To alleviate housing deficit and make houses affordable for Nigerians, the CEO of Pelican Valley, Babatunde Adeyemo has encouraged the federal government to collaborate with private estate owners in the country.
Insisting that Nigerians would continue to bear the weight, Adeyemo noted that housing would become costly due to the country’s growing population and the current economic climate.
The real estate guru who lamented on Friday during a courtesy visit by the Consolidated Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Ogun State council to his Corporate Office of Pelican Valley in Abeokuta, pleaded with the federal government to urgently find solution to the harsh economy in the country.
“One of the most important thing I believe the government need to take care is the economy, you have to make the economy friendly.
“Federal government needs to work on bad economy, without good economy housing cannot be affordable, housing cannot be affordable in a bad economy.
“If the government gives the land free of charge, government will not subsidize the price of cement, the price of the blocks, cost of labour, the cost of iron , the cost of sand so if those commodities are very expensive, how do you expect housing to be affordable”.
” It is achievable in the sense that if the government could partner all the private investors. Government cannot do it alone. Take a look at the economy presently, according to IMF ( International Monetary Fund), Nigeria total revenue is not enough to service our debt not to talk of taking care of the current expenditure and some other expenditures. It is very difficult that’s why we go for loans, and the loans is becoming too expensive, unbearable so the government need to encourage private investors for the benefits of the masses”, he added.
He added that government at all levels must encourage investors with easy access to land, saying government must think out of the box.
” We really need to work on the economy and it’s very important the government works on the economy and I believe the government needs to encourage private investors, we are not saying that government should give the real estate investors land free of charge but let them have access to land because that’s one of the major factors of production in the housing business”.
The Chairman of Chapel, Olusegun Olukoga while commending him on his continuous support for media professionals in the state as well as contribution to the society asked for a collaboration to develop it’s members.
” We are really proud of you and your success in the housing sector is indeed motivation to our members.
“We are here to seek for collaboration that will foster unity towards collective development of our members and the society at large”.
Adeyemo in his response, described the Chapel as his family, and also commended the leadership of the body for visiting him.
