Fadekemi Ajakaiye
Nigerians living in the United Kingdom had a joyful experience recently, when leading property developer, El-Salem Homes International and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry put on display in London the magnificent Abuja property market.
The well-attended event tagged, Abuja Housing & Investment Road Show UK was coordinated by housing NGO, Shelter Rights Awareness Initiative.
The event, which held at the Hilton London Tower Bridge Hotel; 5, More London Place, Tooley Street, London on Saturday, December 3, 2016, was designed to enable Diaspora Nigerians in the UK to see investment opportunities in Abuja and to own a home back home in Abuja or in any part of Nigeria, even though they still resided in the UK.
An enthused Nigerian High Commissioner in London, His Excellency, Mr. Adah Simon Ogah, described the event as a great initiative, adding that the issue of housing development was critical to human and national development. He emphasised on the need to always maintain standards and to put in place a robust management to maintain houses in estates.
The High Commissioner also called on property developers to emulate the El-Salem Group in delivering high quality and affordable housing for Nigerians.
In his address, Chairman, El-Salem Group, Mr. Ben Gbade Ojo, highlighted the strategic importance of Abuja to Nigeria and Africa and said it was to ensure that Diaspora Nigerians are not left behind in the ongoing rush to buy homes in Abuja and also to ensure that they buy on favourable terms that the event was organised.
“Diaspora Nigerians must begin to plan ahead for their return to the motherland to contribute to the development of Nigeria. For, as it is usually said, “East or West, Home is the Best”. So, even as we excel in our various professions abroad, we must not relent in ensuring that we plan for our future return to Nigeria by building or purchasing a home in Nigeria now”, Mr. Ojo said.
He pointed out that the current economic recession makes it much easier and cheaper to buy a home in Nigeria now as the foreign exchange rate is now in favour of Nigerians in the Diaspora. He further emphasised that “there is no better time to build or buy a home in Nigeria than now.
“Homes purchased in Nigeria now can be rented out or leased out to generate a steady flow of income until whenever the owner returns to Nigeria. The generated income can be used to take care of dependants in Nigeria, start-up businesses or saved for future use,” the El-Salem chairman said.
He later made a power-point presentation of a portfolio of exquisite estates developed in Abuja and other parts of Nigeria by the award-winning El-Salem Group which currently holds the Most Outstanding Estate Developer in Abuja award. One of the estates he presented was the beautiful and magnificent Sam Nujoma Housing Estate in Galadimawa District, Abuja; a luxury estate currently being developed by the El-Salem Group.
The theme of the event was “Creating Enduring Wealth through Home Ownership and Investments in Abuja.”
