BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
The federal government has concluded plans to create 1.8 million jobs
for young people, women and unemployed persons through the
construction of 300,000 new homes for the low-incomee earners across the country by the Family Homes Fund (FHF) in collaboration with Federal Housing Authority (FHA).
Managing director of FHF, Mr Femi Adewole stated this in Abuja
yesterday, during the signing of Memorandum of Agreement (MoU) with
FHA for the construction of 1000 units of housing in Law School Bwari
, Abuja, as phase one of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 300, 000 social
housing project.
He stated that FHA had more lands for housing development than every
organisation, stressing that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through
the ministry of finance has approved an initial capital of N200
billion towards the execution of the project.
According to him, “We are hoping to deploy some of the capital into
sites that are owned by FHA to produce homes for Nigerians in very
low-income level and they are homes that people can buy from N2m to
N3.75m for one-bedroom to 3-bedroom.”
Adewole hinted that FHF was determined to ensure that young people and
Nigerians on low-income have access to affordable homes, adding that
for every home produced, six jobs would be created.
He further stated that the project would accelerate local manufacturing, as
factories engaged in the production of doors would input into the
programme.
Adewole said that FHF have initiated control measures to avoid the
project from being hijacked, adding that the houses would be
distributed through the cooperative societies in the informal sector.
For his part, the managing director of FHA, Sen Gbenga Ashafa said the
project would kick-start the first delivery of 300, 000 housing units
which President Muhammadu Buhari promised Nigerians, as part of his
social intervention programme for low-income earners.
He was excited that FHA would be the first public agency to key into
the social housing vision of Mr President, with the signing of the
partnership agreement with FHF to deliver the first 1000 housing units
in Bwari.
Ushafa pointed out that apart from providing 300, 000 new homes to
Nigerians, the project would also generate jobs for professional’s,
labourers, artisans, suppliers, food vendors, transporters and others
in the value chain.
The MD disclosed that the Bwari project would kick start by the end of
November after all the preparations must have been concluded on the
field, stating that the project would target low-income and
lower-middle level.
