Minister assures of land for low income houses

Low income earners in the ministry of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, will soon have their own accommodation as the FCT Administration is ready to go into partnership with the Federal Mortgage Bank to develop low-income houses for low-income workers there.

The FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, gave this assurance while receiving a delegation of the Federal Mortgage Bank led by its Acting Managing Director, Mr. Richard Esien that paid him a working visit in his office.

In a statement from the Chief Press Secretary, the Minister, made a case for the staff, while observing that the Administration had the highest number of employees in the Federal Capital Territory.

Bello, however, noted a need for buildings in Abuja to be fully occupied with the drastic reduction of prices by the landlords.

According to him, “what we need today in Abuja are low income houses which low income earners can afford and that is what my Administration would further encourage to take care of the less-privileged people in the society”.

Bello emphasised that his Administration was prepared to enhance the relationship between the FCT Administration and the Federal Mortgage Bank for the mutual benefit of the two organisations, therefore, the staff of the FCT Administration would have to be considered first.

“We have too many highbrow houses in Abuja which have remained vacant despite the housing deficit the workers are experiencing,” he observed.

While decrying a situation where estates were built in the past without provision of recreational facilities, children play ground as well as conversion of green areas to build houses, he directed that henceforth, all new estates must make provision for such essential facilities.

The Minister also directed that a green area be made available for the Federal Mortgage Bank to develop into a befitting public park for usage at weekends by the residents free of charge, adding that such a gesture should be the bank’s corporate social responsibility to the immediate society it is operating in.

The Acting Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank, Mr. Richard Esien sought for plots of land to deliver houses to Nigerians in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s mandate of 5,000 houses yearly.

He, however, observed that Bwari Area Council out of the six Area Councils in the FCT that had complied with the FMBN Act of contributing two and half percent of all workers earning and, therefore, appealed to the Minister to prevail on the remaining five Area Councils to make their contributions according to the law.