…Calls on govt to subsidize facility for civil servants
…sets timeline for commissioning
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| Architect Nya-Etok |
By Nsidibe Akpan
The Chief Executive Officer of Novone Consult Limited and former Social Democratic Party (SDP) governorship candidate in the last general elections in Akwa Ibom State, Arc. Ezekiel Nya-Etok is ready has outlined unique features of the Novone Social Housing Estate.
The housing estate which is located at Ikot Ntuen Nsit, along Olusegun Obasanjo Way, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) facilitated by the federal government of Nigeria through Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and Akwa Ibom born architect, Ezekiel Nya-Etok.
Nya-Etok, the progenitor of Social Governance Ideology (SGI), has been pioneering ideological politics in Nigeria, believing that ‘social governance is a bottom-to-top, people-centered approach to governance and development with the primary objective of bringing the citizens out of poverty’.
In a media chat with journalists on Saturday, January 18, 2020, at the estate’s press centre, Arc. Nya-Etok stated that Novone Social Housing Estate comes with full infrastructure which is aided by the federal government of Nigeria.
He said “we live in a state where if you build an estate, people don’t believe that you are going to put the full infrastructure. Sometimes they have a good reason for such skepticism. The honourable Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, SAN, promised me that we are going to have the full infrastructure, I believed him, but even as a Minister, he has limitations, it is not enough for something to be in the budget and for it to be cashback.”
Arc. Nya-Etok said facilities in the estate include: roads, water reticulation, industrial boreholes, water treatment plant, security, electricity, fire hydrants and other amenities aimed at making life comfortable for residents.
“I am happy today to say that all the roads in almost all phases in the estate have been completely asphalted, this is not a promise, it is a reality on the ground.
“The entire estate, both phase one and subsequent phases, have been completely covered with water reticulation. We do not only have water reticulation, but we do also not only have overhead tanks for three floors because subsequent phases will not be bungalows, but we are also putting these facilities for the future.
“We have an industrial borehole, something you cannot find in any other estates in Akwa Ibom. Also, a water treatment plant already installed; a 25KVA generator that will be able to run anything we want to run including street lights already installed. It is not even enough to do the roads; we are adding paves to it.
“Apart from that, we already have four fire hydrants. We are talking about the safest possible estate in the state. Two transformers have already been installed with cable lines running. All the basic infrastructures and those that do not necessarily have to be are on the ground.”
While noting that social housing is not cheap housing, Arc. Nya-Etok said he is in the business to make a profit and to help poor people in the state breach the gap between the rich, called on Akwa Ibom State Government to subsidize these houses for workers.
“This estate is an affordable social housing estate. I am called Mr Social housing in Nigeria, I have been saying this, it is time to practice. Social housing is not cheap housing; it is subsidized housing.
“This estate is different from a standard government project; it is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The government provides the land and infrastructure, I am building these houses with my own money without getting a dime from the government, so I have to make a profit because it is an investment.
“We call on the state government to come in and help workers get houses of their own.”
He said the estate is the most primed among all the estates in Akwa Ibom State with maximum security.
“This estate is the most primed in terms of estates in Akwa Ibom State. In real estate, we consider the location and infrastructure before any other thing. By way of location, this estate is very central compared to Ewet Housing and Shelter Afrique, immediately after the completion of the flyover at Ekom Iman junction constructed by the state government, you can easily travel from here to Calabar, Port Harcourt, Aba, Ikot Ekpene, Abak, Eket, Ikot Abasi, Etinan and other places without having to pass through the stress of beating traffic in the city.
“This estate is a walking distance from the University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), even the Federal and State Secretariats. It is closer to the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium whereby you can sit down at home and listen to commentaries from the stadium.
“In terms of infrastructure, it is going to be a gated estate. Before you enter the estate, you must be cleared at the gate by security personnel, if you are not cleared, you cannot come inside. These are the things we find in Lagos and Abuja and we are going to have it here.
“The Niger Delta Development Authority (NDDC) had promised to provide solar in every apartment and other infrastructures.”
Arc. Nya-Etok stressed that the estate is targeted at the civil servants who do not have houses.
“This is an investment estate; we want to make sure that any civil servant from level 0 – 10 can own a house here. We want to breach that gap between the poor and rich because the rich can influence the poor and that can only help a poor man to develop and change his mentality,” he concluded.
While answering questions from journalists, Arc. Nya-Etok says the estate will be officially commissioned during the 2020 Easter celebrations.
“This project was earmarked for commissioning last November, but that plan was not fruitful because the roads were not even constructed. With the roads and other facilities now ready, we are looking at this Easter for commissioning, and God’s willing, we should be able to achieve that.
“Next week, people will start living in the estate. This shows the level that we are. We need people to start buying so that we can move to the next phase of this project.”
The highpoint of the briefing was the visit of Senior Pastor and founder of Full Life Christian Centre, Rev. Ntia I. Ntia who inspected the facility and prayed God for guidance and blessing towards Arc. Nya-Etok.
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