Real Estate experts have canvassed the need for government to put in place policy that would compel developers to rent out completed but unoccupied estates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
Unoccupied estates have become a trending issue mostly across the FCT in recent times with some of the buildings constituting social menace and hideout for criminalities in certain locations.The residential houses are located in, Apo, Kabusa, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, Gudu, Sunny Vale, Mpape, Bwari, Dei-Dei, Utako, Central District Area,Kubwa, airport road and Kure. Other areas include, Kuduru, Orozo, Karishi, Kubwa II, Lugbe, Mararaba, Zuba, Suleja in Niger State; Kado, Jahi and Guzape, behind Abacha Barracks in Kaduna road.

Investigation by The Guardian revealed that politicians, businessmen and women aswell as top civil servants own some of these unoccupied estates and structures while some developers on their part, didn’t do enough homework before investing in certain part of the city.In some of the projects, it was learnt that one and two bedroom apartments at Centenary Estate for example, goes for N100 million outright sales, while in some they are sold for N15 and N20 million. Civil servants who form majority of the occupants of Abuja can’t afford to buy such houses.

It was also gathered that since 1976 when the Federal Housing Authority, (FHA), was established and in the past nine years, the agency has no recorded low budgetary allocation, which hinders the development of more houses for the residents and Nigerians.Findings revealed that it has developed a little over 40,000 housing units in 77 estates nationwide, while four of those estates situated in Odukpani, North Bank in Benue State, Ogun and Kaduna states have not been occupied.

Experts told The Guardian that Nigeria might not meet up with the Sustainable Development Goals,(SDGs) in providing affordable houses for her citizenry if the situation persists amid the citizens’ huge demand for housing.The Deputy Director, Estate in Federal Capital Development Administration, Yemi Yemitan explained that housing deficit has come to stay, because of affordability of the available properties in the real estate market.

According to her, transform from the present experience, government’s policy on housing should be a social service, and not economic gain, or profit making.“Estates are littered in all nooks and crannies of Abuja, and its environs, not for low-income earners. Some developers don’t want people to know their assets. That is why they are unoccupied.”

An official of the urban and regional planning unit in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing said: “Factors that contribute to unoccupied estates, or houses in city centre, include court cases, high rental, non payment of collateral from banks. Others are, forfeited buildings and lack of infrastructure.”
Contributing, the Director, Public Building in the ministry, Adinoh Uwodi said that housing deficit in the country affects mostly the low income earners, adding that government gives out land to developers only to build for high class of people in the society.

“They cannot get prime land to build for common citizens. No organisation can claim ownership of the data that Nigeria has 22 million housing deficit. We do not know to project into the future.High cost of accommodation causes low-income earners to seek alternatives in outskirts of Abuja. The government need to develop the economy of rural area, by establishing industries in those locations’’, he said.https://m.guardian.ng/property/officials-worry-about-unoccupied-houses-in-abuja/

With the glut of houses, the price has refused to drop

No be their house how e take concern us

If the owners are really willing to sell and are not using the real estate properties to hide their slush funds, then good marketing campaign and financial package that allows or supports payment in instalment will bring about the selling of many of those houses within a year.

It is no brainer!

My brother dis matter no be today.


But as of now d matter don wear face cap take match am with jungle Boot.

I have seen a lot of them in Utako, you know most of the houses are owned by Juju Politicians, the people they killed are pursing them.

The government should do something about this before it gets out of hands.

Unoccupied estates have become a trending issue mostly across the FCT in recent times with some of the buildings constituting social menace and hideout for criminalities in certain locations

Investigation by The Guardian revealed that politicians, businessmen and women aswell as top civil servants own some of these unoccupied estates and structures while some developers on their part, didn’t do enough homework before investing in certain part of the city.In some of the projects, it was learnt that one and two bedroom apartments at Centenary Estate for example, goes for N100 million outright sales, while in some they are sold for N15 and N20 million. Civil servants who form majority of the occupants of Abuja can’t afford to buy such houses.

They have forgotten that this is no more the era of the looting party PDP, that stolen and looted money was flying everywhere, looted by politicians and civil servants.
It is time for change.

Some lawmakers once said Abuja was not meant for ordinary Nigerians but the rich elite, so that may explain why those houses are out of the reach of ordinary Nigerians.

When people don't have roof over their head...

It's a simple something. Just declare that all unoccupied houses will be taken over by government and rented out to low income earners. Within 6 months, rent will come down and all the houses will be occupied... Too much sense wee nor kill me

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If they are ready we will know but for now I don't think they are ready..

Since when... Check the houses! Most of them are duplexes, who's going to afford that. Thing is, after buying, you will still have to renovate and change things because most of them are subpar.

They should dash them out.

This is serious
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Hmm

That is what the government should tax and not the poor masses.


There are many unoccupied estates and buildings and most are where and how corrupt politicians hide their loot.
From Asokoro to Gwarinpa, to APO and environs, to Dutse-Kubwa axis etc, these estates are littered all over Abuja.

There is, for example, a plaza that has not been rented for over 20yrs and the owner is a politician. If it was built from his "sweat",.he couldn't afford to lose over 20yrs rent.

When a certain CJN forgot to declare 52 houses in his asset declaration form. Why won't there be vacant houses when majority of them are from prominent civil servants and politicians... Mtcheeeewww

Some of the owners are diasporans who rarely visit Nigeria.

Apart from buying estate house in Abuja, use still needs to be paying roughly 1.5m to 2m yearly for facility maintenance. Very bad.


But thank God I don pot to Nasarawa where I build 3 bedrooms with BQ, Abuja accommodation waihala is NO NO for me.

So many unoccupied houses in Abuja.

Just incase you are looking for who can stay in any of your vacant houses, am available please.

AwkaetitiBabe:
They should dash them out.

Lol, oya cuman tek.

in my opinion, unoccupied houses that are confirmed to have been bought should be confiscated by government. if the rich thieves won't live in them, local man can!

Everyone in the article have revealed the plain truth that everyone have been refusing to accept.

"there is unoccupied estates littered everywhere in city, but there still persist huge housing decifits mainly for low income earners"

Very High supply but very low demand,

If it is in advanced country now there would have been pandemonium and bubble in the real estate market.

Every year, we must read about this on nairaland. Na wa o.

They should drastically slash the price, or do "black Friday" like the e-commerce sites and see all the housing units sold out......

Really!






LET THE SUN PAY YOUR ELECTRICITY BILL.. CALL US NOW

aolawale025:
With the glut of houses, the price has refused to drop

because they did not use hard earned money to build it

Not only in Abuja do we have unoccupied houses, even in Lagos. There are some streets you ply in Ikoyi at night and no reflection of night whatsoever will be seen coming from the house aside an Aboki flashing torch randomly.

Even if the owners are not in the country, they can rent it out or gift homeless people roaming about in the state.

Most of those houses in Ikoyi are where the siphoned money are buried and other gross acts are carried out in them

Start charging an unoccupied property tax, this will cause developers to quickly look for tenants and will cause rental prices to drop