It has been disclosed that not fewer than 20,000 employment opportunities will be created Bauchi State as artisans including carpenters, masons, electricians, labourers, local contractors, tipper drivers and others will be engaged for the construction of 2,500 family homes in the state.
The disclosure was made by the Managing Director of Family Homes Funds Limited, Mr Femi Adewole, who said that affordable housing project was part of the efforts of the APC led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in order to improve the well-being of Nigerians.
The Managing Director also said that over 20, 000 youths in the state are expected to be engaged for the work just as he applauded the governor for ensuring the actualisation of the project.
Femi Adewole said: ” The Family Homes Funds Limited is a sub-Sahara Africa’s largest housing fund focused on affordable homes for Nigerians on low income as it is a social housing initiative promoted by the Federal Government of Nigeria as part of its social intervention programme with initial shareholding by the Federal Ministry of Finance and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority.”
Meanwhile, State Governor, Sen Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed on Saturday performed the Ground Breaking Ceremony of the Construction of 2,500 Affordable Housing Units in the state, a project to be executed in collaboration with the Family Homes Funds Limited.
While speaking at the ceremony held at Dungal Village of Bauchi Local Government along Jos road, the Governor said that the project was designed to be completed within 12 months from the date of the ceremony in order to enable the beneficiaries to take possession.
The governor also said that the houses are coming at a period when the state’s demographics have changed dramatically due to internal displacement caused by insurgency as many people within the region are coming into the state thereby creating a significant imbalance especially in respect of existing facilities.
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He assured that quality assurance mechanism has been established with a corresponding compliance arrangement to drive the project to effective delivery as that will protect the goodwill of the government and people of the state as well as the Federal Government.
The governor said: “I wish to reiterate that, in tandem with our desire to comply with the established building codes and the best practices in Basic Engineering Management and Evaluation. I will in addition to the statutory supervision of the Ministry of Housing, establish a task force in my office for monitoring and evaluation of the projects.”
He added that “As part of our effort in regaining the lost glory of our education sector as we address school enrollment, my government is going to rebuild the Government Secondary School Bauchi, an offshoot of the Bauchi Provincial School, in the new city with a view to sustaining the legacy of the school that produced significant quantum of the intellectual capital that Bauchi state is proud of today and beyond.”
Bala Mohammed further said that in compliance with the government intention of providing opportunities to the people, his emphasis on the local content and community engagement is very clear.
The governor, therefore, called on the contractors of the housing project in all the emirates to patronise local suppliers to enrich the value chain that this project will create for the benefit of the host communities.
“Let me thank Mr President for his kind intervention that led to what we are witnessing today. We call on developers to partner with us to build shopping malls and other facilities in compliance with established procurement standards and global best practices,” he declared.
On her part, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed Shamshuna, applauded Governor Bala Mohammed for recognising housing as a major need for his people by partnering with the Family Homes Funds.
The Minister who was represented by Ambassador Adamu Jumba said that the flagging off of the construction project was not just witnessing the groundbreaking of the 2,500 houses, but also the beginning of milestones that will bring great development to the state.
Earlier in a welcome address, the State Commissioner for Housing and Environment, Hamisu Muazu Shira, explained that the state affordable housing project has a moratorium span of about 4 years while the period of repayment is in the bracket of 12 years and 15y years as the building provides expansion spaces as the family grow.
According to him, the three-bedroom flat has expansion capacity of four bedrooms while the two-bedroom has provision to expand to three bedrooms.
Hamisu Shira said: “We salute the courage of the indefatigable Executive Governor of Bauchi State, His Excellency, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, for his immeasurable leadership vision and administrative foresight, which yielded to this epoch event. This is typical of whose high definition administration, this Infrastructural development could not have been possible.”
The Commissioner added that “The positive economic gains accruable from this project come in chain reactions and connections. Apart from the contractors, the artisans and job men would be occupied with daily work opportunities that would translate into the improved family economy.”
Hamisu Muazu Shira also said that the affordable housing project will go along way in cushion the effects of the devastations due to insurgency activities, noted that the project could not have come at a better time than now because of the recent discovery of oil deposit in the state.
The Houses will be distributed among the five Emirates in the state with Bauchi Emirate Council getting 1,500 units followed by Katagum Emirate, 350 units, Misau Emirate, 250 units, Ningi Emirate, 200 units, Jamaare Emirate, 100 units while Dass Emirate gets 100 units.
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