Kaduna: Nigeria Customs Service unveils Housing Units for service personnel

The Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi, unveiled 164 new housing units for officers at the Gidan Iyali Estate, located within Millennium City, Kaduna, during an official inauguration event held on Thursday.

The housing project consists of 142 semi-detached two-bedroom bungalows, 20 semi-detached one-bedroom bungalows, and 20 three-bedroom duplexes, aimed at providing affordable homes for Nigeria Customs Service personnel in Kaduna.

Comptroller-General Adeniyi emphasised that the initiative is not an attempt to recreate a barrack environment but a deliberate action plan to enable service personnel to acquire homes conveniently and pocket-friendly while still in service.

According to him, “It is a demonstration of our commitment to ensuring that our personnel have the opportunity to own homes, addressing the challenges some face after retirement.”

The CG expressed hope that this initiative would end the housing-related struggles faced by some officers and men in the past, aligning with the nationwide effort to make affordable housing accessible to all Nigerians, as championed by President Bola Ahmad Tinubu.

Highlighting the transparent nature of the project, Adeniyi stated that, the memorandum of understanding with a cooperative mortgage bank, facilitates real-time updates on officers’ contributions and total account balances through SMS alerts.

Encouraging officers to seize the opportunity, he announced similar projects ready for launch in Kano, Asaba, Yola, Abuja, Enugu, and Uyo, ensuring a national spread for the benefit of all NCS personnel.

Commending the organizers for putting the event together on short notice, the CG reiterated the NCS’s commitment to delivering on its promise of providing 5,000 houses for distribution among serving officers and men.

He also visited the Mando project, a cantonment on 25 hectares of land addressing the welfare needs of officers.

In an interview, the Comptroller revealed the Mando project’s aim to create a cantonment with residential areas, shopping malls, recreation centers, and social amenities, expressing satisfaction with the progress made so far.

Managing Director of Family Homes, Mr. Abdulmutalib, represented by George Ani, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting low-income families in achieving homeownership and their readiness to collaborate with stakeholders for accessible, affordable housing solutions.