Date: 2009-10-08

The Kwara State Governor, Dr Bukola Saraki on Thursday commissioned the first phase of 2-bedroom 100 housing units at Harmony Estate, Akerebiata, Ilorin, with a charge to beneficiaries to oblige the N 8,000 â€" N 10,000 monthly repayment schedule.

The Housing Estate, which foundation stone was laid in March last year, was a product of the Public-Private-Partnership initiative of the State Government aimed at providing mass housing for citizens of the State at affordable costs.

Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Saraki said the completion of the first phase out of the proposed 500units was in fulfillment of his campaign promise in 2003 to make available to the people of the State decent houses.

Governor Saraki urged the developer, Delrot Nigeria Limited to ensure the speedy completion of the remaining 400 units in a record time so that more people can benefit from the housing scheme.

While appealing to the lucky beneficiaries to ensure prompt repayment of their monthly due on the houses, he warned them not to see the loan as government largesse in order not to lose the ownership of the houses to other awaiting would-be beneficiaries.

Dr Saraki, who also expressed the commitment of his administration to the plight of the less privileged especially in the provision of shelter, disclosed that the State Government had previously completed and commissioned Mandate Estates I, II and III constructed across the three Senatorial Districts in Kaiama, Shonga, Offa and Omu-Aran.

He congratulated the developer for a job well done and called on other genuine private developers to partner with the State Government in the provision of cheap houses for its citizenry.

Saraki also charged beneficiaries of the houses to imbibe a good maintenance culture on the structures while calling on the contractor handling the road project from Royal Valley Estate in Sango to Akerebiata to expedite action on the project.

Earlier in his welcome address, Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Dr Adebayo Ishola had enumerated the State Government’s efforts at providing houses in the State since 2003.

Such efforts, he explained, led to the construction of Mandate Estates I and II that were solely financed by the State Government, stressing however, that realizing the enormity of the challenge of providing decent houses, government had to reach out to other stakeholders for partnership, which in turn, led to the construction of Mandate Estate III, Royal Valley Estate and Harmony Estate.

Dr Ishola expressed confidence that the recent establishment of the State’s Housing Corporation would facilitate massive construction of more housing units in the State.

In his remark, the Chief Executive Officer of Delrot Nigeria Limited, Chief Bode Afolayan disclosed that a whopping sum of N1.5 billion would soon be disbursed by the Federal Mortgage Bank to indigenes of the State as Estate Development loan.

Chief Afolayan thanked the State Government for the success story of its partnership initiative in providing shelter for citizens of the State and appealed for more support to enable his company provide more housing units.

Each 2-bedroom housing unit costs beneficiaries the sum of N 2 million with a down payment of 10% and 20 years moratorium within which to pay back.

 

Mas’ud Adebimpe

Chief Press Secretary to the Kwara State Governor  

8th October, 2009