By Ahmed Akanbi
The Federal Housing Authority, FHA, has secured prime land in 28 states to expand its housing projects and improve access to affordable housing nationwide.
Executive Director, Estate Services, Ezekiel Etuk, disclosed this at the groundbreaking ceremony for the FHA Green City Estate in Abuja.
Etuk, who was represented by the authority’s Managing Director at the event, said governors in the 28 states have allocated prime land to FHA to enable the agency to establish a presence in all regions of the country.
“In readiness to have presence in all the regions of the country, we have visited 28 states where each of the governors has given us prime lands,” he stated.
Etuk added that FHA has already moved to the construction phase in several of the states after awarding contracts.
The agency, he said, has held ground-breaking ceremonies in Akwa Ibom, Abia, Kaduna, and Abeokuta in Ogun State, and on Wednesday commenced work in Abuja.
“We have also commenced the process of construction in some of the states, having procured the contracts,” Etuk said.
The Green City Estate in Abuja is the latest project to begin, according to the FHA official.
Beyond land acquisition, Etuk said the authority is carrying out internal reforms to improve service delivery and protect property records.
He said management is building a new FHA system where allottees’ properties will be secured and services delivered faster.
“Our management is also building a new federal housing authority where our allottees’ properties are secured. This is very important; our services are faster and seamless,” he explained.
To achieve this, FHA has digitised its property files and stored them on the Galaxy Backbone, the Federal Government’s secure digital infrastructure.
”The agency is also pursuing full automation of its operations,” Etuk said.
He noted that FHA’s test laboratory is now operational and is conducting geological and integrity tests for housing projects.
“To achieve this, we initiated the digitalisation of the authority’s property files, which are now secured in the Galaxy backbone. We are working for the full automation of all aspects of the authority’s operations. Our test laboratory has become operational, where we carry out geological and integrity tests,” he stated.
Etuk said the reforms are aimed at reducing delays, improving transparency, and giving subscribers greater confidence in FHA projects.
The Executive Director also reported progress on inherited projects. He said FHA has completed and commissioned several of them in the last 26 months.
He noted that many of the projects were considered unviable or stalled when the current management assumed office.
“Despite concerns that they could not be delivered, we have completed and commissioned several inherited projects over the last 26 months,” Etuk said.
The land allocations in 28 states, ongoing construction, and digitisation efforts form part of FHA’s push to deepen affordable housing access under its expanded national rollout plan.