Date: August 19, 2026
BY ABRAHAM OVUBA
ABAKAKIKI Governor Francis Ogbonna Nwifuru of Ebonyi State has called on the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to construct at least 1,000 housing units in each state of the federation to address the country’s housing deficit.
Gov Nwifuru made the call on Wednesday when he received a delegation from the FMBN, led by its Executive Director, Ms Chinenye Chinedu Anosike, at his office in Ochudo Centenary City, Abakaliki.
The governor, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Dr Monday Uzor, said his administration had made significant progress in housing provision and was planning to construct an additional 600 duplexes.
He said the projects were part of efforts to provide more than 1,000 housing units before the end of his administration.
“We are talking about practical development. Whatever you do without housing, it means there is no practical development because shelter is important,” he said.
Gov Nwifuru commended the FMBN for its services but urged the bank to strengthen quality control by working with the Nigerian Institute of Building and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria.
He also advised the bank to move away from the continued construction of bungalows for federal workers and adopt modern housing designs that would better suit their locations.
Earlier, Anosike said the FMBN was seeking partnership with the Ebonyi State Government to develop a housing estate estimated to provide 800 housing units for the state’s workforce.
She said the project would be executed under a public-private partnership arrangement, with the state government expected to provide on-site and off-site infrastructure as well as unencumbered land for the development.
