WELCOME REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF STATE, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, ENGR. ABDULLAHI TIJJANI GWARZO, AT THE OFFICIAL GROUNDBREAKING CEREMONY OF THE 500-HOUSING UNIT RENEWED HOPE CITY IN KANO ON THURSDAY 23^RD MAY 2024

Protocols

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests,

1. I want to begin my remarks by specially welcoming the Executive Governor of my dear State, Kano, His Excellency, Engr. Abba Yusuf. We are happy to have you here with us today.

2. As a son of the soil, it is indeed my pleasure to welcome you all, on behalf of the Honourable Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, to Kano State for the groundbreaking ceremony of this 500-housing unit Kano Renewed Hope City.

3. This project is part of a Nationwide Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme of the Ministry, which His Excellency President Bola Ahmed Tinubu officially launched earlier this year in Abuja, under which we plan to deliver 50,000 housing units in phase one.

4. During the launch of the Programme in Abuja, my Minister, my brother and friend, a close political ally, a dynamic leader and housing expert, who hails from our neighboring state, Arc. Dangiwa, told Mr. President that we plan to TURN THE COUNTRY INTO A HUGE CONSTRUCTION SITE.

5. As a professional, the Hon. Minister understands not only the importance of shelter to decent living but also the power of housing as a catalyst for development. Through this programme, we plan to unlock the power of the housing sector to create jobs, boost economic development, and help achieve Mr. President's goal to build a $1 trillion economy. And Kano, as a huge part of this country, will be seeing a lot of these projects, Insha Allah, with all the benefits that they bring.

6. In other words, this 500-housing unit Kano Renewed Hope City project will also encourage economic growth and opportunities. It will create job opportunities during the construction phase for masons, bricklayers, plumbers, electricians, traders, suppliers of building materials, and continue to generate economic benefits for the State and its citizens.

7. Beyond laying bricks, this project will offer a wide range of amenities that enhance the quality of life for the beneficiaries. It will provide the development of access roads, electricity, water supply, and other essential infrastructure that improve the standard of living.

8. I want to express our appreciation to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for giving us the opportunity to drive his vision for affordable housing for Nigerians. We are committed to justifying his confidence in us by bringing this vision of QUALITY HOUSING FOR ALL under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme to reality.

9. Thank you, and God bless.

REMARKS BY THE HON. MINISTER OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT ARC. AHMED MUSA DANGIWA, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE 500-HOUSING UNIT RENEWED HOPE CITY IN KANO ON THURSDAY, MAY 23^RD 2024

Protocols

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. First, I would like to thank His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, for honoring our invitation to be a part of today’s event.
2. Although I am from Katsina, Kano is also dear to me as a place of friendship and a place of beautiful memories. So today, I am very excited to be here as the Hon. Minister of Housing and Urban Development to perform the groundbreaking for a 500-housing unit Renewed Hope City.
3. The Renewed Hope City in Kano comprises 100 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 300 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 100 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows.
4. We have designed these housing units in a way that makes it easy and affordable for people to offtake. We have used organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases. What this means is that the 1-bedroom can be expanded to 2 bedrooms and a 2-bedroom expandable to 3 bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or he grows in service.
5. As we break the ground on this project, I want to charge the developers, Messrs. Cosgrove Investment Limited, Vibe Bottega Ltd, and Frasier Stone Ltd to ensure that they build according to specifications. I expect you to deliver a quality job because we will not tolerate substandard. We also want you to have this work finished within the next three months so that we can begin the process of getting Kano indigenes to purchase and move in.
6. We have created different options to enable everyone who has a source of income and livelihood to own these homes when they are completed. These include single-digit mortgage loans with up to 30-year terms provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Rent-to-Own schemes, and Outright Purchase options for those who can afford to pay upfront.
7. I want to state that today's groundbreaking event is part of a larger vision of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, when he launched the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates project with a 3,112-housing unit project in Karsana, Abuja, earlier this year.
8. Under Phase One, we plan to deliver a total of 50,000 housing units across Nigeria. The cities will have between 500 - 1,000 housing units per site in one location in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country and the FCT, while the estates will have 250 units per site in the remaining thirty (30) states.
9. With this housing programme, we plan to unlock the massive potential of housing development to create jobs, uplift lives and boost economic development. Statistics show that construction one housing unit creates an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs. So, for this 500 housing units we are hoping to create jobs for over 12,500 people. This is besides the economic activities including persons selling food, supplying blocks, building materials and the likes. The value chain effect is big and creates positive economic impact.
10. Nationwide, we currently have estates in 12 States and Cities in 3 States. The estates are sited in Katsina, Yobe, Gombe, Abia, Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Sokoto, Oyo, and Osun. The cities are in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos.
11. Yesterday we did the groundbreaking for the Estate in Kano. After here, we will be proceeding to Yobe and to Gombe for the groundbreaking ceremonies. In total, we are breaking ground for 1,250 housing units across four states in Northern Nigeria.
12. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, we are particular about giving Nigerians value for money. The funding for these projects comes from the N50 billion 2023 Supplementary Budget of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. We have already awarded contracts for 3,500 housing units in those 13 States. States that have not been covered under the 2023 Supplementary Budget will be included in the 2024 Budget, and I urge all State Governments who are yet to provide land for these projects to do so promptly.
13. At this juncture, I also want to appreciate and thank His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kano State, for promptly granting our request for the provision of land at no cost. This singular act has helped us reduce up to 30% of the cost of the units in this city for the benefit of potential homeowners. This is a dividend of responsible governance and I applaud Your Excellency for this.
14. Before I close my remarks, I want to thank and appreciate our President for providing the vision and the political will necessary for us to make a difference in terms of delivering decent and quality housing to Nigerians.

Long live Kano and His Excellency, the Executive Governor.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Long live Mr. President.