By Najem Francic, Sokoto
Sokoto State government is to embark on the construction of 1,000 one-bedroom housing units for low income earners in the state, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has said.
The governor who disclosed this when the Ministerof state for Power, Works and Housing, Malam Bala Mustapha Shehure, paid him a courtesy visit, said that the project was aimed at enhancing the welfare of the people and providing more citizens the opportunity to own their homes.
He said that his administration had already completed 500 housing units inherited from its predecessor and have been commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari when he visited Sokoto last November.
According to him, another 500 units would be completed before the end of the year for the benefit of civil servants and other citizens who could afford them.
Stressing the importance of shelter to human beings, the governor praised the federal government for embarking on housing projects across the country and pledged the support of the state government to this project and others aimed at improving the lot of the people.
The minister of state who was in Sokoto to inspect the ongoing 80 units federal housing project, expressed satisfaction with the level of work which he attributed to the support of the state government which readily provided the required land.
In another development, Governor Tambuwal said that the state government has already paid N1.7 billion as its counterpart funding for a joint annual work plan worth N2.8 billion signed with the UNICEF.
The governor who disclosed this while signing the agreement Wednesday said that UNICEF’s interventions in the critical areas of health and education have tremendously improved the lives of the people.
The agreement covers sectors such as health, education, water, sanitation and hygiene and it is UNICEF’s contribution to the United Nations Development Assistance framework and action plan for the years 2014 to 2017.
Also speaking, the Country Representative of UNICEF, Mohammed Fall, said that his organisation’s partnership with the Sokoto state government was the most outstanding at the state level.
He commended the governor for exceeding the standard set by UNICEF by giving 28% of the annual budgetary allocation to education.
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