Governor Sule Breaks Ground On 7.8 Billion Naira Housing Project
Nasarawa State Governor, Engineer Abdullahi Sule has broken ground for the 4,400 housing units Peninsula Hills Estate project worth about 7.8 billion naira.
The project which is situated at Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, is a public private partnership which according to the developers, is meant to make available, organized, conducive and affordable living for the people of the State.
According to the Governor, the event also marked the resolution of all the issues related to the land on which the estate will be built.
The Governor dispelled concerns that the indigenous people will lose out saying: “Now, various people from this area who may also feel out of the equation; you’re not. By the time these 4,400 houses are completed, it is people from this community that will be employed to work in those houses. It is people from this community that are also going to be employed to make an income in all other areas including the school that will be provided.
“But for those who don’t want to be part of that, we have decided to keep part of the land. Once you have authentic documentation that you own any piece of this land, we will look at it, we will address it and we will charge you appropriately and then we allocate the piece of land that you deserve back to you.”
Engineer Abdullahi Sule said his government chose Affinity Group as the developers to partner with after a rigorous screening process because they have a track-record of delivering on such projects.
On the issue of funding for the project, Engineer Sule said: “One thing I want to make clear is that Nasarawa State Government is not the one that will spend 7 billion naira. Before tomorrow newspapers tomorrow will start reporting that we can’t pay salaries but we are paying 7 billion on houses.”
He said the money was going to be provided by the other partners and the Nasarawa State Government is providing land and other infrastructure as its own contribution to the partnership.
He assured the citizens of Nasarawa State that the government has made strategic moves that will ensure Nasarawa State is the biggest beneficiary of the project in the long run expressing hope that a large chunk of the State’s IGR in future will come from such investments.
Others who spoke at the event include the Chairman of Affinity Group, Mallam Muhammed Abubakar who assured the government and people of Nasarawa State that his company has made all arrangements to ensure they deliver the project according to specifications and within the expected time.
Earlier on in a welcome address, Director General of the Nasarawa Geographic Information Service (NAGIS), Mr Sonny Agassi described the ceremony as a testament of Governor Sule’s commitment to going into partnerships that bring dividends to the citizens of the State.
He also commended the Governor for what he described as his gentle nature and inclusive leadership style which led him to direct that 170 hectares of the land be dedicated to solving the problems with members of the community who are yet to be compensated.
Recall that on March 18, 2021, an MoU was signed between the Nasarawa State Government and Affinity Group for the development of 100 hectares of land.
In a similar move some months later, precisely on May 4, the Nasarawa State Government signed a tripartite agreement with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria and Family Homes Fund to provide 2,000 houses for low and medium income earners in the State.
