The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has promised to ensure that common Nigerians yearning for housing allocations in the country benefited from its nearly completed housing scheme in Zuba, FCT and nationwide.
Prof. Mohammed Al-Amin, FHA Managing Director, made the promise on Monday during an inspection of its Zuba housing project site by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Al-Amin said that the 764 housing units project which has gulped N3.7 billion would be inaugurated in August.
Fashola had earlier given directive to the authority during the inspection to ensure that young and common Nigerians yearning for accommodation benefited from the project.
The FHA boss assured that the authority would put arrangements in place to ensure that Nigerians that the houses were designed for actually get them.
“We have taken several measures to ensure that the end users are actually the common Nigerians. For instance, we are encouraging all sorts of groups to form housing cooperatives.
“Forming cooperatives does not only mean getting land and building the houses but there is consideration during the housing allocations.
“We are poised to do better in the finishing touches, especially in the toilet and rooms; these will be taken into considerations to come out with lesser cost for the housing.
Nationaltrail reports that the housing project, which is almost completed, with the houses roofed is located within its target beneficiaries at Zuba Model Market, FCT College of Education and Zuba Spare Parts Market.
“That is why we choose this location in Zuba for these houses; it is not in Maitaima, Asokoro or Jabi rather we decided to come to the outskirt of FCT to build for some specific Nigerians who must have these houses,” he said.
He said that another mass housing work is ongoing in Kwali and Bwari with labourers on ground so that those who could not afford to stay in the central business district or hinterland can get houses at the feriferi area.
“We have another type of housing called Affordable Nationwide Housing Project just like we have started this one as pilot in FCT we are piloting Kastina and Ibadan once they are completed we will replicate it all over the country.
“For the nationwide affordable housing, it is going to be across the local government in state capitals. Presently, we have profiled 46 sites which after the pilot scheme in Ibadan and Kastina we will now deploy resources to all those places,” he said.
Earlier, Fashola had commended FHA for not compromising on the quality of the building materials used for the housing estate, adding that when completed it would be of globally competitive standard.
“We are trying to get what fits the pocket of ordinary Nigerians and the Federal Government is very determined on the housing projects; it will be efficient but not luxury.
“It will meet the global minimum competitive standard of public housing in terms of its fittings and finishing
“Affordability has to do with how much you can pay and how you pay there. There is a mortgage system in place and we have reduced the equity contribution of the mortgage system to boost affordability,” he said.
Fashola said that people, who would take up the houses, were expected to equally have Mortgage finance from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).
According to him, if you are working for the next 20 years, if the house is N10 million, it should be affordable for you if the payment method of monthly deduction is placed over your working career,” he said.
He further said that the ministry was also looking at “Rent to Own’’ scheme so that if one could not buy and could not get mortgage, one could rent and start contributing through house rent to become the owner later.
He was overwhelmed that the project has employed about 10,000 persons including suppliers, workmen, builders and artisans, saying that more would be employed at the fitting stage.
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