The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Ebonyi State have called on the Federal government to investigate alleged failure by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to accommodate workers in the state in the sale of housing units at FMBN-NLC-TUC and NECA Housing Estate in Abakaliki.The NLC chairman in Ebonyi, Ikechukwu Nwafor, who led a Protest against what the Union called “illegal sale of housing units to “ineligible persons” in Abakaliki, alleged that the beneficiaries of the low-cost housing units constructed under National Affordable Housing Delivery Programme were not workers from the state.He described the development as “discouraging”, considering that Organised Labour in the state had qualified members who have contributed to the National Housing Fund for over 20 years, thereby qualifying them for the housing scheme.The Executive Director, Business Development and Portfolio Management, FMBN, Kingsley Chukwuma said the beneficiaries were selected based on merit but promised to look into the protest by workers in the state.Governor David Umahi, had during the inauguration of the estate, said workers in the state deserved the best, stressing that he was impressed by the quality of work done at the Estate.He added that more housing Estates would soon be completed in Ebonyi, and stressed that the estates would go a long way in solving the “shelter needs” of workers in the state.One of the beneficiaries, who gave his name as Joseph, said he paid N9 million to acquire one of the houses, and thanked the Federal government for the scheme.
