The Abuja Property Development Company has commissioned residential apartments at Hilltop Residence, Usman, in the Federal Capital Territory, while unveiling additional housing projects in Karsana District as part of efforts to make homeownership more accessible to Nigerians.
The initiative, according to the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, is aimed at addressing the housing needs of residents, particularly young people, school leavers, civil servants and individuals in the low- and middle-income brackets.
Wike, who was represented at the commissioning ceremony in Abuja by the Group Managing Director of Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL), Ambassador Maureen Tamuno, said the development reflected the government’s commitment to providing accommodation options for different categories of residents.
The minister explained that the completed project featured studio apartments and self-contained one-bedroom units equipped with kitchens and toilets.
He said the housing scheme was designed to provide an affordable entry point into the property market for young Nigerians seeking accommodation and hoping to establish themselves in the nation’s capital.
According to Wike, each studio apartment was offered for N15 million, a price he considered reasonable in view of the financial difficulties many residents encounter when searching for accommodation in Abuja.
“President Bola Tinubu has decided to take care of different cadres of people, especially the young persons.
“You can see that young people and school leavers will be able to afford even to live in this type of apartment to start life in Abuja,” he said.
Wike noted that access to decent accommodation remained a major challenge for many people living and working in the FCT, adding that affordable housing projects could help ease the burden on residents.
He said the rapid sale of the completed apartments demonstrated the level of demand for reasonably priced homes and underscored the need for developers to increase the supply of similar properties.
“Once you have accommodation, especially in a city like Abuja, you have solved one of the major problems facing residents,” he said.
The minister urged APDC to continue developing housing projects that reflect the financial realities of residents while commending the company’s management for its efforts to widen access to homeownership.
APDC promotes mortgage options for young workers
The Acting Managing Director of APDC, Akeem Aderogbe, said the company was working to provide housing solutions that accommodate different income levels, household sizes and stages of life.
He explained that APDC’s housing portfolio included studio apartments, one-bedroom units and two-bedroom flats, giving prospective homeowners options that could match their current financial circumstances and future family needs.
Aderogbe said the availability of different property sizes would allow residents to begin with smaller homes and consider larger accommodation as their earnings and household requirements increased.
He encouraged young professionals and civil servants to investigate available mortgage arrangements instead of assuming that purchasing a house required paying the entire cost upfront.
According to him, eligible applicants could make an initial payment of approximately 10 per cent of a property’s price, with the outstanding amount financed through appropriate housing finance institutions.
He identified the National Housing Fund, the Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board and other mortgage arrangements as possible avenues through which eligible workers could obtain financing.
Aderogbe explained that civil servants could benefit from repayment arrangements structured around their remaining years in service, potentially making it easier to plan for property ownership while still employed.
He advised public servants to begin considering homeownership early in their careers rather than waiting until retirement approaches before exploring available financing opportunities.
The APDC chief said greater awareness of mortgage facilities could help more workers understand the financial options available to them and take practical steps towards acquiring residential property.
Developer seeks better land documentation, infrastructure
Meanwhile, the Managing Director of Bashmoh Homes Limited, Alhaji Bashir Jimoh, has called for broader government interventions to complement private and public-sector housing construction.
Jimoh argued that expanding the number of residential buildings would not, on its own, resolve Nigeria’s housing challenges unless prospective buyers could also access properly documented land, affordable financing and essential infrastructure.
He urged authorities to simplify access to land titles and strengthen the provision of basic amenities needed to support functional and accessible residential estates.
According to him, valid property documentation plays an important role in helping prospective homeowners qualify for mortgage facilities, as financial institutions typically require appropriate documents when assessing property-backed financing applications.
He observed that difficulties in obtaining the necessary land and property documents could prevent many Nigerians from accessing housing loans, limiting their ability to purchase homes even when financing options were available.
Jimoh also highlighted the importance of constructing access roads to residential developments, noting that inadequate road networks could undermine the accessibility and attractiveness of housing estates.
He maintained that coordinated action on land administration, mortgage access and infrastructure development would be necessary to reduce the barriers confronting prospective homeowners.
The developer said addressing these challenges alongside the construction of new homes would help create more favourable conditions for housing delivery and improve efforts to bridge Nigeria’s housing deficit.
The commissioning of the Hilltop Residence apartments and the unveiling of additional projects in Karsana highlight the continuing efforts of public and private-sector developers to expand housing supply in the FCT.
However, the comments by the officials also point to the broader issues affecting homeownership in Nigeria, including property prices, access to mortgage financing, land documentation and the availability of supporting infrastructure.
