We delivered on our pledge to the people of Nigeria, says Buhari
By Darlington, Lagos
According to President Muhammadu Buhari, his administration has delivered on its promise to Nigerians of transformation.
In the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), at the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Zuba, on Tuesday, Buhari gave some newly minted homeowners their keys.
The estate, which is comprised of 748 units of various housing types in 75 blocks and spans 18.5 hectares of land, was inaugurated, and the President spoke at the event.
I extend my sincere congratulations to the new homeowners in this estate,” he said. You have received the transformation we promised to bring about.
He urged estate residents to actively cooperate with the FHA to maintain the building and maintain environmental safety.
The President congratulated FHA’s Chairman, Managing Director, Members of the Board, and Staff on the successful completion of the Estate and said that the endeavor was just another illustration of his administration’s dedication to helping people escape poverty.
The beneficiaries of this estate will have a solution thanks to the completion of this estate. “Housing supply is one of the markers of multi-dimensional poverty that faces our people.
He said that the new homeowners who benefited from the estate had moved out of poverty and up the economic ladder.
President Buhari asked the management of FHA to persevere in delivering other projects at various levels of construction and development across the states, acknowledging that more Nigerians are waiting to benefit from the mass housing project.
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The aggressive nationwide provision of infrastructure, he said, is “one of the measures that we have deliberately deployed to attack poverty, create prosperity, and develop our economy,” noting that such investments also result in the creation of employment opportunities for artisans and other skilled members of society.
The project’s completion, according to Babatunde Fashola, minister of works and housing, was the result of teamwork and the President’s leadership in approving selections to the FHA Board and Management.
He stated, “Instead of abandoned projects, we now have 748 completed housing units for Nigerians and their families to shelter,” and that over 13,000 Nigerians were employed directly and indirectly during the project, which involved 75 contractors.
The five beneficiaries—Flight Sgt. Musa Mohammed, Ado Maude, Salisu Iliyasu, Tina Orkpe, and Rabina Abdulkadir—who were given the keys to their apartments, according to Fashola—had signed up under the FHA’s Rent-to-Own delivery model.
Although many of the project’s beneficiaries will never personally meet the President, he said, “your policies and programmes have personally met them at the point of their needs.”
Senator Shuaibu Lawal, the chairman of the FHA board of directors, expressed gratitude to the president for releasing the grant of N7.5 billion for the project, which will begin in May 2018.
The project would not have been feasible without the grant, which served as the project’s initial funding. He added, “Mr. President, you get all the credit for what we see here today.
Lawal praised the Minister of Works and Housing, FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello, for their fervent commitment to the project, noting that the Estate is suitable for Nigerians who cannot afford residences in locations like Maitama and Asokoro in the FCT.
Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, managing director and chief executive officer of FHA, described the project’s commissioning as a manifestation of the President’s innovative and purposeful housing strategy. The President authorized the grant to FHA in accordance with his promise to provide housing for Nigerians.
According to him, the project was completed by the Authority for a total of N9.5 billion, with a N7.5 billion federal government subsidy.
He explained that the Authority’s other projects provided the remaining $2 billion in building costs, which were invested in the estate’s completion.
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Ashafa revealed that the Authority has also started building in Bwari Estate, Abuja, next to the Nigeria Law School, which will produce 336 units of various residences as part of the project’s initial phase.
He noted that the projected Diaspora City initiative, which focuses on Nigerians living abroad, is under underway with the goal of expanding the program to all of Nigeria, with Abuja serving as the prototype project.
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