How artisans, others find succour from National Housing programme

Artisans, farmers and suppliers in the country are getting more empowered through the National Housing Programme aimed at providing affordable houses in Nigeria. A number of artisanal job opportunities have been created following the speed the current administration has approached the project.  Okabua Joseph who is one of the labourers, said he was able to […]

Artisans, farmers and suppliers in the country are getting more empowered through the National Housing Programme aimed at providing affordable houses in Nigeria.

A number of artisanal job opportunities have been created following the speed the current administration has approached the project. 

Okabua Joseph who is one of the labourers, said he was able to earn a job through the project.

Okabua said before now he had nothing doing but that he now earned about N2,000 daily from which he took care of his family. 

Under the National Housing Programme, each state government provides land where the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing, provides physical housing units in the 36 states. 

The Ministry of Works, Power and Housing recently took a tour of some states in the North Central; particularly FCT, Nasarawa, Benue and Plateau, where projects under the National Housing Programme handled by various contractors are ongoing. 

The monitoring team, led by the North Central National Housing Programme Zonal Coordinator, Engr. Julius Olurinola, began with the FCT project located at Dukwa in Gwagwalada Area Council. 

The Gwagalada project consists of 72 housing units, according to Leo Chao a contractor at the Gwawalada site, who added that with the fast disbursement of funds the project which was already 40 per cent done would be completed in due course. 

The ongoing projects in Lafiya, Nasarawa state are semi-detached bungalows consisting of one, two and three bedrooms. The housing estate which is located at Ungwar Rere, Kilometre 10, along Shendam Road consists of 78 housing units. 

Engr. Olurinola said the first phase of the Nasarawa housing project was almost at completion stage, adding that the project would be completed in the next two months. 

But by the time the inspection team arrived the Makurdi housing project at the Mobile Police Barracks Road, New Layout, the site had been taken over by protesters claiming to be the actual owners of the land which the Benue State Government provided for the housing project.

They blocked the entrance to the estate calling on the Federal Government to immediately compensate them. 

Leader of the group, Deunion Akombo, said the Utu Mega Layout community demanded a quick response from the Federal Government to compensate everyone affected by the scheme. 

In Jos, residents of Laminga in Jos East Local Government Area of Plateau State expressed joy over the new national housing programme sited in their community, saying that the programme had been boosting the economic lives of the people.

The project involves two blocks of one-bedroom semi-detached flat (four units), 24 blocks of 3- bedroom semi-detached flats (48 units), 14 blocks of three-bedroom semi-detached flats (28 units), giving a total of 40 blocks (80 units).

The District Head of Laminga, Adagwom Izang Abok, said the project had empowered the community by providing menial employment opportunity to labourers, food and drink sellers, suppliers, among others.