Benue State government said it is planning to construct over 5,000 affordable housing units for its citizens to address housing deficit in the State.
The Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development in the state, Mr. Ekpu Ogbu disclosed this when he received the leadership and members of the Correspondents’ Chapel, led by Mr. Vande Acka, in his office.
Mr. Ogbu explained that the state executive council has, through a memo sent to them, granted approval for the construction of 5,000 Expandable Organic Mass Housing units for Benue citizens; civil servants and non civil servants alike.
He said government has began discussions with the federal housing authority who will mobilize to site very soon.
Mr. Ogbu said that out of the 100 hectares of land which the state government was asked to provide, 10 hectares of uncumunbered land, has already been given, at Adeke, along the new Mobile Barrack road, for the commencement of the project.
According to him, state government has also, entered into a memorandum of understanding, (MoU) with Habitat African Initiative based in Abuja to build low-cost houses for Benue people.
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He said “the proposal was such that when the houses are completed Benue people can own a house with as little as 3,800. The materials would be sourced locally and we hope that this will go a long way in reducing the housing deficit in the State. We are doing this in collaboration with the World Bank as well as the Federal Mortgage Bank”, Ogbu said.
The Commissioner also said that since he assumed office, the state government has added value to the lives of people of the state through construction and renovation of several structures in the state.
He named the renovation, expansion of old structures and construction of a clinic at Mama Abayol Orphanage Home, renovation of Government Girls Model Secondary School, Special School for Exceptional Children all in Aliade as well as provision of security fence round the school as some of the projects undertaken by the ministry under his supervision.
He also named the remodelling of Tor Tiv’s palace, the Aper Aku Lodge, renovation of Government House in Makurdi, renovation and furnishing of a general hospital in Gbajimba, Guma LGA, construction of a new multipurpose hall at the NYSC camp in Wannune, Tarka LGA among others as projects to touch lives in the state.
He said the Ortom led government would do everything humanly possible to ameliorate the housing deficit in the state.
