By Emmanuel Obisue
Director, Federal Integrated Staff Housing, FISH Department, in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Uchenna Obi, has disclosed that more than 300 civil servants who were off-takers, have benefited from the Federal Government’s affordable housing programme.
Obi made this known at a two-day sensitisation workshop for the directorates cadre and desk officers on the implementation of the FISH programme’s Co-operative Society across various Ministries, Extra-Ministerial Departments and Agencies, MDAs, on the rudiments involved in the smooth take-off of the newly introduced FISH Co-operative Society in the Federal Civil Service.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan, towards accomplishing its mandate of delivering affordable housing to Civil Servants through the implementation, leadership, as well as funding of the Programme, she said “the result of this is evident in the commissioning of four (4) Estates since its inception in 2015 and the delivery of houses in different locations within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) such as Mararaba, Kuje, Bwari, Karshi, Karu and Apo-Wumba to over 300 officers/off-takers and the acquisition of landed properties at Gwagwalada (5 hectares), Public Service Institute (5 hectares) and Jiwa District (8.12 hectares), respectively”.
She reiterated the need to sustain the development attained in the provision of housing infrastructures to officers, which has led to the constitution of the FISH Co-operative Committee by the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, in line with global best practices.
Civil servants were encouraged to subscribe to the FISH Programme by obtaining the FISH Co-operative membership and House Allocation Forms via OHCSF’s website, complete and submit for further processing.
The two-day Workshop featured Facilitators/Resources Persons, who, in their various presentations, emphasised on the co-operative model as a game changer in the provision of affordable and accessible housing for workers.
A statement made available by the OHCSF Director of Communications, Mohammed Ahmed, said Dr. Yemi-Esan was represented at the event with the theme “Building a Sustainable Co-operative Society,’’ aimed at creating awareness and sensitize Civil Servants on the modus-operandi of the FISH Co-operative Society such as membership registration processes, guiding principles, ethics, opportunities, financial contributions, among others.
