The Federal Government on Thursday said that it was committed to various initiatives and programmes designed to improve the nation’s housing by partnering with stakeholders in a collective effort to reduce the existing deficit on a sustainable basis.
The Minister of State II for Power, Works and Housing, Mallam Suleiman Zarma, said the one of the initiatives undertaken by the government to bridge the estimated 17 million housing unit gap was the National Housing Programme (NHP).
The minister, who spoke during the inauguration of a three-block of 12 units of two bedroom flats in Lugbe, Abuja, said that efforts were being intensified to improve the involvement of other stakeholders in the housing provision agenda in order to fast-track the growth of the sector.
The minister commended the foresight and the efforts of the Staff Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society (SMCS) of the Housing Sector, Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, builders of the units, SMCS officials for addressing the housing needs of its members.
Zarma said that the project was in line with the core mandate of the ministry to ensure adequate, affordable and sustainable housing delivery in the country.
He said: “The ministry’s present leadership is committed to advancing the cause of the welfare of staff. Talking about support, I mean providing you with some technical and logistic assistance to realise your objectives.”
The minister advised the leadership of the society to ensure that their structures were built on lands that were properly acquired in line with laid down rules.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the group, Mr Frank Ijiofor, said the project was executed at the cost of N86.5 million through direct labour and solicited government’s support in the provision of facilities, particularly roads.
