In a landmark ceremony, Governor Abdullahi Sule has presented allocation letters of 312 units of houses to civil servants as beneficiaries the owner-occupier scheme initiated by his administration.
Governor Sule performed the symbolic presentation of the allocation letters to the deserving civil servants at the Government House on Friday.
According to the Governor, it is the vision of his administration to provide houses to 50 percent of civil servants in the state before the expiration of his tenure, especially with the improved federal allocation coming to the state.
Reiterating his firm believe in housing, he said that informed the decision of his administration to undertake the Technology Village Project in Karu, as well as the Peninsula Hills City in Masaka, aimed at providing affordable housing to the people of Nasarawa State.
Governor Sule said the biggest intervention in the area of housing is coming from the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Housing Project, with the next groundbreaking ceremony earmarked for Nasarawa State.
While appreciating the committee charged with executing the owner-occupier policy of his administration chaired by the State Deputy Governor, Dr. Emmanuel Akabe, the Governor also commended the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria ( FMBN) for partnering with the government to enable the benefitting civil servants to own their houses.
Governor Sule congratulated the benefitting civil servants, urging them not to sell their property as they could not have similar opportunities in the future.
In his remarks, Nasarawa State Deputy Governor, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, who doubles as the chairman of the committee saddled with the realization of the owner-occupier housing scheme, described the event as a landmark achievement especially for the benefitting civil servants.
Dr. Akabe said after evaluating the properties under the scheme, his committee reverted to the government evaluation in order to make the houses affordable to civil servants instead of their open market value which was discovered to be astronomical.
He said the committee also recommended for a ten percent discount even on the cheaper rates in order to make the houses affordable to the beneficiaries.
“I must say that our gratitude goes to His Excellency, Governor Abdullahi Sule, our visionary leader, a leader who has sympathetic heart. A leader who is out for the welfare of our citizens. A leader that the trade union executives and even members have termed a labour friendly leader. I am happy that we are here today this morning for this very important event of the presentation of letters to deserving civil servants so that they can own their own property,” the Deputy Governor said.
Also speaking, Nasarawa State Head of Civil Service, Abigail Waya, thanked Governor Sule for his unwavering commitment to the welfare of civil servants, which she said saw to the realization of the owner-occupier housing scheme In the state.
Waya said the gesture has potential to transform the lives of countless families across the state.
She listed the estates earmarked for the owner-occupier scheme to include Old Kasuwan Tomatoes quarters, 22 units, NADP Quarters, 41 units, Abdullahi Adamu Estate, 105 units, Nasara Estate, 132 units, making a total of 312 units of houses of one, two and three bedrooms.
“I have repeatedly said that the stewardship of His Excellency is replete with adjectives of first, most, best because in so many instances, you are the first to accomplish a particular feat or you have accomplished the most or you have accomplished the best. That is because you are a pacesetter.
“You make a promise and you fulfill that promise. Your unwavering commitment to the welfare of civil servants has brought this owner-occupier scheme to fruition. This owner-occupier scheme holds the promise of transforming the lives of countless families across the state,” the HOS said.
She however appealed to the beneficiaries not to sell their houses.
In their separate goodwill messages, Comrades Ismaila Ayuba Oko and Mohammed Doma, chairmen of the state chapters of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) respectively, appreciated Governor Sule for summoning the political will to ensure the success of the owner-occupier housing scheme In the state.
While lamenting the absence of an enduring housing policy across the country, the labour leaders lauded the Nasarawa State Government for berthing the owner-occupier scheme.
“This scheme has come at the right time, at a time workers are badly in need of accommodation. You have saved us from a lot of embarrassment, especially considering the high rate of rent in Lafia. This is a life time gift that we must utilize it,” Comrade Doma of the TUC said.
In a vote of thanks on behalf of the benefitting civil servants, Mallam Ibrahim Shigafarta, a seasoned broadcaster with the Nasarawa Broadcasting Services (NBS), thanked the Governor for fulfilling the age-old yearning of civil servants in the state by providing them with a roof over their heads.
