Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, has said his administration is moving major housing developments away from Port Harcourt city centre to decongest the metropolis and drive economic growth in new districts.
Fubara stated this during the commissioning of Phase 1 of the Greater TAF City housing project along Obirikwere Airport Road, where keys were handed over to the first set of beneficiaries.
The governor said the strategy is part of a broader urban planning approach aimed at repositioning Rivers State as a high-income economy. He explained that relocating large housing projects outside the city centre would create new development corridors and reduce pressure on existing infrastructure.
According to him, the Greater TAF City project, developed in partnership with TAF Africa Global Limited, is designed to ensure Rivers State is no longer viewed as a one-city state. He noted that the land was acquired by the previous administration through the Greater Port Harcourt City Development Authority to support outward urban expansion.
Fubara said the initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the housing sector. He disclosed that the project is part of a larger plan to deliver 20,000 housing units across the state, with 1,000 units already completed in the first phase.
The governor linked access to housing with improved social security, noting that adequate housing helps reduce crime by addressing basic survival needs.
He also revealed that the project faced legal and bureaucratic challenges at inception, including multiple lawsuits over land ownership, but said the administration was able to overcome them.
Fubara urged land allottees in the area to begin development immediately and reaffirmed his administration’s support for the completion of the full 20,000-unit housing scheme, targeted mainly at middle-income earners.
The Managing Director of TAF Africa Global Limited, Mustapha Njie, said the project spans 1,000 hectares and features mixed-use housing with supporting infrastructure, adding that the development has received continental recognition for its public-private partnership model.
