FG Begins Housing For Teachers, Jan

The Federal Government said yesterday, it would soon start full implementation of the Housing for All Teachers Scheme (HATS) nationwide.

The Minister of State for Education, Mr Nyesom Wike, made the announcement in Abuja when he received the report of the Ministerial Committee on HATS, aimed at ensuring that teachers had access to affordable shelter.

Wike said: “President Goodluck Jonathan remains wholly committed to the welfare of Nigerian teachers.”

He directed the Legal Unit of the Federal Ministry of Education to perfect all land titles sent in by respective states to ensure the building of houses by accredited developers.

“By January, 2013, construction work will commence through the developers in states where land allocation issues have been concluded between the Federal Government and the States and we are very committed to this project.

“A Memorandum of Understanding will be signed between the Federal Ministry of Education, the National Union of Teachers and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) on the delivery of this project.

“However, no developer is allowed to source for funds from commercial banks. This is to ensure that the houses are within the reach of our teachers,” he said.

Wike commended the committee for setting the implementation of the housing for all teachers in motion, assuring teachers that government would always work for their welfare.

The Chairman of the committee and Director of Procurement, Ministry of Education, Malam Shehu Aliyu, said that some states had provided plots of land for the implementation of the programme.

Aliyu recommended the verification and validation of all developers appointed by the past HATS Committee, using guidelines by the FMBN.

The committee comprises representatives of the NUT, Ministry of Education and the FMBN as members.