Some low-cost housing estate projects abandoned by the Bayelsa State Government have been ‘possessed’ by some government officials and top civil servants working in the state Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
While the government officials and the top civil servants have taken over as landlords and rented the apartments, some flats in the abandoned estates are occupied by illegal occupants even as others sublet the apartments.
These were revealed during an independent tour of the state government’s abandoned low-cost housing estate projects by members of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Bayelsa State Council.
Checks show that low-income residents in the state are struggling with the challenge of lack of accommodation in Yenagoa and environs, and this is occasioned by the government’s inability to build and complete low-cost housing estates for the middle class and other low-income earners.
At the abandoned Ayama Low-Cost Housing Estate Phase 1, which Governor Douye Diri’s predecessor, Senator Seriake Dickson hastily inaugurated two days before exiting office on February 14, 2020, it was observed that there were no internal roads, toilet facilities, electricity, security post, amongst others.
The estate, which comprises 42 units of 84 flats, has remained unattended to by the Governor Diri led-administration since February 14, 2020, when it was first inaugurated.
Speaking to members of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel, an occupant in the Ayama Housing Estate, Daniel Oputu, said he rented his apartment from one Clement Angalabiri.
He said, “I’m not one of those illegal occupants. I’m the chairman of this estate, but let’s say about 50 percent of the occupants are illegal tenants because one man who calls himself the CLO illegally rented these houses to them. And some persons said that he is from the Ministry of Housing. His name is John Amakiri.”
Oputu lamented that many of the flats do not have toilet, water and other basic facilities and the occupants are fixing such by themselves despite making payments to their landlords.
He said, “As I’m here, I’m trying to arrange toilet for myself at the back of the flat. When I came here, I paid directly to the landlord and I discovered that there is no toilet, no staircase. When I complained to him, he said I should do it and I did everything, including the wiring of the place (flat).
“When the first payment of N100,000 expired, he said I should pay again which I refused and he gave me quit notice that made me relocate to this particular one. We made inquiries and we were told that these houses are allocated to them by the government through the Ministry of Housing.
“For some of the apartments, two landlords are even laying claim to it. Some tenants don’t even know who is their landlord. If you want to take a house here, and you go to one John Amakiri at the Ministry of Housing, he will tell you to pay to him and he will come and allocate the place without you seeing your landlord for the next three years.”
He continued, “This place is about 200 acres of land and these are the houses that they have built. These houses are not completed even. Legally, you cannot even rent a house when the house is not completed but we are managing it.
“I have been here for three years and I’m paying about 200,000. Last year, the government came and said that they wanted to do something; they came with caterpillars and other equipments, at the end nothing. We have about 42 blocks by 84 flats and almost all of them are occupied.
“I want the government to come and assist us by putting the toilet facilities, and connect light to the estate. We don’t have water except for two or three boreholes that are privately owned. Everyday we spend nothing less than N500 for fetching water with labour. We lack security. Everybody is a security officer here in the night.”
However, John Amakiri, who denied being a landlord as the flats had been allocated to commissioners, legislators and other top government officials, said, “I’m not the landlord, I’m standing in for the Ministry of Housing.”
Independent
