http://tribuneonlineng.com/abuja-many-houses-no-tenants-•changing-face-of-a-federal-capital

May 1, 2016

CHRISTIAN OKEKE, in this report, writes that while many remain homeless in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), many exotic houses, mostly at upscale areas, remain unoccupied years after their completion.

GOING by available statistics, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, alone accounts for 10 per cent of the 17 million housing deficit in the country. The situation persists despite the fact that many mansions dot the landscape of the territory uninhabited.

The houses, which have been completed but remain unoccupied, are scattered across some districts, many of which are located in private housing estates.

Indeed there are a number of issues and insinuations associated with the empty buildings. One of such is that the owners, could have embezzled public funds and laundered them on acquisition of properties.

Other insinuations associated with the unoccupied buildings are that some of the owners kept cash in them to evade moving stolen funds through banks and that the buildings are owned by some past and current public office holders who did not have real needs for such properties but had to acquire them using looted funds.

Many residents fear that the unoccupied houses pose security threat. They refer to situations in the past when security agents had to invade such structures to possibly seize outlawed materials or forestall usage of such properties for criminal purposes.

But the fact remains that the sight of these structures rekindles anger in the minds of the poor, as well as low and middle income earners in the territory. Their anger stems from the fact that such gigantic structures were left to rot away while they pay through the noses for accommodation.

Residents are not the only ones showing concerns in this regard. Even the FCT administration had on several occasions raised the alarm over the number of uncompleted buildings and empty estate buildings in the city and currently plans to set up a committee to look into the issue.

The administration is certainly not stopping at that as it has also given the indication that it may soon come up with a law that would force down the current high cost of accommodation.

FCT Minister, Muhammadu Bello, had personally expressed anger over the current situation and even questioned the rationale behind payment of rent on accommodation on an annual basis in the country. He told estate surveyors who were on a visit to his office recently that the present administration under President Muhammed Buhari is deeply concerned about the high cost of accommodation in Abuja and is working on measures that would guarantee access to decent accommodation.

During the meeting, he wondered why in developed countries such as United Kingdom and the United States, tenants pay rent on a monthly or even weekly basis while reverse is the case in Nigeria.

Be that as it may, investigation by Sunday Tribune revealed that the houses remain empty for a number of reasons. Some residents and developers gave divergent views on why the houses remain unoccupied years after their completion.

It was gathered that developers, in some cases, declined to sell or rent the structures due to low offers. The developers, according to investigations, put into consideration the high cost of the investment before fixing rates.

According to a resident, John Uwakwe, the belief among many residents is that the rents for the houses are naturally going to be on the high side. He said that explains why they are too afraid of getting closer to have a look-in, let alone making offers.

It was revealed that such estate developers are not really bothered that their structures have been under lock years after completion, provided they have not seen anyone who paid the price already fixed as rents.

At one of the estates located at Apo, Sunday Tribune could not meet the developer on site but one of the engineers who gave his name as Ibrahim said the high rent on the houses are justified. According to him, as investors, the developers must factor in the cost of purchase of the land as well as the exorbitant cost of building materials so as to recoup their investments. He said the owners will simply not rent out the houses at a loss.

According to an investigation conducted by Sunday Tribune at the Development Control Department of FCT Administration, there is already a plan to include a clause in building approvals issued to mass housing developers which would compel them to rent out the structures not later than six months after completion. Sunday Tribune gathered that part of the condition for granting such approvals is that construction should begin within six months and be completed two years after.

Sunday Tribune could not get the director in charge of the department to comment on this as of press time, but an official who pleaded anonymity stated that the department was satisfied that many of the houses in the city remain occupied. He said those which remain unoccupied were constructed in mass housing estates.

A resident, Oluwadamilola Taiwo, told Sunday Tribune that the Abuja property tax bill which the Senate passed in June 2014 is an instrument that will compel property owners to rent out their houses when eventually signed into law.

Speaking on the increase in rent which the empty houses had generated, the Chairman, Senate Committee on FCT, Senator Dino Melaye, said “the Senate was planning to organise a public hearing on that soon and already we have communicated to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki on it.”

He stated that the upper chamber of the National Assembly would bring together stakeholders including landlords, tenants and government to review the housing and rent laws and look at the possibility of coming up with a rent control system which will make it impossible to review rents till after five years.

The question which remains unanswered, however, is: “when will Abuja’s empty housing estates serve useful purposes?”

ok

God will bless that president that will grant permission for those houses to be occupied by the teeming civil servants traveling from Nassarawa to Abj everyday.

Lots of lizards and cockroach currently occupy there.

The funny thing is they repaint these houses on yearly basis. Abuja isn't expensive but property owners want to make it that way, good network of roads and all that. From interpretation they look forward to crowd control trying to create a 'CLASS'in the capital city by hiking the rent.

Osibanjo settle the graduate youths with an apartment each in Abj free for the remaining duration of your tenure. That way guys will focus on feeding and their career than having heart attacks over rent in Abj.

#housingtheyouths

That's because the owners of most of those houses never really intended for them to be rented out to begin with as they were built to launder money. The following article is very revealing of this trend:

http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/153132-abuja-property-haven-money-laundering-efcc.html

Naturally, most people tends to go to an economically viable Cities. Abuja is an administrative state albeit on a smaller scale. There is a reason people still flock to Lagos despite all the money being pumped into FCT. The housing boom in Abuja is probably at its peak and will soon start tailing off due to lack of economic activities.

Abuja home of wahala

I've been to Ikoyi , lekki and VI. But I have never see anything like Abuja empty houses. Millions of houses are completely built but nobody to buy them or even rent them. The developers there are very greedy. Somewhere in maitama (ministers hill) a duplex for sale goes for N2.5billion. Scary world out there.

Same with Banana Island, Ikoyi and some high brows of the island in Lagos.

No matter how relevant they are trying to make Abuja it will never be, because many rich people including foreigners prefer Lagos, except they move National airport from Lagos to Abuja.

brb

So many empty houses in Abuja

I blame buhari for this

i blame buhari!!!

Mostly all the Estates in Abuja are empty yet the developers no send........


Maitama and Asokoro should be named lizard district

Wouldn't it make business sense to rent these properties at lower prices rather than leave them vacant? Landlord will be asking for #4 million for a 2 bedroom apartment? Do I look like Diezani boyfriend?

It is just because I am saving money to marry DJ Cuppy. Otherwise I for just buy all these houses and dash them to people

Nonsense

Dollyak:
There is nothing in Abuja

Meaning?

Abuja is simply a fake city. Remove all the wuru wuru due to the sit of power , you are left with a ghost town.

Anyway when bia.fra come, even Sahara desert will be more vibrant than Abuja

Since looters cannot keep their loot in the bank comfortably, they devised a new means of storing money. Build a house, after some years, sell it.

too long. Someone should summarize please

U are so beautiful can i pm you @Dollyak

The fg should find a way to aquire this properties and rent it out to the public,instead of building all over again

Ol

TPAND:
Same with Banana Island, Ikoyi and some eye brows of the island in Lagos.

Eye brow? Jeez!

Dollyak:
There is nothing in Abuja

Meaning?

jonathanOz:

Meaning?

Is home for politics and not for hustlers..

What shall it profit a man to embezzle public funds, build a house and not live in it? And if u ask dem they will tell u they are investing for the future of their kids as if their kids are handicap or dummy dat can't work and make money.....Get sense biko

raziboi:
i blame buhari!!!

for what?

jonathanOz:

Eye brow? Jeez!


Meaning?

Meaning the reason people flock to Lagos instead of Abuja. The comment I often hear from those who have been there, is that it has no soul. I guess there is nothing much to do.

Yeah yeah i can see some abandoned houses from over here in my maitama penthouse, but its none of my business. Strolles back to the jacuzzi...

Senseless developers. Sweetie are you in abj? please add me up 08100392181

ammyluv2002:
Mostly all the Estates in Abuja are empty yet the developers no send........


Maitama and Asokoro should be named lizard district

All fingers are not equal, those empty house have fixed rents, to maintain the high brow status of those areas.

Akure - No Houses, Many Tenants