Cross River governor commits N200m to affordable housing

The Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has said that his administration will build houses for displaced Bakassi returnees. He said N200 million would be used for the housing project. Ayade, who stated this while receiving the Chairman of Lafarge Africa, Mr. Bolaji Balogun, and members of his management team on a courtesy call in […]

The Cross River State Governor, Ben Ayade, has said that his administration will build houses for displaced Bakassi returnees. He said N200 million would be used for the housing project.
Ayade, who stated this while receiving the Chairman of Lafarge Africa, Mr. Bolaji Balogun, and members of his management team on a courtesy call in his office, said  the state would partner the cement manufacturers to actualise the project.
“We are a responsible state that is senstive to the needs of our people,” he said. “We want you to do a small pilot for the people of Bakassi returnees. I would like to do a small commitment of the sum of N200 million to start the resettlement process.
Ayade pointed out that with the quality of work so far delivered in other projects the company handled, he was confident that this initiative would bring unprecedented prosperity to the company and the state.
Ayade said the housing estate that would be located in the three senatorial districts of the state  would be called Calas-Vegas City for Southern senatorial district, Centicort and Northstradam for central and southern senatorial districts, respectively.
He said the three cities would be made up of 5,000 housing estates to complement existing ones built by his predecessors, Donald Duke and Liyel Imoke, adding that pre-fabricated equipment have been ordered for the proposed estates.
He directed the commissioners for social housing, finance, lands and agencies to collaborate with the company to kick-start the process of building the homes.
The Chairman of Lafarge, said to the governor:  “With your ambitious infrastructural initiatives, we believe that you are a man that we must work very closely with as you strive to develop the state.”
The DXB Group Incorporated, an American firm, would  handle the projects.
Meanwhile, George Ekpungu, the commissioner for new cities development, has signed the MoU on behalf of the state, while the Managing Director of DXB Group Incorporated, David Binton, signed on behalf of his company.