The management of the Enugu State Housing Development Corporation (ESHDC) has inaugurated the Gateway, Blossom Garden, River View1&2, Coal City Eastern Alliance, Tourist, Rock city, Hi-tech Estates aimed at providing affordable housing for the people of the state.
This is even as the corporation has urged members of the public to avail themselves the opportunity to acquire property at choice locations in the state.
Speaking while inspecting the progress of work at Gateway Estate, Owo, Nkanu-East Local Government Area, Blossom Garden Estate, Trans-Ekulu Annex and Coal-City Eastern Alliance Estate, Independence Layout Extension, the General Manager, ESHDC, Gerald Asogwa, a lawyer, explained that, “we have been noticing congestion in Enugu, which was not there when we were young and growing. Thus, we initiated these housing projects to develop the outward parts of the metropolis.
“We want a situation where value is added to the outskirts of the state. In places like the United States, you see people drive 30 minutes to an hour to go to work and still go back. That is the intention of sighting these projects so that people can come from Nkanu, Awkunanaw, Four-Corner, Nsukka to attend to their daily activities in the metropolis and still go back for a 20 to 30 minutes drive.
“Basically, we are laying the foundation for those coming after us to think and develop better. Land is a scarce commodity, currently, we are trying to discuss with communities where lands are sold at N200,000 or N400,000, so we want to develop estates around them which will automatically add value to the remaining lands. This will also accord them security; normally, we have armed security personnel for all our estates. Apart from that, you are bringing people from different spheres of life to the communities.
“With that, the economy of that community will go up; shops, markets, schools, hotels, and other demands will come up. So, the future is bright for the housing sector in Enugu State. Already, we have 36 estates. With the ground rents, service charges, there will be enough funds to maintain existing estates and develop new ones”.