The Federal Government of Nigeria has announced the commencement of the construction of a 250-unit housing estate for civil servantsNasarawa state.
The estate under the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Tinubu will be located in the Azuba community near Lafia.
News Agency of Nigeria reports that Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, at the ground-breaking ceremony of the project on Saturday, July 6, said the houses were designed to allow for possible expansion by the owners.
According to the minister, the estate project comprises of 50 one-bedroom, 150 two-bedroom, and 50 three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.
Challenges of housing deficit in Nigeria
A 2019 report from the Affordable Housing Investment Summit shows that Nigeria with an estimated population of 200 million has 18 to 22 million housing deficits.
As of November 2022, this rose 25 million deficits, an increase of over 15per cent from January 2019 data. The global housing deficit crisis has continued to pose a pressing challenge, affecting billions of people worldwide.
By 2030, United Nations Habitat said it is anticipated that approximately 3 billion individuals, or roughly 40 per cent of the world’s population, will lack proper housing.
However, Dangiwa said in line with the Renewed Hope cities and estates programme of the ministry inaugurated by the president, 50,000 housing units will be provided nationwide under Phase 1 of the project.
He assured that the initiative would create between 500 to 1,000 housing units per site in each of the six geopolitical zones of the country and the Federal Capital Territory, while the Renewed Hope Estates would have 250 units per site in the remaining 30 states.
He said, “Nasarawa is the 12th state we are doing the groundbreaking and our plan is to have all of them completed within three months and made available to Nigerians in line with Mr President’s desire to provide quality housing for all Nigerians.”
The first phase of the project will be funded from the N50 billion 2023 supplementary budget of the ministry and states not covered under the 2023 supplementary budget will be included in the 2024 Budget, on a first-come-first-served basis with a condition that they provide land for the project 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.
He pointed out that the project in each site, would generate more than 6,000 direct and indirect jobs for the community and and boost economic activities in the area.
The minister urged the developers to deliver on the job within the stipulated three months and in line with the contract specifications.“This government has zero tolerance for uncompleted projects, so you must deliver this project within three months,” Dangiwa added
