By Oyintutu Oyinkolade/Angela Atabo
The Federal Government on Tuesday handed over housing units to beneficiaries of the National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the housing units were financed by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and developed by Brains and Hammers under the NHF Rent-to-Own Programme scheme in Bungalow City, Abuja.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma,during the handing over reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to expanding access to affordable housing for Nigerians.
The Minister said the government was determined to accelerate housing delivery across the country in line with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Housing Agenda.
“We are here today to make symbolic presentations to the beneficiaries of this very important programme.
“From today, we are poised to continue delivering houses to Nigerians.
“The time for rhetorics is over. Now is the time for action.
“I must say I am sorry for the fact that a number of you did not receive the keys to their houses in the last two or one and a half years, as promised by the bank.
“Going forward, such lapses will not happen within the Ministry.
“We must deliver on our responsibility as Ministry. We must make Nigerians proud because that responsibility is given to us and it must be met,” he said.
According to Darma, many Nigerians spend a significant portion of their income 40 to 60 per cent on rent, particularly in major cities such as Abuja and Lagos, making affordable housing a national priority.
He, therefore, reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to delivering 100,000 housing units during President Tinubu’s first term.
The minister described housing as a critical component of the administration’s development agenda.
He disclosed that the government was exploring ways to make both home ownership and rental accommodation more affordable, especially for low- and middle-income earners.
Earlier, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of FMBN, Shehu Osidi, described the event as the culmination of extensive stakeholder engagements aimed at protecting the interests of NHF contributors.
According to Osidi, the project was originally developed under FMBN’s Mega City Housing Programme but encountered challenges after a portion of the estate was allocated to security agencies, affecting previously approved beneficiaries under the Bank’s Rent-to-Own Scheme.
He said, faced with the challenge, the Bank immediately initiated reconciliation meetings, verification exercises, and established a joint technical committee with representatives of Brains and Hammers Limited.
“I am pleased that this effort, supported by the intervention of the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, have culminated in the resolution being implemented today.
“Let me state clearly and unequivocally that this agreement will ensure that all profile beneficiaries will ultimately receive their housing allocations.
“This event reflects the strength and resilience of the NHF scheme as a vehicle for expanding affordable home ownership in Nigeria.”
Osidi explained that the rent-to-own housing scheme was an easy way to owning home by approaching FMBN and choosing the option for rent to own.
“It provides a lot of privileges, because you do not have to pay equity, you just enter the house as a tenant and pay your rent and gradually the house becomes yours,” he said.
He highlighted FMBN’s efforts over the past two years to expand access to housing finance, strengthen mortgage opportunities, support estate development, and improve service delivery to contributors nationwide.
The Project Manager from Brains and Hammers,Tanks Adamu,said the housing estate, developed by the construction company, consisted of fully completed two-bedroom and three-bedroom terrace houses.
According to Adamu, the houses are stand alone and equipped with modern infrastructure and amenities.
Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Sanusi Dansoro, who is also the Secretary of the Residents Association, thanked the Federal Government and FMBN for the privilege to own a house.
“Today’s commissioning stands to evidence that when government institutions, financial institutions, developers and citizens work together with shared collective work, transformative results can be achieved.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi