Daud Olatunji
Over 200 qualified applicants of the Ogun State Government’s housing scheme, Prince Court Estate Phase III, have rejected a new directive requiring them to pay an additional ₦3,500,000 within 60 days.
PLATFORM TIMES reports that the fee is on top of the ₦5,500,000 they already paid in 2021.
The applicants have accused Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration of playing tricks and engaging in fraudulent practices.
In a statement signed by one of the applicants, Olumuyiwa Oludaisi, they expressed their outrage over the sudden increase in costs, which was communicated in a letter dated July 1, 2024, signed by the Commissioner for Housing, Jagunmolu Akande Omoniyi.
PLATFORM TIMES obtain copies of the letter and observed that the government gave them 60 days to pay additional N3.5m failure which will render the allocation invalid .
The letter demanded the additional sum as a contribution for infrastructural facilities, warning that failure to pay would result in forfeiture of their housing allocation.
Oludaisi criticised the government’s shift in position, suggesting that the administration’s true intent is to resell the houses to the highest bidders after using the applicants’ funds to construct the estate.
He urged Governor Abiodun to honour the original agreement and allocate houses to the remaining 235 legitimate subscribers, without imposing the additional fee.
The statement highlighted that the agreement made in 2020/2021 involved purchasing forms for ₦5,000, with each house costing ₦5,500,000.
It was further gathered that retired civil servants were given a rebate, paying ₦4,950,000.
The houses were supposed to be semi-detached bungalows, roofed and plastered, with basic infrastructure facilities.
“We have fulfilled our part of the bargain by paying in full in 2021. The delay in allocation and the rise in building material costs are not our responsibility.
“The government must take responsibility for the price variations caused by their delays,” Mr. Oludaisi stated.
He further emphasized the injustice faced by the applicants, noting that while the first two phases of the housing scheme received their allocations with basic facilities, those in Phase III are being unfairly targeted for additional payments.
He lamented that some applicants are already paying interest on loans taken to pay the original ₦5.5 million.
“We appreciate the allocation of houses to 110 applicants, but we urge the governor to allocate houses to the remaining subscribers and remove the additional ₦3.5 million fee.
“This new demand was never part of our agreement, and it undermines trust in the government. The governor’s legacy is at stake,” the statement read.
The applicants called on well-meaning Nigerians, activists, the media, and other stakeholders to intervene and prevent what they describe as “daylight robbery.”
They insist that the transaction was concluded three years ago and any increment from ₦5.5 million to ₦9 million constitutes fraud.
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