FG Is Committed To Addressing Housing Deficits – Osinbajo

Nigeria’s Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) led government is fully committed to addressing the nation’s housing deficits.

The Vice President also reiterated that the Buhari-led administration would deliver other promises made to Nigerians during the electioneering campaigns last year.

Vice President Osinbajo made the statement while performing the foundation laying ceremony of 2,000 mass houses for low income earners at the Millenium City Estate in Kaduna State, North West, Nigeria, on Tuesday.

Professor Osinbajo said that Nigeria could be great again under President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration if all the resources were properly harnessed and corruption was wiped out at all levels of governance.

He stated that the present government was fully determined to fight corruption to a standstill and recover all stolen funds from corrupt public officials no matter how long it takes.

The 2,000 housing units were developed under a public-private partnership arrangement between the Kaduna State Government and Hydrafoam Property Development Company.

It comprised of semi-detached four bedroom, three bedroom and two bedroom apartments. When completed, each of them would go for less than five million Naira.

The Vice President also performed the ground breaking ceremony for the construction of an ultra-modern shopping complex located in the state capital, Kaduna.

The host Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, said that the estate and the shopping mall, when completed, would reduce the housing deficit challenge being faced by low income earners and also create over 2,000 direct jobs in the state.

While commending Governor El-Rufai for the laudable programmes embarked upon by his administration, the Vice President announced that about two million jobs would be created by the Federal Government across the country, with 500,000 of such jobs coming from the teaching profession.

He also said that the government would support small scale enterprises through disbursement of soft loans and other incentives.

There is a massive shortage of housing in Nigeria. The deficit is estimated to be a whopping 17 million units.

Currently, poverty and poor living conditions are very rampant, while decent and good quality housing continue to elude many Nigerians.

In its manifesto for the 2015 general election, the APC stated that in order to meet the housing shortage, the party would implement a social housing policy of one million low-cost housing units in the first four years.

It is therefore, expected that the housing scheme would be implemented in all the state of the federation with ordinary Nigerians being the major beneficiaries.