PROPERTY Propertymart partners FG to build Ayade constitutes 9-man Land Use Allocation C’ttee affordable homes in Gwagwalada

Propertymart Real estate Investment in partnership with the Federal ministry of Power, Works, and Housing is to construct houses for middle and low income earners in Gwagwalada, Abuja.

The PPP is part of efforts of the Federal Government to reduce the widening housing deficit in the country. The number of houses to be build under the partnership has not been disclosed.

The partnership is to construct houses for middle and low income earners in Gwagwalada Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

This was in line with the recent call by the acting president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, for a Public Private Partnership (PPP) to bridge the infrastructural deficit in Nigeria and other African countries.

The Deputy Director (PPP), at the Federal Ministry of Housing, Tonye Igbanibo, an architect, who recently led a team to inspect the 10-hectare stretch of land designated for the project, charged Propertymart to commence work immediately to provide shelter for the populace.

While saying that the land is good for all forms of housing units, the deputy director stated that the Housing Ministry would support Propertymart in any way possible to ensuring the success of the project in order to reduce the sufferings of FCT residents.

“We are waiting for you. You have seen the place and we are there to support you so that work can commence here immediately,” Igbanibo stressed.

Deputy Managing Director of Propertymart and head of the PropertyMart delegation, Mr. Deji Fasuwon, disclosed that his organisation entered into the partnership in order to enable middle and low level income earners have houses of their own at affordable prices. He said that the company had put in place a suitable payment plan which will invariably help reduce the housing deficit in the nation.

He said: “This project is a direct partnership with the Federal Ministry of Housing in their plan to offer affordable mass housing.

“The government cannot do this alone, and that is why they have called on private developers to join them in ensuring the vision of the government is achieved.”

On the type of housing units to be constructed, Mr Fasuwon said: “we are planning to have different types of housing units, starting with bungalows, which will be very affordable to the people so that they will have something they can call their own. We are starting the project with two-bedroom bungalows,” he said.

He disclosed that Propertymart has decided to make the payment arrangement simple and flexible so that many Nigerians can participate. Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has constituted a committee of nine persons from the state to look at ways of encouraging investors to have quick access to lands in the state.

He also directed that the committee should ensure that all known bottlenecks that hitherto hindered allocation of lands were removed.

Ayade spoke through his Commissioner for Lands and Rural Development, John Inyang when he inaugurated the committee which is chaired by Adolphus Bassey.

Ayade said: “The state has over 25,000 square kilometers of land, and that we are poised to partner reputable investors and companies wishing to set up their businesses in the state.

“My administration is in a hurry to transform the socio-economic landscape of the state to better the lots of its citizenry and so will not allow anybody or bureaucratic bottleneck hamper its effort in attaining the desired developmental objectives.”

He cautioned the committee against undue delays which organisations and people usually faced before they could acquire lands for investment purposes, adding that since the dissolution of former committee in May 2015 much work has accumulated.

“Besides the discharge of the statutory functions stipulated in the Land Use Act, the committee has the overall responsibility of enlightening the general public on the aims and objectives of the Act to help dispel the notion that government, in the exercise of its rights as provided for in the Act, is trampling upon the people’s right to own property,” the governor said.