BY CHIKA OKEKE, Abuja
Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma, 4th L; presenting a key to one of the beneficiaries ,M, of the 129 housing units; while the Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Shehu Usman Osidi, 4th R, and others watch with keen interest at the Nasarawa Technology Village, Karu, Nasarawa State recently.
The Federal Government has presented keys to 129 beneficiaries of Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria ,FMBN-funded homes at the Nasarawa Technology Village, Karu, Nasarawa State.
Comprising three-bedroom bungalow, the beneficiaries, who contributed to the National Housing Fund, NHF, secured the
completed 129 housing units through the Rent-to-Own Scheme of the Bank.
Handing over the keys on Tuesday, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Engr. Muttaqha Rabe Darma said that the exercise demonstrated the need for strategic partnership between the stakeholders.
He stated that out of 651 beneficiaries originally profiled for Bungalow City, 251 were left without allocation, necessitating the government intervention.
The Minister praised the FMBN leadership, the House of Representatives Committee on Housing and Habitat, Brains & Hammers and Modern Shelter for working toward a solution, while also applauding the Nasarawa State Government for its support, as well as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for placing housing at the heart of the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“Our housing agenda is not simply about structures; it is about people and about restoring confidence in public institutions but the remaining 122 beneficiaries will receive their homes before the end of 2026," he said.
Darma informed that the Federal Government would continue to pursue housing delivery through partnerships involving public institutions, financiers, private developers and state governments.
Managing Director/Chief Executive of FMBN, Shehu Usman Osidi described the handover as a demonstration of institutional responsibility, commitment to customers and robust stakeholder management.
He stated that the 129 units constituted the first batch of the 251 units required for beneficiaries who could not take possession of their homes at Bungalow City.
"The event we are having today sends a clear message: FMBN will not abandon any NHF contributor who has demonstrated loyalty and commitment to the National Housing Fund and to the Bank," Osidi added.
The Chief Executive hinted that FMBN had remained actively engaged in finding a practical solution through reconciliation and verification exercises, technical assessments, engagements with developers and inspections of alternative housing sites.
“When challenges arise in the delivery of a housing project, our responsibility does not end with identifying the challenge. Our responsibility is to find solutions,” he said.
He informed that the Bank would return to the site in December to commission the remaining 122 units alongside another 190 FMBN-funded housing units.
The Project Developer and Managing Director of Modern Shelter Systems and Services Ltd, Arc. Abdulmalik Mahdi lauded the Federal Government, FMBN and the Nasarawa State government for supporting the development of the Nasarawa Technology Village.
He stated that the next phase of the project would involve about 300 additional houses funded by FMBN, highlighting the importance of FMBN’s affordable housing finance in driving delivery.
“Unless and until the Federal Mortgage Bank touches your project in affordable housing, you have not started,” Mahdi said.
Managing Director of the Nasarawa State Investment Development Agency ,NASIDA, Mr. Ibrahim Abdullahi reaffirmed the state government’s commitment to housing and urban renewal, saying that addressing Nigeria’s housing deficit required value engineering through design optimisation.
He assured strategic offtake finance and Public-Private Partnerships, which Nasarawa State is leveraging to accelerate housing delivery.
The beneficiaries were excited for receiving the keys to their homes after years of waiting, describing the handover as a restoration of hope and confidence in the housing finance system.
They affirmined that FMBN is real and that their lost hope had been renewed.
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