…….Says over N10 billion Mortgage loans, others disbursed to Force so far.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has assured the Nigerian Police Force of the federal government’s commitment towards providing decent and affordable housing to its officers and men across the country.
The Minister gave the assurance while speaking at the maiden edition of the Nigeria Police Housing Summit held at the Nicon Luxury Hotel, Abuja.
He noted that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for Housing is a holistic plan to ensure every Nigerian, including members of the Force, has access to decent and affordable housing.
He said the theme of the Summit, “Renewed Hope for Police Housing in Nigeria”, speaks to the acknowledgement of past challenges, the commitment to overcoming them, and the optimism for a brighter future.
Speaking through the Managing Director and Chief Executive of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Shehu Usman Osidi, Dangiwa reiterated the essence of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme, and urged the Force to embrace strategic partnerships with Housing agencies like the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and the Federal Housing Authority towards realising decent, affordable and safe housing for
officers and men of the Force.
He outlined some of the outcomes of previous engagements between the Federal Mortgage and the NPF to include; over N2.9 Billion in mortgage loans disbursed to 807 police beneficiaries, N2.1 Billion disbursed to the Police Cooperative Housing Development Company to construct 806 housing units, about N158 Million disbursed to 22 beneficiaries under the Rent-to-Own platform, and over N289 Million as Home Renovation Loan to 316 officers.
Other initiatives according to the Minister also include the funding of ongoing housing projects for the Police Cooperative in various locations in Abia, Adamawa, Ogun, Kaduna and the FCT; the refund of a cumulative sum of over N1.8 Billion to 18,619 retired police officers, as well
as N3 Billion in mortgage loans to the Nigeria Police MultiPurpose Cooperative Society and Nigeria Police Force Property Development and Construction Company Ltd. for the construction of 236 housing units at Goza, Wawa District, Abuja.
He decried the long term relegation of the issue of police housing, which has resulted in dire consequences for both the officers and the communities they serve, and commended the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, for convening the Summit with the right set of critical stakeholders, central to resolving the challenge of providing shelter to the rank and file of the Nigeria Police.
“Our police officers are the frontline defenders of law and order, often working tirelessly under challenging conditions. The inadequate housing facilities only aggravate their challenges, impacting their morale, well-being, and ultimately, their effectiveness in ensuring the safety and security of the nation” he stated.
Similarly, the minister noted that “Collaboration is essential in harnessing resources, expertise, and innovative solutions to accelerate the pace of development. Through strategic alliances and creative financing mechanisms, we can overcome the constraints that have hampered progress and deliver tangible results within a reasonable timeframe,”.
Earlier in his address, IGP Egbetokun, alluding to the importance of the Summit, disclosed that “the housing capacity of the Force is about 10-12% of the over 400,000 workforce,” and “due to long years of neglect, the existing and available barracks accommodations are largely unsuitable and incompatible with 21st century policing architecture that we desire to build.”
He noted that the Summit was conceived as a platform to discuss and dilate ideas to actualize their vision of accessible and affordable housing for officers and men of the Nigeria Police and would be held on a yearly basis henceforth.
Badamasi S. Haiba
Director Information and Public Relations
