Illustration of a proposed estate
Succour may be in the offing for some contributors of the National Housing Fund (NHF) in Imo State, if recent pronouncements by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) are anything to go by.
The FMBN financed 100 housing units under the Ministerial Pilot Housing Scheme at Naze, Owerri North Local Council to the tune of N592.3 million and approved NHF’s loans of N5 million, for prospective subscribers.
The estates were developed by a private developer, Minfa Nigeria Limited and consists of 48 units of three-bedrooms; 40 units of two- bedrooms; and 12 units of one- bedroom terrace.
The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, who commissioned the project, said the housing units have the National Housing Model, taking care of cultural and climatic diversities and standardisation with the use of local materials.
He reiterated the Federal government’s commitment to provide affordable houses for Nigerians, saying the housing deficit of 16- 17 million units would be surmounted by the government.
The minister stressed that President Muhammadu Buhari, has made the commitment by the commissioning of the housing scheme, According to him, the determination of the ministry to build mass housing units across the country, for public workers in the next three years, under the public -private partnership arrangement remains irrevocable.
Expressing joy that the houses were equipped with basic amenities for decent life, he commended the bank for the financial assistance to workers and others.
He also urged the workers to contribute consistently in the National Housing Fund (NHF). Imo State Governor, Chief Rochas Okorocha, represented by his deputy, Eze Madumere, said he was delighted by the project and its completion, noting that his administration would continue to give its assistance and cooperation to willing investors.
Also, FMBN Acting Managing Director, Richard Resin, said the estate was financed by the FMBN through the NHF with the minimum of the mandatory contributory scheme of Nigerian workers in the private and public sector.
He disclosed that the over 2,200 housing units had been delivered in the six geo- political zones in the country, while another 2,000 would be completed and handed over in the next 24 months.
The houses, he said will be given to workers, who qualified for loans at a concessionary interest rate of six per cent per annum, which is repayable over a period of 30 years.
Speaking, the chairman of MINFA Limited, Dr. Emmanuel Mbaka, said the scheme was conceptualized by the ministry, with the necessary support and encouragement of the minister. He stated the commitment of the outfit to ensure prompt and desirable housing units.
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