The Federal Government has disclosed its intention to assist the vulnerable population of the country to own houses.
This disclosure was made by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mahmuda Mamman, on Monday in Kaduna during the 12th meeting of the National Council on Housing and Urban Development.
- “The National Housing Scheme Programme by the ministry would assist the vulnerable population of the country to afford a roof over their heads and this would in turn bridge the gaps in the housing sector,” the Permanent Secretary stated.
How the Federal Government intends to achieve the provision of houses to the vulnerable population
Mamman further explained that the housing ministry plans to establish social housing schemes to provide decent and affordable houses to cater to the housing needs of Nigeria, including the vulnerable population.
The Permanent Secretary stated that deliberations at the housing council meeting which commenced on Monday would provide the roadmap for the state governments to queue into the scheme.
- “We have written letters to the various state governments asking them to give us unencumbered lands so that we can be able to build these affordable houses for all Nigerians because it is a matter of right and not a privilege, that is why this administration is doing things differently”, he added.
Furthermore, Mamman said that an ongoing survey was being conducted by the National Population Commission to determine the accurate figure of the housing deficit in Nigeria, adding that the figures would be made known upon completion of the survey.
Efforts of Kaduna State in social housing schemes
The Permanent Secretary of the Kaduna State Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Rabi’u Yunusa, while giving his welcome address at the meeting disclosed that the Kaduna State government was working on a programme to provide affordable social mass housing.
According to Yunusa, the social housing scheme the Kaduna State government was working on would accommodate 1000 houses in the rural areas and 300 houses in the Urban areas, across the 23 local government areas of the state.
Furthermore, Yunusa revealed that Kaduna State had attracted a Qatari charity organization to provide 500 housing units for the most vulnerable people in the state.
He also disclosed that the Kaduna State government plans to build 10,000 units of houses in the next four years.
