Kogi State Government has taken possession of the Post–Flood Housing Estate, earlier taken over by illegal occupants.
Yomi Awoniyi, Kogi State Deputy Governor stated this following a protest by those not genuinely allocated with the housing units.
The State Government had today sealed all the apartments in the estate with a call on genuine owners to present their letters of occupation before gaining entrance.
Awoniyi while briefing the press to clarify issues on the Post–Flood Housing Estate, said Kogi State was one of the State badly affected by the 2012 flood.
The Deputy Governor disclosed that the State Government is on record to have built 270 Post Flood Housing Estate after the 2012 flood, among State affected by the 2012 flood adding that 1,704 houses were discovered after enumeration to have been affected in Lokoja after the flood.
Awoniyi, added that the State Government received 241 application from interested applicants to occupy the estate after the advertisement, added that the remaining houses were allocated to the disable persons and some vulnerable people in the society after the close of application.
While noting that paucity of funds could not allow the State Government to build flood houses in other affected Local Government Areas in the State, lamented a situation where genuine occupants in Lokoja could not access their buildings as against those who forcefully moved in and took possession.
Awoniyi used the medium to apologize to those with genuine allocation papers but could not take possession; said government will continue to take the issues of providing succor and relief to those who are affected by flood in the State.
While promising that government is concerned about providing succour, appealed to the people to accept efforts by the government aimed at mitigating the plight of those displaced during the flood now and in the future.
The Deputy Governor called on people not to politicize the issue where people who are not rightful occupant to a building forcefully take possession of a property, describing it as criminal.
In a reaction Tunde Abasi, spokesperson of those genuinely allocated the buildings but could not gain access, commended the state government for the prompt intervention, which has enabled them to take access of their houses in the estate.
