Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni has urged the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development to cut down the prices of its 208 housing unit in Damaturu by 50 per cent.
Buni, who spoke through his Director-General Press and Media Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed, made the plea in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Damaturu on Saturday.
According to Buni, the state government will purchase all the houses if the federal government approved the 50 per cent discount.
He said the houses would be allocated to persons displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency on owner-occupier basis.
Buni said his administration has constructed 2,350 housing unit across the state, which had been allocated to the victims of insurgency.
“As you are aware, Yobe has suffered from 10 years of insurgency that resulted in the destruction of public and private property and displacement of thousands of people,” he said.
The governor also called on the Minister of Housing, Alhaji Ahmed Dangiwa, to engage vendors of building materials and local contractors in Yobe while executing the FG’s Renewed Hope City project in the state.
“Kindly consider our local contractors, building materials merchants and artisans to locally source for the materials and manpower, to further give our people a sense of belonging and ownership of the Renewed Hope agenda.
“This is to create employment opportunities, contribute to the local economy, and to fast track the recovery programme,” he said.
Buni charged the host communities to showcase their renowned culture of hospitality and cooperation to the contractors, to ensure timely and successful completion of the project. (NAN)