By Olubunmi Omoogun – The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has assured that no Federal Government Housing projects will be left uncompleted under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration.
He said that the Renewed Hope Housing Programme was initiated to boost the stock of affordable housing in Nigeria and the Ministry will ensure completion of all and there will be no abandoned houses under the programme.
In order to ensure the speedy delivery of the projects, the Housing Ministry will partner the Association of Housing Corporations on the Renewed Hope Housing Programme.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), have agreed on a joint mission in the delivery of affordable housing under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme of the present administration.
AHCN mission is to eradicate homelessness and provide decent and affordable housing for all Nigerians in a safe environment.
In a statement released by Director, Information and Public Relations of the Ministry, Salisu Badamasi Haiba, he stated that this understanding was arrived at when the President and Chairman of Council, Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN), Esv. Eno Obongha, led a delegation of members of the Housing Association in a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Abuja.
The Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN) is an umbrella organization for all federal and state housing agencies, housing research institutes, mortgage establishments and private property developers.
AHCN members include; the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Nigerian Building & Road Research Institute (NBRRI), etc. with all the 36 states Housing Agencies as members.
In addition, the minister assured on the use of quality local building materials products to deliver the houses that will be acceptable to Nigerians and to boost the local economy.
Accordingly, he stated that, despite the fact that the goal of the Renewed Hope Housing Programme was to provide affordable and accessible houses for all Nigerians, the Ministry would not allow the use of substandard building materials, emphasising that high quality building materials would be used to deliver the houses.
Arc. Dangiwa expressed satisfaction with the Agric -Villages Scheme initiative of the Association, designed to acquire farm lands in rural areas in all states, using agriculture to drive housing provisions thereby creating job opportunities for jobless youths.
He assured them that the Agric-villages scheme will be incorporated into the National Social Housing Fund initiative which the ministry is also working to implement in order to provide access to affordable housing to low and none income Nigerians.
In his remarks, the President and Chairman of Council, Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria, ESV. Eno Obongha told the Minister that AHCN desires to participate in the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda by providing about 15 hectares of land in each of the senatorial district for the development of housing in furtherance of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The association also solicited for the State Housing Corporations to obtain Housing Development Funds through the mortgages, and also sought inclusion in executing housing projects under the Renewed Hope Housing Programme.
Surveyor Eno also suggested to the minister to ensure at least twenty percent of the building materials used in the Renewed Hope Agenda Projects are locally sourced.
President Bola Tinubu has given all the support required to the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) as his housing for all programme is uppermost in his administration’s agenda and resolve to address Nigeria’s housing deficits especially for lowly income Nigerians.