Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has said the vision of his administration is taking shape with the urban renewal initiatives across major towns in the State.
Governor Abiodun disclosed this when he visited the ongoing construction at the Ibara Government Reservation Area (GRA), and the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate, along Kobape Road, both in Abeokuta, noting that housing projects initiated by his administration had added luster and beauty to all major cities across the State.
He said the urban renewal schemes of his administration was the first phase of 35 houses completed at the Ibara GRA, while the housing initiatives in Kobape, Iperu, Ijebu-Ode and Ilaro had transformed the areas, now being referred to as smart cities.
The Governor added that his administration was determined to transform GRAs into what they should be, decring their deplorable condition.
“We began to carry out urban renewal projects in Abeokuta, the State capital, in phases with three hectares of land. The first phase has 30-35 houses and what we have done is exemplary.
“The construction is done by our artisans which is of course another way of creating employment. The houses are affordable despite their high quality. This project presents a new face of Abeokuta”, he said.
The state’s helmsman expressed satisfaction with the level of work done so far, saying though work was still in progress, drainages, sidewalks, solar street lights, electricity and water reticulation were already in place.
Govern Abiodun said the take-over of the estate by his administration was a demonstration that government is a continuum and projects that have direct impact on the people should not be left to rot due to personal differences, state, promising that the project would not be abandoned as the state’s commonwealth was expended on it.
“We broke down the construction of the estate into phases, we had to redesign the estate so that it can be functional. We reallocated and adjusted the plot sizes, we have about 116 houses of different types of fully detached and semi-detached houses which are of high quality and can be compared to an estate that is befitting anywhere in the world.
“The semi-detached houses are four bedrooms each, all unsuited with Boys’ Quarters, a private sitting room upstairs with a drive in that can take about four cars. The free detached houses have the same with a study and an attached boys’ quarters”, he said.
While assuring that similar projects would be replicated in other GRAs in Sagamu, Ijebu-Ode and Ota, Prince Abiodun affirmed that the projects would attract more people to come, live and invest in the state.
Governor Abiodun commended the Commissioner for Housing and his team for implementing his vision, saying, “These structures can be compared to any structure you see anywhere in the world. I believe we have done this to further bring more people to come and live in Abeokuta”.
Responding, Commissioner for Housing, Jagunmolu Omoniyi, said the Ibara GRA renewal project would modernise the old and abandoned housing estate that was built in 1976 at the creation of the State, saying that four clusters were currently working on the site while the first badge of about 200 duplexes would be ready for commissioning in the next two months and others by December, 2025.
He disclosed that the previous successes recorded in the provision of affordable housing to the people of the State, prompted government to continue to build more for various categories, emphasising that the new GRA Regeneration Scheme was not to under grade anybody rather to forge a modern, vibrant smart city.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Prince Faruq Adenugba, appreciated the Governor for constructing a magnificent estate, which he noted would signpost Abeokuta, calling on people to subscribe to them while the prices were still affordable.
