The Executive Governor of Cross River State, Prince Bassey Otu, has tasked the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) on more intervention in the housing sector of the state.
The governor made the call on Thursday, when he recieved the Executive Director, Property Development and Mortgages of the bank, Mr. Lukman Mustapha, during a courtesy visit to the Governor’s Office in Calabar.
Governor Otu said the provision of housing remains a top priority of his administration, emphasizing that the People First Agenda is about the welfare of the people.
“The human being is the most crucial component in life, if he lacks a roof over his head, something is wrong. As you are aware, we run a people’s first policy in the state. When we say people first, it is about the people’s welfare which includes housing needs.”
“Shelter is next to food in terms of basic necessity, housing is a fundamental human right of every human being and you can be rest assured of our support to housing delivery in the state,” the governor stated.
While acknowledging the bank’s effort in housing delivery in the state, the governor called on the FMBN to engage in more housing projects to accommodate the rising population.
“I want to commend you for the way you have managed the housing fund. In the past three years, you have doubled your capacity in providing shelters across the country. In Calabar you have about eleven projects running. But we will need a lot more than what you are doing here to accommodate our rising population.”
“In terms of challenges, we will provide whatever support you need to deliver on the housing needs of our people.”
Speaking earlier, the Executive Director of the Bank in charge of property development and mortgages, Mr. Lukman Mustapha, expressed gratitude to the governor for the hospitality his team has enjoyed in the state and appealed for more collaborative support.
“The national housing fund is aimed at creating a pool of funds for the provision of low and meduim income housing units for Nigerian workers.
“The fund is a pool of funds from Nigerian workers, who are meant to contribute 2.5percent of their earnings. Cross River State has benefited two completed projects, and seven others are currently ongoing, and on completion we will have over 500 housing units in the state.”
“We are happy with the partnership with the state in housing delivery. So far, Cross River has contributed over N3billion to these projects. We urge you to continue in this mutual beneficial collaboration and assure you that we will not fail,” Mr. Mustapha assured.
The visit had in attendance the Chairman, State House of Assembly Committee on Housing, Hon. Stanley Nsemo, Commissioners of Lands, Housing, Information, Humanitarian and other state officials.