Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Wednesday said he did not at anytime promise to provide low-cost housing for residents in the state.
Fashola spoke in Ikeja at the monthly draw for the allocation of homes to residents under the state Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, which produced another 76 beneficiaries.
He said criticisms that homes, under the state’s mortgage scheme, were not low-cost, were unfair, adding that they were aimed at discrediting the good intentions of the state government.
The governor explained that his administration had always promised the provision of affordable housing for which home-seekers could pay conveniently over a period of time.
He said, “Some people have criticised us that homes, under our mortgage scheme, are not low-cost; but these people cannot point to one place where our government promised to build low cost houses.
“We did not promise low-cost housing. What we promised was affordable housing and people should not accuse us of not doing what we did not promise.
“I have always reiterated since I was campaigning as a governorship candidate in 2007 that my commitment to the people of Lagos is affordable housing and that is what we are delivering”.
Fashola said he could not have promised low-cost housing when there was no low-cost land, no low–cost labour and building materials and when the exchange rate of our currency to others was high.
The governor stated that he was glad that he was fulfilling his promise of providing affordable housing through the delivery of homes to residents in the state.
“These could be accessed by them and they could conveniently pay for them within a minimum of 10 years. The homes are affordable because there are one, two, three-bedroom designed to fit different income brackets.
“They are affordable because residents can easily access them and they can pay for them conveniently”, he said. (NAN)
