President Goodluck Friday commissioned a Police Housing Estate named after him. The multi-million naira housing estate is located at Idimu in Alimisho local government area of Lagos State.
The estate which goes by the name ‘Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Police Housing Estate’ comprises 200 units of 3-bedroom flats built under a Public-Private Partnership scheme. Developed by Remax, the project was financed by Aso Housing and Loans Limited.
President Jonathan who reiterated his administration’s commitment to police welfare however, noted that it was the first time the Nigerian Police would achieve such a laudable feat in its entire history.
While commending the leadership of the Nigerian Police for going the way of PPP, the President stressed that it was the only way government’s desire of providing necessary infrastructures could be achieved.
“The Federal Government is fully committed to improving the standard of living of all police officers in the country irrespective of their ranks or status.
“I really want to commend the Nigerian Police for taking the initiative to develop an estate for its members. Not only is this commendable, it is remarkable because it goes a long way in complementing the efforts of the Federal Government in providing low cost housing for the citizenry.
“This government places huge emphasis on housing, because the housing sector has the potential of increasing the productivity of every person. A viable housing sector creates jobs and enhances employment opportunities,” he said.
President Jonathan expressed his determination to ensure that police barracks are rehabilitated, noting that “This will cost the government a lot of money to achieve, but at the end it will be worth it”.
The Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar had earlier informed the President that the project was executed over a period of eight months and will accommodate personnel of officers cadre.
He disclosed that each of the unit wil be given out at the rate of N8 milion to interested police officers, adding that each buyer would be expected to repay through a mortgage scheme made available by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).
According to him, similar estates were currently being built in other parts of the country including Abuja, Kaduna and Kano.
“It is only with the aggression of the Federal Government that acute housing shortage of the police can be tackled,” he said.
