The Jigawa State Government has approved N19.6bn for the construction of 560 housing units in the state, across nine local government areas, to address the state’s growing housing needs.
The Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture, Sagir Musa, disclosed this recently after the State Executive Council meeting in Dutse.
Musa said the project aligned with Governor Umar Namadi’s vision for inclusive development and sustainable urban growth.
The initiative forms Phase II of the state’s Mass Housing Estate project and will feature three-bedroom detached and two-bedroom semi-detached units, all with perimeter fencing.
The housing units will be constructed in Babura, Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel, Hadejia, Kafin Hausa, Kazaure, Maigatari, and Ringim.
Musa disclosed, “Jigawa Government has approved N19.6 bn for the construction of 560 mass housing units across nine local government areas.
“The nine local government areas are Babura, Birnin Kudu, Dutse, Gumel, Hadejia, Kafin Hausa, Kazaure, Maigatari, and Ringim.
“The Commissioner for Information, Youth, Sports and Culture, Sagir Musa, made this known on Tuesday while briefing newsmen after the state Executive Council meeting in Dutse.”
The commissioner added that the project is aimed at improving the living conditions while also stimulating the local economy through job creation and construction-related activities.
Lauding the move of the state, the Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria commended the move of the Jigawa State Government and called on other state governments to emulate the initiative by expanding housing provision for Nigerians.
In a statement, AHCN noted that the approval was part of phase 2 of the state’s mass housing estate initiative, of which 500 units were completed and delivered last year.
It stated, “This landmark decision by the State Executive Council clearly depicts a strong commitment of Governor Umar Namadi’s administration to ameliorate housing challenges and accelerate the provision of affordable and quality homes for the citizens of the state.
We applaud this bold step taken by the government, which will not only boost access to decent housing but will also stimulate job creation, improve urban infrastructure and foster inclusive growth, development and improved urban planning in the state.
“We specifically hail the decision of Governor Namadi’s decision to saddle the state housing agency, the Jigawa State Housing Authority, with the responsibility of delivering and supervising the project on behalf of the state government. We urge the state housing agency to embrace transparency, community engagement and collaboration with appropriate and tested private developers, if need be, to ensure the funds achieve their maximum impact.
“We call on all other state governments to emulate Jigawa State by providing seed funds for their state housing agencies and support them adequately in their statutory responsibility of housing provision instead of saddling the state ministry of housing with such, which is outside policy formulation.”
