The Commissioner for Housing in Ogun State, Jagunmolu Jamiu Omoniyi, has dismissed allegation of scandal in the handling of the housing scheme embarked upon by the administration of Governor Dapo Abiodun.
He said in a statement in Abeokuta on Thursday that such allegation is an illusion by fifth columnists.
Jagunmolu added that individuals behind the alleged scandal are criminals in civil regalia who had tried unsuccessfully in the past to manipulate the laudable initiative, especially the ongoing Ogun State GRA Regeneration Schemes, especially that of Ibara Abeokuta.
It would be recalled that an online media platform alleged a scandal in the housing scheme, specifically that of Prince Court Estate, Kobape, Abeokuta.
He explained that the issue surrounding the delay in the allocation of the property to various applicants was caused by the present galloping inflation in the country, which subsequently necessitated little variations in the price of the property.
The Commissioner added that the market value of the property has astronomically gone up to as high as N20million as against the N5.5million paid by the applicants.
He noted that government had immediately activated stakeholders’ meetings to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.
The statement reads in part : “In actual fact, those who are behind this fake news are individuals who had tried unsuccessfully in the past to undermine and manipulate the ongoing Ibara Housing Estate Regeneration Scheme for selfish considerations.
“They, therefore, resorted to propaganda and cheap blackmail to paint the government and its laudable projects black in the eyes of the people, not knowing that the good people of Ogun State are too sophisticated to fall for these machinations.
“The truth of the matter is that the delay in the process of allocation to applicants was caused by the sudden need for variations in the cost of the property as a result of galloping inflation as witnessed in the last year, as the cost value of the houses have gone up as against the N5.5million initially paid by the applicants, with such houses commanding up to N20million in open market.
“Consequently, the Government plans to engage all the applicants through various stakeholders’ meetings, as there will be an adjustment in the price of the property.
“To this end, those who are willing and able to meet up with the little adjustment will immediately get their allocations attended to and delivery structured within record time at the conclusion of the stakeholders’ meetings while those who cannot afford the adjustment will be free to request for instant refund of their deposits plus CBN’s prescribed interest rate.
“We want to reiterate that unlike before, the administration of Prince Dapo Abiodun remains committed to its avowed pledge from inception, which is to be transparent, compassionate, and considerate in all its dealings without exception.”
(vitalnewsngr.com)
