‘It’s Impossible to Build Low Cost Houses’ – Fashola

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola said on Wednesday that what he promised to give the people of Lagos was affordable houses and not low cost houses, stressing that it is impossible to build low cost at this time putting into consideration the high cost of building materials.

“Some people have criticised us that homes, under our mortgage scheme, are not low-cost; but these people cannot point to one place where our government promised to build low cost houses. What we promised was affordable housing and people should not accuse us of not doing what we did not promise”.

The governor said this at the monthly draw for the allocation of homes to residents under the state Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, in which another 76 beneficiaries emerged.

Fashola pointed out that criticisms that homes under the state’s mortgage scheme, were not low-cost, were unfair, noting that they were aimed at discrediting the good intentions of the state government.

He added that his administration had always promised the provision of affordable housing for which home-seekers could pay conveniently over a period of time.

Advertisement

He explained that the state government has always maintained that its commitment to the people of Lagos is to provide affordable housing. Fashola said lack of low-cost land, labour, building materials and exchange rate of the nation’s currency have made it impossible to build low cost houses.

He said he was fulfilled that the state government under his watch was fulfilling his promise of providing affordable housing through the delivery of homes to residents in the state.

“These could be accessed by them and they could conveniently pay for them within a minimum of 10 years. The homes are affordable because there are one, two, three-bedroom designed to fit different income brackets”. He urged the residents to take advantage of the opportunity offered by the scheme to be home owners.