Anthony Areh
Nigeria’s central government has approved N2 billion for Cooperative social housing scheme to enable low income earners to have their own houses in the country.
Mr Kabir Tukur, Managing Director of the Cooperative Mortgage Bank (CMB), said this during A – One – Day sensitization workshop for cooperators across the 13 local government areas of Nasarawa State on Tuesday in Lafia.
Mr Tukur said the initiative was a collaboration between the Federal Government and cooperative Federation of Nigeria to deliver affordable houses with ease of payment via mortgage to cooperators through their various societies.
He explained that the workshop aimed at sensitising co-operators, particularly the low income earners in the state on how they could have their own houses through Cooperative Mortgage Bank by saving N2000 monthly with the bank.
According to him, the programme which is being fund by the federal government serves as palliative to cushion the effect of COVID -19 pandemic on low income earners, noting that the loan can only be access through CMB.
Tukur disclosed that over ten thousand co-operators have benefited so far from about three hundred thousand housing scheme across the 36 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“We have meeting with the representative of the Federal Government in the aspect of funding, it’s the Federal Government that is responsible for the funding, it only using cooperative federation of Nigeria platform to be easy for them to offer these houses.
“Federal Government has approved the sum of N 2billion naira for the purpose, the idea is to make houses available and affordable to people,’ he said.
Tukur, While commending the Federal Government for the laudable step taken to address housing deficit, said both the CMB and Cooperative Federation of Nigeria would offer an upgrade funding to cooperators to upgrade their houses to any standard.
Speaking earlier, Tajudeen Ayoola, President Cooperative Federation of Nigeria, while lauding federal government for initiating the programme, said majority members of cooperative would benefit from the programme.
“We appreciate the Federal Government for this programme, we have gone to all geographical zone in Nigeria to tell the important of this programme, it’s been long we want this kind of partnership, we not fail them,” he assured.
