Lagos State government said it has successfully completed 14 housing schemes within two years as part of the moves to reduce the housing deficit and provide affordable housing for the greater number of residents in the state.
This was just as the state government assured that it would continue to embark on housing policies that will enable more residents to become homeowners through the provision of more affordable homes for many residents desirous of becoming property owners in the state notwithstanding the prevailing economic situation in the country.
The State Commissioner for Housing, Hon Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, gave the assurance, on Tuesday, at Alausa, Ikeja, while speaking on the achievements of his ministry during the annual ministerial briefing to commemorate Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s 2nd year in office.
Akinderu-Fatai, while expressing optimism that the present administration would surely tackle the housing deficit issue in the state by providing more homes and enhancing accessibility and affordability, listed some of the completed schemes to include: Lateef Jakande Gardens in Igando; Lagos State Affordable Public Housing Scheme, Idale Badagry; LAGOSHOMS Lekki Phase 2; Babatunde Raji Fashola Estate, Courtland Villas Igbokushu, among others.
According to the commissioner, four (4) out of the number are virtually completed and awaiting commissioning at Odo Onosa Ayandelu, Agbowa, Magodo/Omole, Gbagada and Ibeshe, adding that other ongoing housing projects totalling 21 schemes were being constructed through the budgetary allocation and joint ventures in various parts of the state.
He insisted that homes being provided were affordable for both low and high net worth individuals and located in all parts of the state.
“Based on the all-inclusive stance of the Sanwo-Olu-led administration, there are completed and ongoing projects in all parts of the state and all categories of residents have the opportunity of accessing the housing provision,” the commissioner said.
On the strategies to tackle the housing deficit, Akinderu-Fatai hinted that the state government was already engaging multinational development partners for the construction of mass housing in the state, pointing out that henceforth housing provision would be in the realm of thousands of homes in order to drastically reduce the housing challenges in the state.
He commended Governor Sanwo-Olu for his uncommon passion at ensuring that a greater number of residents achieved their dream of becoming homeowners, adding that his unalloyed commitment towards providing decent and stable shelter for Lagosians deserved commendations.
Akinderu-Fatai, while noting that the state government had made the necessary efforts to make Lagos investor-friendly with laws to attract the desired investment in the housing sector, appealed to private sector developers to actively partner with the state government in the provision of more homes for the citizens due to the rapid population growth of Lagos.
“The task of bridging the housing gap in Lagos is mammoth, hence private sector’s participation is required in reducing the hardship faced by the people in their quest for decent shelter,” the commissioner said.
Speaking further, Akinderu-Fatai said the Lagos Mortgage Board had been able to strengthen the ‘Rent to Own’ policy in its efforts to further enhance accessibility and affordability of the homes, by ensuring that many residents of the state were now on the homeownership ladder, pointing out that the scheme which targets the first time homeowners had made it possible for many Lagosians to achieve their dream of homeownership.
The commissioner expressed delight at the Government’s Rent-To-Own Scheme saying that it had given a good opportunity to both the low and middle-income citizens of the society to become homeowners.
He, therefore, expressed optimism that apart from reducing the housing deficit, housing development efforts increased economic stability for workers in the sector, saying hundreds of workers, artisans, suppliers and contractors had been gainfully engaged through the aggressive development of the housing sector by the administration.
“It gladdens the heart that there are intense construction activities on many housing schemes all over the state revitalising the housing delivery value chain.
“The fact that the construction sites are active means economic engagement for hundreds of workers, artisans, suppliers and contractors. This brings a vibrancy that increases the economic resilience of the people,” he enthused.
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