In this report, TOPE SUNDAY, takes a look at the emerging trend of unoccupied houses in most prominent cities of Nigeria, especially the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
Today in Nigeria, every many town and city has gigantic structures, which depict that development is everywhere.
From Lagos to Port Harcourt down to Abuja, Nigeria’s capital city, there are countless number of houses.
But despite this, Nigeria is said to be suffering from a huge housing deficit of about 17million, while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), its capital reportedly has 1.7million housing deficit.
This development, according to experts in the housing sector, requires urgent attention.
While the housing deficit figure is still a subject of controversy, the country is now witnessing a new trend of unoccupied houses when many Nigerians are struggling to be homeowners.
The ugly trend of unoccupied houses does not only peculiar to private individuals because some government houses are still affected as no fewer than 10 estates built by the federal government remained unoccupied in 10 states.
FMBN laments The Managing Director of Federal Mortgage Bank (FMBN), Arc.
Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, has explained that the issue of affordability is the major reason why estates built by the FMBN in 10 states remained unoccupied.
Dangiwa, who expressed worry over the development said, despite efforts to construct homes at the cheaper rate, the houses still remained inaccessible.
The FMBN boss, who spoke recently when a 9-member the delegation from the National Economic Summit Group (NESG), Engr.
Kashim Ali, visited him in Abuja said: “In order to assist homeowners, we realize that that factor of affordability mentioned has been a stumbling block.
We currently have estates in more than 10 states that have not been occupied.
Why the new trend? Also, a number of reasons have been adduced as reasons for this emerging trend, which includes affordability and corruption.
Abuja is worst hit by this menace.
A survey by our Correspondent reveals that about 80 percent of civil and workers working in Abuja reside in either satellite town or the outskirts of the city, which explains for the early morning gridlock on roads that lead to the city.
However, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Prosecution, Mr Okoi Obono-Obla, In this report, TOPE SUNDAY, takes a look at the emerging trend of unoccupied houses in most prominent cities of Nigeria, especially the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
alleged that some of the unoccupied houses were purchased with stolen proceeds.
Though, his allegation is weighty and unsubstantiated, the reasons for unoccupied housing in Abuja and other cities are still unknown.
To this end, Okoi ObonoObla, receiving members of Say No Campaign, who paid him a courtesy call in Abuja, disclosed that the federal government would soon confiscate empty properties in Abuja, saying that there is need for cooperation with civil society groups to trace properties acquired with stolen wealth.
“We have to take over those houses and sell them and put the money into education for our children,” he said.
For the President of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB), Builder Kenneth Nduka, ostentatious lifestyle is the brain behind unoccupied houses in Abuja and queried why a family of two would by occupying a hectre of land? Nduka, who spoke with Blueprint in Abuja recently said: “When you have a building for a family of two in Abuja occupying a hectre of land,we are not solving housing problem.
One of the reasons many people are coming to work in Abuja from the outskirts is because houses are affordable there.
You can’t just move into a three bedroom duplex in Abuja when you are just coming to find your feet.
“Housing in Abuja is not designed to recognise the classes of people in terms of income.
Beautiful houses in Abuja are occupied by lizards,spiders,rats and rodents because people can’t afford the rent”.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sigvent Property Trust Limited, Abuja, MrBenjamin Onigbide, said some people built houses in Abuja to show affluence and disclosed that government could not do anything for them.
He said: Rodents are living in place of human beings in Abuja mansions.
There are so many houses unoccupied in Abuja.
Many wealthy people build houses in Abuja without any intention of living there.
They prefer to live abroad and just transfer money to the security man at the end of the month just for looking after the house.
“And there is nothing the government can do to them because government didn’t build the house for them.
For instance, someone in Abuja built a house of 8 sitting rooms and installed more than 30 televisions so that you can monitor the news even from the toilet, but he spends more time outside the country than in the house, which remains unoccupied.
NGO to wade in Disturbed by high rate of unoccupied houses in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Africa Network for Environment and Economic Justice, ANEEJ, has launched a website, to track and expose illegally acquired property in the city.
The Executive Director of ANEEJ, Rev.
David Ugolor, the website will unmask owners of illegal assets in Asokoro, Maitama, and Wuse Districts, adding that funds generated from the exposed property could better be used to address critical infrastructures across different sectors for national development, and improve investment climate hardly get to the real destination.
According to him, the proceeds of crime are often times hidden in foreign safe havens abroad or used for acquisition of private property within and outside Nigeria.
The project, he said, is targeted at encouraging government to adopt non-conviction asset forfeiture approach to check sharp practices and channel proceeds from seized houses to finances development initiatives.
“Recently, the court ordered permanent forfeiture of over 50 houses belonging or, linked to high profile individuals.
Some of the houses have been seized by anti-graft agencies.
Many more are currently under litigation.
So, ANEEJ is calling for review of existing policies and legislations governing property acquisition/ ownership and registration in Nigeria.
“We want to work with Abuja Geographical Information System, AGIS, anti-corruption agencies, Federal Capital Development Agency, FCDA, Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA, Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS, among others”, he added.
Also, the NGO’s Programme/ ICT Officer, Erhisohwode Assurance Ovie, said the website named “Propati Tracka Platform” was designed to bring to the knowledge of the government some numbers of unoccupied choice property located in Abuja, regretting that owners of the assets did not pay appropriate tax; rather, snakes and dangerous reptiles occupy them because low-income earners cannot afford to pay the high cost of rent.
