The Nation Newspaper

Tag: SHELTER

  • Shelter for Anambra workers underway

    The Federal Government has continued to demonstrate its commitment to the provision of comfortable and affordable housing for the teeming populace across the country.

    Among such commitments is the National Housing Scheme currently going on at Isiagu, Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The project, designed in four-storey buildings condominium to contain 216 units (flats), is expected to accommodate over 433 civil servants and other categories of workers in the state when completed.

    Speaking with The Nation at the project site, Assistant Director, Federal Ministry of Power and Housing, field headquarters, Awka, Okafor Iwuchukwu Umeano, an architect, said the project which started on March 25, 2017, would be completed in no distant time.

    He said the categories of persons targeted for the houses were the high, middle and low classes in society.

    He said, “The houses will have one bedroom, two and three bedroom housing units, purely for civil servants at subsidised rates whose monies would be deducted from their monthly salary for the purpose.”

    Although Umeano could not give the tentative amount of money the project would gulp, it is expected that the Federal Government would invest huge sums of money to execute the project.

    “The Federal Government is desirous to alleviate the problem of housing accommodation to Nigerians to meet the annual requirement of 70,000 housing units for urban areas in Nigeria as suggested by United Nations Habitat Survey between 1991 and 2001,” he added.

    According to Umeano, it was imperative for the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari through the Minister of Housing and Power, Raji Fashiola to address the housing accommodation issue as the budget could withstand.

    He named Messers Vic Phranc Nigeria Limited, Dochob Nigeria Limited and Cosco Investment Limited as the three contractors engaged for the building project.

    Umeano further revealed that the estate had already been provided with the necessary infrastructure, including access roads and electricity soon to be connected to the national grid.

    He added, “The only setback the project encountered was when a soil test was later conducted, it was discovered that the type of foundation to be used was different from the one the buildings were originally designed for which affected the earlier cost by upward review.”

    He however pledged the commitment of the Federal Government towards ensuring completion of the project at recorded time.

    One of the contractors handling the project, Chief Daniel Orji, said he was yet to receive payment for the money he invested.

    Orji, whose buildings were at the first decking stage, appealed to federal government to offset the debt to ensure the project did not suffer unnecessary delay.

     

  • Okorocha’s wife’s shelter for widows project earns praise

    Okorocha’s wife’s shelter for widows project earns praise

    No fewer than 134 two-bedroom bungalows have been built for widows in Imo State. Though a lot more needs to be done, wife of the state governor Mrs Nneoma Okorocha has been praised for putting up these shelters for indigent women who lost their husbands and breadwinners.

    The Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Imo State Council showered praise on Mrs Okorocha, saying her feat was unprecedented in the state.

    Mrs Okorocha through her pet project, She Needs A Roof Project (SNARP) constructed over 134 two-bedroom bungalows for the indigent widows across the 27 Local Government Areas of the State.

    For this act of kindness and care for the abandoned and less privileged of the society, the Imo governor’s wife was conferred with the award of the ‘Most Outstanding Governor’s Wife’ by the Chapel.

    Speaking during the presentation of the Award at the New Concorde Hotel Owerri, the Chairman of the Chapel, Mr. Athan Agbakwuru said that the award was in recognition of the efforts of the governor’s wife in alleviating the plight of the indigent widows and other vulnerable people in the state.

    He explained that the award was in appreciation of the uncommon feat recorded by the wife of the Governor and to spur her to do more for the indigent people in the state.

    According to Agbakwuru, the recipient, through the SNARP project, has been able to save the lives of hundreds of widows who were hitherto living in “despicable squalors” without any hope of succour.

    He noted further that the Award is not among the politically motivated ones but a genuine symbol of appreciation by a section of the society that is known to criticise almost all the projects and programmes of government.

    He said, “The success story of the Rochas Okorocha administration cannot be complete without mention of the gross input of the SNARP initiative. This great and noble woman has built over 174 two-bedroom bungalows for indigent widows and orphans across the 27 Council Areas of the state. Besides that, she has also established three Skill Acquisition Centres in the three Senatorial Zones of the State.

    “As [the] ever vigilant watchdog of the society, the Chapel after meticulous consideration, tipped her for this rare honour and recognition. She has surpassed her predecessors and contemporaries alike in all ramifications. Above all, the SNARP and the Skill Acquisition Programmes have been found to have no partisan coloration as beneficiaries are drawn from among those who are genuinely in need of succour, irrespective of political and religious affiliations”.

    Also speaking at the event, the National Vice President of NUJ (Southeast), Deacon Chris Isiguzo, who presented the Award, said that the Award met the set standard of the Union, especially after considering the impact of the SNARP project.

    He pointed out that it is the responsibility of the NUJ to ensure that public office holders are accountable to the people, adding that what the recipient is doing should be emulated by other wives of governors across the country.

    Isiguzo who was accompanied by the NUJ Secretary Zone C (Southeast), Comrade Kenneth Oforma and the Chairman of the Enugu State Council of the NUJ, Comrade Rex Chinweuba, commended the governor’s wife for her vision and commitment in making life meaningful for the indigent widows and other downtrodden.

    According to him, “when we received the letter that the Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ, Imo State wants to give Award to the governor’s wife due to her achievements, we conducted our own investigations before confirming the letter. Without mincing words, the national leadership of the NUJ and the Imo State Council of NUJ endorsed this Award and are behind the Correspondents’ Chapel in this well-deserved honour on the First Lady of Imo State”.

    In a similar vein, the President of Igbo Media Professionals, Apostle Victor Sorokwu, said that the achievements of the Imo Governor’s wife, is a further testimony of the Igbo spirit.

    He noted that unlike the pet projects of other Governors’ wives, which he said are often conduit pipes for siphoning state resources, the SNARP has made housing available for a section of the society that has been abandoned, adding that the project should be adopted by the Federal and State Governments.

    Also in his comments, the member representing Onuimo Local Government Area in the State House of Assembly, Hon Chinedu Offor, commended the recipient for her genuine love and compassion for the needy.

    Offor, a correspondent of the Voice of America (VOA) before he joined politics in 2011, added that, “throughout the 15 years I worked for VOA, I covered the activities of presidents, governors and top public office holders, [but] none has given succour to the needy like Okorocha’s wife”.

    He said the governor’s wife’s achievements have helped to “eliminate the obnoxious widowhood practices,” and that they are “worth rewarding with a Noble Peace Prize”.

    The Chairman of the event, Prof. Nnamdi Obiareri, said that the uncommon achievements record by the recipient through her projects, which has alleviated the sufferings of the vulnerable people in the state, rightly justified the Award.

    Responding, the wife of the Governor, said that the Award coming from a non-partisan but a critical group of people like journalists will certainly motivate her to continue to contribute to making life better for the less privileged.

    She commended the Chapel for their commitment to the activities for the SNARP, adding that the cooperation of the journalists has brought the need awareness that has watered the success of the project.

    She said, “This is one of the awards that have touched my heart specially. This is so because it is coming from a section of people that has been with me all through the journey of SNARP. So there assessment cannot be said to be political or induced. Every time I have piles of letter requesting to confer me with one award or the other but I have always declined because most of those awards are actually for sale.

    “I did not know much about the award until the delegation from the Correspondents’ visited my office to give me details about the motive behind the award. They insisted that the award is apolitical, just like the process of selecting the SNARP beneficiaries and I sincerely cherish this award”.

     

  • Resort Savings, Just Shelter team up on housing

    Resort Savings and Loans Plc, a mortgage bank quoted on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), has entered into a business collaboration with Just  Shelter & Allied Products Limited to provide mortgage facilities and marketing services widen the scope of housing provision to Nigerians through mortgages.

    Just Shelter & Allied Products Limited has developed 14 blocks with six three-bedroom flats in each block at David’s Court Estate Arepo, Ogun State.

    To facilitate the project, Resort Savings and Loans is granting the company the needed mortgage facilities to would-be purchasers. The NHF facilities through Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) are also available for the subscribers.

    Head, Estate Services Department, Resort Savings and Loans Plc, Mr. Alex Animasaun, said  the project, which covers 1,578 hectares, is the first phase of various housing units they are developing in Lagos and Ogun states.

    He noted that the project is located in the Arepo community and it’s about 10 minutes’ drive from Lagos State Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja

    “A typical unit is made up of a large living room attached with visitor’s toilet, kitchen with all the fittings attached with a sizable store, master bedroom with bath, standard wardrobe, and other two rooms’ en-suite with shower. Other services within the estate are; generator, industrial borehole and overhead tank and adequate parking space among others,” Animasaun said.

    He assured that the estate is covered by global certificate of occupancy noting that selected subscribers are only expected to perfect their personal documents with the Ogun State Government.

    Animasaun urged existing and prospective customers of the mortgage bank to take advantage of the new development, assuring that Resort Savings would help with the loans to access the flats.

     

  • Shelter for widows coming

    The Rock of Ages Empowerment Foundation is working on a project aimed at providing housing units for widows in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    This is even as 200 widows who completed a training programme in the various skills acquisition projects of the foundation received N20,000 each to start small-scale businesses. Also, over 2,000 widows received free medical treatment, a bag of rice each and other materials to celebrate Christmas.

    The Founder of the foundation, Evangelist Ignatius Newman Ezeigbo disclosed this during the organisation’s empowerment and Christmas celebration programme for widows in the Federal Capital Territory and its environs weekend in Abuja.

    He said the housing units will accommodate some of the widows who either do not have a place of their own or live under dehumanising conditions.

    Newman said the foundation was also working on a programme aimed at expanding its policy of sponsoring the children of widows in primary and secondary schools.

    While calling on the Federal Government to enact a law that will help protect the rights of widows in the country, he said over 6,000 widows have benefited from the various skills acquisition programmes of the foundation valued at 23 million naira to date , besides free medical treatments, food items and other projects initiated by the foundation.

    According to him, “The afore mentioned foundation came into being as a result of my passion and overwhelming desire to give succour to widows in different parts of the country.

    “I am always highly elated and my heart feels the kind of joy that knows no bounds whenever I am able to create leeway for these widows who are going through various misfortunes, struggling to eke out a living to wriggle out of terrible, pathetic and dehumanising situations and circumstances of life. The foundation is an avenue for giving hope to the hopeless.

    “My greatest joy is to always see these women happy, and whenever they are happy, I am fulfilled. For me, it is a rare privilege and delight to put smile on the faces of these precious women whenever I am in a position to do so especially, in this present economic situation of the country”.

    A beneficiary of the Foundation’s previous empowerment programmes, Judith Dzungwe said she invested her empowerment money and materials in poultry farming and has been using the proceeds from the business in training her children in the university. Earlier, the Abuja Coordinator of the foundation, Blessing Orji said previously they just give the widows money to go and start businesses but since this year they always train them in one skill or the other before giving them start off capital. She said during the International Widows Day on June 23rd this year about 200 widows from Abuja were trained on tailoring while 400 were trained on catering adding that those who learnt tailoring were empowered with sewing machines, half of the caterers received empowerment materials while the remaining half received theirs at the weekend. She called on Nigerians to assist widows around them saying one does not really need much to help them as little as N10,000 can make a different in their lives.

  • Shelter for Enugu residents

    Shelter for Enugu residents

    There  is one more thing to cheer in Enugu State: shelter.

    The state government has continued to make steady progress in the implementation of its four point agenda a road map produced to guide it in the committed efforts to serve the people of the state better.

    Apart from roads and urban beautification, one other area the administration of Governor Sullivan Chime has made a difference in the provision of affordable houses for residents of the state.

    Chime commissioned the 384 flat Maryland Estate in Enugu comprising two and three bed rooms built by the State Housing Development Corporation. The estate is for low income and middle level workers in the state. It consists of 324 two bedroom and 60 three bedroom.

    The Maryland Estate is one among the many estates developed and being developed in Enugu to meet the demand for shelter from Enugu residents. The administration had developed such estates like the Coal City Garden, Greenland and Ekulu East, popularly known as Zoo estates. The Palm Beach Estate, near Nsukka  is almost coming to completion and it was the first suburban estate. The buildings included thirty and fifty units of self contained bungalows.

    And in line with the governor’s determination to provide affordable and decent accommodation to workers in the state, the  state government had approved a  N2 billion loan

    offer from the Federal Mortgage Bank  for the development of the Enugu State Workers Estate at Ogbeke Nike, Enugu East local government area.

    The project which will be executed by two Estate developers, Ceebt World Development and Kayllods Limited, will consist of two bedroom, 3-bedroom bungalow, 4-bedroom duplex and 2-bedroom block of flats.

    The Maryland Estate was started by the administration of former Governor Chimaroke Nnamani but the project was abandoned by the same administration after putting up only two blocks. Nnamani christened the estate Loma Linda after his school in the United States. But upon taking over the completion of the estate, Governor Chime returned its original name of Maryland.

    Chime while commissioning the Maryland Estate has this to say: “I am delighted to be here to commission one project that is so dear to our heart, in fulfillment of our part of obligations to our people. We are here essentially here today to commission this laudable project which was commenced by the past administration. We have been attacked severally for abandoning projects started by the past administration.

    “I believe all those attacking us will today realise that it has been long all these while, that it has been the policy of this administration to continue with projects that will endure to the benefit of the people of Enugu state,

    “When we came in, we saw a project that was started, although no serious effort had been put in to realise that project. The contract was then awarded to a not too serious contractor. The whole concept of it was wrong. And we took it over, and today, we have this to show for our efforts.

    “The same thing happened at the Ekulu East Estate, popularly known as Zoo Estate. That was what happened there. We came newly, we met a beautifully conceived estate but the machinery that was put in place to build the estate was so poorly executed. What was intended for that estate was not fully realised. We took it over. People who were given free plots, who were not actually intending to develop those plots; we have to revoke and distribute them to more serious people who immediately developed that place.

    “If you go there, it is about the best estate we have, not just in Enugu but in the country. So in developing estate, it has to go with passion and you must be serious about it. It is not just about dashing people or giving people plots. If you want to develop an estate for the use and benefit of our people, you have to do so seriously.”

    He poured encomiums on the the managing director of the Enugu Housing Development Corporation saying: :We want to thank the Managing Director of the Enugu Housing Corporation, Ikeji Asogwa, who had already told us what we have been able to do in the past two years. I will not repeat them. All the accolades that we have in the housing sector, we can easily say thanks to you. You have been a shining star. You have shown that your appointment was not a mistake. If given the opportunity, I will appoint you a million times over.”

    He expressed  hope that the incoming administration would “continue in this aspect to ensure that our people are fully accommodated. In Enugu we have this policy of not saying no to any application for land. Some people, when they get their approvals for land, they will say thank you. They believe it is a right. We all have a right to own land in Enugu if you can afford it. So a  matter of policy, we have been giving approvals, but the problem has been availability of land.

    “But recently, we have been able to earmark a place to be able to meet the demand for lands. All the efforts we made in the past, once upon a time, we acquired some thousands of hectares of lads to meet the demand of our people in respect of lands. But one big project took it over. We have recently also, dezoned an area and in a very short while, we should we should be able to meet all the demands of already approved applications for land to ensure that our people explain themselves and do what they want to do. But at the same time, I encourage the Housing Corporation in this area of developing, and letting people buy developed properties.”

    Also speaking at the occasion, the state commissioner for Housing, Mr. Victor Okolo said th intention of the government was to ensure that the teeming people of Enugu state can say at least, ‘we can have a roof of our own.”

    He said the essential thing about Enugu was that Enugu had been the capital of everything viz the capital of the Southern Protectorates, capital of Eastern Region, capital of East Central state, Capital of aol Anambra state and Old Enugu state regretting: “And our people, the indigenes of this state kept catching up, but not as fast our colleagues who were there before us.”

    According to him, the situation made it that “most of our people are still under other peoples roof.”

  • Kano partners shelter firm on N20b estate

    Kano partners shelter firm on N20b estate

    Kano State Governor Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso has laid the foundation for the construction of an estate named Evergreen Residences, comprising 108 housing units at Lokogoma, Durumi district in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

    The estate is to  cost N20 billion.

    The project, a collaborative effort between the state government and a private estate developer, Urban Shelter Ltd, is sited on 6.411 hectares of land which will consist of three- bedroom apartments, 4 bedroom terrace, and 4, 5 and 6 bedroom maisonettes.

    Governor Kwankwaso who spoke on the project,  explained that it  is part of his administration’s thrust to promote partnership with the private sector for efficient service delivery and improving the economic base of the state.

    The governor said the state government almost lost the plot to unscrupulous persons because the past administration in the state failed to develop it, pointing out that the intervention of the serving

    FCT Minister facilitated restoration of the land to the state.

    He said the state government was able to retrieve the land on which The Promenade estate will be built through the singular effort of the FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed.

    He said the housing units to be built at the Lokogoma site will complement the already existing ones being constructed by the same Urban Shelter consisting of 100 units at the cost of N9 billion.

    He said Kano State government is constructing almost 1,400 housing units in three different sites within the state consisting of Amana City, Kwankwasiyya City and Bandarawo City all of which have reached 80 percent completion.

    He charged the contractors handling the estate project to ensure completion within the agreed time frame.

    In his speech, the Chairman, Urban Shelter Ltd, Alhaji Ibrahim Aliyu, assured that the project will be completed in 18 months, stressing that his company is unwavering in meeting the housing challenge of Nigerians.

    On his part, the chairman of the occasion and former military president, General Ibrahim Babangida praised the Kwankwaso administration for the prudent utilisation of public funds and property, hoping that the estate project will help reduce the housing insufficiency in Nigeria.

    The occasion was graced by public figures including Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, the Etsu Nupe, the Emirs of Minna and Lapai as well as the representative of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.