Essential Ndubuisi
By Emmanuel Okonkwo
Wealthy Ndi Anambra at home and in the diaspora have been encouraged to leverage on conducive environment provided by Governor Willie Obiano’s administration for developers in the state by investing in residential apartments to curb the rise in house rents in urban areas of Anambra State.
This was the reactions of some people while commenting on the increasing house rent issue in Awka and its environs.
Correspondent, Emmanuel Okonkwo who sampled people’s opinion on the development reports that shelter being the number one need of man according to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, increase in house rents has remained another factor that militates against the desire of some people who cannot afford a decent apartment.
When the ABS monitored the current house rent in Awka and its environs, it was observed that apartments rented for about fifty, eighty, hundred and two hundred thousand naira have respectively increased by five or ten percent, especially the new ones.
Speaking on the development, the Managing Director of Awka Capital Territory Development Authority, ACTDA, Venerable Amaechi Okwuosa explained that Governor Willie Obiano led administration has, through ACTDA, provided a level playing ground for developers in the state to take advantage of and erect more residential apartments across the state to enrich themselves and as well provide more accommodation for the residents.
Venerable Okwuosa disclosed that Governor Willie Obiano government has through Awka Capital Development Authority made acquisition of building plan approvals easier for developers, as there is now reduction in the approval’s rate, and a building plan approval can now be obtained within a week of application unlike in the previous years when it can last for a month or more.
Contributing, the Special Assistant to Governor Willie Obiano on Community Liaison, Comrade Obi Ochije-Muodilim reminded would-be developers in the state that they have nothing to worry about, as Governor Obiano has achieved tight security network for the state, sighting examples with owners of Luxury Place Estate Nkwelle Ezunaka GRA, Millennium City Estate Awka, among others, whom he said have no regrets bringing their wealth home owing to the state’s present business friendliness.
Comrade Ochije-Muodilim however pleaded with landlords and landladies to also consider the plights of their tenants while increasing the house rent especially now that people are still suffering the aftereffects of lockdown and Covid-19 challenge, reminding them that there was a time they were tenants.
For some tenants in Awka, Evangelist Michael Uzochukwu, and Mr Chinedu Okechukwu Government should set up a team that would be monitoring and regulating the activities of landlords and landladies in the state as it help in checkmating the frequent increment of rent.
