The Permanent Secretary, Kaduna State Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Malam Rabiu Yunusa, stated this on Monday at the 12th Meeting of the National Council on Lands, Housing and Urban Development held in Kaduna.
The meeting had as its theme: ‘Harnessing local and international credit schemes as a panacea for affordable housing infrastructure development under the Renewed Hope Agenda.’
According to the Perm Sec, the Senator Uba Sani administration in the state has put in place developmental plans to provide housing facilities for masses under the its Urban Renewal Project.
He said the state government was working on a programme to provide affordable social mass housing in the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.
He also disclosed that the state has attracted a Qatari charity organization to provide 500 housing units for the most vulnerable in the state, morning that the state was poised to construct 10,000 housing units in the next four years.
He noted that the council brings together stakeholders in the building industry to brainstorm and come up with ways and means to grow and develop the industry.
He added that the state was collaborating with the federal government to close the housing deficit gap and improve upon the housing challenges.
He said, “The issue of the housing challenges in Kaduna State, is not only peculiar to the state. It’s something that affects everywhere; even the federal government. Luckily, the Seven-point agenda of the governor, Uba Sani, is focusing on the housing gap and he’s very passionate about it.
“He (governor) has already instructed us to come out with the modalities on how to close the gap and we have so many things in the pipeline which of course, we will actualize like the mass housing across the 23 local governments in the urban and the rural areas.
“This meeting is very important because they are the mother ministry at the federal and we are at the state. So, we want to have synergy with them so that we can find a solution on how to close the gap on the housing issue.
“Besides the provision of 500 Charity Houses under the Qatari Charity Foundation, the state government intends to provide 10,000 more houses in the next four years.”
Also, speaking at the event, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Kolapo Raheem, assured the participants that the occasion would provide renewed housing initiatives that would be beneficial to all and sundry.
