Nigeria commence construction of 500 housing units in Borno State

Nigeria has commenced construction works of 500 houses in Maiduguri in Borno State. Borno State Governor, Prof. Babagana Zulum laid the foundation and said the government will invest US $14m towards the project.

The housing programme is aimed at closing the gap in housing deficit especially in the capital city. The project will feature construction of 400 two-bedroom apartments and 100 one-bedroom apartments.

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Bridging housing deficit gap

300 housing units will be built along the Damaturu road which is very closely to the state university. The housing units will also be surrounded by schools, hospitals and market, roads and other infrastructures.

“The project aside from creating jobs will also enhance the economy state of the country. To ensure robust urban planning and development through legislation, we created the Borno State Geographical Information Services (BOGIS), digitalised the land allocation and management in a more scientific manner. Government will monitor the implementations of policies and programmes that will ensure sustainable development. We will soon inaugurate the board to enable the take off of the Act that would be used for land administrations,’’ said Prof. Babagana Zulum.

According to World Bank, Nigeria housing deficit is estimated around 16 million units and it requires more than US $ 154bn to provide the 16 million housing units to bridge the housing deficit at a conservation cost of US $10,000 per unit in the country.

The housing deficit has been caused by rapid urbanization and population growth in developing cities in Nigeria such as Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Kano, Kaduna, Enugu etc. When the cities grow too rapidly, resources are unable to keep up, forcing residents to build temporary housing without proper utilities.