Story from Abah ADAH, Abuja
Nigeria’s Minister of Works and Housing Mr Babatunde Fashola on Friday declared open a web portal designed for the sale of completed housing units built by the ministry under the National Mass Housing Project across the states of the federation.
Intimating the press on the new development in his office at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, the Minister said the houses are of different types and the forms were already there online for prospective applicants to log in and apply for the kind of house they wish to buy.
According to him, the digital process, apart from affording every willing member of the Nigerian public to apply from anywhere without distant barrier, limits any kind of human interference that may skew the fairness and transparency intended in the sale of the houses.
The projects, he said, serve different purposes ranging from providing affordable housing to Nigerians to boosting the economy of the people by creating jobs and wealth along the value chain.
He said, “We have 5,000 housing units at different stages of completion. About 1,000 contractors are handling the projects and they are all Nigerians and, indirectly, others will be employed along the value chain.
“There houses are of different types. We have 1, 2, 3 bedroom detached bungalows. We also have 1, 2, 3 bedrooms in condominiums.”
He said the least selling price for the houses is N7.222 million while the highest is N16.491 million, adding that the bungalows sell at higher prices.
“Each of those bungalows have adjoining land so the bungalows are more expensive,” he said.
He also noted that there is a little differential in the prices of houses built in the riverine areas and those built inland.
Declaring the web portal open, Fashola said members of the public who wish to apply for the house of their choice “can visit https://nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng/, adding that the ministry has people that are trained to help collate the applications.
He said the portal was prepared in such a way that there will be no difficulty or mix-up in the course of applying, adding that any unit sold out would not be on the site again so as to protect the buyer and check the issue of multiple applications.
According to him, subscription is not limited to National Housing Fund (NHF) applicant alone, but open to all and sundry.
Hinting that the ministry has already engaged some facility managers, the Minister directed that those of them whose contracts are expiring be renewed, adding, “we are also working with the private sector.
The Minister disclosed that another set of 6,000 housing units in different parts of the country are currently being managed by the Federal Mortgage Bank, adding that some of them had already been sold to university staff, some to NHF staff among others.
He also urged the Federal Housing Authority and the Federal Mortgage Bank to take advantage of the portal in selling their own products too.
Houses in 34 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja have been uploaded on the web portal and more to be uploaded for subscribers to access.
In attendance at the event were a few members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) from Lagos, led by the National President, Mr Mustapha Isah.
Isah, who was the first to commence the online application immediately after the portal was declared open, commended the innovation, saying it is a process made so easy for would-be subscribers.
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