Almart Realtors pledges to provide Nigerians with affordable housing
Almart Realtors, a housing solution provider has pledged to provide Nigerians with affordable housing with its novel project tagged “Affordable Housing Scheme”
The CEO Almart International, Hon. Iluyamade Martins, represented by the Business Development Manager, Sam Eyeto disclosed this during the 29th Annual General Meeting/Convention of the Estate, Rent and Commission Agents Association of Nigeria (E.R.C.A.A.N) held at the Loungebar and Restaurant, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in Lagos.
Speaking on the theme of the Convention, titled: ‘Public/Private Partnership Solution To Housing Deficit In Nigeria’, Eyeto lamented housing is a big problem not only in Nigeria, but in different parts of the world, stressing that we have a population that is growing without checks and on the list of priority he believe that government has not done well in the area of housing deficit.
He maintained that Lagos State has done well when it comes to checkmating this housing deficit, but it is not what only the government can do because there houses in Lagos, but how affordable are these houses?
According to him, Almart did some research some months ago in Ikoyi and some parts of Lagos and found a large number of houses available, but empty.
From the statistic adduced, he said that most people informed them that most Lagosians are tenants and they spend more than 50 per cent of their income on rent and everyday they have arbitrations and court cases.
Eyeto stressed that Almart, as a firm is not about making money, but want to be the solution provider, rendering the service and putting smiles on faces.
He noted that in a bid to see how Almart can make housing affordable to people, the firm came up with what is called ‘Affordable housing scheme’ to make people in service have the house they can call their own.
He pointed out that the affordable housing scheme is targeted at medium income earners to be able to purchase houses.
He cited the cases of mortgage system abroad where people pay for over 30 years and said that it is workable here if we are deliberate about it.
Affordable housing, he said allows you to have access through mortgage structuring either through National Housing Fund and other partners like Lagos Building Investment Company PLC (LBIC,) because no matter the number of housing policy the government comes out with it cannot solve the housing problems.
He stated that there is Lagos State Housing programme and the economic sustainability scheme of Federal Government, but it is not enough, noting that at times you find some of this projects from FESTAC 77, among others abandoned.
The Business Development Manager revealed that Almart is working on a public private partnership that makes it affordable and convenient for someone to own a home.
“All they need to do is that if you are a civil servant on LBIC is to ensure that you have a conveniently spread payment for 20 years in some cases depending on how many years you have left so that you can pay very conveniently so that in a matter of year the house becomes your own.
“This is a convenient means this housing deficit can be solved because every year we have over 2 million housing deficit and the population will keep on growing. We need to begin to act fast; it is for co-operatives, associations. Housing is not all about shelter, it is a reward for your effort. We are equally pushing for more financing in the sector,” he highlighted.
