The Yobe State Government has attributed its failure to construct 3,600 housing units across the state to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Commissioner of Housing and Urban Development, Bukar Dauda while briefing newsmen at the NUJ Press Center Damaturu on Thursday on the activities of the Ministry in the last two years said the state government had in 2019 sourced for a loan of about N15 billion for the provision of affordable houses to the people of the state.
“After the due process was followed, an agreement for the construction of the first phase of 1,800 houses was signed in April 2020 at the cost of over N7.4 billion.”
“Government initial intention was to utilize the loan facility to construct 3600 houses and source for additional funds for the provision of necessary infrastructural facilities to the 26 estates.
“However, this was not realized as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic which brought about the dwindling of Government revenue just one month after the first phase housing programme kicked -started”, he said.
“It was therefore decided that only 550 of 3 bedroom houses will be constructed in the second (2nd) phase, while the balance be utilized in the provision of infrastructure like perimeter wall fencing, interlocking roads and drainage network.
“Under this development, the cost for the construction of 550 of 3 bedroom houses stood at N3,121,547,000 while cost for provision of infrastructures including skill acquisition programme designed for the state youth training in interlocking services stood at N4,077,273,927-06 (152 Youth)”, he said.
Dauda explained that government reconsidered the earlier position on the number of houses to be constructed in order to fund the provision of infrastructural facilities within the loan package
He added that 919 units of houses out of 2,350 are one hundred per cent completed and ready for handing over, while the remaining 1,431 have reached advanced stages of completion.
- Certificate Forgery: Bauchi teacher Fired After 23 Years In Service - October 24, 2025
- Era Of Treating Domestic Violence As A Family Matter Is Over– Police - October 24, 2025
- Insecurity: Kwara State Govt Shutdown 45 Public Schools - October 23, 2025