By Correspondent in Lokoja.
Building new houses, most especially for rent, is hard to accomplish in recent time in Lokoja, Kogi State capital as prices of building materials continue to hit the roof, amid the reality of housing deficit in the area.
Investigation by The Reporters showed that a three bed room flat, which used to cause N150,000 to N200,000 per year, depending on the taste, now goes for between N2500,000 and N400,000.
Experts in estate management, such as Mohammed Suleiman, Bernard Alli and Musbau Akintola, who spoke with our Correspondent on the issue, attributed the scarcity of houses for rent to the high cost of building materials.
“From nail to virtually all other parts of building materials, the prices have continued to hit the roof and beyond the purchasing capacity of many people who would have loved to build one or two houses for rent.
“A bag of cement which used to cause N1,200 or at most, N1,500,few years ago, has skyrocketed to N3,500.
“This hyper inflation in the country, particularly as it concerns building materials, is really discouraging building of more houses for hiring to cope with the influx of people flooding Lokoja and its environs due to the relative peace in this area,”Akintola noted.
Meanwhile, Kogi State Government says it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ONYX First Risers, a private construction firm,for the construction of 1,000 housing units in Lokoja metropolis to ease housing deficit in the state.
Dr. Folashade Arike-Ayoade, the Secretary to the State Government (SSG) who signed the MOU on behalf of the State Government on Thursday in Lokoja,said the MoU represents the desire of the state government to construct affordable houses for the citizens to address accommodation deficit, especially, in Lokoja.
According to her, the state Ministry of Justice has scrutinised the MOU documents to make sure the aims and objectives of the MoU were realised.
In his contribution, Abdulkareem Siaka, Special Adviser, Economic, Finance and Investment to Govetnor of the state, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, expressed the commitment of the state government in opening up housing estate within the state at large.
The governor’s aide, who acknowledged housing deficit in the state, disclosed that about 4.7 million individuals constitute the state, stressing many of them needed where to put their heads.
“In the next two years, you will see a minimum of seven housing estates cut across the length and breadth of Kogi State,” he assured.
Chief Essey Okagbare, Chairman ONYX First Risers, who signed on behalf of the firm, said it to build 1,000 “affordable” housing units to check housing deficit..
Okagbare,who recalled that the idea was mooted in September and developed in the last three months, resulting in the signing of the MOU, added that the firm hopes to move to site, fully, in January, 2022 with the ground breaking ceremony for the project to commence.
He promised that the firm would use environmentally friendly projects in building the houses, assuring that the state should not expect “Quack houses”.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
