Employees Housing Scheme (Special Provisions) Act, Cap E8, LFN 2004

EMPLOYEES HOUSING SCHEMES (SPECIAL PROVISIONS) ACT

An Act to make it obligatory for every employer of labour so designated by order to establish, execute and maintain a housing scheme for its employees in every State or part thereof where its establishment is not less than 500 employees and to provide for matters connected therewith.

1.        Provision of housing scheme for employees made obligatory in certain cases

(1)       Every designated employer (whether corporate or unincorporate ) shall, not later than six months after the requisite order is made as provided in this section, submit for the consideration of the Minister, proposals for the establishment of a housing scheme for his employees in respect of each State in the Federation (or such number of States as may be applicable in his case) in accordance with the following provisions of this Act.

(2)       For the purposes of the subsection (1) of this section, "designated employer" means any employer who-

(a)       on or after the commencement of this Act has not less than 500 persons in his employment in any State in the Federation or any part thereof; or

(b)       is designated as such by the Minister, with the approval of the President,  either by reference to the number of employees (whether or not more than 500) or the turn-over of profits of the trade or business of the employer concerned or otherwise howsoever, and the name and other relevant particulars of every such designated employer shall be published by the Minister by order in the Federal Gazette.

(3)       For the purposes of this Act, "provision of housing scheme" includes provision, on a rental basis, of separate dwellings or of blocks of flats for employees.

2.        Housing scheme to conform to prescribed standards, etc.

(1)        Without prejudice to the other provisions of this section, every housing scheme under this Act shall conform to such standards as may be prescribed.

(2)       Every housing scheme shall make provision for not less than fifty units of accommodation in respect of each designated employer and the units shall form part of an integrated development with other similar units and shall be located contiguous or as near as may be reasonable in the circumstances to the places of work of the employees concerned.

(3)       Not less than three quarters of the total accommodation available in every such scheme shall be for employees who are not executive or senior staff within the meaning of section 3 (4) of the Trade Unions Act.

3.        Processing of proposals, etc.

(1)       The Minister shall, not later than three months after receipt of proposals made pursuant to section 1 of this Act-

(a)       convey his approval therefore with or without modifications and specify the time within which it shall be implemented; or

(b)      convey his intention to reject the proposals, so however that where,  subsequent to such notice to reject, the designated employer concerned makes the necessary adjustments, the Minister may convey approval for the scheme as provided in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section.

(2)       Where a proposal is rejected in its entirety, the Minister shall set out the reasons for such rejection and the designated employer concerned shall, not later than three months after such rejection is notified to him, submit fresh proposals which conform in all respects to prescribed standards to the Minister and the provisions of subsection (1) of this section shall apply accordingly.

4.            Power to provide furniture

(1)       A designated employer may fit out, furnish and supply any unit erected or acquired by him with all requisite furniture, fittings and conveniences and may sell or supply under a hire-purchase agreement, furniture to the occupants of units provided by the employer concerned.

(2)       In this section, hire-purchase agreement has the meaning assigned thereto by the Hire Purchase Act.