President Bola Tinubu has warned against the proliferation of abandoned and unoccupied structures especially built by agencies of government.
The managing director/chief executive of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Oyetunde Oladimeji Ojo, who disclosed this on Tuesday at the commissioning ceremony of FHA Complex and Express View Estate in Lugbe, Abuja, also revealed that the commissioning ceremony was tailored towards the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Tinubu, championed under the Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa-led Ministry of Housing.
The FHA Managing Director said the Authority has commenced the process of constructing the Renewed Hope Estate in 17 states of the Federation, adding that last month, they commissioned about 100 houses in the phase one of its estate at Ojoda in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Ojo said the Express View Estate in Lugbe, Abuja, comprises of about 50 units of terraces and flats and on full completion of the entire project, it will add to about 110 housing units to the national housing stock.
“I decided not to do an abandoned project because people have committed funds and that’s what Mr. President told us. The houses are there, people are not living there, government houses, and it’s because of this, the President said no. And so for the phase one of this our project, it’s fully occupied.
“The idea is behind our management’s decision to adopt the model of carcass or semi-finishing in our up coming projects, where we will provide essential finishing like electrical wiring, plumbing and a prototype exterior, while the allottee would choose the type of tiles and other finishing of their choice. By this, the affordability of the products would be guaranteed, and unnecessary cost not passed on to the subscribers,” he said.
In his remarks, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, commended the Managing Director of FHA and his team and said the projects were proof that the Authority was working hard and doing something right.
While praising the quality of work, the minister advised that to change the story of housing in Nigeria, there have to be a stronger partnerships between FHA, FMBN, developers as well as mortgage institutions, cooperatives, pension funds, and the private sector.
He said there was tge need to mobilise resources not just from government, but from every available source — so that they can build at scale and bring costs down.
“As Minister, I am happy with the work FHA under the leadership of Hon. Oyetunde Ojo is doing. The Authority has the pedigree and the mandate — now is the time to turn its fortunes around and make it a true pride of our nation,” the Minister added.
