THE Federal Government has officially transferred 116 housing units to the Benue State Government to support affordable housing for civil servants and low-income residents.
The houses, originally developed under the National Housing Programme, were purchased by the Benue State Government as part of efforts to reduce the state’s housing deficit and address rising rental costs.
Representing the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Muttaqha Darma, the Director of Public Building and Housing Development, Femi Temitope, lauded Governor Hyacinth Alia for prioritising infrastructure and social development.
He said the governor’s commitment to improving the welfare of residents was evident in the acquisition of the housing estate.
Temitope described the handover ceremony as the formal transfer of the 116 housing units to the Benue State Government, noting that the project reflects the administration’s focus on improving living standards and expanding access to decent housing.
Receiving the estate on behalf of Governor Alia, Acting Head of the Benue State Civil Service, Eunice Ogbenyi-Ihu, said the housing project was acquired through the Benue Investment Property Company (BIPC) to benefit civil servants across the state.
She commended the governor for investing in workers’ welfare through affordable housing and revealed that the estate had been named in honour of the late former Head of Service, Dr. Moses Agbogbo Odeh, who died while serving the state.
Following the official handover, government officials visited the housing estate along the Welfare–Mobile Barracks Road to complete the physical transfer of the property.
The Group Managing Director of the Benue Investment Property Company, Raymond Asemakaha, explained that the estate is designed to provide homeownership opportunities for low-income earners, while complementing the state’s ongoing Eco City housing development, which targets higher-income buyers with four-bedroom duplexes.
According to him, the initiative is intended to cater to residents across different income levels, ensuring that more people have access to affordable housing options.
Ogbenyi-Ihu assured prospective beneficiaries that the allocation process would be transparent. She disclosed that eligible civil servants would have access to a rent-to-own scheme, while others could purchase the homes outright, depending on their financial capacity.
The rent-to-own arrangement is expected to help workers facing housing challenges gradually become homeowners, supporting the state’s broader goal of making decent housing more accessible and affordable.
