Lagos State Government said that the Egan-Igando Housing Scheme, in old Alimosho Local Government area of the state which had dragged over 22 years has reached 90 per cent completion and would be ready for habitation soon.
Commissoner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fata, MAF, gave the assurance at the weekend, during sites’ inspection of housing projects in Egan, Lagos State University, LASU, and Lateef Kayode Jakande Gardens at Igando area of the state.
MAF, spoke through the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Mr. Kamar Olowoshago, who led senior team on the inspection.
According to Olowoshago, the visit was to look at the state of on-going projects and to also see how the completed ones are faring.
The estate, located at Agric road in Egan-Igando, Alimosho Local Government area of Lagos state has been abandoned for the past 22 years and was consequently turned into a hideout for criminals.
The project under the LagosHoms, is located on an extensive land spanning over 100-hectares along Agric Road, which hosts completed and uncompleted buildings as well as plots of land.
The estate, it was gathered was owned by the Federal Government and dedicated for Maize production with large modern planting and harvesting equipment. However, it was taken over by the subsequent Lagos State Government.
Worried by the consequential insecurity challenge being posed by the structures, residents appealed to successive administration s, especially Ministry of Housing to revive construction activities on the abandoned housing estate project.
Concerned residents through one of the associations’ executives, the Vice-Chairman, Agric road Residents Association, Mr. Adeshina Ojewande, while giving insight into the project, stated that it has been on for 22 years from the Alhaji Lateef Jakande era and remained uncompleted till date.
According to Ojewande, “At a point, land grabbers allocated part of the land to some people, who used it for schools, before it was taken over by the Federal Ministry of Housing, that built substandard housing units.
“The Bola Tinubu administration took over the land and destroyed buildings and ordered that it should be fenced. When the fencing started, the land grabbers had encroached on part of the land.
“The maize harvesters were removed, the place was well fenced and the state’s housing ministry’s sign post was erected. They started the foundation for buildings and many housing units were built.
“It was during Babatunde Fashola administration that the estate was developed to its present state. They project stopped until Akinwunmi Ambode became governor. When he discovered that the road to the estate was impassible, he awarded the Agric road contract and completed it.”
“The estate has been bushy and abandoned. With the extent of work done, the government should commission the project and allow subscribers to live there.”
Another resident, Mr. Simeon David, disclosed that, “The estate had been abandoned since 2001. The area was so local and the road was bad. At a time, some security officials guarding the estate allowed people, who are homeless, to live there illegally.’’
“Some people had to leak the information on illegal use of the estate to the government and a taskforce from Alausa came to dislodge the occupants,” he said.
Speaking at the site, Olowoshago said, “We just went to Housing Scheme in Egan, and I can tell you that it is about 90 per cent ready.
“We are trying to see how we can quickly complete the cluster one so that we can release the homes to the allotees.
“We are looking at remaining things to be done to get it completed and I can tell you that in no distance time, Egan will be available for people to live in,” he said.
Olowoshago said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu is doing all he could to provide mass housing for residents in line with his THEMES agenda.
“At the ministry, we are greatly focussed on building more housing schemes for the benefit of the masses, we are also concerned about maintenance of the structure and facilities put in place.
“I’m satisfied with the maintenance culture at LKJ Gardens where you have 492 home units; like we always say that maintenance is key to continue enjoying any facility put in place by the government and I think I’m satisfied with what I’m seeing here.
“You can see, we have gone round and we have seen the water system and other aspects.
“We just went to the open space allocated for worship centres, it is our belief that the two religious groups will maintain decorum in going about their religious activities,” he said.
Director of Estate , Mrs Patunola-Ajayi Olayinka called for a harmonious relationship between estates’ residents’ associations and facility managers.
She said while the role of the associations is ceremonial, the facility managers are to be in charge of the day-to-day running of the estates’ joint facilities.
“The facility managers are actually the face of the state government in any estate and their role is to maintain the joint facilities in the estate – the water system, sewage system, lightning of the surroundings and cleaning, among others.
“For the Residents’ Associations, it’s just a social outfit – to handle weddings, birthdays, funeral and festivities. Their roles do not clash at all.
“Everybody should just strictly maintain their roles. As long as the two associations recognise their complementary roles, there won’t be any problem,” she said.
Patunola-Ajayi, therefore, called on allottees to ensure payment of their facility maintenance fee as contained in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed when receiving keys to their apartments.
The state government, she said, would not hesitate to withdraw the allocation from any resident that refuses to pay the stipulated fee.
