Minister woos subscribers to NHP scheme

The Federal Government has urged Nigerians interested in becoming homeowners to register their interest in its portal as allocation will be on first come and first serve basis.

Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, stated this when handing over keys to beneficiaries, who completed payment for their houses under Phase I of the National Housing Scheme, located at Abere, AIG Zone 11, Oshogbo, Osun State.

Represented by the State Controller of Housing, Nureen Abioye, Fashola said, “We have four Nigerians who have fully paid for the houses within the estate, comprising 76 units of one bedroom, two-bedroom and three bedrooms.”

“We have offered flexible payment options through mortgage and Rent-to-Own, which we want applicants to pursue. Anyone who could make an outright payment should indicate interest but not a condition for eligibility for accessing the houses.”

While calling on Nigerians to own apartments among the completed houses across the 35 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT, Abuja, he enumerated requirements for buying the houses.

Among the requirements are current passport photograph and recent copy of tax clearance/pay slip, means of identification (National ID, Driver’s license and international passport).

Fashola further stated that beneficiaries who declared interests in buying houses under the National Housing Programme (NHP), had successfully subscribed through the website, adding that completed payment will be given priority when the sale begins.

“The advantage of owning a house in our NHP estates include having well-spaced one-bedroom unit, two-bedroom units and three-bedroom units. Such generous spaces couldn’t be compared with what is obtainable in the common market.”

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Bashir Alkali, represented by the Chief Town Planner, Danbaba Haruna, said: “The philosophy of the NHP is the provision of pilot scheme that is affordable, accessible and acceptable as contained in the National Housing Policy.”

According to him, the cultural and climatic peculiarities of the regions were considered in the projects. “The designs and materials take into cognisance of these, especially the tenets of the Building Energy and Efficiency Code ( BEEC).

“The housing project has engaged over 1,500 building contractors since 2016 as well as created15,000 direct jobs and 55,000 indirect jobs for the Nigeria people,” he remarked.

He disclosed that a total of 6,000 housing units is being built by the ministry in 45 sites out of which 2,666 have been completed in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory, adding, in few months time the government will make delivery.

One of the beneficiaries, Akinkunmi Akinola, applauded the Federal Government for constructing the housing estates for its citizens, saying accessing the portal and its method of payments were easy.