Desirous of providing accommodation for the majority of Nigerians, the federal government is planning to build Renewed Hope Cities nationwide with the first phase delivering 34,500 homes in selected cities and state capitals across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwab told the Acting Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Services, Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju at a meeting where he stated that Nigeria needs 550,000 new homes every year over the next ten years to meet Nigerians housing needs.
The types and patterns of housing units under the plan are 1,2,3- bedroom affordable bungalows and multi-level flats catering for low to medium-income earners while high-income earners would be catered for under Public Private Partnership with reputable developers to build elegant terrace and detached bungalows as well as duplexes, noting the cities would be a symbol of inclusivity where every Nigerian family regardless of their level of income could own a home.
Funding is expected from the budgetary allocation for the Ministry, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, and the Public Private Partnership with reputable developers in the country to create a new era in housing development.
To ensure this, the ministry is currently working with the National Population Commission (NPC) to determine the actual housing deficit in the Country which an in-house estimate puts at 550,000 every year.
The minister explained that the federal government has set to reform the federal housing agencies such as the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and Federal Housing Authority to enable them to function optimally and efficiently to deliver decent, quality, and affordable housing to Nigerians in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister said, ” While the FMBN focuses on affordable housing using single-digit interest rates and long tenors of up to 30-years to contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF) Scheme, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has the flexibility to develop houses for both low- and high-income earners.”
Accordingly, the Minister told the Immigration Boss that two institutions FHA and FMBN would be able to meet and deliver affordable housing to all cadres of the hardworking Immigration Officers
Earlier in her remarks, the Acting Comptroller General of Immigrations, Caroline Wura-Ola Adepoju, appealed to the Honourable Minister to consider the officers of the Nigeria Immigration Services in the commencement of its housing programmes nationwide. She said that the utmost dream of every immigration officer to acquire a decent home to live after retirement has not been achievable due to the high price tag put on it by private developers.
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