FG backs army post-service housing as 774,000-unit social housing plan advances
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The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has pledged support for the Nigerian Army's post-service housing programme, tying it to a national plan to build more than 774,000 homes.
The federal government has pledged support for the Nigerian Army Post Service Housing Development Programme to provide affordable housing for military personnel, according to a statement by the ministry's director of press and public relations, Badamasi Haiba.
The minister of housing and urban development, Muttaqha Darma, made the pledge when the managing director and chief executive officer of Nigerian Army Post Service Housing Development Ltd (PHDL), Maj.-Gen. K.O. Ukandu, paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. Mr Darma said the ministry was committed to providing affordable and decent housing for security personnel, including serving and retired military personnel.
The minister said the federal government plans to construct more than 774,000 housing units across the country under the National Social Housing Programme, and that members of the military, both serving and retired, can benefit from the scheme. According to him, the programme targets personnel who do not have personal accommodation and wish to return to their home communities after service, describing the social housing estates as shelter for them after service.
Mr Darma also said the government would deliver 1,550 units under the Renewed Hope Military Housing Project at Brains and Hammers before the end of 2026, adding that the ministry's programmes would consider people who serve the country in the military, the police and other service units, including civil servants.
Mr Ukandu thanked the ministry for its support for the Armed Forces, particularly the houses donated for the take-off of the new army divisions in Taraba. He said the army's 'Soldier First' concept prioritised troop welfare, including access to affordable housing through the Affordable Home Ownership Option for All Soldiers (AHOOAS), and explained that PHDL acquires land from state governments and other sources at affordable rates for officers and soldiers to build retirement homes, supported by long-term mortgage arrangements.
The ministry's director of public building and housing development, Pemi Temitope, said the ministry would continue to collaborate with the military to improve personnel welfare, in line with its mandate to provide quality, safe and affordable housing for Nigerians.