By Awhawha Awhawha
Delta Government says it is partnering the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) to develop affordable housing for civil servants and residents of the state.
The State Commissioner for Housing, Rt. Hon. Godknows Angele stated this when the Executives and members of the Asaba Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) paid him a courtesy visit on Tuesday in Asaba.
He noted that the partnership was a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement designed to address the accommodation challenges and the soaring rentage in the state, particularly in the unban centers and the state capital and environ.
He noted that a good government must work closely with journalists to enable it market its products in terms of infrastructural projects, policies and programmes that were designed to impact lives in the states and the nation.
He said that housing ministry is technical and engases in various duties all in a bid to provide comfort and conducive atmosphere for people to work effectively and efficiently.
“We set the center stage for government to kick off; various tenures will come up. As commissioner, I came with massive renovation of offices because if you are not working in a conducive atmosphere, you definitely think out of point.
“So, we renovated government house and properties and as a professional outfit, we produce all the Bill of Quantities(BOQs) for more than 28 Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) of in the state.
He said though the to governor has zero tolerance for shoddy jobs, hence the ministry ensures a strict monitoring of projects being executed to ensure they meet the standard as contained in the BOQs.
He lauded Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori for prompt payments of certificates and for providing good mobilisation to enable contractors deliver their contractual projects without hitches.
He noted that the ministry has intervened in partnership with federal government parastatal, adding that the ministry would soon inaugurate 30-one-Bedroom apartments at 181 Amphibian Battalion in Agbor, Ika South Local Government Area of the state.
“We have also renovated the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) office in Asaba in the last two months. Also the ministry is intervening on two-storey building with 40-self-contain at the Admiralty University, Ibusa, a project that transcended from the immediate past administration of Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa to the present government.
He noted that the recently commissioned housing units at the commissioners quarters were meant to complement the accommodation need the 30 state commissioner in the state.
According to Angele, Gov. Oborevwori has approved for the construction of 12 four-bedroom duplexes for the state permanent secretaries.
“As we speak, the contractor is ready and the groundbreaking ceremony will come up soon and this will be achieved in one year.
“To avert the planned strike by the Association of Medical Doctors in Oghara due to shortage of accommodation, the state government through the ministry has delivered 20 one-bedroom flats to them and others to be completed in due course.
The commissioner pledged to support the drive by the chapel to secure a Bus(vehicle) for its members to enable them embark on self verification and monitoring of projects for facts and prompt reportage of government projects without bias.
On the soaring accommodation rents, the commissioner said that the ministry has embarked on the registration of housing agents in the state to enable it regulate their activities.
He said that the ministry would soon inaugurate taskforce against agents who charge exorbitant accommodation rents in the state, adding that a bill would be sent to the State House of Assembly to regulate the soaring rents in the metropolitan.
He said though the government may apply moral persuasion on the landlords to regulate the rents also to ensure a more affordable accommodation in the state.
“I visited the agents’ office at Macdon in Asaba and they have all been registered with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Commissioner of Police, Delta Command has acknowledged them as a body.
According to Angele, all this is in a bid to check the excesses of the agents in raising accommodation costs and protecting the residents, particularly low income earners in the state.
“As a government, we are engaging on PPP to crash the rising house rents and by God’s grace, we shall build low costs housing scheme in my time.
“We have 50 units of social housing scheme in Ozoro; 50 units in Kwale, and another 50 units in Owa-Oyibu being initiated by the former Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, for civil servants.
“But when I came in as commissioner, we discovered that each of the 50 units of buildings can accommodate 200 families, so, you must have market, schools, electricity and other facilities, we brought all the bills to review them at the current cost.
Angele said that the governor has also directed that other housing units be constructed in phases across all the federal constituencies and thereafter, local government by local governments, all in a bid to address accommodation shortage across the state.
According to the commissioner, over 400 housing units are being targeted by the incumbent administration spread a Ross the state
Earlier, the Chapel Chairman, Comrade Ifeanyi Olannye said the visit was to felicitates with the commissioner on his outstanding achievements in the housing sector and to urge him to proffer ways to check the soaring accommodation rents, particularly in the capital territory, Asaba and environs.
According to Olannye, the state has been ranked top in rentage cost among other states in the country.
He urged the commissioner to replicate the prototype of Jakande, Alaba and Amuwo-Odoffin estates in Lagos state to crash the rents and effectively untilise land spaces at more affordable costs.
“If the state government can partner with developers and build highrising accommodations, it will be cheaper, effective to manage and affordable given the currents costs of acquiring land and the rising accommodation rents in the state, particularly Asaba and environs.
“Your ministry is critical to the development of the state and in line with the Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori’s M.O.R.E. Agenda, you have played key role in the visible achievements of the governor since assumption of office.
“We felicitate with you on your achievements that have attracted the attention of the governor and Deltans.
Your 150- units Housing estates spread across three strategic areas of the state plus the recently inaugurated Duplexes to complement the housing need of the commissioners, among others are testaments of your achievements which are in line with the M.O.R.E. Agenda of the Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori led administration.
As journalists, we urge you not to rest on your oars but posit to address the teething challenge of shortage of accommodation, particularly to help the Civil Servants and other workers and residents, whose income may not adequately cover the current soaring rents in the State’s Capital Territory, Asaba and environs.