The federal government says it has identified and is collaborating with the private sector to the meet nation’s housing needs.
The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms Amal Pepple, disclosed this in Abuja, when she toured the on-going UACN Property Development Company (UPDC) Metro City Estate, a project being jointly developed in the Apo area of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
She disclosed that President Goodluck Jonathan is committed to making housing affordable to Nigerians which necessitated the collaboration even as she assured that part of the President’s transformation agenda is to provide affordable and accessible housing to all Nigerians.
Pepple admitted that the ministry has suffered institutional instability as it was only in April 2010 that it was created as a standalone ministry.
“You will see that before we didn’t have any policies and it was when I came that we put the policies together, that is the housing and urban development policies which the council approved in June 2012.
I consider us a new ministry and I believe that within a short period, we have been able to achieve a lot and now that we have stabilised, we are going to achieve more working together with the Federal Mortgage Bank and the Federal Housing Authority.”
The Managing Director of UPDC, Mr. Hakeem Ogunniran, commended the minister for her support to the private sector even as he noted that Metrocity is set to bridge the deficit.
“Metro City estate located in Apo Dutse is to date the largest residential estate of to be done by UPDC Plc.
The project is a joint venture between UPDC plc and African Capital Alliance. Located on 11.17 hectares, metro city would comprise of 225 units of housing types including 5 bedroom detached houses, 4 bedroom semi-detached houses, 4 bedroom terrace houses, 3 bedroom bungalows and 2 and 3 bedroom flats,” he said.
Ogunniran further said the project which commenced barely 15 months ago would be delivered in about three months even as he noted that apart from building houses for high income earners, UPDC is also looking at housing for the middle class.
“Where the government provides the land and the primary infrastructure, it enables us to deliver houses at very friendly cost and that is why we are working with the federal government.
We are also working with some state governments to get land allocation from them and get infrastructure so that we can provide housing which is friendly to the consumer,” he added
