Kogi state Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has stated that the state is open to partnership that would drive the vision of his government for improved living condition of the citizenry.
Governor Bello stated this yesterday during the occasion of groundbreaking ceremony of National Affordable Housing Project at Westland Use, Zone A1, Crusher in Lokoja and noted that the state is building a new culture, unity and mutual coexistence that would pave way for the development of the state.
He commended the labour unions for their understanding, assuring that the challenges of payment of salary would soon be over, adding that a virile mechanism has been put in place to permanently tackle the issue of salary and pension in the state.
In his speech, the Managing Director Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Mr. Ahmed Dangiwa said the groundbreaking ceremony is a collaborative housing project for Nigerian workers who are contributors to the NHF under the National Affordable Housing Delivery Programme (NAHDEP) .According to him, through the programme the bank will deliver 100 units of houses in each state of the federation, adding that the houses will be in a mix of 3,2 and 1 bedroom semi-detached bungalows and block of flats with a strong focus on affordability .
“In pursuance of the vision of federal government in ensuring that civil servants owned houses, a joint implementation committee was set up involving the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) , the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Nigerian Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to come up with a concept for the development and delivery of affordable housing to Nigerian workers.
“What we are witnessing today is part of the first phase to be run as a pilot to deliver 1,400 housing units across the six geopolitical zones in the country.
Each zone will have 200 houses with 100 units in two selected states,” he said The Managing Director disclosed that Kogi state was among the two states picked in the north central geopolitical zone to enjoy the 200 houses as a result of the commitment of the state to the NHF scheme
