Governor Commissions Uncompleted Housing Estate

 

By Nurat Uthman

Just over two weeks to the end of his statutory and final term in office, the Governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, on Thursday commissioned an unfinished housing estate.

The eponymously named housing estate, Darius Dickson (DDI) Ishaku Garden Estate, is built along the Airport Road in the state’s capital, Jalingo.

The state government began the construction of the estate made up of 500 housing units in 2017. It stated that the project was a public-private partnership (PPP) with a developer, Wesany International Concept Ltd.

Although the commissioning was done amid fanfare, it was noticed that almost all the houses in the estate were in different stages of incompletion.

Apart from almost all the apartments not being completed, a school, a market, a shopping centre, a clinic and a recreation centre which are some of the facilities purported to be included in the estate, have not been constructed. The roads in the estate have also not been tarred.

During the event, Mr Ishaku, who said the estate was built for members of the state’s civil service, added that the estate was dear to his heart because of the long-term impact it will have on the lives of those who will live in there.

“This project was conceived as a deliberate government policy to reduce the housing deficit by providing decent, comfortable, and affordable housing for civil servants through a highly flexible payment regime that allows the occupant to take full ownership of the houses before retirement.”

“The project was specifically designed with civil servants in mind because many retire after 35 years of exemplary service as civil servants with no home to retire to. This project aims to change the sad story of the Taraba state workers’ life.”

“Given the limited resources available to all levels of government to meet the competing needs of the citizenry, the project’s first phase of 250 completed units of 2 bedrooms semi-detached bungalows and 3 bedrooms fully detached bungalows that we are commissioning today was made possible through PPP,” he said.

Mr Ishaku then congratulated and commended the private developers, Wesany International Concept Limited, for adhering to the contract agreement.

“I wish to commend and congratulate the private developers, Wesany Limited, our reliable partners for adhering to the contractual agreement and specifications through superior workmanship and the use of the best materials to ensure standard and durability. As a result, I encourage the contractors to maintain the excellent standards they established in the first phase of the project.”

“The housing project, located in a beautiful and tranquil setting, has unmatched facilities that are second to none. Parks, a shopping centre, a clinic, recreation, and a garden are among them.” He said.

“Other comfort-enhancing amenities include military, police, and civil defence outposts, CCTV, burglary alarm systems, solar street lighting, and constant water and electricity supplies.” He added.

The housing project was far from completion, a labourer working at the site admitted to PREMIUM TIMES.

“Nothing has been completed at the estate, only these uncompleted structures that you are seeing. Nobody can stay here as all the facilities needed for an estate are not available, no light, the roads are not constructed. Ishaku only inaugurated it in his name; so that the next governor doesn’t take the glory. It’s nowhere near completion at all,” he said.