38,846 houses not habitable in Osun -Govt •May relocate 148,000 living in those buildings

THE Osun State government has identified 38,846 buildings not good for habitation and which pose serious hazards to the people living in the buildings, saying over 148,000 people live in those buildings.

The Osun State Commissioner for Lands, Physical Planning and Urban Development, Mr Muyiwa Ige, explained that the houses were scattered all over the 30 local government areas of the state, including Modakeke area office and that the state was collaborating with international agencies to relocate the affected people.

According to him “to remove slums in our society with a view to promoting the healthy living of our people in line with the six integral action plans of this government, the department of Town Planning has embarked on the enumeration of dilapidated and deteriorating buildings.

“It is saddening to note that in the 30 local governments and the area office, there are about 24,049 deteriorating and 14,797 dilapidated buildings, making a total of 38,846 with 148,000 living [people] in these structures.

“The ministry is seriously working on this with a view to possibly inviting some international donor agencies to assist in solving this problem. The need to appeal to international agencies becomes imperative, because the cost of replacing the structures will run into billions of naira, which the state government cannot shoulder alone,” he said .

Mr Ige, disclosed that the ministry had successfully negotiated with the UN-Habitat, a United Nation’s agency charged with the responsibility of human settlement, to increase the number of cities to benefit from the structural plans from three to nine.

He said that the cities that will benefit are Osogbo, Ede, Ejigbo, Ikirun, Ilesa, Iwo, Ila-Orangun, Ikire and Ile-Ife, adding that the memorandum of understanding on the project, had been signed while the state had paid its own counterpart contribution of N100 million, while the balance of N300 million would be paid by UN Habitat.

He said that Osun was the first state in the federation, where the issue of structural plan for nine cities was being done at a stretch, adding that when completed, the structural plans would complement the Urban Renewal Project of the present administration in the affected nine cities.

http://tribune.com.ng/index.php/news/44369-38846-houses-not-habitable-in-osun-govt-may-relocate-148000-living-in-those-buildings

Good job by Osun-State government, the state needs a master plan especially Oshogho the capital city. The parts of other cities like Ile-Ife,Ilesha,Ede etc needs total demolitions and reconstruction. The same apply to Ibadan and other SW states,ACN we needs infrastructural development in this region.