By Ayodele Oni
Ekiti State Government has approved for release 34 hectares of land for the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) to build affordable houses, following soaring cost of house rent in the State.
The State Government is also exploring other interventions to improve housing conditions in the state to make it affordable for the residents.
In response to the growing concerns raised by residents of the State about exorbitant house rents and outrageous increase of rents by property owners in the State, Governor Biodun Oyebanji has taken decisive action to address the issue by initiating an engagement with Estate Agents in the State.
A Government delegation led by the Special Adviser on Mortgage and Housing, Dr. Gboyega Oloniyo, engaged with the leadership and members of the Estate, Rent, and Commission Agents Association of Nigeria (ERCAAN), Ekiti State chapter at their monthly meeting in Ado Ekiti to review their operations and activities.
Dr. Oloniyo expressed dissatisfaction with the high cost of living in the state, particularly the relentless hike in house rents.
According to him,“Many have attributed this to Estate Agents who acquire properties from landlords at low costs and lease them out at exorbitant rates. This deprives average citizens of access to decent housing.”
Oloniyo pointed out that agents and landlords have inflicted pains on their tenants unnecessarily noting that shelter is essential and must be available, accessible and affordable .
The Director-General of the Office of Community Communications, Mrs. Mary Oso-Omosotso, emphasized the need for guidelines and regulations to curb alleged extortion by the association, which they attributed to quacks infiltrating their ranks.
“Any business that does not solve problems is not a business,” she stressed, while urging the association to cooperate with the government to achieve the shared prosperity vision of Governor Oyebanji
The association members expressed their gratitude to the Governor for visiting them and giving them opportunity of engagement.
They acknowledged the validity of the public complaints and admitted that bad actors were operating within their ranks and would cooperate with government to flush them out.
They also pointed out that some landlords are part of the problem, as they build houses even in slums and lease them out at high prices similar to houses in more developed areas.
They expressed their readiness to work with the government to sanitize their operations and to apprehend errant members.
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