The federal government has backed the Abuja Cooperative City Project, a major housing initiative under the Renewed Hope Affordable Housing Agenda that aims to provide 10,000 affordable homes for workers and cooperative members.
It was endorsed yesterday by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria at a stakeholders’ coordination meeting in Abuja.
The event was attended by cooperative executives, mortgage finance partners and senior housing officials.
The secretary-general of the Abuja Cooperative Federation, Prof. Emmanuel Iyaji, said for years many of “our members have dreamt of owning a home in the capital but found it out of reach. Abuja Cooperative City changes that story.
“It is exciting to watch government agencies, cooperatives and private partners working side by side to give ordinary working people a chance to own a safe, comfortable home and a place they can truly call their own.
“Our plans include energy-efficient designs, landscaped green areas, schools, markets, health centres and a clean-energy bus service,” he said.
The consultant to the Abuja Cooperative City Project, Emmanuel Entonu, said, “This project is about more than bricks and mortar.
“We are building neighbourhoods where families can settle, grow and thrive. Seeing so many partners come together with a shared vision for affordable and well-planned homes gives me real confidence that we are creating something special for Abuja and for Nigeria,” he said.
For his part, the managing director of Qietur Limited, Dr Abiola Oyedotun, noted, “This gathering confirms a shared commitment to create a city that reflects innovation and inclusiveness.
“Through this initiative, we will generate employment, stimulate local economies and set a new standard for collaboration between public and private sectors in housing delivery across Nigeria.”
Representatives of the participating cooperatives, including the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, NNPC, the Police Service Commission and the Federal Judicial Service Commission, expressed readiness to mobilise their members to subscribe as soon as mortgage application forms were released.
