Lagos State government has reaffirmed its determination to make more Lagosians home owners within the next two years.
The Commissioner for Housing, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai , made this assertion during a meeting with the private sector partners and joint venture investors at his office in Ikeja .
He said: “We are committed to delivering our mandate in ensuring that more Lagosians gain access to home ownership irrespective of their ethnicity or political dispensation within the next 24 months ”.
While underscoring the importance of the contributions of private investors in collaborating with government , Akindenu-Fatai lamented the fact that many investors involved have not complied with the time frame stipulated in their contract agreements.
“Many of the private partners have not met up with the timelines thereby littering the state with many uncom- pleted housing schemes and causing delays in actualisation of government’s mandate, ’’ he observed.
Akinderu-Fatai disclosed that the completion of all ongoing housing schemes is a major strategy which the state intends to deploy in meeting its target. He urged the investors to complete the schemes allocated to them or have their contracts revoked. “All housing schemes that had been contracted out to private sector partners and joint investors are to be completed within the time frame indicated in the contractual agreements or have them cancelled”.
Earlier, the participating investors had cited encumbrances, disappointments from funding partners and conflicts with various host communities as major difficulties faced. In response, the commissioner advised the inves- tors to prove their capabilities and justify government’s confidence through working out solutions to these challenges. “While government will do its best to intervene in some of the situations, we expect every investor to have engaged in self-audit before coming forward to take up the responsibilities of state housing scheme”, he said.