1,000 federal housing units for Bauchi, Ekiti targets 200
LOW and medium income earners in Bauchi State will have their housing problem addressed by the Federal Ministry of Housing, which is planning 1,000 units of houses for them.
The Ekiti State government is also shopping for N300 million to build 200 flats in Ado-Ekiti.
The Controller of Housing in Bauchi, Mr. Abdulfatah Mohammed, explained at the weekend that the move was part of government's efforts to make houses affordable to the residents.
He said the houses would range from one-bedroom to three-bedroom flats.
Mohammed hinted that the ministry had already acquired some 170 hectares of land from the state government and efforts were being made to secure funds for the project.
He said contacts had been made with some primary mortgage institutions (PMI) and private development to finance the project.
The controller said beneficiaries would complete payment for the houses in about 20 years' time after initial deposits.
The ministry, according to him, has identified 43 filling stations, which were built on the Federal Government rights of way in the state.
"Very soon, we shall be collecting revenue from all the stations to further boost our revenue base", Mohammed added.
He said a housing census had been concluded in Bauchi, Dass and Bogoro Local Councils to assist the National Population Commission (NPC) in its 2005 national head-count.
Special Assistant to the Ekiti State Governor on Media Matters, Mr. Kola Ajumobi, said the government had given the state's housing corporation a go-ahead to secure the relevant loan from the Federal Mortgage Bank.
The proposed 200 housing units are in two categories.
In the first category, 100 units of two bedroom flats will cost N1.2 million each while the other 100 units of three-bedroom flats will cost N1.5 million each.
Ajumobi said the housing units would be located at Oke-Ila, Omisanjama and Iyin Road, all within Ado-Ekiti.
"Apart from the 200 housing units in Ado-Ekiti, the government is planning to build some low cost housing units in all the major towns and villages with mud bricks, as part of a grand design to alleviate housing problems", he said.
Ajumobi also announced that government had concluded an arrangement to send delegates to Malawi, Kenya and Jigawa State to conduct research on the construction of houses with mud bricks.
