From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, to hand over the completed Federal Government houses to the members of the public.
Speaking when he paid a courtesy call on the governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the minister explained that the exercise would be conducted by the authorities from the various states on behalf of the president.
According to Fashola, his ministry has completed Phases 1 and 2 of the National Housing Programme in Kano State and had proceeded to Phase 3. He expressed appreciation for the co-operation given to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing by the Kano State Government.
In a statement, the minister called on the members of the state cabinet to encourage the indigenes and residents of Kano State to subscribe to the housing units through the portal that had been opened for interested home applicants saying that the Federal Government expected that Kano people would be the heaviest subscribers to the houses in the state.
Pleased by Fashola’s visit, Ganduje acknowledged the massive infrastructural development undertaken by the Federal Government in the state in the road, housing, railway and aviation sectors.
He listed the railway network connecting Lagos – Ibadan – Kaduna – Kano and the ones between Kano- Jibia and Maradi; Kano – Dutse and the substation at Kazaure in addition to the road projects executed as well as the work on the international wing of the Aminu Kano International Airport, which he described as comparable to those in world capitals, as some of the ways in which the Buhari Administration had impacted positively on Kano State.
“Mr. President is making Kano not only the commercial nerve centre of the northern part of the country, but the commercial nerve centre of some West African Countries” Ganduje, said.
He hinted that the state government would soon introduce a mass transit system and requested the Federal Government for lay bays and bus stops along some major roads in the state.
The governor also disclosed that the state government had earmarked on the establishment of weigh bridges in the three main entrances to the state in order to protect the roads within the metropolitan city of Kano and therefore sought the approval from the Federal Government to execute the project. The project, he said, would cost the government N2 billion.
Recall that in November last year, the federal government, announced the construction of over 5,000 houses across the country.
The houses which have different designs have one, two and three semi-detached bungalows.
There are also one bedroom condominium of block of flats; two bedroom condominium and three bedroom condominium.
Fashola urged Nigerians to pick forms online and apply for the houses.
