Lagos plans monthly rent payments, gets delivery date for 2,162 houses

Hope of monthly payment of rents has been rekindled, following plans by the Lagos State Government to begin the scheme in its housing estates.

The state’s Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Moruf Akinderu-Fatai dropped the hint during a site visit to housing schemes at Sangotedo and Lekki.

At present, Nigerians pay yearly and two-year rents in advance to landlords even though, they earn salaries monthly.

The situation has impacted negatively on the majority of Nigerians and further weakened their purchasing powers.

Akinderu-Fatai said the move was to ensure that Lagosians who could not afford yearly rents could get a decent accommodation, thereby reducing the housing deficit in the state.

According to him, providing adequate accommodation for the ever-increasing number of dwellers has become the basis for responsive housing policy.

The government, he said, resolved to consistently and constantly upscale its activities targeted at reducing the housing deficit.

This, he said, is being done by deliberately increasing the available housing stock through basic strategies.

Firstly, Akinderu-Fatai said, the plan was to complete all ongoing housing projects inherited from past administrations in order to consolidate on the gains of the past and have a quick win, which will translate to more dividends for the people within the first years of the administration.

In this category, he said, there were 15 housing schemes, comprising 3,000 units at various locations and different levels of completion.

Some of the schemes are located at Igando, Igbogbo, Sangotedo, Ajara, Egan-Igando, LASU main campus, Iba, Sangotedo, and Epe, among others.

The commissioner said 2, 162 housing units from these schemes would be completed in the first quarter of next year.

This, he said include the Lagoshoms, Sangotedo clusters with 1,188 homes in Eti – Osa Local Government Area, of which 774 out of it will be ready. Another 660 homes at Lagoshoms Odo Onosa Ayandelu in Agbowa Local Council Development Area, and 270 units out of 630 homes in Egan Igando Scheme will be completed. Others are 36 units Lagoshoms in Lagos State University (LASU), main Campus and Laghoms Ajara in Badagry with 420 homes.

On the issue of mortgage, he said members of the public could approach the Lagos Mortgage Board situated at Central Business District, Ikeja for their mortgage loan.

According to him, the Ministry of Housing has allocated about 700 houses to the board. “The public need to visit their website, print out the form, and approach them for allocation.”

For outright sales, the commissioner said the public is to come directly to the ministry.

For the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Mr. Wasiu Akewusola, the state is stepping up the game to meet the housing needs of the majority of Lagosians.

He stressed that the government is considering various measures to alleviate the plight of Lagosians, who cannot afford to pay rents yearly.

“The idea is to eliminate one, two and three years payment of rents. We want to eliminate that since they earn monthly income. We want to make sure that average Lagosian can live in our schemes with one month rent, while repayment will be per month not on a yearly basis”, he added.