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By Maduka Nweke
Efforts to encourage home ownership and reduce the nation’s housing deficit may have gotten a boost as the Federal Government has retained the selling prices of homes under its National Housing Progamme(NHP).
The price for homes under the NHF was fixed by the erstwhile administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The prices of the houses are as follows: One-bedroom unit in a condominium block N7.222, 404 million, one-bedroom semi-detached bungalow N9, 268,751, two-bedroom unit in a condominium block N9, 148,378, two-bedroom semi-detached bungalow (type A) N12, 398,460 and two-bedroom semi-detached bungalow (type B) N10, 833,606. Others are a three-bedroom unit in a condominium block N13, 241,748, three-bedroom unit in a semi-detached bungalow N16, 491,155.
In November 2016, the ministry awarded N27, 448,884,281.64 worth of contracts to 542 contractors for the construction of various categories of one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and condominiums comprising of one-bedroom, two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments nationwide. The ministry undertook construction of 6,000 housing units in 45 sites, out of which over 2,665 units had been completed in 35 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The web portal under the scheme, launched in 2021 received over 12,387 applications from Nigerians before the scheme was partially halted. The Federal Government has opted to retain the prices of the houses introduced by the last administration due contract variations and inflation in the building materials market.
Already, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has announced changes in the sale of houses under the National Housing Programme (NHP), calling on interested Nigerians at home and abroad to apply.
The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mahmuda Mamman, had said interested applicants are to obtain Expression of Interest forms. It further stated that interested applicants, interested subscribers, who were offered a provisional offer of allocation that elapsed between March 10, 2022 and October 18, 2023 are free to re-apply by completing the Expression of Interest form.
“All interested subscribers are to obtain their Expression of Interest forms from the office of the Federal Controllers of Housing and Urban Development in the 36 states of the federation and Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at no cost. Nigerians in the Diaspora, who are interested in subscribing to the Houses, are to obtain their Expression of Interest forms from the office of the Chairman/CEO, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission.”
Under the scheme, ownership options include mortgage loans, Rent-to-Own and outright purchase. The first phase of the project will create direct and indirect 1,000,000 jobs at 25 jobs per unit, helping to achieve the target to lift one million Nigerians out of poverty.
