended and participated in numerous international conferences, including the World Bank conferences on housing finance and land reforms, UK Construction Week, organized by the Chartered Institute of Housing, Canada-Nigeria Housing Expo, co-organized annually in Toronto.

He has also Partnered with the African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF) and Shelter Afrique, to further the agenda of affordable housing across Africa.

Adebayo is the author of Issues, Challenges, and Prospects in the Housing Sector, Operator’s Perspective, a work that has informed housing policies and inspired dialogue on critical issues affecting the sector.

Festus Adebayo’s legacy is defined by his unwavering commitment to affordable housing and advocacy. Through platforms like Housing TV Africa, the Housing Development Programme, AIHS, and HDAN, he has elevated housing issues to the forefront of public and policy discussions.

His efforts have not only enhanced accessibility to housing but also fostered economic development and social equity across Africa.

Adebayo’s life and career exemplify the power of visionary leadership, dedication, and innovation in transforming lives and communities.

Festus Adebayo hails from Ilesha West Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria.

He is a family man blessed with four children: Ifeoluwapo, Oluwatobiloba, Oluwasemilore, and Oluwadarasimi.

His deep connection to his roots is evident through his philanthropic efforts, particularly in his hometown.

Adebayo’s educational journey began at some of Nigeria’s most prestigious institutions.

He is an alumnus of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, and the University of Lagos, where he laid a solid foundation for his career.

Over the years, his expertise and contributions have earned him honorary recognitions, including being named an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners.

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has predicted cloudiness and thunderstorm from Sunday to Tuesday across the country.

NiMet`s weather outlook released on Saturday in Abuja predicted sunny skies with patches of clouds over the northern region with few thunderstorms over Taraba in the morning hours.

According to it, there are prospects of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Taraba, Adamawa and Kaduna later in the day.

“Partly cloudy skies are anticipated over the North central region with prospects of thunderstorms over part of Benue during the morning hours.

“There are chances of thunderstorms over parts of Kwara, Kogi, Plateau and the Federal Capital Territory in the afternoon to evening period.

“Isolated thunderstorms are expected over some southern states like Ondo, Edo, Imo, Enugu, Ogun, Osun, Delta, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Lagos in the morning hours,“ it said.

The agency forecast thunderstorms over parts of Imo, Ondo, Osun and the coastal belt of the country later in the day.

NiMet envisages partly cloudy to sunny skies on Monday over the Northern region throughout the day with prospects of a few thunderstorms over parts of Taraba and Adamawa states in the afternoon and evening hours.

It anticipates cloudy skies with intervals of sunshine over the North central region in the morning hours.

“Further into the day, thunderstorms are anticipated over parts of Niger, Kogi, Nasarawa, Kwara, Benue and the Federal Capital Territory.

“The inland and the coastal cities of the South should be cloudy with prospects of thunderstorms over Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers and Akwa Ibom states in the morning hours.

“Later in the day, there are prospects of isolated thunderstorms over parts of Ondo, Edo, Enugu, Ogun and the coastal belt of the country,“ it said.

NiMet predicts partly cloudy to sunny skies over the Northern region throughout the forecast period on Tuesday.

It further predicted partly cloudy skies over the North central region in the morning hours with isolated thunderstorms over parts of Benue, Kogi and Kwara states in the afternoon and evening hours.

“The inland and the coastal cities of the South should be predominantly cloudy during the morning hours.

“Later in the day, there are chances of thunderstorms over parts of Ondo, Imo, Edo and the coastal cities,“ it said.

(NAN)

The World Health Organisation’s (WHO) new Mental Health Atlas paints a disappointing picture of a worldwide failure to provide people with the mental health services they need.

In a statement made available on Saturday, it said it happened at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was highlighting a growing need for mental health support.

“World misses most 2020 mental health targets; extension of WHO Mental Health Action Plan to 2030 provides new opportunity for progress reading time, four minutes (1003 words).

“The latest edition of the atlas, which includes data from 171 countries, provides a clear indication that the increased attention given to mental health in recent years has yet to result in a scale-up of quality mental services that is aligned with needs,” the global health agency said.

According to WHO, the Atlas is a compilation of data provided by countries around the world on mental health policies, issued every three years.

Others are legislation, financing, human resources, availability and utilisation of services and data collection systems.

According to the global health body, it is also the mechanism for monitoring progress towards meeting the targets in WHO’s Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan.

“It is extremely concerning that, despite the evident and increasing need for mental health services, which has become even more acute during the COVID-19 pandemic, good intentions are not being met with investment.

“We must heed and act on this wake-up call and dramatically accelerate the scale-up of investment in mental health, because there is no health without mental health,” it quoted Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, the Director-General of WHO, as saying.

The statement said that none of the targets for effective leadership and governance for mental health, provision of mental health services in community-based settings, mental health promotion and prevention, and strengthening of information systems, were close to being achieved.

It said that in 2020, just 51 per cent of WHO’s 194 member states reported that their mental health policy or plan was in line with international and regional human rights instruments, way short of the 80 per cent target.

It said that only 52 per cent of countries met the target relating to mental health promotion and prevention programmes, also well below the 80 per cent target.

WHO noted that the only 2020 target met was a reduction in the rate of suicide by 10 per cent, but even then, only 35 countries said they had a stand-alone prevention strategy, policy or plan.

It said that steady progress was evident, however, in the adoption of mental health policies, plans and laws, as well as in improvements in capacity to report on a set of core mental health indicators.

It said that, however, the percentage of government health budgets spent on mental health has scarcely changed during the last years, still hovering around two per cent.