The National Housing Programme is expected to gulp about N41 billion from the N64.9 billion budgeted for capital spending in the housing sector 2017 budget as disclosed by Mr Babatunde Raji, the Minister of Power Works and Housing.
Fashola who stated this while defending the housing sector of the 2017 budget proposal before the Senate Committee on Lands, Housing and Urban Development in Abuja noted that listed the projects competing for prominence in 2017 as the completion and rehabilitation of federal secretariats buildings across the country, the Zik Mausoleum, projects and programmes of PPP, constituency outreach and intervention projects.
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Fashola solicited the support of the Committee in a release of funds to enable contractors engaged by the ministry to effectively utilise the dry season weather to gain more grounds in their on-going projects. He further maintained that the ministry would soon commence the construction of 165 blocks of 2,000 units of housing estates across the states under the National Housing Programme.
The minister also requested the support of the committee in making provision/appropriation for the Naira equivalent of 12 million dollars to enable Nigeria to pay her dues to Shelter Afrique, an organisation of housing development and financing made up of 44 African countries including Nigeria.
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He said besides Nigeria chairing the board of Shelter Afrique that it was morally right as a shareholder to pay up its liability of 12million dollars before the deadline of the end of 2017.
Earlier, the Committee chairman, Engr. Barnabas Gemade queried the insertion of a Regional Housing Scheme in addition to the National Housing Programme, to which the Minister explained that it was not part of the submission of the Ministry, adding that perhaps the Ministry of Finance would be in a better position to make a further clarification about the scheme. He assured that the committee would work in tandem with the Appropriation Committee of the senate by recommending a necessary provision for on-going and new projects in the housing sector.
This he said would enhance the quality of lives of the people and help the nation to overcome the challenges in the distribution of infrastructures and also reduce the deficits in the affordable housing scheme in Nigeria.
Source: Leadership News
