The Federal Government today Saturday performed the ground breaking ceremony for the commencement of the construction of 250 units housing estate for civil servants under the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu in Shabu community, Lafia Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.
Speaking at the ground breaking ceremony on Saturday in Shabu community of Lafia, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development said that the estate will includes; 50 one-bedroom, 150 two-bedroom, and 50 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.
The minister noted that the houses are designed in a way that the owners can expand them in future as their incomes grows and their revenue increases.
Dangiwa explained that the event was a continuation of the nationwide groundbreaking exercise under the Renewed Hope cities and estates programme of the ministry that the president inaugurated in February with the commissioning of a 3,112-housing unit in Karsana, Abuja.
The Renewed Hope Cities and Estates project is an initiative of the President Tinubu-led administration to bridge the housing gaps in the country, with the aim to deliver 50,000 housing units nationwide under the Phase 1 of the project.
He said the Renewed Hope Cities are designed to have between 500-1,000 housing units per site in one location in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country and the Federal Capital Territory, while the Renewed Hope Estates will have 250 units per site in the remaining 30 states.
“Nasarawa is the 12th states we are doing the groundbreaking and our plan is to have all of them completed within the next couple of months and made available to Nigerians in line with Mr. President’s desire to provide quality housing for all Nigerians.
He explained that the funding for the phase one of the projects was from the N50 billion 2023 supplementary budget of the ministry.
He further said that the other states not covered under the 2023 supplementary budget would be included in the 2024 Budget, on first-come-first-serve basis if they provide land at no cost.
This initiative aims to address social inequality by offering various affordable ownership options, including single-digit, up to 30-year mortgage loans from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, rent-to-own schemes, and outright purchases for high-income earners.
He said that the site would generate more than 6000 direct and indirect jobs for the indigenes of the state and therefore, urged the developers to keep the specifications and deliver a quality work within three months.
“This government has zero tolerance for uncomplicated projects, so you must deliver this project within three months,” Dangiwa added.
Alh. Usman Osidi, Managing Director (MD), Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria while making a remark, said that they would remain committed toward achieving the renewed hope agenda of the federal government in the housing sector.
Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State while speaking, said he was happy for being part of the groundbreaking event aimed at addressing the housing deficit in the state and the country.
Sule explained that Nasarawa State government had keyed into this laudable initiative of the president, which was why they recently sold government’s quarters to civil servants on owner-occupier basis.
He therefore promised to continue to initiate policies and programmes that would better the working conditions of the civil servants as well as members of the public.
Mr. Danmalam Sani who spoke on behalf of the developers assured that they would deliver quality work within the stipulated period.