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   ...

Housing Construction Creates Positive Economic Impact - Dangiwa    Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has stated that the numerous economic activities taking place on construction sites has the value chain effect that creates positive economic impact in the society.   Dangiwa spoke in Sokoto at the ground breaking of 250 units of Renewed Hope Housing Estate, Monday, May 27th, 2024.   The groundbreaking was part of the Nationwide Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme which President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, officially flagged off in February with the groundbreaking for a 3,112 housing units in Karsana, Abuja   The Sokoto ground-breaking was one in a series of the ground-breaking ceremonies embarked upon by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development. The ministry was earlier in Katsina, Kano, Yobe and Gombe States.   On jobs creation through the housing construction, the minister averred that, statistics has shown that the construction of one housing unit creates an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs.   “So, for these 250 housing units, we are hoping to create jobs for over 6,500 people in various trades. From professionals like architects, civil engineers, mechanical engineers to masons, plumbers, tilers, electricians etc," He stated.   He explained that, in housing construction there were numerous economic activities such as food vendors, blocks and cements suppliers, and other building materials suppliers that were being engaged and earning their daily life sustenance.   The Minister reiterared the passion of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to grow the economy and ensure job creation in the country which he said the housing sector was one of the many avenues.   "With this housing programme, we plan to unlock the massive potential of housing development to create jobs, uplift lives and boost economic development" he remarked    On the project, Dangiwa explained that the funding is from the N50 billion 2023 Supplementary Budget that the President has approved for the Ministry towards ensuring sustainability, quality and geographic spread.   He commended the Governor of Sokoto State for providing the land, and urged other state governors yet to provide land to do so, assuring that States that have not been covered under the 2023 Supplementary Budget, will be included in the 2024 budget of the Ministry.   The Minister also charged the Contractors, Messrs.Messrs Jewel Construction and Engineering Services, Abidcas Global Ventures Ltd, LY Construction and General Enterprises Ltd, and Three MPlus Integrated Services Ltd to ensure that they build according to specifications and deliver within three months timeline given.   On the housing units, Dangiwa explained that the Renewed Hope Estate comprises 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, designed in a way that makes it easy and affordable for people to offtake.   He also stated "We have used organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases. What this means is that 1-bedroom can be expanded to 2 bedrooms and 2-bedrooms can also be expanded to 3 bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or his family grows."   The Minister said that the Ministry has  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 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.   In his address, Governor of Sokoto State, Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto represented, by his deputy, Alhaji Idris Muhammad Gobir, observed that the Federal Government through the Ministry has taken on the housing challenge with renewed vigour and is demonstrating strong commitment in the delivery of affordable housing and urban development.   He, while expressing gratitude to the Minister for making Sokoto state one of the early beneficiaries of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme, noted that the state has also embarked on implementing several housing projects to provide housing for the people.   Governor Ahmad further assured the  Ministry of all the necessary support neededed  to ensure that the project is completed within the stipulated timelines.   On their part, the contractors thanked the ministry for prompt financial mobilization and promised to adhere to quality standards and stipulated time frames.    “We want to assure the Minister that the project will be completed in three months,” said a spokesperson for the developers.   The ground-breaking across the five states, so far brings the total housing units to a total of 1,500 housing units on the first leg of the exercise.   The ground-breaking will continue in the other States selected under phase one  across the various geo-political zones.  ...

Dangiwa Affirms Commitment to the Vision of Housing Ministry    ..... outlines strategies, significant achievements by the housing ministry   The Minister of Housing and Urban Development Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has affirmed commitment to the vision of the Housing Ministry which is to create an efficient housing market that gives all Nigerians the right to a secure, decent, and affordable home as a platform for active participation in economic development.   Dangiwa, also outlined the significant strides made by his ministry in advancing the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's administration.    He spoke during the Ministerial Press briefing in Abuja, organised by the Minister of Information and National Orientation.   Dangiwa mentioned that the strategy of the housing ministry to move the housing sector forward revolves around three core pillars which are;  growing the economy, lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, and creating an enabling environment, affirming that the Renewed Hope Housing Programme is designed to be a catalyst for economic growth.    According to the Minister, the launching of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Development Programme earlier this year by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at Karsana, Abuja, will deliver, under phase one, a total of 50,000 housing units across Nigeria.   Giving a detail description of the projects,  Dangiwa said that the Cities will have 1,000 housing units per site in one location in each of the six geo-political zones in the country and FCT, while the Estates will have 500 housing units per site in the remaining thirty (30) States.   "We have designed the Renewed Hope Cities as integrated living communities targeting all income brackets. They comprise one-bedroom blocks of flats, two-bedroom blocks of flats and three- bedroom blocks of flats; two-, three- and four-bedroom terraces, four-bedroom duplexes, and five-bedroom duplexes," he added.   He also explained "To  enhance affordability and ease of offtake, we used organic designs where one bedroom can be expanded to two-bedrooms and three-bedrooms as  the income of beneficiaries increase over time”.   Dangiwa also spelt out a cross subsidy plan that will allow housing units built under the Renewed Hope Cities to be sold at commercial rate and a substantial percentage to be sold at concessionary rates to low- and medium-income Nigerians who are members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC).   Accordingly, he said that the construction and development of new areas, cities and estates will generate employment opportunities, stimulate local businesses, and attract investments.   " The 50,000 units to deliver under phase 1 will create 1,250,000 direct and indirect construction jobs. This is in addition to the value chain effects of purchase, supply of building materials, businesses around the construction sites,"  he explained    Dangiwa also revealed that the recent launch of an Online Housing Portal by the Ministry was to ease the process of acquiring homes that are built under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme.    To achieve inclusivity in the housing sector, the Minister further stated that, the creation of a National Social Housing Fund (NSHF) was to ensure that all Nigerians including those with no income, the vulnerable and underprivileged groups have access to decent and dignified accommodation, saying that President Tinubu believes that access to decent shelter is not only a necessity but a human right and all Nigerians across all income segments deserve a decent home to live and grow.   He also listed the potential sources of funds for the National Social Housing Fund to  include; Gains from the removal of fuel subsidy, Profit after tax from pension fund administrator investments, Contributions from corporate bodies and institutions as part of their corporate social responsibility, Public Private Partnerships, International donor support and Government allocation, amongst others.   On National Housing Program (NHP), the Minister spoke about the advertisement of Expression of Interest forms with 4 (four) windows of subscription giving room for all income segments; he said the  Outright payment got 1,294, Mortgage 2,408, Rent– to– Own got 2,148 and Installment payments, 3039 expression of interests.    He noted that the first batch of Offer of New Provisional Allocation Letters were released last month for successful applicants under the Outright Payment option.   Furthermore,  Dangiwa reviewed the inauguration of a housing reform task teams namely: Building Materials Manufacturing Task Team, Housing Institutions Reform Task Team, Multi-Agency Project Delivery Team and Land Reforms Task Team; that would ensure repositioning and optimizing performance of the Ministry to deliver on the target of providing affordable homes to Nigerians.   He stated some of the obligations of the task team which includes a thorough review of relevant laws and facilitation of necessary legislative amendments such as The Land Use Act, 1978, National Housing Fund (NHF) Act,1992, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) Establishment Act, 1993, Driving Nationwide adoption and passage of the foreclosure law in states, amongst others.   He further revealed that the Task Teams have sent in preliminary reports and will conclude their assignments soon, assuring that the Ministry is committed to implementing the stated reforms and initiatives to change the landscape of the housing sector for good and deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing and Urban Development.   On Slum Upgrade Programme,  Dangiwa also disclosed that the Ministry is set to embark on National Slum Upgrade Programme in 26 sites nationwide under the phase one of the programme, highlighting the key services to be  provided as water supply, solar streetlights, rehabilitation of access roads, construction of drainages, waste management and sanitation services, amongst others.   In assuring Nigerians of successful and prompt completion of the Renewed Hope Housing Cities and Estates, the Minister mentioned that government has approved the total sum of 126.5bn from the 2023 supplementary and 2024 budgets for these projects including slum upgrade and urban renewal, maintaining, "Nationwide, we currently have estates in 12 States and Cities in 3." He added    The estates are sited in Katsina, Yobe, Gombe, Abia, Nasarawa, Benue, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Sokoto, Oyo, and Osun while the cities are in Abuja, Yobe, and Lagos.    The Minister further mentioned that Contractors have been mobilized and have commenced work to deliver a total of 3,500, revealing that work has commenced for 3,112 housing units under the PPP, bringing the total number of housing units currently under construction to 6,612.    ...