200 housing applicants beg Ogun govt for allocation two years after
Some housing scheme applicants have urged the Ogun state government for allocation two years after making payments to own parts of the 2-bedroom bungalow at the Prince Court Estate, Kobape in Abeokuta.
The applicants numbering about 200 said that they applied to own the homes in 2022 after a duly filled N5,000 application forms. While speaking with newsmen in Abeokuta, the representative of the applicants, Adeyemi Aremu, explained that the housing scheme was sold to them by the Ogun State Ministry of Housing.
He said the applicants of the third phase of the scheme have duly paid but have not been given any property.
According to him, a bungalow is N5.5million with a rebate for retired civil servants who were asked to pay N4,950,000. Aremu added that some paid outrightly while others paid two installments while others made their payment through the Gateway Mortgage Bank, owned by the Ogun State government.
He said that the applicants have waited for the government endlessly hence the need to cry out to Prince Dapo Abiodun to fulfill his part of the bargain despite paying for the shelter.
The applicants expressed fear that the government might be planning to increase the price of the shelter or give the available 100 uncompleted semi-detached 2 bedroom bungalows to civil servants who were chased out of Ibara government quarters at the expense of those who have fully paid to the ministry of Housing.
According to him, “It is sad that the Gateway Mortgage bank has not protected their clients or tried to get the shelter for them even as many are still paying mortgage with interests till date. The whole process is so discouraging especially for those Ogun people who showed interest to invest in the state and purchased the shelter.
“What then could be the excuse after we have fulfilled our own part of the bargain?” he asked.
MEANWHILE, the Commissioner for Housing, Jamiu Akande Omoniyi, attributed the inability of the Ministry to deliver the houses on record time due to the inflation in the country, which resulted in rise in the cost of building materials.
He added that there were ongoing efforts by the state government to resolve the issue, assuring the applicants that their deposits are intact. He, however, called for calm, stressing the matter would be addressed accordingly.
Omoniyi said that Governor Dapo Abiodun-led administration is determined to deliver on his promise to provide affordable but qualitative houses to the residents of the state. He added that the ministry would continue to be transparent and just in the allocation of the housing units, not only at the Prince Court Estate, but other housing schemes across the state.
