Valuer Wants Rehabilitation Of Abandoned Estates

An estate surveyor and Valuer in Port Harcourt, Mr. Benjamin Oti has called on the Rivers State government to embark on reclaiming of abandoned low cost housing estates across the State so as to provide housing for the people, as well as generate revenue to the state government.

He said that a situation where such housing estate is being allowed to waste for many years now, when many public officers are in need of homes does not speak well of the good intentions of government towards providing houses for the people.

Oti who was speaking in a chat with The Tide in his office in Port Harcourt explained that some abandonment government low cost estate like the one at Benin Street, by Uyo Street near D/Line have not been taken over by people who have no proper identification and hoodlums, whereas many government workers who need houses can not have access to it.

According to him, government neglect to such issues amounts to waste of revenue and resources, adding that the value of the buildings keep depreciating on daily basis due to lack of maintenance as those occupying them presently know that they are there temperately and would not want to border on its maintenance.

Mr. Oti who is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Estate Surveyors and Valuer (NIESV), and holds a Masters Degree in Environment Management also advised the state government to consider rehabilitating all the low cost housing estates built by the federal government during Shagari’s administration in parts of the state, and make them available to the people of the state.

Corlins Walter