Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa says the provision of affordable housing for the people of Bayelsa remains his administration’s top priority.

Mr Diri said this when Oyetunde Ojo, managing director/chief executive officer of the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), led the authority’s management team on a courtesy visit to him in Yenagoa on Friday.

The governor expressed his administration’s commitment to collaborating with the federal government to attract more development in the housing sector.

He also approved the provision of land for the FHA to actualise President Bola Tinubu’s housing vision for the people of the state.

He said: “In our first term, we focused more on infrastructure development to open up the state. We saw road construction as our number one priority.

“This time around, we are prioritising housing for our people. Our focal person in the sector will liaise with you to ensure that President Bola Tinubu’s dream of providing housing for Nigerians is realised.

“We will acquire land and make it available to the FHA free of charge. We will collaborate with you so that we can build a new Bayelsa.”

He commended Mr Ojo and his team for consulting with state governments on the federal government’s housing project.

Mr Diri urged other federal appointees to also take into consideration the peculiarities of states and regions in the country in fashioning national policies.

“I commend you for coming to consult with us. Most officers of government stay back in Abuja and take decisions.

“Some of which are inimical to the states. This should be the standard of every official,” he said.

Mr Diri said there was a need to map out high and low-density areas in the construction of federal housing estates and thanked Mr Tinubu for the ongoing construction of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway.

He advised the federal government to fast-track the project by also undertaking it from the Calabar end.

Mr Ojo said the visit was to solicit the state government’s partnership in delivering the president’s mandate for the housing sector.

Mr Ojo, who noted that it was imperative that the people had access to affordable housing, expressed Tinubu’s desire to provide housing for all Nigerians, regardless of political party affiliation.

While soliciting 100 hectares of land for the project, the FHA CEO applauded Mr Diri’s developmental strides, particularly in the construction of road projects across the state.

He said as one who is familiar with the state, its terrain and developmental challenges, he appreciates what Mr Diri has done since his assumption of office.

(NAN)