The Chinese government through an organization known as the One Belt and One Road, Financial Operation Office, China, will soon, be investing 300 million dollars in Nigeria’s mass housing scheme popularly known as the Federal Integrated Staff Housing Programme (FISH). Eyes Of Lagos gathered that, This was made known to journalist by the Director One Belt and One Road Financial Operation Office, China, Mr Steven Kim, during a news briefing organised by Zvecan Homes and Estates in Abuja. Kim noted that his organisation was collaborating with Zvecan Homes and Estate with whom they recently signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to construct 5000 housing units in FCT and its environs. “The aim is simply to support people oriented projects. We are from One Belt and One Road, Financial Operation Office in China an organisation that invests in projects that directly affect the life of people in Africa. “We are here to support Zvecan on their projects, particularly that of the Federal Integrated Staff Housing Scheme (FISH). We believe that this is the project that will benefit the lives of the people in Abuja and Nigeria in general and we will be able to finance the project through our office”, he said. In his response, Mr Nicholas Ogbede, Managing Director Zvecan Homes and Estate who said the investment by the Chinese government would help alleviate the housing challenge of civil servants also revealed that his organization, had also signed MoU with the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation to Construct 700 housing units under the FISH Programme. “We want to provide affordable houses in good locations for civil servants, because many of them travel long distances before getting to their offices every day. Presently we have more than 5000 off takers who have indicated interest in our estates and we have decided to use the National Housing Fund to access mortgage for the civil servants.We are also trying to get in touch with relevant ministries departments and agencies that can provide raw materials for our construction at low prices to help us achieve our set goal’’, Ogbede said.
