By Jude Michael
The Anambra State Housing Commissioner, Hon Pauly Onyeka, says the giant strides of Gov Chukwuma Soludo’s Administration in road construction has triggered an upsurge in the real estate business in the state.
Onyeka who made this known in a chat with journalists in his office in Awka, October 31, said the several major road projects currently being executed across the state and connecting hitherto inaccessible areas, had sparked a rise in real estate investments.
He gave as an example, the Amansea to Ebenebe road project, pointing out that land values in the area had been catapulted from around N500, 000 per plot to between N3 million and N4 million, respectively, due to improved accessibility.
‘This improved access has sparked a rise in real estate investments, enabling private developers to construct housing estates, thereby also helping to address the housing deficit and lower rental cost,’ Onyeka stated.
He assured that the roads being constructed in the state would last for not less than twenty years before any form of maintenance would be carried out, noting that over 480 kilometers of roads were ongoing in different parts of the State, with about 300 kilometers already completed.
The Commissioner also made it clear that even as the state government was actively investing in road infrastructure, it did not intend to replace real estate developers, but was actually aiming to create an enabling environment for private sector investments.
‘The government’s role is to provide the infrastructure necessary to stimulate development and economic activities,’ Onyeka clarified, while disclosing that plans were afoot for the construction low-cost housing through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).
He cited an upcoming housing project at Isiagu, which, he explained, aimed to create thousands of residential units for civil servants and other residents; even as he noted ongoing efforts to remodel existing government estates for improved accommodation.
Onyeka said the present administration in the state was adopting a deliberate and strategic approach in developing all sectors, stating its commitment to creating a strong foundation for future generations and ensuring that no sector or community was left behind.
On the construction of a new Government House, he said Gov Soludo decided to boldly undertake its construction after many years of previous governments’ neglect of the project, and said the edifice would be the best in Africa after its completion.
The project, it was gathered, spans 22.8 hectares and will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, including security posts, clinics, and accommodation for essential personnel, as well as Nigeria’s first-ever amphitheater and a spacious banquet hall.
‘The government is committed to environmental sustainability through policies that maintain green spaces and prevent water runoff from households. The government is leading by example, as typified in the environmental sustainability measures put in place in the ongoing new Government House,’ the Commissioner stated.
