President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has launched the National Housing Fund (NHF) e-Card and commissioned the FMBN-financed ‘Aviation Village’ housing estate.
The commissioning ceremony which took place at the premises of the estate along the airport road, Abuja was attended by some members of the federal executive council, National Assembly members, business men and women as well as actors in the real estate business.
Managing director of FMBN,GimbaYauKumosaid the estate was developed by SunTrust Real Estate Investment Limited, a private developer based on funding for both construction and infrastructure by the Bank to the tune of N2.4 billion.
He said that the estate which covers a land mass of 11.9 hectares comprises a total of 270 housing units of 144 units of 2-bedroom flats, 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 76 units of 3-bedroom detached bungalows.
Alh.Kumo also said the FMBN is advancing concessionary mortgages to NHF contributors at 6% interest rate in line with Government’s directive for a single-digit interest rate regime under Mr. President’s programme of easy access and cheap housing finance to low-income earners.
Regarding the estate being commissioned, the managing director said FMBN has approved mortgage loans to 171 NHF contributors to the tune of N1.4 billion, out of which about 20 beneficiaries are occupying their houses presently and Mortgage loans for the remaining 99 units are being processed and would be concluded shortly.
The NHF e-Card serves dual purposes. Firstly, it serves as an Identification Card (ID) as it carries the name, participation number and passport photograph of every registered contributor. Secondly, it enables a contributor access record of his/her contributions using any of the IT channels such as ATMs, Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals and the internet.
