Abuja — The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, yesterday said he was set to commence the nationwide official groundbreaking for the phase 1 of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates project, beginning with 1,250 housing units in four states in Northern Nigeria.
The exercise follows the programme's official launch by President Bola Tinubu, with a 3,112-housing unit project in Karsana, Abuja, in February 2024.
However, the federal government called on a couple of states that hadn't provided land for the commencement of the projects to do so, in order to fast-track the national housing plan of the Tinubu government.
The successful completion of the contracting process and mobilisation of reputable developers to start work has set the stage for this significant development, the minister said.
Dangiwa, a statement by his Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Mark Chieshe, said, will officially flag off construction activities at the project sites in the four states, namely: Katsina, Kano, Yobe, and Gombe from Wednesday to Saturday.
"We are committed to our promise to the president to turn the country into a huge construction site and unlock the potential of the housing sector to create jobs, catalyse economic growth, and contribute to the $1 trillion economy while boosting national development.
"The 1,250 units that we are breaking ground for in Katsina, Kano, Yobe, and Gombe is only a start. After this, we shall be proceeding to other parts of the country,"Dangiwa said.
The minister noted that under the 2023 supplementary budget, the ministry had awarded contracts for 3,500 housing units in 13 states since December 2023.
These, he said, include 500 housing units in Kano as well as 250 housing units in 12 other states, including Katsina, Sokoto, Yobe, Gombe, Nasarawa, Benue, Osun, Oyo, Abia, Ebonyi, Delta and Akwa Ibom.
"The Renewed Hope City in Kano comprises: 100 units of one-bedroom (semi-detached bungalows), 300 units of two-bedrooms (semi-detached bungalows), 100 units of three-bedrooms (semi-detached bungalows).
"Also, the Renewed Hope Estates in Katsina, Yobe, and Gombe each comprise: 50 units of one-bedroom (semi-detached bungalows), 100 units of two-bedrooms (semi-detached bungalows), 50 units of three-bedrooms (semi-detached bungalows)
"To enhance affordability and ease of offtake, we used organic designs where one bedroom can be expanded to two-bedrooms and three-bedrooms as the income of beneficiaries increase over time," Dangiwa said.
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At an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs per housing unit, the 1,250 housing units, he stressed, are estimated to create 31,250 skilled and unskilled jobs in these states.
"Construction work at the sites will also stimulate local economic activity, benefiting the communities and the broader economy.
"The housing projects also seek to address social inequality by providing a broad range of affordable ownership options. These include: single digit and up to 30-year mortgage loans to be provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Rent-to-Own options where beneficiaries can move in and pay towards homeownership in monthly, quarterly, or annual instalments and Outright Purchase for high income earners.
"The 1,250 housing units are being funded under the N50 billion 2023 supplementary budget of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development," he added.
The minister assured all state governments that the Renewed Hope Housing Programme was designed to cover all the states in the country.
He stated that states that were not covered under the 2023 supplementary budget will be covered under the 2024 Budget.
"He therefore called on all state governments who are yet to provide land for siting the projects to do so to enable the ministry finalise project plans," the minister was quoted to have said.
