The Enugu State Government has announced that the almost completed housing project designed to accommodate families from the Agu-Owa and Ugbo Lawrence communities, would be allocated before the demolition of the slum settlement.
Gov. Peter Mbah had selected the two slums property owners as the first beneficiaries among the over 20 slum residential areas in Enugu urban earmarked for redevelopment in line with the city’s master plan.
The first phase of the estate which consists of 103 buildings has 206 units of two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, with solar-powered boreholes already in place, ensuring a steady supply of potable water and providing comfort for the residents while the slums are rebuilt.
This was made known by the Commissioner for Housing, Dr. Martin Chukwunwike during an inspection of the estate on Thursday.
Dr. Chukwunwike stated that the 103 buildings would have been completed by now but for delays caused by rainfall and the area’s challenging topography, assuring that the project would be completed by the end of July.
“This is the Tomorrow Is Here Housing Estate. It will provide temporary accommodation for people to be resettled from the slum.
“This one is meant for residents of Agu-Owa and Ugbo Lawrence.
“The estate has a total of 103 buildings, each containing two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, totaling 206 flats for 206 households.
“As of today, 99 units are nearing completion,” he said.
The Commissioner further noted that a second phase of the project will feature three-bedroom flats to accommodate larger families.
“The Governor has taken a humane approach, ensuring that no one is left behind.
“If this were some other places, bulldozers would have moved in within two weeks.
“But here in Enugu, this process has taken nearly two years, involving multiple meetings with landlords and the formation of a joint committee. The affected residents have been carried along every step of the way,” he said.
“The Governor believes that being poor should not mean being thrown away. Since the residents cannot afford to build their own homes, the government is stepping in to build for them.
“This is unprecedented in Nigeria where government builds and gives away houses free of charge,” the commissioner concluded.
Speaking on the estate’s road infrastructure, one of the project engineers, Engr. Uzo Lawrence, said that a 1.8-kilometre road network is under construction and will be completed within eight weeks.
“We’re constructing about 1.8 km of road. We’ve done significant lateriting because the soil here is mostly expansive clay.
“We had to excavate down to 90 cm, remove the unstable soil, and backfill with laterite to achieve a stable base.
Within the next eight weeks, over 90 percent of the road should be asphalted,” Engr. Uzo said.
