The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to sustain the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) initiative to provide affordable accommodation for civil servants.
Mrs Nkozi Onwudiwe, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare, Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HOCSF), made this known at a one-day Sensitisation Programme for Public Servants on FISH programme on Thursday in Abuja.
Onwudiwe was represented by Mrs Uchenna Obi, Director, Federal Government Integrated Staff Housing Programme at the office of HOCSF.
She explained that the sensitisation programme was aimed at increasing the level of awareness on the processes and procedures for the participation and enrollment of the off-takers in the FISH programmes.
According to her, as part of efforts to sustain the FISH initiative, two Estates were recently commissioned by Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan HOCSF, on July 6, 2021, and keys were handed over to over 80 off-takers in Estates located within the Federal Capital Territory and its environs.
“It should be noted that this is only a few among Estates that have been commissioned and have acquired by off-takers enrolled under the programme.
“We may not be moving at a pace initially envisage for the programme to deliver homes to the public servants, but we are working to ensure the sustainability of the programme so that all subscribers would be able to access quality homes.
“This brings us to the main focus of this sensitisation programme which seeks to create awareness required to drive the smooth implementation of the FISH programme, ” she explained.
She, however, used the forum to advise applicants to ensure that their net income (salary) was not encumbered by existing loans at it may disqualify them from obtaining a mortgage to pay for any FISH house.
“Applicants are advised to visit the location of FISH houses before selecting a house of choice. Such information including locations of various FISH houses, schedule of sites visits, price lists is available at the FISH Client centre (Ground floor, Block E Federal Secretariat Phase II).
”Or on the FISH Website www.fish-p.gov. ng.“
Also, Alhaji Ibrahim Mairiga, Executive Secretary, Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board (FGSHLB), said the programme was part of the efforts to get the Federal public servants’ attention to key into the laudable housing initiative of the present administration.
Represented by Mr Akinwale Adegbola, Mairiga said FGSHLB’s mandate as stipulated in the law establishing it was to manage a housing loans scheme under a revolving fund to grant soft loans to all interested public servants within the limit of available resources.
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Meanwhile, Mrs Victoria Nwankwo, a civil servant, applauded the Federal Government for the scheme, adding that more housing schemes were needed by the civil servants, considering the challenges of the distance of coming from neighbouring States to work.
“The hardship people faced concerning accommodation is becoming too much, I feel that more houses be provided for the civil servants to ease their plights, ” she appealed.
FISH was initiated by the Federal Government in 2015, through the office of the HOCSF, to provide quality and affordable housing for civil servants as part of efforts to improve their welfare. (NAN)
