Abuja – President Muhamadu Buhari on Monday in Abuja urged civil servants in the country to re-dedicate themselves to the service of the nation.
Buhari made the call at the ground-breaking ceremony of the 1, 000 housing units under the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) programme at Tafyi District.
The President was represented at the occasion by Alhaji Mustapha Shehuri, the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing.
The FISH programme is an initiative of the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOS) in partnership with the American Building System International (ABSI).
He said that the initiative showed that the synergy between government and the private sector was the way to ensure the development of the country.
The HOS, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, in her address of welcome, said the initiative was aimed at providing decent and affordable housing for civil servants in particular.
She added that the occasion signposts the development agenda of the president administration to address the housing challenges of civil servants in the country and to provide mass housing for Nigerians.
She stressed that though the provision of affordable and decent housing for Nigerians could be very challenging, it was surmountable.
Oyo-Ita noted that most civil servants lived in slumps, especially in the FCT and other major cities since they could not afford decent houses, because of the cost.
She, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government for a special intervention fund through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to be channelled to civil servants as loans, through the Federal Housing Loans Scheme.
She said that the loan would be recoverable from monthly salary payments of beneficiaries.
She also urged on socially responsible organisations that had yet to key into the FISH programme to do so and challenged housing developers to showcase their potential.
Oyo-Ita explained that the delivery of affordable houses under the programme would include group land acquisition from the Federal Capital Territory Administration and states across the country.
She added that it also included the provision of infrastructure and financial support through strategic partnership.
She stressed that the houses would be sold to only qualified civil servants, adding that no one would be short-changed.
The HOS further added that the Abuja ground breaking ceremony was first in the series, as the program would be replicated in other parts of the county.
The Chairman of the occasion, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, while congratulating civil servants for the programme,urged the Federal Government to increase its partnership with the private sector.
Dangote, who was represented by Alhaji Munsu Ahmed, Executive Director Dangote Group of Companies, said such partnership was critical to drive and develop the country`s economy.
He described the FISH initiative as an effective innovation that would boost the relationship between government and the private sector.
He added that such partnership was not only necessary, but vital to grow the economy and ensure the survival of private businesses.
He further added that his company would join others to ensure the realisation of the FISH programme in record time.
In his remark, the Chairman of the FISH programme, Mr Saheed Adelakun, a Permanent Secretary in the HOS office, said that a housing estate for Nigerian civil servants was long overdue.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the occasion was attended by all federal Permanent Secretaries, representatives of the Federal Mortgage Bank and several housing development agencies.
Members of the Tafyi community and their chiefs also attended the occasion to give their support to the project.
NAN reports that at completion, a one bedroom apartment would go for N5 million, N9 million for two bed-room apartment and three bedrooms for N12 million
Thirty civil servants at the occasion were fortunate to win raffle tickets which qualifies them as first to be given priority when the houses are completed.
They would, however, pay same amount as other beneficiaries. (NAN)