Slums Ugrade, Urban Renewal Projects,  Impactful on Living Conditions of People  - Dangiwa    ..... advocates amendments to national urban planning   Minister of Housing and Urban Development Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has stated that slums upgrade and urban renewal projects have significant impact on the lives and living conditions of the people.    He listed housing upgrade, sanitation, environmental protection, agricultural support, boreholes and solar powered street lights among others, as projects that will enhance aesthetics and functional spaces, as well as impact the economy.   Dangiwa spoke when he hosted the House of Representatives Commitee on Urban Development and Regional Planning who came on an oversight visit to the Ministry.   The minister, in this regard, advocates for constitutional amendment to ensure urban and regional planning is placed in the concurrent list of the constitution and also called for an enactment of a bill for the establishment of National Urban Observatory that would collect urban sector data in order to have effective implementation of urban and regional planning projects.   Accordingly, Dangiwa listed some of the challenges affecting effective implementation of urban development projects as; non availability of reliable human settlements data-store for planning purposes, and inadequate policy back-up and structure for country wide efforts to reposition urban planning and regional development sector, for the benefit of all.   Similarly, the Minister explained some of the activities of the ministry's department of urban development and regional planning which includes, Preparation of National Physical Development Plan, Preparation of Physical Development Plans, Preparation of Urban Resilience and Sustainability Plans.   He further stated that the department is also engaged in Urban Sector Multilateral programmes like; Executive Board Meetings of UN HABITAT, which Nigeria is currently holding the Chair of the Executive Board;  Shelter Afrique (A Pan- African finance) Development Control Directorate, responsible for monitoring and control of development on Federal Government Lands and Estates;  Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrading Programme, under which technical needs assessment studies of Slums in Nigerian cities were conducted.   Earlier, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Urban Development and Regional Planning,  Honourable Abiante Awaji, said the Committee was in the ministry to fulfill it's  critical part of it's oversight mandate to assess performance, establish effective utilization of resources, identify challenges with a view to ensuring service delivery that would impact the lives of the Nigerian citizens.   He stated that the Oversight Visit was in furtherance of Constitutional mandate of the legislative arm of the government overseeing activities of the executive arm.   ...

Dangiwa Expresess Ministry's Readiness, Participation in Community Engagement Programme    Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has expressed the readiness of the ministry to participate in the community engagement programme in order to ensure the impact of the policies, projects and programmes of the federal government through the housing sector is felt at the communities.   Dangiwa gave the assurance when he received the team of Senior Special Assistants to the President on Communty Engagement, on a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja.   The Senior Special Assistants to the President on Community Engagement are; Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, (NW),  Abiodun Essiet (NC), Chioma Nweze (SE), Gift Johnbull (SS), Abdulhamid Yahaya (NE) and Moremi Ojudu for South West.   Dangiwa expressed optimism to engage with the team considering how pertinent their mandate is, saying that they provide a bridge between the presidency and the grassroots, as well as between the Ministry and the communities.   While reiterating his appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for demerging the Ministry from that of works, Dangiwa noted that housing is one sector that increases the GDP of a Nation and creates jobs, in the sense that for every house built, up to 25 jobs is created for the skilled and unskilled labourers.   He also told the team the core functions of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development which is to increase the supply of affordable houses to Nigerians and to ensure that the urban and rural areas are developed in a way that the slums are upgraded, by increasing sanitation, support drainages, security lights, among others.   Similarly, the minister informed the team that the Housing Ministry was included by Mr. President in the supplementary budget of 2023 with 100bn, from which 20bn was integrated into building the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates, while 50bn integrated into slum upgrade and urban renewal.   “We have done ground breaking for Katsina, Kano and Sokoto states in the North West, Yobe and Gombe States in the North East; we are still awaiting the sites in Nassarawa and Benue States for the North Central zone. The others in the South due to time limit we have to now schedule it till after sallah to start precisely from the 24th, we are planning to do the groundbreaking for the south western states in Oyo and Osun States, South East we have Ebonyi and Abia, South South we have Akwa Ibom and Delta States”, he stated.   The Minister also explained that the Renewed Hope Cities are high rise multi storey block of flats and terraces supposed to be in each geo-political zone, aimed at decongesting the city centers to make another city, while for the Renewed Hope Estates he said they are to be done in the remaining 30 states.   “For the Cities we have just taken Kano as one of it, we are planning to do public private partnership in other cities, we have done one here in FCT at Karsana, commissioned by Mr. President to contain over 3112 housing units, and the project is ongoing. We are thinking Lagos through the funding of the FMBN where 1500 units have already been recorded and construction has already started”, he said.   Accordingly, the minister told the team that  the Ministry intends to take four states in each geo political zones of the Country and two in the FCT for the Slum Upgrade, pointing out the components of the projects which are basically drainages, roads, street lights, sanitation and schools; according to him, this would be done closely with the National Assembly members who are much closer to their citizens and know their problems better.   Under the National Housing Program, the Minister noted that the previous administration completed 3000 out of 6000 houses in 33 states; He said the houses which are still largely unoccupied were receiving attention from the Ministry, and renovation ongoing for some of the dilapidated ones. He said the Ministry is currently working with the controllers of housing in the states where the projects are located, and has also given out forms to sell them off to interested buyers through different subscription options such as outright purchase, mortgage, installmental payments or rent-to-own.   Similarly, the minister informed the team about the web portal recently launched by the Ministry in order to enhance subscription for the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates, “ the portal has been launched and people are subscribing into the houses that are being built now in these 13 states plus the ones at the Karsana site, it has been made easier and simpler for people to go into and they are happily doing that” he stated.   He further told the team of SSA’s that the selection of the construction sites was on a first come first serve basis, explaining that a letter was written to all the state governors appealing for 50 hectares of land for the Renewed Hope Estates.   Responding to the request for a desk officer at the Ministry, the Minister directed that they meet through the Permanent Secretary, the Directors of the Public Building and Special Project departments, who are in charge of all the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates as well as the Urban Slum Upgrade, respectively, for any information they need.   Also on their request to attend commissioning of sites and housing units in states alongside the Ministry, Dangiwa said that the groundbreaking for the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates would recommence on the 24th of June immediately after the sallah celebration for the South West, South East and South South states, including Nasarawa State.   “When the time table is drawn, you can get it from the public building department so that the person in charge for those regions can join us”, he assured.   Earlier, the Senior Special Assistant, North West, Abdullahi Tanko Yakasai, informed the Minister about their mandate which is bridging between the presidency and global citizens by way of localizing to ensure that the policies, projects and programmes of the Federal Government get to those at the grassrooot.   While noting that the people at the community level needs awareness to allow for feedback on the successes recorded by the Ministry in terms of provision of affordable houses, the team expressed their interest to collaborate with the Ministry and take the housing programmes to the communities across the six geo-political zones, engaging and informing them of how they can access the housing projects.   They commended the slum upgrade initiative of the Ministry, and assured to engage the slum dwellers and communicate the plans of the Ministry as well as how they can key in and also use their own capacity to support in their own way to develop the slums.   The team requested for a desk officer to work with during the engagements at different communities so as to properly address issues and provide information regarding how people can access the houses. ...

Gombe Gets FG's 250-Units Renewed Hope Housing Estate    …..... Project, a solution to housing deficit in the State - Gov Inuwa    Gombe State, North Eastern Nigeria is among the beneficiaries of the first phase of the Renewed Hope Housing Project of the federal government, as the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development formally launched a 250 units housing estate in the state.    The Executive Governor of Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya performed the official ground-breaking for the housing estate along side the Minister and Minister of State, Housing and Urban Development,  Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa and Abdullahi Tijjani Gwarzo respectively.    Minister Dangiwa stated that the groundbreaking was part of the Nationwide Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme, which His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR officially flagged-off in February 2024, with the groundbreaking for a 3,112-housing unit in Karsana, Abuja.   In his remarks, Arc. Dangiwa explained that the Renewed Hope City in Gombe State will constitute 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 150 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, all designed organically to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases, and in a way that makes it easy and affordable for people to off-take.   He emphasized the need for the developers Messrs. Zurfat Investments Limited, Simba Synergy Limited, Baba Alhaji Nigeria Limited and Messrs Absuh Nigeria Limited to adhere strictly to quality standards and specifications, urging them also to complete the work within the three months timeline to enable Gombe indigenes purchase and move in.   The Minister listed out the various purchase options for buyers in order to make the home ownership accessible, which includes single-digit mortgage loans that beneficiaries can repay over 30-years, rent-to-own provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, and Outright Purchase options, for those who can afford to pay upfront.    Dangiwa mentioned that the Phase One aims to deliver 50,000 housing units across Nigeria. The cities are to 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.    On the economic importance of the housing construction, he said “ With this housing programme, we plan to unlock the massive potential of housing development to create jobs, uplift lives and boost economic development”   He also informed that Renewed Hope Estates are cited in 12 States while the Renewed Hope Cities are cited in 3 States. The estates are in Katsina, Yobe, Gombe, Abia, Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Sokoto, Oyo, and Osun States, while the Cities are in Abuja, Kano, and Lagos.    Accordingly, he also stated " In total, we are breaking ground for 1,500 housing units across five States in Northern Nigeria, on this first leg of the exercise"   Dangiwa further reiterated the commitment of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to ensuring Nigerians own decent, and affordable homes, saying that funding for the projects comes from the N50 billion 2023 Supplementary Budget of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development   He also assured that States which have not been covered under the 2023 Supplementary Budget will be included in the Ministry’s 2024 Budget.    “ I therefore urge all State Governments yet to provide land for these projects to do so as we work to kick-start the next round”, he added.   The Minister appreciated Governor Inuwa Yahaya for providing land at no cost for the project, stating that it has significantly reduced the overall cost of the housing units.   According to him, “This singular action has helped  to reduce as much as 30% of the cost of the units in this Estate for the benefit of potential homeowners, this is a dividend of responsible governance and I applaud Your Excellency for this”.   Accordingly, Dangiwa  thanked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing the vision and the political will to make a difference in terms of delivering decent and quality housing to Nigerians.    “The Groundbreaking ceremonies for these projects demonstrate that Mr. President and indeed the Federal government of Nigeria is committed to fulfilling its promises and responsibilities to all Nigerians”, he said.   In his remarks, Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, applauded the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda, and also for the commitment to make the houses affordable.   Governor Yahaya further urged the people of Gombe State to see the groundbreaking as a solution to housing problem in the state   ...