The Federal Government has expressed its support to the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), FCT Council, in order to bring to fruition, its Journalists Village project in Abuja.
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, who disclosed this, also gave assurance to include members of the NUJ FCT Council in the housing programmes of the Ministry.
The minister spoke when a delegation from the NUJ FCT Council, led by its Chairman, Comrade Grace Ike, paid him a courtesy visit at the Ministry’s headquarters in Abuja on Friday.
Dangiwa acknowledged the crucial role of the media in national development, saying that they bridge the gap between government and the people, informing, explaining and challenging the government to do better.
Dangiwa told the Union about key programmes of the Ministry under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, especially the Renewed Hope Housing Programme which he described as a transformative initiative designed to address housing deficit and create jobs.
The Minister, while emphasising on the significance of the media in national development, requested for continuous collaboration with the Union, in educating the public to dispel misinformation and highlight the importance of the programmes of the Ministry.
Responding to the request of the Union on Journalists Village project, a mass housing initiative for journalists in Abuja, Dangiwa gave assurance that the Ministry will support the Union in securing land and facilitate building the estate through the Cooperative Housing Development of Nigeria under the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).
He adviced that the Union secure a titled land as well as an architect who would design the houses, promising to direct the Federal Mortgage Bank to create corporative housing development to build the estate for journalists, while the Union will bring off-takers who get allocated to the houses, with a payment plan of up to 30 years at 6% interest rate.
Minister Dangiwa equally promised that the Ministry would inspect the ongoing Pentagon Building of the NUJ FCT Council, for further necessary support.
Speaking earlier, the chairman of the NUJ FCT council, Comrade Grace Ike, commended the visionary leadership of the Minister in the housing sector, describing it as bold, strategic and people-centred, with remarkable strides.
She applauded Minister Dangiwa’s global engagements, particularly at the World Urban Forum, as well as his commitment to disability-friendly housing in compliance with relevant laws.
Comrade Ike sought the support and intervention of the Ministry in the NUJ FCT’s Journalists Village project in order to actualise affordable housing scheme for journalists, infrastructure support for the completion of a Pentagon Building and a new ultramodern hall to accommodate over 2,000 journalists.
She also appealed for support in access to housing finance and capacity building, seeking the inclusion of journalists in housing finance schemes through FMBN and other platforms.
