One hundred widows in Kaduna State have received free houses under the Social Housing Project, the flagship initiative of Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL).
Speaking during the handover of keys to beneficiaries in Kaduna, the Managing Director of FHFL, Abdul Mutallab Mukhtar, said the project was implemented in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, the Adashe Women’s Empowerment Society, (AWES) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI).
He said the initiative delivers “100 energy-efficient two-bedroom semi-detached homes for widows, addressing their immediate housing needs while fostering long-term economic empowerment.”
Mukhtar explained that the heart of the project is the deployment of prefabricated panels known as the Expanded Polystyrene System (EPS) introduced through FHFL’s partnership with NASENI.
The pilot scheme integrates housing delivery with skills acquisition, livelihood support, and entrepreneurship training.
He added that AWES provided the land and facilitated capacity-building programmes for the widows in urban farming, ICT, catering, tailoring, and cosmetology.
He said each beneficiary received tools, equipment, and start-up capital to enable economic independence.
“This holistic support model integrates housing, livelihood, and entrepreneurship development, promoting self employment, business sustainability, and family resilience,” he stated.
Mukhtar noted that the construction phase doubled as a training platform for artisans in EPS installation and alternative building technologies, which “created immediate employment opportunities and developed a pool of skilled local artisans capable of supporting future social housing delivery nationwide.”
The Adashe Pilot Social Housing Project has been described as a model for inclusive, technology enabled housing delivery, blending innovation with human capital development.
Speaking during the ceremony, the founder of AWES, Dr. Umma Sani said the project marks the organisation’s first collaboration with both the government and the private sector in providing homes for widows.
“We have collaborated with Family Homes Funds. They are wonderful people,” she said, reaffirming that she donated the land on which the estate was built.
She disclosed that the widows were trained in vocational skills, including urban farming, cosmetology, shoe and bag production, spices, and catering. “They have been given a starter pack, and then we have even given them pens for them to be able to stand on their feet,” she added.
Sani thanked President Bola Tinubu for his support, saying, “All this wouldn’t have come to be if it is not with his support. I say thank you to him for his Renewed Hope agenda.” She said the project will be replicated across all 36 states.
Recalling her motivation, she said, “I took a vow at a very young age that, if Allah should give me the opportunity, I am going to build houses for the widows and help orphans because I experienced what orphans are going through.”
She said the estate, which she suggested be named ‘Unity Estate’, will house Christian and Muslim widows, adding, “My widows have promised themselves, we are going to live in peace.”
Also speaking, Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Housing, Shehu Salihu, congratulated the beneficiaries and warned that the houses must not be rented or transferred.
“Anyone who transfers ownership of the house to another person or rents it out, the government will revoke the title,” he cautioned.
John Shiklam
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