The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has commenced a housing estate project in Anambra State, with an appeal to the various state governments in the country to support the realisation of the dream.
Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, national president of NARD, made the appeal at the ceremony to lay the foundation stone for the housing estate in Awka on Monday.
He said the laying of the foundation stone of the project in Anambra State was the commencement of the journey towards the realisation of the dream that every doctor should own his or her house.
Okhuaihesuyi said no fewer than 3,000 members had begun contributing to the NARD Housing Scheme across the country and urged state governors and FCT minister to make land available to the association in their various domains.
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He said the project would help reduce the brain drain in the medical sector, especially in this COVID-19 pandemic era when the nation’s health sector was overstretched.
He said they needed land at an affordable rate with Certificates of Occupancy for effective take-off.
“We want to thank Nigerians and doctors in particular for helping us get to this stage and we promise to ensure that the project is delivered within the agreed time,” Okhuaihesuyi said.
“We want to use this opportunity to appeal to state governors and minister to support the doctors’ housing scheme because of the multiplier effect it will have on the nation’s health sector.
“We had a meeting with the director-general, Nigeria Governors’ Forum, a few weeks ago where we presented the issue of making land available for NARD in their various states and he promised that they would discuss it.
“Affordable housing for doctors will reduce the rate at which Nigerian doctors are leaving for other countries in search of better working conditions. At the moment the brain drain is alarming,” he said.
Also speaking, Daniel Orji, managing director of Daniel-Bob Ltd., the developer, said that the first 200 housing units of the project in Anambra would be delivered within a year and six months.
He lauded the NARD for taking advantage of mortgage financing to help their members get homes, explaining that the estate would have good access/streets, schools, churches, recreation centre and police post when concluded.
Orji, however, called on Federal Government to check the rising cost of building materials to enable Nigerians have homes.
