PROPERTY NEWS

Amid the euphoria that greeted the unveiling of the 240-unit Lugbe Extension Estate by the Works, Housing & Urban Development Minister of State, Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre, last week in Abuja, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has disclosed plans for an even bigger scheme.

Tagged the Abuja New Town Development, the project, according to FHA boss, Mr. Terver Gemade, would on completion considerably ameliorate the housing crunch in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

He said, "With the commencement of work on the expansion of the Airport Expressway and particularly the Outer Northern Expressway to accommodate more traffic both from vehicular and the new mass transit systems, the FHA intends to capitalise on the improved traffic on those axes for the new town development project.

"We are looking towards Bwari Area Council for this new project which would on completion have about 25,000 housing units comprising apartment blocks, terrace buildings and duplexes. The town would also have a full complement of public facilities such as schools, hospitals, fire station, police station, worship centres, shopping malls and recreational facilities."

According to him, the FHA has opened discussions with the Federal capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on the provision of the required land to develop the town and for the accommodation of the project in the Abuja Satellite Town Master plan. Gemade added that though the discussions were still in their early stages, the authority was encouraged by the understanding and cooperation so far received.

Gemade, an architect, noted that the new Lugbe Estate had reduced the national housing deficit by another 240 units and were built and completed with the safety, comfort and convenience of the residents in mind.

He stressed that the facilities provided were deliberately designed to give the highest satisfaction to the residents, as well as to create the best ambience of comfort and decency. Though lacking public water supply, an independent water supply station of two boreholes and water treatment plant, a 175,000 litres surface tank, an 80,000 litres overhead tank and a 22KVA generating set have been provided in the estate.

"We are discussing with the UN-HABITAT with a view to tapping their expertise and resources towards improving the infrastructure in the estate. But even before that process runs its course, we will continue to commit our resources to the improvement of the infrastructure," stated, adding that the authority was facilitating the formation of a strong residents association through which those who live in the estate would channel their input towards the improvement of their environment.

He disclosed that the FHA had so far built a total of 12,000 houses in its eight estates in Abuja and that, at the national level, a target had been set to deliver over 100,000 housing units over the next four years.

Gemade went on, "This target may sound ambitious considering the authority’s performance over the past 36 years, but we are determined to achieve it, which we are seeing in the context of the overall target set for the housing sector by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua. In this regards, we have evolved eight delivery models, namely direct construction, public-private partnership, public-public partnership, cooperative housing, rental housing, regeneration, new town development and site and services. With a careful combination of these models, we are confident that we would deliver on our target by 2013.

"Land is the basic raw material for our products. Therefore, we have embarked on an aggressive land acquisition drive all over the country. Our plan is to supply homes to the major urban centres where housing projects are deemed commercially viable as well as deliver in to other unserved and undeserving areas using delivery models that are appropriate for each location.

"We are delighted by the response we have got in our land acquisition drive from the FCTA and the governments of Taraba, Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Oyo, Cross River, Enugu, Akwa Ibom, Niger, Abia, Ekiti and Benue states so far."

Expressing delight over the new Lugbe Estate, Ekpiwhre said that it would go a long way towards ameliorating the nation’s 16 million housing deficit.

She noted that the current administration underscored land reform as one of its Seven-point Agenda and thus initiated moves to remove all the encumbrances that hampered the easy acquisition of land both for agriculture and housing development.

She said, "Government has gone ahead in this regard to initiate efforts at amending the Land Use Act which is enshrined in the constitution to make it easier for those with genuine need for land to acquire it. We are confident that the process of legislation and amendment of the Constitution currently in progress at the National Assembly would be concluded successfully to engender the required reforms in our land tenure system.

"Government is exploring various ways of working with the private sector and prospective home owners to deliver affordable housing. Government is looking at options that will reduce the burden of the cost of infrastructure on the average Nigerian, who desires to own a home."

She expressed satisfaction over some new Public-Private Partnerships projects in Kuje in Abuja, adding that such schemes would be replicated nationwide. The minister noted the need for a virile mortgage industry to make housing acquisition easier for the people had informed recent moves to capitalise the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and provide a model for long term mortgage financing.

Ekpiwhre remarked, "The FHA is a key organ of government for the implementation of the Seven-point Agenda. We would remove any encumbrance that may hinder it in the discharge of its mandate. I am glad that renewed efforts are being made to review the act establishing the authority. We will give these efforts our unalloyed support."