The Federal Government, through the Ministry of Works and Housing, has formally handed over keys to the National Housing Programme (NHP) houses to beneficiaries who have fully paid.
The keys were handed over to them in a ceremony at the estate, located in Gama-Gwari, off Jaba Fanisau Road, Fagge Local Government Area of Kano State at the weekend.
Presenting the keys, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola said: “We gather here to harvest the fruits of our investment and to commemorate the formal handover of keys to the first set of beneficiaries on the sales of completed Phase I of the National Housing Programme (NHP), which was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on April 7, 2022.
“As we head towards the end of President Buhari’s tenure in office, I am happy to say we have entered a season of completion and handover of keys to beneficiaries in 35 states and the FCT who have successfully subscribed through the open ministry’s website.”
Fashola, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Bashir Nura Alkali, said the ministry has offered all the housing units to members of the general public in a “non-discriminatory way,” by opening a portal to ensure those interested are not inhibited by any artificial obstacle.
He added that the allocations are made on the basis of those who apply and pay on a “first come, first served” basis.
Requirements for accessing the houses, according to the minister, include current passport photograph in JPEG or PNG format, copy of current tax clearance and pay slip in PDF, means of identification such as national ID, Driver’s License or digital International Passport, letter of recommendation from any primary mortgage and evidence of 10 per cent initial payment deposit.
He said 12,387 Nigerians have applied through the website, of which 694 of the subscribers’ applications have been approved by the ministry.
The estate in Kano comprises 48 units of the 2-bedroom bungalow, 24 units of the 3-bedroom bungalow and 4 units of the 1-bedroom bungalow.
It was gathered that four people have fully paid for houses of their choice within the estate, comprising 76 units of one bedroom, two bedrooms and three bedrooms.
“The pragmatic national housing programme is part of President Buhari’s developmental agenda of addressing housing needs in the country.
“NHP is a programme borne out of the present government’s desire to provide affordable housing for its citizens,” the minister said.