The Federal Government is set to employ the use of biometric technology to tackle house racketeering, whereby the rich and influential buy up houses built by government and re-sell at exorbitant prices to the less privileged.
Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi, disclosed this during an inspection tour of the ministryโs prototype housing scheme in Suleja, Niger State.
She said government will deploy the technology to curb sharp practices in the allocation of houses, expressing optimism that the strategy will lead to significant reduction the housing challenges confronting majority of Nigerians.
โWe are trying to put up a system where we will ensure that no more than one person will have access to one unit so that it can spread to all persons. I want to guarantee Nigerians that under this dispensation, an individual will be entitled to only one house,โ she stated.
The minister noted that the 102-unit housing estate, made up of 3 units of three bedrooms, 44 units of two bedrooms and 32 units of one bedroom apartments, are being developed under the Public Private Partnership (PPP) scheme.
Eyakenyi explained that the three-bedroom apartments would be allocated to contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF) for N5.8 million, while the two-bedroom and one-bedroom houses are to cost N4.7 million and 1.8 million respectively.
In a related development, the housing minister said the federal government, in collaboration with the private sector, is expected to deliver about 10, 000 housing units to Nigerians before the end of the year.
Speaking at an event recently in Abuja, she stated: โIn February, the President launched the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) Scheme and as we speak, we have about 14 states that have indicated interest to be a part of this scheme.
Weโre all aware that housing is a major problem and itโs absurd that people work 35 years and at retirement still live in rented accommodation.
Arrangements are in progress and in the next two months, they will start up the project and before the end of this year, 10, 000 housing units will be delivered to Nigerians.
โOther than the governmentโs contribution in the housing sector, we are also negotiating with developers on a public private partnership approach where the government will give land and you will have the developer and mortgage bank come in so that it will help Nigerians and civil servants to acquire it and it will become their own.โ
