By Daniel Oluwatobiloba Popoola
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the direct purchase of 600 units of four-bedroom terrace duplexes at Bristol City Development in Life Camp, Abuja, for members of the Armed Forces.
The approval was disclosed on Wednesday, 13 August, 2026, by the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Rabe Darma, while briefing State House correspondents after the Council meeting presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Darma explained that the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development presented a memo for Council to consider and approve the direct purchase, noting that President Tinubu remained committed to improving the welfare of the Armed Forces, with housing constituting an important welfare consideration.
He disclosed that the memo was a follow-up to an earlier one presented last year, under which 1,556 housing units were approved for the Armed Forces in the Kaduna area of the Federal Capital, explaining that the new approval brought the cumulative number of housing units delivered for military personnel to 2,656 out of a targeted 10,000 units under the five-year federal housing programme.
Responding to questions on the high cost of federal housing, Darma attributed the pricing primarily to the escalating cost of construction materials, insisting that government housing remained heavily subsidised despite appearing costly on paper.
He explained that construction materials had become very expensive, citing that a two-bedroom house would require at least 1,000 nine-inch blocks just for the foundation structure, with each block costing about N1,000 in cities such as Abuja, Lagos, Port Harcourt and Kano.
He further explained that while it may cost the Federal Government about N18 million to N18.5 million to build a house to completion, due to contract pricing and tax, an individually built house of similar specification might cost about N17 million, yet government still sells such houses at N12 million and in some locations, as low as N8 million or N9 million depending on location, demonstrating the level of subsidy government provides to ensure Nigerians can own homes.
He also addressed questions on military housing estates functioning as barracks across the country, explaining that the transformation occurs organically once such estates are handed over to the Armed Forces, since military offices and guard rooms are typically established at such locations.
He disclosed that the Federal Government has a policy to build 10,000 housing units over a five-year period, a responsibility assigned to the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, of which the latest approval formed a part.
Also briefing on Council’s decisions, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Uche, disclosed that Council approved a revised National Biotechnology Policy, replacing the original policy that had guided the sector since 2001.
Uche explained that Nigeria had, in 2001, through FEC approval, published its first national biotechnology policy, which had served the country for the past 25 years, during which Nigeria made significant progress in biomanufacturing, gene editing and other areas of biotechnology relating to health, agriculture and manufacturing.
He explained that considering global developments in biotechnology and Nigeria’s ambition to become a leader in the field, stakeholders found the 2001 policy no longer sufficient for current realities, prompting them to draft and validate a revised policy, which Council approved as the 2026 revised National Biotechnology Policy.
He disclosed that the new policy would establish a robust strategic roadmap for research, development, commercialisation and application of biotechnology, particularly targeting climate-smart technology, precision agriculture, manufacturing, gene editing and genomics in medicine.
Uche further disclosed that Council approved Nigeria’s participation in the Global Biotechnology Partnership, alongside a concomitant National Bioenergy Strategic Plan, explaining that the move formalises Nigeria’s membership in the partnership and strengthens the country’s access to international collaboration and investment in biotechnology.
He noted that Nigeria remained rich in biomass and bioresources that could be converted to energy, and that the new framework would be leveraged to optimise opportunities for the production and utilisation of bioenergy.
He disclosed that the Energy Commission of Nigeria, an agency under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, would serve as the lead implementing agency for the bioenergy strategic plan, operating through an inter-ministerial structure designed to coordinate national efforts relating to bioenergy, in line with the administration’s focus on addressing energy insufficiency.
Uche disclosed that Council also used the session to celebrate the peaceful conduct of the previous Saturday’s governorship election in Osun State, explaining that President Tinubu joined members of Council in commending the demonstration of democracy witnessed during the election.
