From Agaju Madugba, Katsina
The Federal Government on Wednesday launched the construction of 250 housing units in Katsina under its Renewed Hope Estates and Cities project.
The estate comprises 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 100 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, according to the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa.
The Minister spoke while performing the ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the estate located opposite Umaru Musa Yar’Adua University, on Katsina-Dutsinma road.
“We want to have this work finished within the next three months so that we can begin the process of offtake for Katsina indigenes,” he said, adding that, “we have also created different options to enable everyone who has a source of income and livelihood to own the homes when they are completed.
“I want to say that today’s event is part of a larger vision of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, when he launched the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates project with a 3,112-housing unit project in Karsana, Abuja, earlier this year.
“Under phase one, we plan to deliver a total of 50,000 housing units across Nigeria.
“The cities will have between 500-1,000 housing units per site in one location in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country and the FCT, while the estates will have 250 units per site in the remaining 30 states.
“The Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme is designed to be a catalyst for economic growth.
“Each housing unit is expected to create an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs, translating to approximately 6,250 jobs for the 250 units here in Katsina alone.
“Nationwide, we currently have estates in 12 locations and three cities across the country.
“The estates include those in Katsina, Yobe, Gombe, Abia, Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Sokoto, Oyo and Osun states. The cities are in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos.
“These projects will serve as catalyst for economic growth, job creation and social development in our communities.
“The funding for these projects comes from the N50 billion 2023 supplementary budget of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
“We have already awarded contracts for 3,500 housing units in 13 states, demonstrating our commitment to rolling out these developments nationwide.”
In his remarks at the ceremony, Governor Umaru Dikko Radda described the project as a significant initiative which will provide the much-needed housing for Katsina people.