FEC Approves Fresh 600 Housing Units For Armed Forces

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the purchase of 600 four-bedroom terrace duplexes at Bristow City, Life Camp, Abuja, for members of the Armed Forces.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Rabe, disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday.

The Minister said the approval was part of the President’s commitment to improving the welfare and conditions of military personnel.

Rabe described accommodation as a critical component of the welfare of servicemen, noting that the latest approval followed an earlier FEC decision to provide 2,056 housing units for the Armed Forces.

He said the fresh approval brings the total number of housing units approved for the Armed Forces to 2,656, out of the 10,000 being targeted by the Federal Government.

Rabe explained that the initiative reflected the present administration’s determination to meet its housing obligations to Nigerians across different levels, while paying attention to the welfare needs of members of the Armed Forces.

According to him, some housing estates constructed for the military had been converted into barracks because of the facilities incorporated into them.

He said, “Some of these housing estates are converted into barracks,” explaining that military-built estates in places such as Sokoto and elsewhere often had military offices and guard rooms, making them functionally similar to barracks.

Rabe further disclosed that the Federal Government had an existing policy to construct 10,000 housing units over a five-year period, with the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development saddled with the responsibility of delivering the programme.

“Before now, there was a policy of the Federal Government that Federal Government over a five-year time will build 10,000 units of housing, and it is a responsibility given to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development,” he said.