PROPERTY ARTICLES

The quest to provide mass housing nationwide has been described as a mirage just as the need for the use of quality building materials has equally been canvassed.

Managing Director of Personal; Trust Savings and Loans Limited, Mr.Anthony Owuye, who dropped the hint in an exclusive interview with Daily Independent last week in Lagos, said that though the imitative is commendable but the realisation of such a lofty ideal would be a Herculean task.

He said that for mass housing to be feasible, a lot of work needed to be done by the government at the centre, state governments and wealthy individuals.

Owuye, whose company is promoting Lake View Estate along the Amuwo-Odofin area of Lagos, pointed out that the only way for mass housing to be a reality would be for government to provide an enabling environment for developers to be able to function effectively and efficiently.

The Personal Trust helmsman was of the opinion that the present cost of bu9ldiong materials and other indices in the construction industry would make mass housing a mirage. He was however quick to point out that mass housing was possible if the political will was there to make it happen.

According to him, no developer would be willing to engage in the provision of mass housing considering the cost of construction and the rate at which most developers obtain funds from banks to execute their projects.

He expressed optimism that government could make the dream come true if it engages the services of professionals in the built environment sector to assist in making it work.

He said that, in the current era of Public Private Partnership (PPP), the desire to provide mass housing could still be feasible but added that, for such a venture to work, government must be ready to provide a conducive environment for all concerned to work without any hindrance.

He said that unless this was done, the concept would continue to remain a dream which could take eternity to come true.

Owuye noted that in developed climes, mass housing had been made possible because of the enabling environment that was created for those in the construction industry to thrive.

He added that no developer would turn down an offer to build mass housing so long as the environment was right and less cumbersome for him.

He lamented a situation where the cost of procuring building materials was on the high side, adding that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the prices of building materials come down to a reasonable level. This, he added, would pave the way for developers to embark on the construction of more houses and affordable ones at that.