Anambra State Governor Prof. Chukwuma Soludo has inaugurated housing estates of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and Nigerian Employees Consultative Association (NECA).
The housing project, located at Hill View Estate, Nkwelle Ezunaka in Oyi Local Government, is under the national affordable housing delivery programme for workers.
Soludo, represented by his Chief of Staff, Ernest Ezeajugh, described housing as a cardinal point of his government.
He assured the people of government’s readiness to provide land and other infrastructure for the scheme.
He said: “Apart from civil servants, we still look for housing for others. We encourage banks and other mortgage providers to make available leisure parks on the estate.
“You should also look for means to enable low income civil servants afford the cost of the housing scheme.”
Managing Director, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Madi Hamman, said the project was funded by the bank in fulfilment of its commitment to the realisation of workers’ home ownership dreams.
Hamman, represented by the Executive Director, Business Development and Portfolio Management, Kingsley Chukwuma, said the organisation’s strategic collaborative engagements with workers had grown beyond mere rhetoric to reality.
He said: “This project, developed under phase 2 of the collaboration, consists of 180 housing units, comprising 120 units of 2 bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 60 units of 3 bedroom fully detached bungalows at N7million and N8million.
“The estate is fully serviced with basic infrastructure, including internal road network, drainages, electricity and water to create a conductive and livable environment.
“The FMBN remains the only institution offering affordable mortgages to Nigerians at less than 10 per cent interest rate through products like Individual NHF Loan, Individual NHF Construction Loan, Home Renovation Loan, Rent-to-own Product and Cooperative Housing Development Loan.”
NLC National President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, stressed the need for civil servants to procure the housing scheme at affordable price, saying their present salary would not go for such costly price.
The Managing Director, Housing Corporation, Anambra State, Chike Anyaonu, said the housing fee slash was to support civil servants and other individuals to become landlords.
Representative of Nigerian Employees Consultative Association (NECA), Samuel Chukwudi, described the inauguration as another success story, as similar projects had been inaugurated in four states.