Gov. Akpabio performing a foundation laying ceremony of Ibom Housing Estate unit in Nsit Ibom L.G.A.

Chief Akpabio reiterated the administration’s determination to also provide street lights to the inhabitants of the area as well as commended the Federal Mortgage Bank for giving two billion Naira loan to the state Government to enhance the housing scheme.

In his remarks, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Hon. Ndueso Essien, described Nigeria as a country short of sixteen to eighteen million houses, emphasizing that, government’s determination is to ensure that each indigene has a house of his/her own. The Minister stressed that the Ibom estate will consist of four hundred units of various types of houses with Police post, school, shopping mall as well as a football field.

Hon. Essien emphasized that, the leadership of President Goodluck Jonathan has mandated housing scheme to be established in all states of the federation. Adding that, in Akwa Ibom, seven locations including Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Ikono, Eket, Ikot Abasi and oron will benefit from the scheme. Already the Honourable Minister maintained that the Housing and Urban Development Ministry has published guidelines for mass housing scheme in the federation.

In his speech, the Chairman of the occasion, Otuekong Idongesit Nkanga, who was represented by Mr. Dias Okechukwu, the first national secretary of the Council of Real Estate Developers, commended the state Chief Executive for his numerous infrastructural developments in the state as well as completion of the Ibom International Airport.

While urging the state Governor to tar the road that leads to the Ibom estate, the chairman on the occasion stated that he started work as an estate developer in 2002 with Makinde thereby soliciting the state government to see the building of houses in rural areas as a necessity in order to avoid over-population in the urban areas. Others who spoke in support of the housing scheme includes the National President of Council of Real Estate Developers, Chief Olabode Afolayan, the board chairman TMA integrated service Limited Mr. Joseph Ujela and Managing Director of Federal Mortgage Bank, Abdulsallam Ahmed.