Family Homes Funds is inspiring fresh hope in communities around Bauchi and Yobe states as its ambitious 3,820 affordable housing projects are nearing completion in the two states.
Managing Director of Family Homes Funds, Femi Adewole, and his team recently embarked on a four-day trip to Kano, Bauchi and Yobe where the organisation is executing 4,289 units of affordable houses for low-income earners.
The trip was aimed at surveying and evaluating both completed and ongoing site projects in those states in order to deliver them to the intended beneficiaries on schedule.
In partnership with the host states and contractors, intense work is ongoing at several sites that have also created hundreds of jobs for developers, engineers, artisans, suppliers, food vendors and other products and service providers tied to the construction sites.
In Bauchi, the team visited Jama’are, Azare, Misau, Dungal, Ningi and Dass sites where the projects are at very advanced stages.
Sites visited in Yobe were Potiskum (site A and B), Damagum, Ngelzarma, Dikumari in Damaturu, Gashua road in Damaturu, and Gujiba road in Damaturu. These projects comprising of a total of 3,820 homes are expected to be completed by May 2021.
Those of Yobe were also at advanced stages with some already completed, and others – according to the developers – will be ready in three weeks’ time.
Interactions with important project stakeholders including project contractors, managers and developers, builders and artisans working on the sites, state government officials and community people gave off a genuine sense of appreciation of the ongoing projects and the solutions they offer.
The housing projects will guarantee home ownership for thousands of Nigerians who otherwise, had no hope of ever owning a home.
With a perennial problem of housing shortage which mostly affect those in these groups, Family Homes Funds is now making a difference and positively affecting several communities in Nigeria.
In Yobe community people say the project means a lot for them as their struggle to rebuild their communities continue after years of violent attack from insurgents.
In recognition of the progress so far, Secretary to the Yobe State Government, Baba Malam Wali expressed his satisfaction with Family Homes Funds which he described as the state’s biggest and most successful partner.
‘’We are happy that this partnership has worked well, and we also look forward to more. A lot of jobs have been created and a lot of local materials are also being used’’, he said.
A reoccurring remark during the interactions was ‘’the fact that we are building affordable housing does not mean that we must compromise on quality. There must be attention to details and the finishing must be top notch.’’
Having completed several estates in Nasarawa, Delta, Kaduna, Kano and Ogun, Family Homes Funds is set to add to that number with multiple projects ongoing in states like Bauchi, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, Niger. Also implementing the Federal Government’s National Social Housing Programme (NSHP), the Fund will provide 300,000 houses across every state of Nigeria.
It is noteworthy that included in the mandate of Family Homes Funds – besides the provision of affordable housing for low-income earners – is job creation and the development and utilization of local content in construction. The impact of this in the local economy cannot be overemphasized, especially at a time like this.
