President Goodluck Jonathan has said that his government would continue to pursue critical reforms that are geared towards transforming the housing sector.
The President, who spoke on Thursday while commissioning the Aviation Village in Abuja, said the reforms would address the huge housing deficit presently being experienced in the country.
He therefore, commended the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), for initiating and financing the 270-flat Aviation Village in the sum of N2.4 billion.
He said, “As for this administration, I assure you all that improving the living standards of Nigerians is an imperative which we are resolutely pursuing”.
According to the President, the National Policy on Housing as well as the recommendations of the 2011 housing retreat would continue to be implemented so as to strengthen the reform of the sector.
President Jonathan who also launched the National Housing Fund (NHF) e-card scheme, said would assist contributors to easily access and track their fund.
On the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) which facilitated the Aviation Village, Jonathan said, “our intention is not to create a government monopoly but to encourage the private sector to drive the process while we provide the right policies and environment”.
Speaking earlier, the Supervising Minister of Lands and Housing, Musa Sada, said the FMBN would be recapitalized soon so as to continue to facilitate the spread of mass housing across the country.
Minister of Solid Minerals and Supervising Minister of Housing, Lands and Urban Development, Arc Musa Sada, disclosed that the FMBN would soon be recapitalized, and charged the organization to continue facilitating the construction of more estates around the country.
An elated President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Abdulwahab Omar, said the commissioning actually showed that “we are witnessing true transformation”, adding “Nobody should discourage you when we invite you to come and commission more houses or even for ground-breaking ceremonies at new sites”.
