Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state has disclosed that his administration will construct 342 housing units at the proposed New Sokoto city, in commemoration of the figures that gave victory for his re-election as governor in March 2019.
ASHENEWS recalls that through Tambuwal was ahead of his opponent, Alhaji Ahmed Aliyu with 3,413 votes in all but one local government area of the state, the poll was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The returning officer, Professor Fatima Mukhtar called for a re-run “due to cancellation in 22 local government areas across 136 polling units with a total number of 75,403 cancelled votes.”
Tambuwal, while receiving a report from a committee for the delivery of affordable houses to people of the state on Tuesday, said the commemorative project to be named: ‘342 Housing Scheme’, is a special scheme for a broad spectrum of technocrats in the service of the state.
According to him, the beneficiaries will include but not restricted to: civil servants, public servants, members of the state assembly (because they sold their own), members of the state executive council, permanent secretaries, Directors-General and Directors.
“We are planning a new Sokoto state housing scheme. In the next year’s budget we will come up with the new housing scheme to be titled: ‘342 Housing Scheme.’
“We believe that in the next stage of development in Sokoto state, people will see (more) housing schemes coming up in the length and breadth of the state,” the governor emphasized.
Addressing the committee, Tambuwal said the state government had given options to interested applicants as to where to build their houses for them, explaining that that could be in the state capital or in their respective local government headquarters.
He said the scheme is intended to spread development across the state rather than concentrating in the state capital.
The governor said preference would be given to those who have not benefited from similar scheme in the past, adding that the state government in collaboration with Family Homes and Federal Mortgage Bank, will come up with the number of houses available to would-be beneficiaries.
He added that, at the inception of his administration, it inherited 500 housing units at Kalambaina which has been completed and sold out to members of the public and civil servants.
The governor also said currently, the government is undertaking the completion of another 500 housing units at Gidan Salanke, which was also inherited from the past administration.
“More houses”, he pointed out, “have been sold to civil servants both from the state and federal service; including the families of those whose parents have disengaged from service but still living in the state.”
In his remarks, the chairman of the committee, who is also the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Sa’idu Umar, said about 6,000 applications were received from prospective applicants, comprising 5,000 from the state civil servants and the remaining from the employees in the Local Government Service Commission.
He also said the houses to be built include 4, 3 and 2 bedrooms flats.
