Date Published: 06/30/10

Ekiti to construct N1.5 billion Housing Estates

Ekiti State Governor, Engr Segun Oni has said that his administration would expend the N1.5 billion mortgage facilities recently granted the State Government by the Federal Mortgage bank of Nigeria on the construction of more Housing Estates in the state where befitting and affordable houses would be sold to interested members of the public.

According to a statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Wale Ojo Lanre, Governor Oni, while playing host to a delegation from Ijero- Ekiti led by the Ajero, Oba Adebayo Adewole, however said the marketability of the houses would be the major prerequisite in the location of Government housing estates in the state in future.

The Governor who disclosed that his administration had so far constructed over 400 housing units at the Ilawe Road housing Estate, Ado-Ekiti and another 40 units at the Ifaki Housing estate lamented the low patronage in some state government-owned Housing Estates.

According to him, “100 out of the 400 housing units in the Ilawe Road Housing Estate were yet to be sold while the University of Science and Technology, Ifaki (USTI) had concluded plans to acquire the entire 40 Housing units at the Ifaki Housing Estate.

While noting that most of the housing units at the Ikere and Afao roads Housing estates constructed in 2004 were yet to be sold, Governor Oni said communities interested in the proposed housing scheme should be ready to guarantee that they had enough people who were willing to pay the 20 percent of the cost of the housing units to be built in the proposed estate before government could site the estate in their community.

Governor Oni, who assured that township roads in the Ijero would soon improve as his administration has directed the contractors handling the 26 kilometer Ijero-Ikoro-Okemesi road and the 28kilometer Aramoko–Ijero-Ido road to extend the roads to the heart of the town along two major axis disclosed that the state government would ensure the completion of the long abandoned fire station project in the community.

While noting that the process of upgrading the School of Health Technology, Ijero into a full fledged College of Health Technology had reached an advanced stage, the Governor stressed the commitment of his administration to the transformation of the Government Technical College, Ijero into a centre of excellence in the training of students in the areas hospitality and Home Economics.

He restated the determination of his administration to improve the dietary needs of the people through the reintroduction of highly nutritious local delicacies such as Feregede, Akara Ojojo and Otili which were favourite local delicacies of the Ekitis in the past.

Oni announced that the state government had approved the request of the Ijero community to take over the C.A.C Grammar School in the town with effect from the next academic session.

He noted that teachers in the school who had the relevant academic qualification would be absorbed into the state teaching service commission while additional staff would be posted to the school fro the commission

Earlier in his address, the Ajero of Ijero, Oba Adebayo Adewole lauded the various development initiatives of the Oni-Administration and solicited improved infrastructure in the community.