The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, Professor Bolaji Owasanoye, has warned the developer handling the ICPC Multi-purpose Cooperative Housing Estate, against substandard and poor execution of the project.
Owasanoye gave the warning in Abuja during the official groundbreaking ceremony of the estate.
TheFact gathered that the estate, named named Professor Bolaji Owasanoye Housing Estate, and located in Kagini Village of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is being handled by Gefen Group, and financed by Infinity Trust Mortgage Bank. The project covers a total of 1.36 hectares of land and is designed to accommodate 32 units of 2-bedroom flats, 32 units of 3-bedroom flats and 16 units of 4-bedroom flats making a total of 80 units of flats.
Professor Owasanoye who spoke against cutting corners, advised the developer to ensure that only the best was delivered to the staff of the Commission, and therefore encouraged the Cooperative to be vigilant by getting experts to supervise the work as the construction progresses.
The ICPC boss also admonished Infinity Trust to always play by the rules, saying that ICPC was not an agency to play with.
Earlier in his welcome address, the President of the Cooperative, Mr. Joshua Wakili, stated that the Kagini Housing Estate project was conceived with a view towards “covering the housing deficit faced by public servants and the residents of Abuja, which is one of the cardinal aspirations of the current president of our nation.”
Wakili said further that the project was also poised at providing quality and affordable housing to members of “our amiable cooperative society thereby meeting the mandate of the cooperative society which is above all, welfare.”
Listing special features of the estate, Wakili said that prospective occupants of the estate could expect a good road network, sufficient parking spaces, two 500kva generators, industrial boreholes, solar powered streetlights, security posts, perimeter fencing, recreational ground and a shopping mall amongst others.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Emir of Jiwa, Alhaji Musa Idris, who was represented by the District Head of Kagini, Alhaji Ayuba Barau, lauded the ICPC Cooperative for adequately compensating the local community, and pledged his continuous support for ICPC whenever the need arises.
Giving a historical perspective, Mr. Bello Dauda, under whose stewardship the Kagini Land was acquired, explained that the motivating factor was the challenge of housing for members of the Cooperative. He narrated the processes they followed before the land was acquired and the Certificate of Occupancy given.
On his part, the President, Abuja Cooperative Federation, ABCOF, Mr. Emmanuel Atama, described ICPC Cooperative as one of the frontline cooperative societies in the FCT.
Mr. Atama who spoke on some of the fraudulent activities in some cooperative societies, expressed his willingness to partner with the Commission to ensure transparency in the body of cooperative.
Also, speaking at the ceremony, the Managing Director, Gefen Group, Dr. Nosa Edeko, pledged to do everything within his power to ensure that professionalism was not compromised in order to provide high quality projects.
High point of the event was the foundation laying ceremony, which was performed by the ICPC Chairman in company of ICPC Board Members, Secretary to the Commission, Royal Fathers and developers.
Earlier, Mr. Wakili had said that the estate was estimated to cost about N1,176,808,804.00 (One Billion, One Hundred and Seventy-Six Million, Eight Hundred and Eight Thousand, Eight Hundred and Four Naira).
