In order to solve housing deficit in Imo State, an author and Real Estate Investor, Prince Joel Esq, has urged the Imo State Government to ensure to create admissible means to solve housing deficit in the state by way of bringing in private estate developers or investors into the state to invest as well as expand housing development to the rural areas.
He said one of the critical ways of solving housing issues in Imo State is for government to make the process of registering lands easy, which he added should not be cumbersome as being witnessed today in the state, regretting that there is high cost of house rent in Imo State given to cumbersome charge of fee on registration and documentation of land by government from real estate investors.
Prince Joel, while making the urge in an interview with journalists in Owerri, last week, during the launching of his 3 books titled “Compilation of Article on Law and Property Simplified in Nigeria, Real Estate Investment: Due Diligent Guide and Understanding Your Rights as a Landlord or Tenant in Nigeria”, told government to look inwards as to bring in and encourage real estate developers or investors to add to the housing development in the state to ease citizens the burden of lack of house, frowning that many citizens are underhoused in Imo.
“Housing will continue to be a problem in Nigeria. Today, I can tell you without mincing words that Imo State is underhoused. Many citizens are tenants. Hence we need private estate developers to come in and support the government who has the responsibility to make their entry easy. For example, you have acquired land from the community, the process of registering it should be easy. It should not be cumbersome and investors will come in and invest. By the time we begin to have satellite towns like Lagos State, Imo State will develop more in terms of housing. What stops us from moving to the end of Ohaji.
“As a matter of fact, the whole of Portharcourt Road further down, going to Omagwa, right and left are almost sold. So, until government begins to develop expansions and satellite cities the housing deficit will remain. Everybody must not be at the heart of Owerri. Development needs to be extended to the rural areas”, he maintained.
He stressed that the fraudulent intent of most community land owners who he said most often disguise to sell lands to more than one person or two persons is a big challenge, emphasising that “the law is settled on if it is a community land the head of the family must consent to the transaction, but you see people impersonating to sell land and these are fraudulent practices. If you go to the police today 90% criminal matters being attended to are within real estate transaction. If you go to EFCC the same thing, if you go to court, it is the same thing, as court is congested with land matters, because people end up buying levigation having failed to do due diligence and that is actually what the book covers”.
He reiterated that the books are hand books which easily direct real estate investors and tenants to be diligent in order not to be defrauded nor their rights tampered. “These books were written to satisfy the yearning desires of tenants to know their rights because landlords trample on rights of tenants”, encouraging interested people to embrace real estate because it is a very huge opportunity as a lot of companies are coming and tapping from its gains.
