In the spirit of the figures that calibrated his re-election into office for the second time in 2019, the Sokoto state governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has said that his administration will construct 342 housing schemes at the proposed New Sokoto City.
This was contained in press statement made available to newsmen in Sokoto by the special adviser to the governor on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Mohammed Bello.
Bello said Tambuwal had won the gubernatorial election in all but one local government area of the state with 3,413 votes before the initial poll was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The voided votes tally March 11, 2019, showed that Tambuwal was ahead of his arch-challenger but the returning officer, Professor Fatima Mukhtar, called for a re-run “due to cancellation in 22 local government areas across 136 polling units with a total number of 75,403 cancelled votes.”
More than one year after, the governor who received a report from a committee for the delivery of affordable houses to people of the state Tuesday, said the commemorative project to be named: ‘342 Housing Scheme’ is a special scheme for a broad spectrum of technocrats in the employ of the state.
This includes but not restricted to: civil servants, public servants, members of the state assembly, because they sold their own, members of the state executive council, permanent secretaries, Directors-General and Directors.
“We are planning a new Sokoto state housing scheme. In the next year’s budget, we will come up with the new housing scheme to be entitled: ‘342 Housing Scheme.
“We believe that in the next stage of development in Sokoto state, people will see housing schemes coming up in the length and breadth of the state,” the governor emphasised.
Turning to the committee on affordable housing, which submitted its report, the governor said the state government has given options to interested applicants in terms of where to be built their houses for them. This, he stated, could be in the state capital or in their respective local government headquarters.
He said the scheme is intended to spread development across the state rather than concentrating only on the state capital.
The governor said preference will be given to those who have not benefited from similar scheme in the past, adding that the state government in collaboration with Family Homes and Federal Mortgage Bank, will come up with the number of houses available to would be beneficiaries.
In his remarks, the chairman of the committee, who is also the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Malam Sa’idu Umar, said about 6000 interested application were received from prospective applicants, comprising 5000 from the state civil servants and the remaining from the employees in the state Local Government Service Commission.
According to him, the houses to be bulit include 4, 3 and 2 bedrooms flats.
