ABUJA – PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan will on
Wednesday perform the ground breaking
ceremony for the N960 billion housing scheme
that would be made affordable for Nigerian
workers to reduce homelessness some of them
face after a meritorious service to their
father land.
President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC),
Comrade Abdulwahed Omar and the Managing
Director of Kriston Lally EPC, Alhaji Mustapha
Madawaki who disclosed this at the weekend
said the housing scheme to be launched same
day would be for members of the labour union
that indicate interest in the scheme.
The $6 billion affordable housing scheme
partnership between the NLC and the private
property developer, Kriston Lally EPC Nigeria
Limited will be for Nigerian workers in all the
36 states including the FCT.
The NLC President and the Managing Director
of Kriston Lally during press briefing disclosed
that President Jonathan would perform the
ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday in
Karsana, Abuja.
It will be recalled that the two parties signed
the housing scheme agreement April last year,
at the Labour House, Abuja.
The NLC boss who was worried by the 40 million
housing deficit in the country as revealed by a
United Nations study, said the congress plan
was to build affordable houses for all willing
NLC members, and any Nigerian worker that
indicate interest in the scheme.
Comrade Omar said: “On the issue of housing,
we are very serious about it and by the grace
of God before we leave office we hope to see
that quite a number of workers would have
gotten shelter.
“The most important thing is that we would
have laid a foundation whereby on continuous
basis, Nigerian workers will continue to get
houses in a very easy way by just depositing 10
per cent and then get a house that they will
continue to pay for over a period of time.
“What we are after is to lay this very solid
foundation for Nigerian workers and it is not
only workers in Abuja, but workers all over the
country.
“So far, we have written letters to so many
state governors and the responses have been
very positive. They are also very eager; many
of them have promised giving us lands. In fact
some have already allocated land for this
purpose.
“You know that the moment you are able to get
land, you have removed a substantial part of
the cost of the house and then with this kind of
arrangement where somebody will just pay 10
per cent and then subsequently when you get
the house you start paying the balance over a
period of time.
“I am positive that we are going to provide
quality and affordable housing for Nigerian
workers. Kriston Lally is just one; perhaps I
should say it is a star among all the private
developers that we are working with. We have
also seen many proposals seeking to partner
with the congress but we are taking our time.
“Apart from Kriston Lally, we are also working
in a tripartite situation with the Federal
Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, with NECA, that is
the employers’ association, and on the other
side NLC and TUC. That is also a very big
project, we are making progress.”
Also speaking, the MD of Kriston Lally, Alhaji
Madawaki said with the launch by President
Jonathan, the scheme had taken off fully and
assured that the NLC and Kriston Lally have
done everything to ensure that Nigerian
workers, especially those who have subscribed
for the first phase get their houses as
scheduled.
He said: “In practical term, we are ready. We
have cleared our sites. We have imported block
making factory. It is already in Abuja. We have
mobilized virtually all our staff that are
suppose to be on sites and our sub-contractors
are all sensitized and ready. So, in practical
term, we as company are ready.
“We initially have contacted the President
through the Nigeria Labour Congress, wanting
Mr. President to be the one to lay the
foundation ceremony for the project and this
will be done this Wednesday.
“We felt it is important that we wait for the
President to give us a date. We wouldn’t want
to jump the gun by just going into the site to
do that. But I can honestly tell you that we
believe by the end of this month, that is
Wednesday, the President will performe the
ground breaking ceremony and will be moving to
site fully.”
On the fear that the delay would probably
affect the December 2014 delivery date
promised to subscribers, he assured that the
deadline would not suffer.
He said: “The issue of the deadline is not going
to suffer, because if you look at the pilot
study which is the first phase, we are only
concentrating on 5,000 houses in Abuja. It is
the second phase that will involve Abuja,
PortHarcourt, Lagos, Imo State and Adamawa,
and that will be huge number.
“So, delivering 5,000 houses in 10 months is
not a problem. We are prepared because we
have over 70 sub-contractors, we have 12
construction companies of our own. So even if
we just give 70 or 80 houses to each and
everyone of them, I think each one of them
should be able to develop 70 houses in 10
months.
“I said 10 months, because in the last two
months, we have done the initial work like
clearing and importing all the necessaru
eqquipment. we were only waiting for the
President of this country, who is workers
friendly and also determine to provide shelters
for all Nigerians to performe the launch.”
To make it workers friendly, the interest rate
is put at 2% per annum of the total amount of
the property, which can be spread over 5, 10 or
15 years, depending on the choice of each
dubscribers.
This, according to Omar and Madawaki is well
below what is available in the Nigerian
mortgage market today.
The houses that would be provided include: Two
and three bedrooms bungalows, semi-detached
or fully detached bungalows; two and three
bedrooms in a block of flats; and four bedrooms
semi-detached and fully detached duplex.
According to Omar, the housing estates would
also include construction of a four-star hotel
with a 180-guestroom capacity.
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