FG hails NMDPRA for supporting access to affordable housing

The Federal Government has commended the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) for supporting access to affordable housing for its workers under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Muttaqha Darma, gave the commendation at the formal presentation of allocation letters to eligible NMDPRA staff under the Federal Government’s housing initiative.

Darma said the initiative was significant in the face of Nigeria’s huge housing deficit, which he put at more than 16 million housing units needed to accommodate over 100 million unhoused Nigerians.

He said the development demonstrated the importance of collaboration among government institutions in addressing the country’s housing challenge.

“Providing housing to Nigerians remains a major responsibility. Providing houses to 110 million unhoused Nigerians is a task, a very big one.

“I consider the NMDPRA initiative beyond the number of houses being allocated. Forget about the mention of 450 housing units. No, I am not looking at it from that angle. I am looking at it from delivery of housing to Nigerians.

“This is because every opportunity to deliver housing to Nigerians is important.”

Darma also drew attention to the rising cost of home construction, saying home ownership had become increasingly difficult for ordinary Nigerians so the NMDPRA initiative was significant.

Earlier, the NMDPRA Chief Executive, Mallam Rabiu Umar, said about 430 members of staff in Abuja, Kano and Lagos were receiving allocation letters under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme.

Umar described the development as a practical demonstration of how government policies could translate into tangible benefits for citizens.

The NMDPRA boss said the authority considered staff welfare an important component of institutional performance.

He said workers who had peace of mind and confidence in their personal future would be better positioned to contribute their skills and expertise to the authority’s national mandate.

Umar commended the Authority Staff Cooperative Society, the Renewed Hope Access to Housing Committee and other institutional partners for facilitating the housing initiative.

The Chief Executive of FMBN, Mr Shehu Osidi, said the NMDPRA staff had subscribed to 430 housing units in Karsana, Abuja, and Janguza, Kano.

Osidi said 197 National Housing Fund mortgage applications valued at about N8.3 billion were being packaged for submission to FMBN by City Code Mortgage Bank Ltd.

He said FMBN had provided a N100 billion off-take guarantee for the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme, commencing with the Karsana project, in addition to N19.9 billion in direct funding.

Osidi said the interventions were designed to give developers greater certainty, facilitate construction financing and enable eligible workers to access completed houses through sustainable mortgage financing.

He also disclosed that FMBN would soon roll out a Rent-to-Own product for eligible civil servants, while the bank had already launched a Diaspora Mortgage Loan.

He added that FMBN had signed a memorandum of understanding for a N10 billion housing loan scheme for Federal Civil Servants.

Meanwhile, the President of the Authority Staff Cooperative Society, Mr Abdullahi Auta, disclosed that more than 1,000 NMDPRA staff had applied for the housing initiative, but about 430 had so far been accommodated.

Auta appealed for continued support to enable more staff awaiting allocation to benefit from the scheme.

Mr Dare Makinde, Chief Commercial Officer, Renewed Hope SPV Ltd., said in the first phase, Abuja accounted for 365 units comprising two-bedroom flats, three-bedroom flats and three-bedroom terrace duplexes with boys’ quarters.

According to Makinde, Kano has 14 units comprising three-bedroom and four-bedroom bungalows, fully detached houses and three-bedroom terrace duplexes with boys’ quarters.

He said Lagos had 56 units comprising two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments with boys’ quarters.

Makinde said a second phase of the project would be delivered next year to accommodate some applicants who could not benefit from the first phase.

He said additional housing projects were also planned for Asaba, Enugu and Ibadan.

Makinde urged other public and private organisations to support housing schemes for their workers, saying rising rents made institutional support important in helping workers achieve home ownership.