Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji has kicked off the building of 1,000 units of affordable housing units under the Ado Ekiti New Town Project.
The project is in partnership with the private sector, which, according to the governor, is one of the strategies of his administration to enhance growth and development.
Oyebanji, speaking during the ground-breaking at Ado-Ekiti New Town on the State University Road, said his administration would prioritise provision of housing scheme capable of relieving the populace to overcome the stress of building houses for themselves.
He said 100 units of the houses would be delivered within a year.
Promising to leave an indelible legacy in the provision of mass housing in Ekiti State, the governor said the deficit faced by the state in housing was not pleasant, stressing the need for the government to adopt a housing model that would harness limited space for delivery of safe home through public/private partnership for Ekiti people.
He said his administration would embrace the global housing policy that would make people become homeowners through an inclusive and convenient financing system based on their incomes, adding that the policy, along with outright purchase for those who could afford it, would support a sustainable system in which houses were consistently available to the populace.
Affirming publicly that he would subscribe to one unit of the housing scheme, Governor Oyebanji said his administration would explore innovation and partnership with more private investors to attract more housing projects to the state. He added that government was committed to driving development in all sectors of the economy, working with private sector players, institutions and development partners.
He thanked the management of Citec International Estates Limited led by its Managing Director, Dr Oludare Bello, for their agreement to invest in the state, stressing that his administration would not relent in promoting urban harmony and set new standards for property development with a view to ensuring that all category of residents were presented with opportunities to acquire property without living anyone out of the arrangement.