Valuer Wants Satellite Towns Dev In Rivers

Former Vice President, Dr Alex Ekwueme (left), receiving a plaque from the President, Nigeria Institute of Architects (nia), Mr Niyi Brimmo, at the first annual lecture series of the nia delivered in honour of Dr Ekwueme in collaboration with Lafarge Africa Plc in Abuja, recently. Photo: NAN

An estate surveyor
and valuer in Port Harcourt, Ruben Ali, has urged the Rivers State Government, particularly the incoming administration of Chief (Barr.) Nyesom Wike to come up with policy that will fast-track the development of satellite towns in the state.
Ali who disclosed this in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt , attributed the prohibitive cost of rented accommodation in the state to the high cost of land and building materials.
According to him, massive development of satellite towns would provide the people access to buy land to build their own houses.
“In Rivers State which is fast growing, every day, there should be efforts in the development of satellite towns. Government should embark on massive development of infrastructure also in these satellite towns.
“That way, people will have access to land which they would not have reached ordinarily and they can easily buy plots of land to build their own houses.
“Through that, the pressure on the city centre would reduce and it will cause the rent charges in the city centres to crash”, he said.
The real estate professional, who is also a member of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESU) however regretted that some completed housing estates in Port Harcourt and environs were still not occupied because of either high rent demanded by developers or that they have not been properly handed over to the owners after completion.

Corlins Walter