By Jude Njoku

A novel partnership forged between the Federal Housing Authority, FHA and the National Association of Nigerian Traders, is set to add 5,000 units to the Abuja housing stock. The cooperative scheme which will comprise one, two and three bedroom apartments in blocks of flats, would be sited in Zuba, a suburb of the the Federal Capital Territory.

Speaking at the formal launch of the scheme which coincided with at the maiden National Traders Day at the Eagles Square, Abuja, FHA’s acting Managing Director, Mr David Kpue, an engineer, said he was elated because the partnership between the Authority and the traders had become a reality.

Affordable housing

Kpue said FHA had envisaged such collaboration in 2007 when it adopted the cooperative housing model for accelerated housing delivery. The FHA boss who was represented by the Authority’s Deputy General Manager, Public-Private Partnership, Hajara Kadiri, a lawyer, noted that cooperative housing had for years assisted in providing affordable housing for low and medium income earners in many countries. According to him, the model takes the stress of home ownership away from the individual and shares it among members of a group.

He enjoined Nigerians to adopt the model especially now that it has become increasingly difficult for the average citizen to save enough money to either build or buy a completed house.

The FHA boss lauded the association for opening a group account with the Authority’s primary mortgage institution, FHA Mortgage Bank. He urged the members to pay up the 15 percent of the cost of their desired houses to facilitate the delivery of the houses.

Kpue who disclosed that the Authority has secured the site in Zuba for the take off of the project, explained that the designs were ready and that work would commence as soon as approvals were obtained from the Federal Capital Development Authority, FCDA.

Assuring the traders that the Authority would deliver on all its commitments under the partnership, Kpue said the FHA was determined to make it easier for low and medium income earners to own their own houses.

To achieve that goal, he said the Authority, in spite of not enjoying budget appropriation, was working towards the take-off of new town projects in Bwari and Kwali both in the FCT, Both projects are expected to deliver no fewer than 35,000 housing units.

He praised President Goodluck Jonathan for the giant strides made by his administration to make home ownership easy and convenient for Nigerians.

These, he said included the approval of both the National Housing and the National Urban Development Policies as well as the floating of the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company NMRC which he noted would midwife a sustainable mortgage culture in the country.

Kpue also noted that the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development is about completing the development of a road map for the nation’s housing and urban development sector.

All these, he said would begin to yield results soon in the form of increased access to affordable housing for all Nigerians.

The Chairman of the traders, Prince Edozie Ugwu said his team was satisfied that the FHA would deliver the houses in record time and urged members to pay up their deposit to enable the project take off on schedule.