By Kingsley Madaki
The Katsina State government has dismissed rumors circulating on social media that it plans to spend N155 billion on a housing project, part of which would be built in the governor’s country home, Radda.
Addressing journalists in Katsina, the state Head of Service, Falalu Bawale, clarified that the project, part of the Renewed Hope Housing Project, is being carried out through a Public-Private Partnership between the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development and a US-based real estate firm.
According to Bawale, the private firm will provide all funding and logistics for the project, while the state governments will supply the land.
Bawale, who chairs the project’s implementation committee in Katsina, explained that the project will be executed on a Build Operate and Transfer (BOT) basis in six states across Nigeria, with Katsina selected for the Northwest.
The real estate firm’s representative, Murtala Ibrahim, further detailed that the project will include the construction of 2,500 agro-housing units in Kankia and 1,250 units in Radda, at a combined cost of N241 billion.
The project will also create direct and indirect employment opportunities for over 5,000 people across the two local government areas, with each housing unit featuring a fish pond and vegetable farm, fostering both residence and employment.
