Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has assured the Nigerian Air Force of the readiness of the Ministry to provide housing units to its personnel under the National Housing Program (NHP) at subsidised rates.
The minister disclosed this when the Chief of Air staff, Air Marshal Hassan Bala Abubakar, led a delegation of key officers from NAF on a courtesy visit to the Ministry in Abuja.
Dangiwa in a press statement signed by the director, Information and public relations,Badamasi S.Haiba appreciated the dedication of the Nigerian Airforce to providing security and protecting the sovereignty of the nation. He reiterated the obligation of the ministry to provide affordable housing for all classes of Nigerians, covering low, middle and high level income earners.
“As the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, we recognize the importance of providing suitable housing for members of the Nigerian Airforce. We assure our commitment to working with you towards meeting the needs of our Airforce.”
“We want to offer you the National House Programme across the country and the renewed Hope Estates and Cities across the country. Nigeria Airforce could purchase their preferences either by outright purchase or instalmental thereafter make deductions from the pensions of the beneficiary to recoup the money”, he said.
Dangiwa noted that the leadership of the Ministry under the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu provided various options to enable Nigerians become homeowners, saying that the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Karsana, Abuja
is one opportunity available to Nigerians for home ownership
According to him, the program which aims at providing 50,000 affordable housing to Nigerians nationwide under phase 1, has started in 13 locations of the country with the Cities in Abuja to contain 3112 Units, 500 units in Kano state under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement, and 1,500 units ongoing in Lagos, in partnership with Federal Mortgage Bank Nigeria (FMBN).
Dangiwa also explained that construction of houses was currently ongoing in 12 locations across the nation, two states in each geopolitical zones of the country where lands were provided and currently at various level of completion
Speaking earlier, the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Bala Abubakar, while commending the minister for the achievement recorded so far under his leadership, said they were in the ministry to seek collaboration on providing affordable houses for Air Force personnel covering both the officers in service and post -service.
Air Marshal Abubakar told the minister that they also came to appeal for the NHP Bauchi housing units to either be given to Nigeria Airforce free or sold to them at a discounted rate with friendly payment terms, as acquiring it will go a long way to enhance the “operational readiness of the force.
The Chief of Air Staff also requested collaboration with the Ministry on engaging the Nigeria Airforce Investment Limited Housing and Construction Company in the ongoing construction of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estate projects across the country, affirming the company has handled several civil works and construction of houses such as the one the force has in Asokoro.