The National Housing Programme (NHP) is envisioned by the Federal Government and anchored by the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing in collaboration with all the state governments, including the Federal Capital Territory.
Apart from its main purpose of bridging the critical housing deficit in Nigeria, the NHP is also initiated to address and improve the socio-economic conditions of Nigerians through employment generation, poverty alleviation and empowerment of people within the locality.
Presently, housing constructions, including infrastructural projects are ongoing at all the project locations of the NHP across the country, featuring indigenous contractors, professionals, skilled and unskilled artisans, including labourers, food vendors, building materials suppliers, blocks moulders and security guards.
Hence, the project, with its compliance with use of indigenous workers and locally made building materials with the objective of boosting local content, has equally impacted on the economy of the country, especially in the various states of its location.
Recently, the ministry as part of its nationwide media coverage visited the South-South and South-East zones to access the level of progress made on the programme in the zones and to access the level of infrastructure to complement the housing units.
The inspection was also aimed at accessing the economic impact made by the programme to the Growth of Domestic Product (GDP) in the country.
In Enugu, the housing site consisting of 72 units, located at Ugwuogo Nike, Enugu East Local Government Area has attained 70 per cent completion as the houses had been roofed.
Mrs Tina Ene, Deputy Director, Department of Public Building and Housing of the ministry, the Team Leader in Enugu, said that 12 contractors were mobilised at the project site while many indigenous artisans and labourers were engaged.
“Infrastructure contracts which include water, electricity and road have also been awarded while electricity and water contractors were seen to have begun work except road contract which will take off immediately.
“The doors, windows, tiles, water cistern, marble, kitchen sinks, including the roofing sheets are all locally made.
“But the ceiling boards, lighting fittings and locks are not locally manufactured in Nigeria, so we have to use imported ones.
“That exposes the fact that there is need for investors to go into such businesses to produce them.
“We have been using gypsum alternatively; a white mineral used to make plaster and it is used for ceiling board,’’ she said.
The official noted that from the inception of the programme, they relied on the use of locally manufactured materials as directed by the ministry to promote made in Nigeria products.
She, nonetheless, explained that the problem with meeting the completion period was that most times when the contractors applied for their payment, it would take a while before payments were made.
One of the contractors, Chief Partrick Maduagwu, noted that funding was part of their problems with regard to the housing project because payment was made in stages.
According to him, apart from the challenge of fund, the terrain of the project site makes it difficult for them initially.
Similarly, Mr Olushola Idowu, Federal Comptroller of Power, Works and Housing (Housing Sector) in Ebonyi, said that the housing project the state is located at Ezzamgbo Ohaukwu Local Government Area and work had reached advance stage.
He said the project was between 70 per cent and 75 per cent completion, reiterating that when completed, the housing project would house different categories of Nigerians, including the lower income earners.
“The project consists of 72 housing units with 12 contractors handling various types of buildings with their almost 95 per cent indigenous workers,’’ he said.
In Edo, Mrs Ebemeata Ani-Otoibhi, the Team Leader of NHP in the state, said that the 64-unit NHP site in Benin, located at Idumwen-Ehigie, along Benin-Auchi road Uhunmwode Local Government Area had 12 contractors.
She said that the project was 80 per cent completion and had generated more than 3,000 employments to Nigerians within the locality, noting that the project, which started in March 2017, would be completed in June.
She also said that the project had increased commercial activities in the state as well as enhanced development in the location faced some security challenges that had been resolved.
But a road contractor, Mr James Okafor, complained of non mobilisation of fund as one of the challenges facing the project.
He appealed to the government to release more fund for the project as soon possible to enable them to meet the deadline for its completion.
“One thing is to award a project; the second thing is the supervision while thirdly is the completion of the project.
“The government should do the needful by following up the project and releasing money as and when due,’’ he said.
The project site in Uyo, Akwa Ibom, located at Ikot Ntuen Nsit, Nsit Mbom Local Government Area of the state comprises 72 housing unit that are attained between 60 per cent and 70 per cent completion.
Mrs Iquo Uzodimma, the Federal Controller, Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Housing) and Team Leader, NHP, Uyo said that the project was delayed initially by a soil test to determine the capacity of the soil before the construction.
The artisans, who were gainfully employed at the sites, expressed gratitude to God and the Federal Government, calling for sustenance and continuity of such projects.
Miss Ofon Mbuk, a 22-year-old deaf and dumb, is also empowered through an allocation in Uyo site where she cooks and sells varieties of food to workers at the site, generating more than N15, 000 daily, according to her.
The Zonal Director, South-South NHP, Mr Daminabo Oko-Jaja, said that the construction of 72-unit housing would soon begin in Yeneagoa, Bayelsa, even as the ministry had been discussing how to acquire land in Rivers for the programme.
In Delta, the project is located at Issele-Azagba in Aniocha Local Government Area and it has attained 60 per cent completion, employing more than 1,000 indigenous workers.
In all the project sites, investigations show that the bottleneck resulting in the slow mobilisation of fund for the completion of the project is caused by the commitment of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, to comply with due process.(NANFeatures)