By Nana Musa
Abuja, Jan. 22, 2026 (NAN) The Minister of State for Finance, Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite says the Sustainable Integrated Productive Communities (SIPC) project between the Federal Government and Niger State Government would deliver housing for Nigerians.
Uzoka-Anite, who said this while receiving Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) from the Governor of Niger State, in Abuja on Thursday, said that the project would also deliver food, jobs, security, among others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that on Jan. 9, the Federal Government entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Niger state.
The state would provide 100,000 hectares of land for the farm estate mass housing and agriculture settlement for the state’s farmers.
Uzoka-Anite had signed on behalf of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) while Gov. Mohammed Bago signed for Niger state.
Uzoka-Anite said that SIPC integrated housing, agriculture, renewable energy and livelihood infrastructure, touching multiple priorities of the administration’s eight-point agenda.
She said that it included food security, mass housing, poverty alleviation, youth employment, inclusive growth and national security.
She commended the Niger State government for its commitment to the programme, which, she said, aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s vision of inclusive and people-centred development.
“We are here to show that when the Federal Government and state governments come together, action happens.
“This partnership is about moving from policy to tangible outcomes that will directly improve the lives of Nigerians,” she said.
The minister said that the programme was designed to ensure that Nigerians did not have to choose between where to live and where to wor
“The development must combine shelter with sustainable livelihoods,” she said.
She said that the pilot in Niger would translate national priorities into bankable projects capable of attracting long-term private sector investment.
She said that the ministry was focused on structuring initiatives that de-risk private participation and guarantee value for money.
“The success of this programme will not be measured by documents exchanged, but by the homes built, farms cultivated, jobs created and communities transformed.
“This is a partnership that demonstrates that when the Federal Government and state governments come together, action does really happen.
“And this is where we begin to translate national priorities into concrete bankable projects that can make the right sort of impact on the lives of every Nigerian,” Uzoka-Anite said.
The minister said that the project managers had been mandated to commence work immediately, with plans to begin farming alongside housing construction.
She said that relevant agencies would provide power and other basic infrastructure to support the communities.
“We have been told by the project managers, the Managing Directors of MOFI and Niger Food, who will be spearheading the programme that they would start working from yesterday.
“We are the ones that will be supervising, I gave the mandate that we must harvest our first crop by April.
“There is no timeline because those who are building the houses are different from those who will be farming.
“We will also make sure that during that period, we provide safe farming and safe movement for the workers while the houses are getting ready,” she said.
She said that the project managers on the housing side had assured that they can deliver low-cost housing within less than a month.
According to her, they can get something up and running and make it affordable as well for the farmers to move in.
The minister also said that Rural Electrification Agency (REA) had promised to provide power and everything to make it nice and fancy.
“We are really looking forward to when we come to commission those project.”
The minister commended the governor for his leadership and persistence, describing him as a committed partner who understands the impact of the programme on the lives of citizens.
In his remarks, Bago, said that SIPC aligned perfectly with the state’s development vision anchored on agriculture, industrialisation and sustainable livelihoods.
He said that the state had provided 20,000 hectares of land across several locations for the pilot phase, with an additional 500,000 hectares reserved across local government areas for future investors under the programme.
Bago said that the state had also invested heavily in mechanisation, pledging to deploy tractors and harvesters across local governments to support production and ensure early results.
“This project will revolutionise agriculture, housing, livestock and industrialisation.
“Land is not a problem in Niger, and we are ready for investors,” he said.
The Governor said that the initiative would help address insecurity by reducing ungoverned spaces through organised communities, job creation and sustainable livelihoods.
He said that the SIPC would also benefit from irrigation, renewable energy and support from development finance institutions.
He said that that integrated development remained the surest path to prosperity.
The Managing Director of MOFI, Dr Armstrong Takang, said that the SIPC initiative would benefit all Nigerians, especially those in rural communities.
“Despite the fact that we have all of these resources, we can not see what impact we are getting.
“We created a programme that allows us to convert those desolate, unproductive pieces of land and assets into productive communities,” he said.
The Niger state farm estate project, first of its kind in the country has key partners which include, MOFI, Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), REA and Niger Foods Limited. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Kadiri Abdulrahman
