Obaseki’s Affordable Housing Project: Edo, Only State In Niger Delta With No Disturbances On Project Site – MIXTA Africa

…Not less than 10,000 jobs will be created – EDPA

As work progresses on the 1,800 housing-unit Emotan Gardens project, Project Manager, MIXTA Africa, Mr. Livinus Onunaku, has said that Edo is the only state in the Niger Delta, where they have had no record of disturbances on the project site.

Onunaku, who said this in an interview with journalists, noted “This is the first time we are working in a state where the governor has interacted with people like us. He expresses his joy and happiness at what we are doing and we feel satisfied working in Edo State. The first thing I told the governor when he came was that this is the first Niger Delta state, where we work and nobody has come to the site to disturb us. He said nobody can do that in Edo State we are happy working freely in Edo State.”

He said the firm was attracted to Edo State because the governor Godwin Obaseki administration has investment friendly policies that guarantee return on investment for investors.

“We also observed how several investors are visiting the state to partner with the administration with testimonies on their investment. We are here to partner with the governor to improve the economic activities in the state.

Executive Chairman, Edo Development and Property Agency (EDPA), Ms. Isoken Omo said that the project will be completed in three years, but that the first phase, consisting of 200 units, will be ready next year, when people will be able to live in the property.

According to her, “The estate is designed to house semi-detached two-bed room and three-bedroom apartments. We have blocks of flat and terraces. There are service plots; on these, people can build by themselves in line with the agreed designs. With the service plots, once people buy, they can start building on it. This arrangement would quicken the overall completion plan.

On the design of the estate, she said, “For the service plots, there is a guide which covers density, which is number of people to live in the estate. The guide also provides for homogeneity, which shows that the estate is planned. We will not allow people to put up block of flat in an area considered as low density. Since it is a low-density plot, people can only be allowed to construct a one unit, or semi-detached unit with two families.

“If it is a high density, then people will be allowed to build blocks of flats, if it a medium density, it will be terraces. We are working with the Ministry of Physical planning and Urban Development, on the agreed plan so that when we are selling the plot, we will have an idea of what the people want to construct on the plot.

It is expected that not less than 10,000 jobs will be created by the project. She said,  “We are expecting over 500 to 600 persons to be engaged on site. Other indirect jobs would also be created. If we buy more tiles, windows, doors, and other materials required for the project from the local manufacturers, they will be employing more people as they expect to improve their production capacity. From all of these, between 10,000 to 20,000 jobs would be created.”

On the economic implications, she said, “A whole value-chain is being activated by this project. The plan of the governor was to make Edo State, a destination of choice for business, leveraging on the strategic location of the state. One cannot go to the north, east or west, without passing through the state at some point, whether by air, or by road, our plan is for people to pass and stay and do their business.”