Nigeria Content Online

At least 394
companies have indicated interest in the Abuja Mass Housing Scheme, the
Minister of FCT, Bala Mohammed, was quoted as saying in Abuja on Monday.

A statement from
Muhammad Sule, the Chief Press Secretary to the FCT Minister, said the
move would enable the authority to provide affordable houses for the
residents of the territory.

Mr Sule said after
the monthly FCT Operations Briefing Session in Gwarimpa District, that
318 of the applicants had collected documents while 50 had made
submissions which were being evaluated.

“The FCT
administration is now working on the evaluation of bid documents for
the engagement of consultants for auditing of the existing mass housing
schemes.

“This is in
addition to the in-house collation of data on the existing mass housing
developers and computerisation of such data,” he said.

He also added that
relevant departments of the FCT administration and the Federal Capital
Development Authority (FCDA) were already meeting with the stakeholders
as well as the developers, to ensure better results.

He further said
that 25 beneficiaries of the recent allocation under the mass housing
scheme had commenced regularisation of their allocations with the mass
housing department, which would be considered on merit, and that the
Department of Urban and Regional Planning was currently identifying
suitable areas in the Federal Capital City and the satellite towns for
the preparation of comprehensive site development plans for the mass
housing scheme.

He noted that the
FCT administration had reviewed existing lease agreements in line with
the approved guidelines for the scheme by the Federal Executive Council.

Mr Sule, however,
recalled that the housing policy of the Federal Capital Territory
Administration was to be implemented through the
public-private-partnership with the administration providing the land,
and the developers constructing the houses, and the secondary and
tertiary infrastructure for sale to recoup their investments.

“All actions taken must be in consonance with the approved
guidelines of the Federal Executive Council in addition to sound
technical base without compromise, because Abuja has a standard that
must be maintained and we have a duty to satisfy the yearnings of
Nigerians,” he said.