FG approves 600 housing units for military, adopts revised biotechnology policy

On Wednesday, the Federal Executive Council approved the purchase of 600 four-bedroom terrace duplexes in Abuja for military personnel. This brings the total housing units for armed forces to 2,656, out of a target of 10,000 units under a five-year federal housing program. The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Rabe Darma, revealed this during a briefing after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

She explained that the housing units were approved as a follow-up to the earlier approval of 1,556 units in Kaduna. The high cost of federal housing is attributed to the rising cost of construction materials. The Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development also addressed concerns about military housing estates functioning as barracks, stating that once such estates are handed over to the armed forces, they are transformed into barracks.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Kingsley Uche, announced the adoption of a revised National Biotechnology Policy, replacing the original policy from 2001. The new policy aims to establish a robust strategic roadmap for research, development, commercialization, and application of biotechnology, with a focus on climate-smart technology, precision agriculture, manufacturing, gene editing, and genomics in medicine.