The Federal Government on Wednesday performed the groundbreaking ceremony for a 250-unit Renewed Hope Civil Service Estate at Dukpa, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqa Darma, said the project was aimed at providing affordable housing for civil servants and improving their welfare.
Darma said this at the groundbreaking ceremony of the estate, being developed through a public partnership between the ministry and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF).
He said the project was not simply another housing project, but a recognition of the contributions of civil servants to national development.
“We see this project, therefore, not just as 250 more housing units across Nigeria, but as housing that honours the service and contribution of a vital group,” he said.
“By providing cheap and affordable housing to civil servants, what we are doing is bringing efficiency into the Civil Service.
“The houses are provided for civil servants only. And just as you saw during the rendition of the Civil Service Anthem, this Civil Service is being made incorruptible,” he said.
Darma said the project also recognised the contributions of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, to the development of the civil service.
According to the minister, the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development is committed to delivering on the housing mandate of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
He said the ministry had housing projects across the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.
Darma said the ministry would deliver 122 housing units to beneficiaries before the end of August, with additional housing projects scheduled for September, October and December.
He urged contractors, consultants and other stakeholders to ensure that the houses were built to high-quality standards and would stand the test of time.
Also speaking, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, described the 250-unit estate as a milestone in the government’s commitment to the welfare of federal civil servants.
Walson-Jack said the project represented a promise of a better future for civil servants and their families.
She said the 250 homes would provide civil servants with security, peace of mind and the pride of home ownership after years of dedicated service.
“Housing goes beyond bricks and mortar. It is fundamentally about people. For a civil servant, home ownership offers security, peace of mind, and a lasting reward for years of dedicated service to the nation.
“These 250 homes therefore represent 250 opportunities for civil servants and their families to enjoy the security and pride of home ownership,” she said.
The Head of Service commended the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for initiating the project and called for its timely completion.
She urged stakeholders to ensure quality, affordability, transparency and timely delivery of the houses.
“These homes should be built to appropriate standards and made genuinely accessible to the civil servants for whom they are intended,” she said.
She also disclosed that OHCSF currently had 305 housing units provided to civil servants under the Federal Integrated Staff Housing Programme (FISH).
She said more than 40,000 beneficiaries had also accessed housing loans through the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board.
Walson-Jack called for more partnerships to enable more civil servants to become homeowners.
She reminded federal civil servants that the Federal Government’s approved annual ₦10 billion housing loan scheme, provided through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), was available to eligible officers.
She encouraged civil servants to access the facility through the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board.
The Managing Director of FMBN, Mr Shehu Osidi, commended the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development for the initiative.
Osidi described the project as “a significant intervention in the provision of decent, affordable and sustainable housing for federal civil servants.”
He said the project was a practical demonstration of the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the welfare, dignity and quality of life of its workforce.
The FMBN managing director said the bank was ready to provide appropriate mortgage financing to eligible beneficiaries of the project.
“Accordingly, I wish to reiterate the bank’s readiness and unwavering commitment to providing appropriate mortgage financing to eligible beneficiaries of this project,” he said.
Osidi said FMBN would work with relevant stakeholders to facilitate a seamless and efficient mortgage financing process.
“Our objective is to ensure that the delivery of these homes is complemented by accessible and affordable mortgage financing, thereby enabling the intended beneficiaries to achieve sustainable home ownership,” he said.
The Renewed Hope Civil Service Estate comprises 250 units of two- and three-bedroom bungalows for federal civil servants.
