Okon Bassey in Uyo
In order to tackle housing deficit at the grassroots, Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Umo Eno, has performed ground breaking ceremony for a-250 housing units in the State.
Tagged A.R.I.S.E. City Housing Estate, the project is located in Mbierebe Akpawat community, Ibesikpo Asutan Local Government Area.
Performing the flag-off on Wednesday, as part of activities to mark his first 100 days in office, Eno said siting various housing projects in the outskirts of Uyo metropolis was a strategic plan to open up local government areas close to the state capital to decongest traffic in Uyo urban, explaining that as people come to live in those suburbs, population will build up and attract development to those areas.
He also commended the positive disposition of the people of Ibesikpo-Asutan towards government projects in their area, assuring that the state government would continue to touch the lives of the people in the area with viable projects.
He paid glowing tributes to the former governor and elder statesman from the area, Obong Victor Attah, whose fight for resource control birthed the 13 per cent derivation revenue the state is currently enjoying.
Eno, attributed the state government’s intervention to narrow the housing deficit in the state to the ARISE City estate, low cost housing estate project for Civil Servants in Ibiono Ibom and the Housing Estate for Doctors in Nsit Ibom Local Government Areas respectively, maintaining that they are all targeted at meeting the housing needs of the people of the state.
He expressed concern over the contributions of Akwa Ibom workers to the National Housing Fund over time despite not benefiting from the fund and thanked the Federal Mortgage Bank, FMB, for responding to the request of the state government to partner the state government in the housing project, adding that his administration would continue to partner FMB towards addressing the housing deficit in the state.
“I met a team from the Federal Mortgage Bank led by their Executive Director, so we spoke and I told them I will like Akwa Ibom workers to benefit from the fund and they promised that if we give them land they will finance the project.
“I like to thank them for keeping to their words. I want to also thank them for promising to finance even the buyers at a single digit interest rate loan,” he added.
Speaking on behalf of the financier of the project, the Federal Mortgage Bank, the General Manager, Southern Nigeria, Mr. Simeon Agada, described Eno’s commitment to meeting the housing needs of Akwa Ibom people as exemplary.
He explained that with provision of land and other support by the state government, the cost of getting a house in the estate would be reduced by 40 per cent.
Agada, informed the people that his agency was pleased to identify with the state government by financing the building and provide funding for acquisition of property in the estate with interest as low as seven per cent, adding that with such government gesture, the bank would be willing to undertake more of such projects in the state.
Member representing Ibesikpo Asutan in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Ubong Attah, described the project as laudable and described the governor as a man of integrity.
He stated that the project was a fulfilment of Eno’s campaign promise to make Ibesikpo Asutan the State’s real estate hub.
The State’s Commissioner for Housing, Otuekong Raphael Bassey, said the project was a 250 units of housing estate comprising 100 units of one-bedroom expandable terrace bungalows, 78 units of semi-detached expandable bungalows, 72 units of 3-bedroom terrace duplexes, seated on 20 hectares of land.
He assured that with the able hands in the Ministry the project would be supervised to ensure compliance with standards and timely completion.
