To help solve the housing shortage in Benue State, the state government has started building 1,080 new houses in Makurdi, the state capital. This project is being carried out by the Benue Investment and Property Company Limited (BIPC).
The housing project is called Eco-City Estate and is being built on the land where the old Benue Brewery Limited (BBL) Quarters used to be. Its goal is to provide affordable and long-lasting homes for people living in the state.
At the launch of the project, Governor Rev Fr Hyacinth Alia said Eco-City matches his plan to modernize Benue State and make it like other growing cities in Nigeria.
Speaking on behalf of the governor, Deputy Governor Barr Sam Ode praised BIPC for playing a key role in the changes happening in the state under Governor Alia’s leadership.
He said BIPC, under the leadership of Dr Raymond Asemakaha, is performing better than ever before. He added that the people of Benue are happy with the new businesses being set up across the state.
Governor Alia, through his deputy, also said that the government is working hard to upgrade Benue to match other growing states and cities in the country.
He mentioned that the ongoing road expansion near the estate — from Wurukum roundabout to Gboko — will make it easier for people to get to the new housing area.
Governor Alia encouraged people to invest in the Eco-City Estate, saying that once the road is completed, it will take just 10 minutes to get from there to the airport. He invited Benue citizens to take advantage of this opportunity.
He said there are four hectares of land available — two at the current site and two elsewhere — and that he wants local people to benefit from the housing project.
Dr Raymond Asemakaha, the head of BIPC, explained that the project will help reduce the housing shortage and the high cost of renting homes in Makurdi.
He said they are starting with 32 houses, then moving on to 48 more. In total, 1,000 homes will be built on 30 hectares of land. The first phase will take 6 months to complete, and the entire project should be done in 2 years.
Mrs Deborah Aber, the Secretary to the State Government, said it’s good to see BIPC working to bring modern and affordable housing to the state capital.
She said she was happy to witness the start of the project. According to her, the aim is to reduce rent prices in the area, and there will be more estates like this one. She added that the houses will be for people from all income levels.
She thanked Governor Alia and the BIPC team for their hard work and asked them to make sure the project is completed on time.
