Lagos HOMS: 6 Senior Citizens Get Homes Back

Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, yesterday, handed over keys of houses under the Lagos Homes Ownership Mortgage Scheme (Lagos HOMS), to 16 persons, former occupants of Shogunro Housing Estate, Ogba-Ijaiye, Ikeja, years after their defective houses were demolished.

The state government had in 2008 demolished the Shogunro Housing Estate to avoid collapse, after they were relocated to another community.

Fashola, who handed over the keys at the 6th public draw of the Lagos HOMS in Ikeja, said while other occupants of the estate declined the government’s plan for the regeneration of the estate, “these 16 senior citizens kept fate with the government. The buildings were structurally unsafe and we asked them to move out. While some refused to leave, this people decided to deal with us and we promised those who chose to deal with us that they will get their houses back.”

“After five successful draw I want to now announce a new dimension to the Lagos home policy. I want to share with you the regeneration and the compassionate side of the Lagos HOMS and the inclusion that seems to carry everybody along.

“This morning, 16 senior citizens have benefited from 16 homes part of the Lagos homes in the Shogunro scheme in Ogba. Many of you may not know the history behind Shogunro housing scheme but it was developed around 1970 as a result of the reclamation and development going on around Marina and the people were moved to Ogba, of course industrialization came, flooding came and the houses that they were moved to was no longer habitable and in 2009 a building collapsed there and we asked them to move out there. But some of them refused to leave, and one by one the building began to fall apart and those who said they would not leave flee for their life.

“But we have rebuilt the place and because we promised that if we rebuild it we will give back the homes to those who promised to deal with us. Most of you are also aware that the houses there are in some state of disrepair some has sank and the environment require a makeover.

“But our regeneration has come into full scheme in our initiative in Isale gangan in helping to direct our regeneration experience under Lagos Homes. So, today, we have moved out 30 families in Adeniji Adele out of these families all we offer opportunity to take back a place when we finish, out of those families 13 have said that we should pay them off and each has received a sum of N1.3 million, plus N250,000 relocation fund.”