The Federal Government has taken a concrete step on the delivery of modern homes for returnee Internally-displaced persons across the country.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betta Edu on Monday inspecter a prototype of the building at Idu, Abuja, which will be in one and two bedrooms format.
She said the Federal Government is now ready to build renewed hope low-cost shelters for the very poor, Internally Displaced Persons and refugees across Nigeria.
This special project, according to the minister, is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to providing dignified shelters for the poor, internally displaced persons and refugees in the country. This is one of the ways of addressing multidimensional poverty in the country, she noted.
The Minister said that both samples were built by the local people in that community for themselves, using local materials in ten days within approved budgets. This will be applicable across Nigeria, she added.
She said the government wants to achieve the project in a record time in different parts of Nigeria for people who need befitting shelters they can call their homes.
The minister recalled that recently, an IDP camp was burnt down in Borno State while Benue State has millions without shelter due to the farmers-herders clash.
“It is also interesting that this project will be fitted with solar energy so that the shelters are not dependent on the National Grid, but they can use the solar energy to provide at least the basic electricity for charging their phones and do their basic things within the locality”, said Dr Edu.
The Minister further stated that the President also directed that the shelters be built by the local community to provide them with skills and economic empowerment, as well as the dignity of owning their houses which they built themselves under strict supervision by professionals
“The project is not to be built by a contractor.The local community will be given the dignity of building the house they will live in. They will see it as their project, they will own it, and they will not vandalise or destroy it.
“To ensure quality control, the construction of the houses will be supervised by professional architects, engineers and support from the Federal Ministry of Works”
Dr. Edu said that the shelters will be built in Benue, Borno, Zamfara, Yobe,Cross River,Ebonyi Lagos Adamawa Bayelsa and other states that have large numbers of IDPs, refugees and extremely poor people.
The ground-braking ceremony of the housing scheme was done in Benue State, where the flag-off of forty shelters was done recently.
She also disclosed that ground clearing has been concluded in the 10 hectares of land in Benue while blocks mounding and preliminary works like digging are ongoing.
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