BY OBINNA OGBONNAYA, Abakaliki
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) yesterday staged a peace protest over alleged illegal sale of Workers’ Housing Estate to civil servants working outside the state and politicians by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.
The leadership of the unions also petitioned President Muhammadu Buhari and the federal government over the alleged fraud and called on the federal government to address the issue.
The union leaders staged a walkout from the commissioning of the housing estates project, located at Ugwuachara in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State.
Addressing journalists before the commissioning of the Housing Estate, the state chairman of NLC, Comrade Ikechukwu Nwafor who spoke on behalf of both unions had urged the state governor, Chief David Umahi to boycott the commissioning until the sale of the housing estate to non-workers is revised.
“Ebonyi State government has done well for the first time by donating land for the housing estates to be built for the workers. But for the housing estate to be built and sold to non-workers and indigenes who are not from Ebonyi state is unfortunate.”
“Workers of Ebonyi State have been contributing through the National Housing Fund, which is being handled by Federal Mortgage Bank PLC. Some of us have contributed for 23, 20 and 16 years to this housing estate project.
“Workers in Ebonyi State are not happy and what the mortgage bank PLC did should be queried and the process should be revised to make sure that Ebonyi workers were able to access the facility.
“We call for the immediate intervention of the federal government, especially the federal ministry of Housing, asking that the Mortgage Bank and the developer, COPEN services limited led by Ugochukwu Chime be called to order. “We were told by the mortgage bank that it was the developer, COPEN services limited that sold it and that they are not aware of whom they sold it to”, the association lamented
Reacting, the managing director, of the Federal Mortgage Bank Plc, Mr. Kingsley Chukwuma denied knowledge of the allegation, stressing that the housing estate in Ugwucahara was allocated to people that are qualified and have completed payment.
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