The Lagos State government, on Tuesday, said it had delivered 1,576 new houses to residents within the first year of the Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, as part of its affordable mass housing scheme.
The state’s Commissioner for Housing, Mr Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, said this during the Ministerial Press Briefing in Lagos to mark the first year of Sanwo-Olu in office.
He said the government had completed housing schemes in six locations.
Akinderu-Fatai listed the sites to include Igando in Alimosho, Idale in Badagry, Iponri in Surulere, Igbokushu in Lekki Phase 1 and Lekki Phase 2 in Eti-Osa Local Government Areas, and Igbogbo in Igbogbo Baiyeku Local Council Development Area.
READ ALSO:Reps Urge AFDB Board to Stop Further Harassment of Dr Adesina
“Provision of decent housing for Lagosians is an integral part of the transformation agenda of the present administration. Housing is a critical need of humans forms the bedrock of other developmental efforts, hence the great attention given to it by the present administration.
“The strategies deployed in meeting this agenda are building through Direct Budgetary allocation for the completion of existing housing schemes as well as through Public-Private Partnerships.
“492 of the homes located at Lateef Kayode Jakande Gardens Housing in Igando and 360 at LagosHoms Igbogbo 2b were actualised through Direct Budgetary allocations while the rest was made possible through joint ventures with private investors,” he said.
Akinderu-Fatai listed 724 homes in various estates, which were achieved through partnerships with Lagos State Property Development Corporation, Le Grand Property Development Company, Step Development, Echostone Housing and Messrs Lekki Ultimate Constructions.
He commended the partners and called for collaboration with more investors to speedily bridge the huge housing deficit in the state.
The commissioner explained that more housing schemes would be completed before the first quarter of 2021 to produce additional 2,284 home units.
He listed the additional projects to include LagosHoms estates in Sangotedo with 1218 homes, 660 homes at Odo Onosa /Ayandelu in Agbowa LCDA and 36 units in Lagos State University main campus.
Others are Egan Igando Scheme with 270 homes and Epe Housing Scheme in Itamarun Epe local Government with 112 homes.
The commissioner said the government was upgrading skills of 1,000 artisans in the building sector to improve their efficiency and income generation capacity.
Akinderu-Fatai emphasised that the state government’s housing policy focused more on first-time homeowners who were residents and could be captured under suitable mortgage systems or had the capacity to make outright purchases.
“The State Government has strengthened its convenient mortgage system under the Rent-to-Own Scheme under the Lagos State Mortgage Board to bring as many people as possible on the Home Ownership ladder.
“Within the period under review, a total of 1,332 Lagosians benefited from the Rent-to-Own Scheme. With an initial payment of five per cent of the homes and monthly payments spread over 10 years, more Lagosians can become homeowners without experiencing serious financial hardship,” he said.
He added that the state would pursue various programmes to make social housing accessible to the less privileged and vulnerable in the state.
Special Adviser to Gov. Sanwo-Olu on Housing, Mrs Toke Benson-Awoyinka, commended the administration for establishing the Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) to regulate real estate businesses and practitioners.
“With the promulgation, the Authority is now empowered by Law to register Real Estate Practitioners/Property Developers across the state and issue licenses annually to genuine practitioners,” she said.
Benson-Awoyinka also said LASRERA investigated complaints and petitions against licensed and unlicensed Real Estate Practitioners /Property Developers and imposed sanctions in accordance with the law were necessary during the period under review.
She said various stakeholder engagements were held and an online portal www.lasrera.lagosstate.gov.ng was launched for the registration of practitioners in the property market and real estate business.
“The seamless and robust platform has been put in place to gather data of genuine stakeholders in the industry for the purpose of planning and promoting ease of business.
“More importantly, it was also a way of addressing the issue of sharp practices in the sub-sector in which many innocent citizens in search of accommodation, purchase and sale of properties have been criminally defrauded by fake/dubious practitioners,” she said.
Benson-Awoyinka said series of interactive sessions were carried out with various government agencies and leadership of local governments for proper regulation and actualisation of the vision of the agency.
She added that the state was working on the Mortgage and Property Law Cap M5 Laws of Lagos State, 2015, established to ensure accessible and affordable mortgage/charges.
Leave a Reply