The Federal Government has unveiled arrangements for the construction of Renewed Hope Cities in each of the country’s six geo-political zones as part of its efforts to expand access to affordable housing and bridge the current Nigeria’s housing deficit.

In addition to the Cities, the government is planning to implement the development of Estates Programme, with housing currently under construction in twelve,12, locations across the country with two states in each zone.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development,Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma made the assertion during
inspection of Lagos Renewed Hope City Project, reaffirming their commitment to providing decent and affordable housing for the Nigerians.

Darma also stated that they will undertaken similar inspection visits to the Renewed Hope City projects in Karsana, Abuja, and Lambu along Gwarzo Road in Kano and pledged to deploy his experience toward ensuring the successful delivery of housing programmes.

Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, he explained, the essence of these inspection visits is to personally assess the status of the projects, ascertain their levels of completion, identify challenges where they exist, and determine the steps required to ensure their timely completion in line with the objectives.

The Minister said that following his assumption of office and comprehensive briefings from the departments and agencies, they have immediately commenced inspection tour to the project sites nationwide to personally assess the pace and quality of ongoing work.

According to Darma, they have already inspected projects in Katsina and Yobe States, saying, the initiative is designed not only to increase access to affordable housing for Nigerians but also to stimulate economic growth through job creation and enhanced socio-economic opportunities.

“The Ministry is aimed at assessing the progress of the project, which comprises a total of 2,084 housing units, ahead of its planned commissioning in October. We commend Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria Funding, Public Private Partnership Arrangement.”

He therefore maintained that as part of his ongoing nationwide assessment of housing projects,
describing the PPP model as a strategic approach to accelerating housing delivery across the length and breadth of the country.

“The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has played its role in advancing affordable housing through the funding of 1,500 housing units at the Renewed Hope City Project in Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.

The project is one of the flagship Renewed Hope City developments being delivered under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Federal Government and private sector developers,”the Minister added.

Darma noted that the FMBN financing would continue to provide shelter for thousands of Nigerians, describing the intervention as a demonstration of the Bank’s commitment to delivering on its mandate.

“With FMBN financing these 1,500 units, it means they have now housed about 6,000 Nigerians. They are certainly delivering on their mandate,” the Minister added.

He further noted that housing projects such as the Ibeju-Lekki development contribute significantly to economic growth through job creation and increased activity across the construction value chain.

Speaking during the inspection, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Shehu Usman Osidi, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to delivering affordable housing solutions and ensuring that completed homes reach their intended beneficiaries.

Osidi urged developers to adopt faster delivery timelines to enable beneficiaries to take possession of completed housing units without unnecessary delays.

The FMBN boss also emphasized the need for a phased completion approach, where completed units are delivered progressively instead of waiting for the entire project to be completed before allocation.

He applauded Legrande Properties for maintaining high standards in the delivery of the Ibeju-Lekki project, stressing that quality construction and timely delivery remain essential to providing lasting value to beneficiaries.

“The housing units are being delivered through a cross-subsidy model designed to enhance affordability for low- and middle-income Nigerians across the different categories of beneficiaries to access decent housing under the project,” Osidi stated.