Ekiti, FMBN to Collaborate in Construction of 2,000 Housing Units

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

The Ekiti State government has requested the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to partner the state in its aspiration to complete 2,000 housing units for low and medium income earners.

Speaking when he visited the leadership of the mortgage bank in Abuja, led by its Managing Director and Chief Executive, Shehu Osidi, Governor of Ekiti State, Biodun Oyebanji,  said there was the need to synergise with the FMBN to make his policy of ‘shelter for all’ realisable.

Describing housing as a basic human need, just like food and clothing, Oyebanji, who was represented on the occasion by the Special Adviser, Bureau of Housing and Mortgage Development, Gboyega Oloniyo, stated that it’s almost impossible to build low cost housing these days.

“There can be medium cost housing because the cost of these materials have gone up. And where do we run to for shelter? It’s only by coming to your organisation (FMBN) to see how we can truly join hands together.

“We have to relate with you so that we will have positive responses from the letter we wrote concerning how we can deliver about 2,000 units of housing in  Ekiti state.

“We believe it’s part of what we have come here to fast-track, and we need to understand the fact that in Ekiti state we have a huge diaspora population that can match any of the states in the country. The off-takers shouldn’t be a problem whatsoever. And not to talk of the civil servants as well.

“So what we are looking up to is for us to provide a housing unit for high-end users and also the mass for the generality of civil servants that I’m sure they have little contribution over the years. I believe that if we are truly on the same page, Ekiti state will be better for it,” he stressed.

He stated that Ekiti has a huge housing deficit, and asked for the assistance of the bank to narrow the housing gap.

Oyebanji also harped on the need to carry the states along in the federal government’s housing scheme, expressing the hope that it will make the process smoother.

In his remarks, the FMBN CEO lauded the Ekiti state government for extending a hand of fellowship to the bank , stressing that the FMBN was ready to assist in any way possible to ensure the aspiration of Ekiti to make houses available to its citizens becomes a reality.

He said the mandate of the bank is not just to provide home ownership by way of mortgage financing to the low and medium income earners in the country, largely Nigerian workers both in the public and private sectors, but also for self-employed individuals.

“We must face the challenges that we have and we must take full advantage of the political will on the part of President Bola Tinubu under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“I would like to assure the people of Ekiti State that the FMBN stands ready to partner in whatever way possible to achieve this objective. In the course of the past few years, we have had a lot of interaction with Ekiti State. We have a number of projects that were financed at that stage,” he stated.

Osidi stated that there are occasions where FMBN will write letters to state governors asking for application of land and do not get favourable responses, but stressed that  the bank belongs to all Nigerians.

“It’s a national institution and we want to have presence in every state. So sometimes when a state government does not donate land, we also partner with developers who are able to get land in such locations.

“However, when we have a state that has a disposition such as your disposition now, it makes it a lot easier for us. But because we are also an institution, we can’t say because we have made an investment in that location, we don’t care what happens to that investment.

“So we will invite you to sit with us so that we can consider those developments that we already have and see how we can take it together. We will try to identify what the issues are with those developments and then see how we can marry those existing developments with the new initiatives.” He assured.