Valuer Wants RSG To Reconsider Stand On Estate

An estate surveyor and Valuer in Port Harcourt, Mr. Benjamin Oti, has urged the Rivers State Government to reconsider its stand on the Benin Street housing estate in the Diobu axis of Port Harcourt, and put it into proper use, by taking possession of the estate.

Oti’s position is coming on the heels of alleged irregularities and environmental degradation at the estate, coupled with continuous dilapidation of the building which is believed to be wasting away for years now.

Speaking in a chat with The Tide in Port Harcourt on the state of the abandoned estate, Mr. Oti explained that the present in action of the government in taking over the estate is not healthy, considering the fact that there are many Civil Servants that need such accommodation.

He said that the people who are currently living at the estate are mostly squatters and illegal occupants, pointing out that the land belongs to government, and that it will be meaningless to let it lie waste continuously.

The estate professional who also specialises in environmental management urged government to pay-off the contractors that built the houses, based on the level of the work they had done, put the estate in good condition and allow civil servants to occupy the houses there.

According to him “if there is no attention given to the estate, the value of the property will come to a void situation, where it will no more be in use. The property as it is now is not yielding any revenue to the government, and it is not good to abandon such property, because it is the Rivers State money and land that is being wasted”.

Mr. Oti also posited that the Khana Street housing estate at the D/Line axis of Port Harcourt is also going through the aging and dilapidation process, where the buildings walls and roofs are going-off.

He therefore urged the Chibuike Amaechi administration in the state to take bold steps to address the challenge not minding the neglect of previous administrations over the estates.

Corlins Walter