The Federal Government has expressed concern that many civil servants are unable to benefit from its housing loan schemes due to heavy salary deductions from multiple commercial loans.
Executive Secretary of the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, Hajiya Salamatu Ladi Ahmed, disclosed this during the Permanent Secretaries’ Quarterly Forum with union leaders in Abuja. She explained that workers who had mortgaged their salaries through “sharp loan” agencies were automatically disqualified from the housing loan scheme.
“It is unfortunate that many workers are unable to repay government housing loans because their salaries have already been tied down by deductions from commercial lenders. This is very sad,” Ahmed said.
She noted that despite the board increasing its loan ceiling to ₦20 million for senior staff and introducing a special scheme for officers on Grade Levels 8 to 14, many civil servants could not meet eligibility requirements. According to her, the government is partnering with mortgage institutions and private developers to ease access to affordable housing.
Declaring the forum open, Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office, Mrs. Patience Onyekunle, said the meeting was part of efforts to enhance dialogue between government and labour unions on welfare and productivity. She listed initiatives under the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan (2021–2025), including group life assurance for workers and the ₦750 billion pension bond bill already before the National Assembly.
Onyekunle added that the government had revived the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) and was providing free medical services at the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation. She also mentioned reforms in the reward and recognition system, as well as an open-door engagement policy with labour unions.
Speaking on NSITF’s operations, the Deputy General Manager, Usman Tumsah, said the fund was simplifying its claims process and digitising applications to ensure prompt compensation for workplace accidents and deaths. He lamented that many organisations had yet to fully comply with the scheme, but assured that federal civil servants were already covered.
In her remarks, Chairman of the Ministry of Information and National Orientation Union, Chika Ukachukwu, welcomed the government’s efforts but urged improvements in the National Health Insurance Authority scheme. She criticised delays in accessing healthcare, calling for the removal of bottlenecks that discourage workers from seeking treatment.
