Over 200 qualified applicants who are seeking to own houses in a state government housing scheme named Prince Court Estate along Kobape in Ogun State have accused the government of Prince Dapo Abiodun of receiving payment without allocating any house to them since almost 3 years ago.
The representative of the group, Adeyemi Aremu in Abeokuta, who explained that the housing scheme was sold to them by the Ogun State ministry of Housing said the applicants of the third phase of the scheme seeking to become owners of 2 bedroom bungalows in the estate have duly paid but have not been given any property.
He said, the forms for the allocations were purchased in 2022 for five thousand naira (₦5,000) and each house costs five million five hundred thousand naira only (₦5,500,000) with a rebate for retired civil servants who were asked to pay four million nine hundred and fifty thousand naira only (₦4,950,000).
Aremu explained that some paid outrightly or on two instalments while others made their payment through the Gateway Mortgage Bank, owned by Ogun State government.
Aremu who showed various receipts to prove his case said, names of over 200 qualified applicants were approved and pasted and since then, no allocation has been made by the State government.
He said, the need to cry out was necessitated by the fact that the Dapo Abiodun led government has not fulfilled it's part of the bargain despite paying for the shelter and there are various rumours that Governor Dapo Abiodun is planning to increase the price of the shelter or give the available 100 uncompleted semi-detached 2 bedroom bungalow carcass to civil servants who were chased out of Ibara government quarters at the expense of those who have fully paid to the ministry of Housing.
According to him, " It is sad that the Gateway Mortgage bank has not protected their clients or try to get the shelter for them even as many are still paying mortgage with interests till date. The whole process is so discouraging especially for those Ogun people who showed interest to invest in the state and purchased the shelter. Now it is looking like fraud by the state government".
"With the arrangement, some people paid outrightly or on two instalments while others remit on instalments with interest when equity of at least 30 percent contribution is made to the mortgage bank. Immediately we have an agreement with the Gateway Mortgage bank, the houses are supposed to be allocated to us. The bank would pay outrightly, while we would remit on instalments with interests".
"All over the world when you access a mortgage loan through a mortgage bank before you begin the repayment/interest one would have taken possession of the property at least a year, but Ogun State's own under Governor Dapo Abiodun is like throwing a stone to an orange on a tree, the stone is missing and even the orange" Aremu said.
"What then could be the excuse after we have fulfilled our own part of the bargain? " he asked.
The Commissioner for Housing, Jamiu Akande Omoniyi in his reaction attributed the inability of the Ministry to deliver the houses on record time to the inflation in the country, which resulted in the rise in the cost of building materials.
He added that there were ongoing efforts by the state government to resolve the issue, assuring the applicants that their deposits are intact. He, however, called for calm, stressing the matter will be addressed accordingly.
