As part of retirement plans to alleviate the challenge of housing for its personnel, The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has kick-started a mass post housing scheme
for the non-commissioned officers who are the lower cadre of the force. The NAF is partnering with some mortgage institutions in the country to achieve this feat. The scheme is first of its kind since the establishment of the NAF over 52 years ago as the previous housing schemes catered largely for the commissioned officers. With over 100 million Nigerian considered to be living in sub-standard housing according to a United Nation data in 2015 and an estimated housing deficit of over 17 million according to World Bank data in 2014, this usual initiative by the current leadership of the NAF is not only timely but an endurance venture aimed at securing a better retirement life for the lower cadre who are within the block rank of Aircraftmen to Air Warrant Officers.
The piloting phase of the project has commenced with the inauguration of a 10-man standing committee headed by Air Vice Marshal Audu Bida (retired) to oversee the implementation of the scheme christened NIGERIAN AIR FORCE EAGLE ESTATE PROJECT 1. The estate which is located at Ija in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory is occupying 40 hectares of land and it is expected to accommodate a total of 905 houses in addition to recreational facilities, shopping complex and 6.1km of internal road network. The project upon complexion will see 85% allocated to the NAF non-commissioned officers, 10% to sister services and the rest 5% allocated to interested civilians.
Meanwhile, the Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar during the inauguration of the standing committee revealed that the piloting scheme is a template for other post housing schemes the NAF intend to execute across the country with similar projects to be extended soon to Enugu, Kaduna and Lagos. The CAS urged members of the committee to be transparent in their conduct and ensure that they delivered a befitting housing project for the NAF.
In his remarks during the inauguration ceremony, the Chairman of the committee, AVM Bida lauded the initiative by the CAS to kick start the first lower cadre housing scheme in the anal of the NAF. He assured the NAF that his committee would work assiduously to turn out a housing estate befitting for the NAF.