FG poised for housing revolution -Ezekiel

By Everest Ezihe, Owerri

Overwhelmed by the rots inherited in Federal Government owned housing estates , the Nigeria’s Government under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR through the management of Federal Housing Authority, FHA has advanced plans to sanitized and revolutionized housing sector in the country.

Arc. Nya-Etok Ezekiel, the FHA Executive Director Estate Services with other management team members disclosed this in Owerri while representing the Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo in a strategic interactive sensitization media chart.

As part of the revolutions, Ezekiel informed that the Federal Government has empowered the Federal Mortgage Bank to offer housing loans for repayment within 10-30 years guarantee, thus making it possible for Nigerians to even own housing properties at youthful age.

They have equally acquired three industrial drones so as to digitally map out all her estates in the country and unfortunately due to people’s recklessness, there will be collateral damages also.

While advising Nigerians on the need to be hopeful and embrace the soon to witness housing revolution in the country, anchored under purposeful planning, refusal to be politically corrupt and commitment with sacrifices,.

He expressed happiness that as part of their efforts to ensure sanity in the Housing and Land businesses, that their management have bluntly refused to allocate land to any person, group or organization since they came on board last February as they are on a mission to bake a bigger cake for the entire nation.

According to him,”FHA is undergoing serious digital documentations and surgical processes to sustain the expected revolution in the sector.

“In all sincerity, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, as Nigerians are poised to own affordable houses in the scheme as over 20 states in the Federation have cued in to the Federal Government imminent affordable housing estate schemes.

“For instance, in Akwa Ibom State, the State Government on their own has commenced the clearing of the area donated for the housing scheme with perimeter fencing, just as Kaduna State Government freely gave out over 150 hectares of land in accessible choice area of the state and the same thing is happening in most of the states the management team have visited and had personal interactions with the state Governors.

“It’s a gospel truth that the administration of Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is tremendously doing alot to positively repositioned housing schemes in the country” he assured.

He pointed out that FHA operates with 4 directorates, that includes; Housing, Finance and Administration, Business Development, Project Implementations and Estate Services, and as the Executive Director Estate Services with over 30 years experiences, that he oversees all lands, estates, marketing etc owned by the authority but lamented that their leadership met rots in the sector like FESTAC Housing Estate Lagos, Gwaripa Housing Estate, Abuja etc.

The housing administrator noted that all these housing estates used to be prides of the nation but their administration met them as an eyesore due to the level of degradation and dilapidation, and these he also said seems to be the story of all the estates owned by FHA in the country.

Ezekiel noted that as part of the ongoing revolution in the nation’s housing schemes, that the new management team have taking it as a task to positively change the narratives and restore the beauty and originality of the housing estates known glories.

He further said that their second challenge is how to pacify people who erroneously bought lands and houses that belongs to FHA in these housing estates from dubious land grabbers.

The Executive Director disclosed that the inhuman challenge prompted them to embark on aggressive verification exercises which is aimed at digitalization of ownership structure, stating that the problems have been age long but previous administrations did not have the patriotic zeal, political will and courage to address the problems.

That the digital housing verification exercise is happening simultaneously within the six geographical regions as he is anchoring the South East region with headquarters at Federal Secretariat, Owerri.

He informed that in Owerri, Imo State capital, that FHA have 5 housing estates that includes Graceland, Arugo, Irete, Egbeada Upper and Lower Housing Estates.

Ezekiel further expressed satisfaction for his recent robust and engaging meetings with the residents of the housing estates, revealing that his management team has advanced plans to take back the estates, manage them and directly engage with the resident associations.

The essence he informed, is to have the members of the estates resident associations as development partners in their quest to restore back the glory of the housing estates.

The Executive Director also lamented that people have abandoned lower Irete Housing Estate in Owerri, Imo State due to contentious issues engineered in ignorance, but with facts and robust deliberations, the people have come to term with the truth and reality.

He appealed to the people to always engage in thorough investigations especially when it comes to lands acquisition and development, describing land and housing as the most important properties in life.

According to him ” you can only have a title to a land when the person that sold the land to you have title, go to any court in the world so far the original person is able to bring the title, any other person is an illegal land grabber, so the issue is, who’s the original owner of the land ?.

“Thus at lower Irete Housing Estate, lands have been sold to so many people by land grabbers but unknown to them that the original title ownership has been given to FHA and FHA has the title, whoever is building on the Irete land is evidently building on nothing, because it’s the law.

“However FHA management with passion for emotional intelligence is thinking of compensating some of them because they are ignorantly victims of dubious land grabbers and is unfair to allow them suffer the whole consequences.

They have acquired three industrial drones so as to digitally map out her estates and unfortunately due to people’s recklessness there will be collateral damages also.

He informed that FHA is being extremely careful to ensure everything is done orderly and decently.

“To underscore the importance of this exercise, I am here with the two General Managers from the Headquarters, Estate Services and Planning and Survey who supervises all Estates and the other who ensures integrity of all titles respectively. You can notice other high raking members of FHA Management Team from Abuja and those residents in Owerri Zonal Office.
“Yesterday, I have the privilege of dicusing extensively. with representatives of the Five Residents Assocation of the Estates in Owerri. It was extremely intense, passionate and revealing and down to earth meeting which culminated in a good and upbeat notes for both teams.

“With our new direction, we hope to have all Residents Assocation as partners and together we shall restore the prides, dignity, security and status of our Estates.

“The challenges are enormous but we are ready to take the Bull by the Horn. This is the marching order of the MD/CEO and we the Executive Management Team are in Sync with this noble directive of Our MD/CEO, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo.

“Within the past few Months we came to office, we have undertaken a tour of at least 26 states meeting the state Governors one on one and having extensive deliberations with them, and almost in all of the meetings, obtaining viable lands for Housing Projects that have reached advanced stages leading to implementation.

“Imo State is one of those states and we can not but commend the attention and warm reception received from the Governor of the state Mr. Hope Uzodinma,
In the coming weeks or days, something extremely fulfilling will be happening in the construction of Estates that indigenes of the state will be proud of”, he concluded.