Tuesday, the Federal Government fulfilled its promise to provide three of the 22 members of the Super Eagles team that won the 1994 African Cup of Nations in Ibadan, Oyo State, with housing.
Each player received a three-bedroom residence in the Onidundu, Ibadan, National Housing complex.
They are Mutiu Adepoju, Finidi George, and Ike Shoroumu.
The player's physician, Dr Akin Amao, was the fourth recipient.
The News Agency of Nigeria cites President Muhammadu Buhari's announcement in March that the Federal Government would fulfil its commitment back in 1994 when the team overcame Zambia to win the Nations Cup.
When giving the recipients the keys to their homes, Babatunde Fashola, the minister of works and housing, said that they were among the first Nigerians to get the homes that the federal government had promised them 28 years earlier.
At the event conducted inside the grounds of the Housing Estate at Km17, Onidundu, Ibadan, Adesola Gbolahan, Oyo State Controller of Housing, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, represented Fashola.
The Minister announced that the 48 units of the project's first phase in Ibadan, which included two- and three-bedroom flats, had been finished.
He claims that on November 12, 2021, the Ministry opened a website portal called https:/nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng/ for selling completed houses.
He said: “We have, therefore, offered all these housing units to members of the public in a non-discriminatory way through the opening of the portal to ensure that those interested are not inhibited by any artificial obstacle.
“Allocations will be made based on those who applied and paid on a first come, first served basis.”
Fashola said that through the web portal, his Ministry received 12,387 applications from Nigerians.
According to him, out of these, 694 subscribers’ applications have been approved by the ministry.
He, therefore, called on all Nigerians to avail themselves of the opportunity of owning a house in 35 states and FCT, which have been completed, except for Lagos State, through open access on the ministry’s website.
The minister urged indigenes of Oyo State to also leverage many units yet to be sold at the Estate in Onidundu.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Bashir Alkali, said the National Housing Programme was borne out of the Federal Government’s desire to provide affordable housing for its citizenry.
Alkali said the ministry, under the NHP, was undertaking the construction of over 6,000 housing units in 45 sites.
Shoroumu and Adepoju, who spoke on behalf of other beneficiaries, appreciated Buhari for fulfilling the government’s promise after 28 years.
Shoroumu said he still strongly believes Nigeria “is going to be great”.
He says, “I never lost hope in Nigeria because if I have lost hope, then it means I have to relocate back to Europe.”
On his part, Adepoju thanked God for keeping him alive to receive the key to his apartment.
NAN reports that another subscriber, Adewale Adesokan, who had paid for a three- bedroom apartment, also received the key to his new apartment.