Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum yesterday inaugurated a committee saddled with the responsibility of building a new estate of 500 houses in Maiduguri. The governor also approved the sale of 2,787 houses in five government estates, to persons who were allocated the houses by successive administrations.
Speaking during the committee’s inauguration at the Government House in Maiduguri, Zulum said the 500 houses are to be completed next year.
The committee, chaired by the state’s Deputy Governor, Umar Usman Kadafur, has members that include professional engineers. The governor announced that he had approved the recommendation of a different committee to begin the sale of 2,787 houses made up of the 1,000 and 777 housing estates, the 505, 303 and 202 estates on owner-occupier basis, meaning that those living in the houses will be made pay a sum after which they fully own the houses
. Under existing condition, the houses belong to the state government while those allocated the houses pay annual rents to government. Zulum recalled that his administration has entered an agreement with Family Family Homes funds ,the federal government intervention funds in housing, for the construction of 1,700 urban housing and 3,200 rural housing in the state. This, he explains would be executed through a public-private partnership.
The Governor, at the occasion, paid tribute to his predecessor, Senator Kashim Shettima, ‘‘for the laudable efforts in increasing access to affordable houses across rural and urban areas of the state’’. “My predecessor has amply demonstrated commitment towards the provision of affordable housing targeted at low/middle level income households in urban/rural centres and the reconstruction of ravaged communities’’ Zulum said.
Source: dailytrustNG
