Fusion of Technology and Housing in Nasarawa

Igbawase Ukumba writes that the Nasarawa Technology Village is a fusion of technology and affordable housing; comprising housing estate and a technology hub facilitated by the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA)

In January, 2022, an indigenous firm, ABS Blueprint Consortium, commenced the building of a N30 billion Nasarawa Technology Village, located at Aso Pada in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State. The Nasarawa Technology Village project comprises 1,962 housing units estate, a technology hub and other facilities.

The Technology Village is being executed in collaboration between the indigenous ABS Blueprint Consortium firm and the Nasarawa State government, under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. 

Performing the ground breaking for the project, the Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, said the Technology Village was in line with his administration’s development roadmap in the area of housing, technology, employment and industrialisation.

The governor expressed delight with the project been executed by the indigenous consortium, saying it was in line with his administration’s vision of development of the people and the state. He explained that the project was fully funded by the private partners in the consortium.

Also speaking, the Managing Director of the ABS Blueprint Consultium, Mohammed Yamusa, explained that the 1,967 Technology Village would comprise 668 units of two bedroom flats, 558 units of two bedroom flats, 376 units of two bedroom bungalows as well as 360 units of three bedroom bungalows.

According to Yamusa, “the village will have a technology hub with offices for local and international IT companies for the training of more than 2,000 students annually as software engineers, who will be helped to outsource jobs globally that can earn them as high as $3,000 monthly. Other features of the technology hub include ICT campus with shared virtual workspaces and an estate-wide Broadband coverage through fibre optic cabling.”

The ABS Consultium MD, however, added that the village would also have 5MW independent gas power plant, primary and secondary school, health clinic, fire station, police post, shopping centre, among others. The Managing Director explained further that the housing component of the project alone was to gulp N22 billion, while the other features, including the independent power plant, would gulp about N8 billion.

Interestingly, the collaboration between the indigenous ABS Blueprint Consortium firm and the Nasarawa State government, under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement to build the Nasarawa Technology Village, has started yielding results. This could be attested by the official inauguration of phase 1 of the NTV Housing Estates, flagging off of Phase 2 and groundbreaking of the Technology Hub, in Aso Pada, Karu Local Government Area of the state on March 11, 2024.

Consequently, the Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, Inaugurated the 100 Housing Units making the first phase of the Nasarawa Technology Village (NTV). Zulum also laid foundation for the second phase of a project which comprises the construction of a Technology Incubation Hub and 370 Housing Units.

Speaking as the Special Guest of Honour at the occasion, the Borno State governor commended the initiative which he tagged as ‘monumental’. He maintained that the Nasarawa Technology Village Project holds great promise as it will help the state leverage its abundant mineral resources to fuel innovation and technological advancements.

Zulum added that Nasarawa state has the human capacity to transform into a technology hub, and urged the state to collaborate with the National Agency for Science Engineering Infrastructure and other relevant institutions to turn the state’s resources into technological products that will lead to job creation for the youthful populace.

Perhaps, rhe initiative of the project was to enhance economic growth, attract investment, jobs creation and tackle poverty in Nasarawa State. This could be attested in the administration of Governor Abdullahi Sule’s commitment in providing accessible and affordable housing and other projects to the people of the state and other Nigerians.

Sule confirmed this at the inauguration of the first phase of the Nasarawa Technology Village, stating that his administration was committed to the development of technology, adding that digital economy was the way to go.

He said the idea of the NTV came to him while still working at the Dangote Group, having visited the Silicon Valley in the United States, noting that the event symbolises the steadfast and commitment of his administration to the prosperity of Nasarawa State.

“The NTV stands as a cornerstone of our development strategy to capitalise on the opportunity presented by the digital revolution. It presents a significant leap, hope in unlocking our state’s potentials and constructing a self-sufficient economy that rewards diligence, safeguarding the vulnerable and compete on the global stage. 

“We are determined not only to keep pace with the technological advancement, but also to lead the charge in building a dynamic knowledge economy that empowers our citizens that will position Nasarawa State as a regional power house,” the governor stated.

Governor Sule identified infrastructural development, urban housing, and sustainable housing development as part of his administration’s five game changers opportunities with the ability to catalyze advancement, economic growth, as well as attract wealth and investment.

“I have seen it, I have touched it, I have experienced it. Today, the digital economy is the way to go, not mineral deposits. Knowledge is the way to go, and Nasarawa State has both. With our proximity to the Federal Capital, we must use both to achieve our goals,” he added.

The governor extended his appreciation to all the partners involved in the project for their dedication and foresight to support his administration development agenda. He particularly commended ABS Consortium, Modern Shelter, Shelter Afrique, InfraCredit Quarantee Company, Family Home, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), as well as other stakeholders for supporting the NTV project and making it a reality.

“Once more, let me show great appreciation to my brother, the Governor of Borno State, who is one of the most busiest governors that we have, yet he has been able to honour this invitation. We invited Zulum to commission the project because we believe these are the kinds of projects we see him commissioning every day in Borno State.  

“We are happy to announce that the First Phase of the NTV is named after his predecessor, our dear Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima. The major road leading to the estate is named after Professor Zulum,” Sule declared.

For the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, the commissioning of the NTV was not only brilliant and timely intervention, but that it would catalyze sustainable development in Nasarawa State and the FCT.

“The project shows clear vision and demonstrates the belief in the power of education and investment, and that human capital development of citizens is the foundation for sustainable development,” the minister maintained.

On his part, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Federal Mortgage Bank, Shehu Osidi, disclosed that through robust collaboration with the Nasarawa State Government, FMBN has financed a total of 11 housing projects in Nasarawa State, some of which have been fully completed.

Osidi added that a total of 7, 886 indigenes of the state benefitted from the bank’s home renovation loan, with Governor Sule within the next couple of weeks, also commissioning 150 Housing Units been developed by a private company funded by the bank at the Peninsula Hills City.

The Managing Director of the Nasarawa Investment and Development Agency (NASIDA), Ibrahim Abdullahi, said the project, which portrayed the success of Public-private Partnerships in Nigeria, will bridge the housing deficit of the state by leveraging private sector capital and expertise.

Earlier, Chairman of Karu Local Government Area of the state, Janes Thomas, appreciated Governor Sule for initiating the project in the area considering the benefits of the project to the area and the country at large. The council chairmen, therefore, assured the Nasarawa State Governor of their support to succeed.