Edo 1,800 Housing Project for All Income Groups, Says EDPA

By Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City

Executive Chairman, Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA) Ms Isoken Omo has said that the 1,800 Housing units being constructed through a joint-venture partnership would be available to all irrespective of income.
Omo said the new estate will be a community of the low income earner, medium income earner and the high income earner. 

Speaking in a chat with journalists in Benin City, Omo explained that the state government is also working in collaboration with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on how its employees would key into the National Housing Fund Scheme.

The EDPA boss noted that other payment options apart from contributing to the NHF schemes would be explored to enable many persons owned houses in the new estate.

She explained that the new restructured EDPA is private-sector driven, adding that 200 units of the houses would be ready for their owners to move in by next year.

According to her, “By this time next year, we will be having 200 houses ready for use. It will be a phase programme. For every phase delivered, there will be infrastructure available. We don’t want to have 1800 houses that are not completed. This is the first of different project we will do.

“It is a joint venture partnership. We are contributing land, all the planning, the enabling environment and we are helping in the marketing. Private sector is bringing their fund and technical knowhow to deliver.

“We cannot depend on government to fund housing. We cannot do anything. We are government owned but private sector driven. We provide the enabling environment for private sector to come in and develop. That way whether government changes hands, it does not affect the development.”

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