Mr Frank Offor, the Commissioner for Housing and Urban Development in Anambra, on Monday restated the state government’s commitment to provide affordable housing for civil servants in the state.
Offor expressed the commitment in an interview with News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Onitsha on Monday.
He said that the state government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with investors for the construction of eight housing estates across the state.
The commissioner further disclosed that the state government had signed MoU with Cotabs Engineering Ltd. for the construction of housing units across the three senatorial zones of the state, valued at N57.4billion.
Offor said that EFABS Property Ltd was expected to construct 1,000 housing units at Amansea near Awka for the middle and high class, valued at N26.4 billion.
“The state government also contracted Dozzy Investments Ltd. to build another 1, 000 housing units in Awka at the cost of N12.4 billion.
“We have Aldove Ltd. which signed a contract for N2.3 billion 300 housing units at GRA, Onitsha.
‘’Lake Petroleum is already constructing 300 units at GRA Onitsha at the cost of N2.3 billion.
“Government is also financing Affordable Building Concept to build 10, 000 low cost and middle class housing units for civil servants at the cost of N119.7 billion,” he said.
However, Offor said that the recession was delaying the projects as well as other infrastructure development projects embarked upon by Gov. Willie Obiano.
“The challenge we had was that, at the time some of these investors were about to commence work was when the country started having the dollar issue which has continued till date.
According to him, the foreign exchange and the current economic recession are delaying the delivery of 20,000 housing units in the state.
‘’We are hoping that as soon as dollar issue is stabilised, work will resume fully on the sites.”
The commissioner, however, said that the state government and Federal Mortgage Bank were collaborating to ensure the completion of housing schemes meant for civil servants in the state.
“The state government decided to involve the Federal Mortgage Bank to finance the civil servant housing projects, because of the economic recession.
“By this arrangement, it won’t take time for the projects to be delivered.
‘’The state government and the bank are in the process, as soon as funds are released work will begin on sites.”
The commissioner said that Obiano was passionate about meeting the housing needs of workers. (NAN)