FHA to partner with Abuja traders to provide 5,000 Housing units

In a bid to provide housing for the informal sector, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) last week entered into a partnership with traders in Abuja for the delivering of 5,000 housing units in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Under the scheme with the National Association of Nigerian Traders, the first phase will start in the site for the proposed FHA HOUSING ESTATE in Zuba. It comprises one, two and three bedroom categories in blocks of flats.

Addressing thousands of traders from the various markets in the FCT on the launching of the scheme at Eagles Square, Abuja at the maiden National Traders Day, the acting Managing Director, Federal Housing Authority, David Kpue, an engineer, expressed delight that the partnership between the Authority and the traders had become a reality.

He said the Authority had envisaged such collaboration in 2007 when it adopted the cooperative housing model for accelerated housing delivery.

The acting Managing Director, represented by the Authority’s Deputy General Manager, Public-Private Partnership, Barrister Hajara Kadiri, noted that cooperative housing had for years assisted in providing affordable housing for low and medium income earners in many countries, adding that the model takes the stress of home ownership away from the individual and shares it among members of a group.

He said there was no better time for Nigerians to adopt the model than now with the dwindling ability average citizen to save enough money to either build his house or buy a completed one.

The FHA chief executive praised the association for opening a group account with FHA MORTGAGE Bank, the Authority’s primary mortgage institution and urged the members to pay up the 15 percent of the COST of their desired houses to facilitate the delivery of the houses.

He said the Authority on its part had secured the site in Zuba for the take off of the project adding that the designs were ready and that work would commence as soon as approvals were obtained from the Federal Capital Development Authority.

Assuring the traders that the Authority would deliver on all its commitments under the partnership, Kpue said the FHA was determined to make it easier for low and medium income earners to own their own houses.

To achieve that goal, he said the Authority, in spite of not enjoying budget appropriation, was working towards the take off of new town projects in Bwari and Kwali both in the FCT both of which he said was expected to deliver no fewer than 35,000 housing units.

He praised President GOODLUCK JONATHAN for the giant strides made by his administration to make home ownership easy and convenient for Nigerians.

These, he said included the approval of both the National Housing and the National Urban Development Policies as well as the floating of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) which he noted would midwife a sustainable mortgage culture in the country.

Kpue also noted that under, the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is about completing the development of a road map for the nation’s housing and urban development sector.

All these, he said would begin to yield results soon in the form of increased access to affordable housing for all Nigerians.

In his address, the Chairman of the Abuja chapter of the association, Prince Edozie Ugwu said his team was satisfied that the FHA would deliver the houses in record time and urged members to pay up their deposit to enable the project take off on schedule.

Credit: Guardian Newspaper