The Niger State Commissioner of Housing and Urban Renewal, Hon. Abubakar Umar, has said that the administration of Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago was ready to address the issue of housing deficit through the construction of affordable housing units across the state.
Addressing staff of the ministry and other agencies under the ministry, the commissioner said they were ready to hit the ground running in order to meet the target of the governor.
He therefore called for the support and cooperation of the staff of the ministry, adding that his doors would remain open for suggestions on better ways to achieve the mandate.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, TPL Habiba Ahmed, had earlier explained that a lot of developers have shown interest in partnering with the state government in respect to the construction of housing projects for the people of the state. "We already have lots of memos, some of which have gotten approval from the governor, so that is not a problem; we are on top of it.
"People should expect a lot of housing development; we are going to address the issues of urban renewal. You already know the kind of challenges we are facing in terms of the physical environment, and that is the focus of this administration.
"To ensure that we also meet up with the best practices in the world, so that we can redress some of these things, regenerate, redevelop some of the places, and also renew, those are our watchwords. We are going to be on that very soon; we are going to hit the ground running," she declared.
The permanent secretary stated that with the plan for the construction of new roads and expansion of the existing ones, the ministry would ensure that what comes up along these new road corridors is controlled to avoid distortion.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Renewal was among the new ministries created by Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State to provide an adequate and affordable housing scheme, whose provision is dependent on the active participation of both the public and private sectors.