The Federal Government on Thursday hinted of its plans to commence the construction of 34,500 housing units in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, made this disclosure in his keynote address at the ongoing 12th Meeting of the National Council of Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Kaduna.
According to the Minister, the construction of the 34,500 housing units, scheduled to kick off before December, is the Phase 1 of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates and Slum Upgrading Programme.
Dangiwa explained that the 34,500 housing units would consist of 1, 2 and 3-bedroom affordable multi-level flats and bungalows for low-income earners and high-end detached bungalows, terraces and duplexes for high income earners in 36 states and the FCT.
He explained that government had already mapped out options to make the housing units easily affordable by Nigerians upon completion, including Rent-to-Own, Public Rental, Mortgage Loans, and where applicable, outright sale options
Dangiwa also disclosed that government intended to upgrade a total of 26 slums in the six geopolitical regions of the country and the FCT by ensuring the provision of access roads, water supply, solar street lights, drainages, and several other ancillary services that would improve the living standards of the slum dwellers.
He expatiated: “This project would ensure the provision of key infrastructure and ancillary services including access roads, water supply, solar streetlight, drainages, sanitation and waste management services etc., that would improve the living standards of the slum residents in the project sites and the urban poor in general.”
Despite several years of public-private investments in the nation’s housing sector, the country’s housing deficit rate has been widening with the estimated gap at over 20 million units nationwide.
