421 Units of Affordable Houses in progress for FCT residents

By: Emmanuel Tortiv

Work is steadily progressing on the much anticipated 421 units of affordable apartments under construction by Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) Staff Multi-Purpose Co-operative Society LTD. Abuja Digest Online visited the site located by the roadside in the Wasa Suburbs of Apo District in Abuja during the Eid-Ik-Kabir (Sallah) break can authoritatively confirm progress of work.

Speaking in Wasa, the site of the Multi-Billion Naira Affordable Housing Scheme, President of the Co-operative Society who also doubles as the Co-Chairman of the Technical Committee for the implementation of the Housing Project, Engr. Mohammed Hamisu said the struggle for the commencement of work on the scheme started in 2014 when the Federal Capital Territory Administration allocated 4.2 Hectares of land to AMMC Co-operative Society.

He said the Engineering Design comprised 421 units of dwelling flats meant for low-income earners made up of two-bedroom blocks of flats of three suspended floors each and Terraces of two suspended floors.

The President explained that funding issues occasioned by delays in remittances of staff deductions by FCTA to Federal Mortgage Bank were responsible for starting the work behind schedules despite the Ground Breaking ceremony performed by the Hon. Minister of FCT, Mallam Muhammed Musa Bello, in September 2021.

“His words: “It is not an easy task for us, especially as regards something that concerns Civil Servants. The money is not all that there. Initially, we intended to finance the project with Federal Mortgage Bank.”

“Unfortunately, the FCT Administration did not remit our National Housing Fund to Federal Mortgage Bank since 2017. It was after the groundbreaking by the Hon. Minister that we found out that they were not remitting forcing them to stop our request for funding,” Engr. Mohammed lamented. 

He added that the situation compelled the Management of the Co-operative Society to adopt Al-Gamji Investment LTD, a Real Estate Developer who has since commenced work in April this year with a view to delivering the houses in 18 or at most 22 months.

A comprehensive and total package of the cost of constructing the houses including infrastructure released to Abuja Digest Online shows that 220 units of One-bedroom blocks of flats are selling for N5.8M per unit; while 112 units of Two-Bedroom blocks of flats will go for N12.2M per unit with 89 flats of Terraces including pent floors will cost N22.2M per unit.

Subscribers drawn mainly from membership of the Co-operative which cuts across FCT Administration, Department of Development Control, and FCT Fire Service are expected to pay from their monthly salary deductions spread between 15 to 20 years within their service years.

The President said the cost is definitely beyond the affordability of most civil servants except with the intervention of the Federal Mortgage Bank which he said will hopefully provide funding when the remittances from FCTA resume.

He thanked the Hon. Minister for granting the approval of a waiver for the Building Pln approval fee of N15M which was readily endorsed by the Director of Development Control Mallam Muktar Galadima. 

Engr. Mohammed said, he is planning to approach the FCT Minister once again for the provision of the infrastructure, which will soften the plight of workers of FCTA to access affordable houses being built.

Abuja Digest Online reports that the project which is receiving serious attention will cost about N4B.