REDAN seeks partnership with government on staff housing scheme

Reports show that the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), in a bid to increase home ownership in the country, has moved to partner with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation in executing the proposed Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) scheme.

The Guardian reports that in a courtesy visit to the Permanent Secretary Head of Service of the Federation (OHCSF), Mr. Yemi Adelakun in Abuja, the association President, Rev. Ugochukwu Chime and other members including the Deputy President, Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko, and a member of the Board of Trustees Mr. David Garnvwa, expressed its desire to cooperate with the government on the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH).

The project comes as a mass housing initiative, designed to provide 87,000 affordable housing to civil servants. It was unveiled by the Head of the civil service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita during the recently held National Summit on Affordable Housing, The Guardian reports.

According to The Guardian, Chime said that its membership are people with track records in the development of affordable housing in Nigeria, and therefore have the capacity to deliver on the project.

He also assured the Permanent Secretary that members of his association will live up to their expectation as agents of change in reducing the housing deficit in the country, while empowering all citizenry to up- scale housing’s contribution to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.

The Permanent Secretary in the OHCSF, Mr. Yemi Adelakun reiterated the commitment of government in providing affordable housing to civil servants across the length and breadth of the country, The Guardian reports.

He also assured the association that the government was prepared to welcome any proposal on the initiative from any credible developer.“ Developers could either sell their already built houses, design and build new homes in accordance with the expectations of office or build on the land to be allocated to the OHCSF on terms as agreed”, he said.

To perfect the partnership, Adelakun requested REDAN to formally present a partnership proposal that will be processed in order to actualize the proposed housing initiative.

Source: The Guardian