Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, has disclosed the intention of the Federal Government to assist vulnerable Nigerians own houses.

Mamman made this disclosure while fielding questions from journalists, on the first day of the 12th meeting of the National Council on Housing and Urban Development taking place in Kaduna State.

This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday in Kaduna by Badamasi Salisu-Haiba, Director of Information in the ministry.

The theme for the 12th council meeting is “Harnessing Local and International Credit Schemes as a Panacea for Affordable Housing Infrastructure Development Under the “Renewed Hope Agenda”.

Haiba quoted the permanent secretary as saying, “The National Housing Scheme Programme by the ministry would assist the vulnerable population of the country in affording a roof over their heads and this would in turn bridge the gaps in the housing sector.”

He further explained that the housing ministry intended to go for social housing schemes to provide decent and affordable houses to cater to the housing needs of Nigerians.

Mamman said this was part of the efforts to realise the ambition and also in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

Accordingly to the permanent secretary, deliberations at the housing council meeting which commenced would figure out ways the state governments can queue into the scheme.

Mamman said, “ We have written letters to the various state governments asking them to give us unencumbered lands so that we can be able to build these affordable houses for all Nigerians.

“This is because it is a matter of right and not a privilege, that’s why the administration is doing things differently.”

Mamman also said that an ongoing survey being conducted by the National Population Commission would ascertain the accurate figure of housing deficit in the nation.

He added that the figures would be made known upon completion of the survey.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary, Kaduna state Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Rabi’u Yunusa, informed the meeting that government that the state was working on a programme that would provide affordable social mass housing.

This, he said, would accommodate 1000 houses in the rural areas and 300 houses in the urban areas, across the 23 Local Government Areas of the state.

Yunusa further revealed that the state had attracted a Qatari Charity Organization to provide 500 housing units for the most vulnerable people in the state.

He also assured  that the state government was poised to build 10,000 units of houses in the next four years.

In his introductory remarks, Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Kolapo Raheem explained that the theme for the 12th National Council of Housing was apt and timely.

He said that it was chosen in consideration of the alarming need to galvanize domestic and foreign funds towards meeting the nation’s housing challenges, as well as the enhancement of the country’s overall economic growth and development.

Raheem further urged the participants to explicate their professionalism in the deliberations so as to guide policy formulation that will facilitate affordable housing delivery. (NAN)