Ekiti State Governor, Mr Biodun Oyebanji on Tuesday flagged off the construction of 1000 units of affordable housing units under the Ado Ekiti New Town Project.
The project is in partnership with the private sector, which according to the Governor is one of the strategies of his administration to enhance growth and development.
Governor Oyebanji disclosed during the ground breaking ceremony at the Ado Ekiti New Town along the State University Road, said his administration will prioritize provision of housing scheme capable of relieving the populace to overcome the stress of building houses for themselves.
He also disclosed that 100 units of the houses would be delivered within the space of a year.
While promising to leave an indelible legacy in the provision of mass housing in Ekiti state, Governor Oyebanji observed that the deficit faced by the state in housing was not pleasant, stressing the compelling need for government to adopt a housing model that would harness limited space for delivery of safe home through public/private partnership for the Ekiti people.
He reassured that government will embrace the global housing policy that will make people become homeowners through an inclusive and convenient financing system based on their incomes, adding that the policy, along with outright purchase for those who can afford it, will support a sustainable system in which houses are consistently available to the populace.
While affirming publicly that he would subscribe to one unit of the housing scheme, Governor Oyebanji said his administration will attempt exploring innovation and partnership with more private investors to attract more housing projects to the state. He added that government is unequivocally committed to driving development in all sectors of the economy, working with private sector players, institutions and development partners.
He thanked the management of Citec International Estates Limited led by its Managing Director, Dr Oludare Bello for their agreement to invest in the state, stressing that his administration will not relent in promoting urban harmony and set new standards for property development with a view to ensuring that all category of residents are presented with opportunities to acquire property without living any one out of the arrangement.
“I give glory to God for a day like this and I am happy that we are all here to do the ground breaking of this Ado Ekiti New Town. What excites me about this project is the preservation of the Ado culture, we are not disrupting the old Ado, and we are building a new city. So, it tells me that development can happen without distorting our culture and our tradition, so, this is the new town, that place will be called the downtown, we now have an idea of what it used to be and what is possible.
“You said in the next one year, one hundred keys will be given, I will be one of them by God’s grace, my wife too will be one of them and Kabiyesi the Ewi of Ado Ekiti just announced now that he would subscribe to one unit as well.
“I just plead with all of us to take position, the structure is flexible, what has been brought to the state is joy, prosperity, development, and job creation.
“To those people saying Ekiti is not fertile for investment, we shall see, the risk has been taken and I appeal to all other blessed Ekiti indigenes , the time is coming when we will not beg them and they will have to beg us to take a position in this state.
Governor Oyebanji also called on civil servants, artisans, market women and Ekiti citizens in the diaspora to develop vested interest in acquiring properties in the new town saying there is property for all categories of people in the state.
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