LAGOS State government on Tuesday expressed worries over the rising housing deficit in the state which it puts at three million units.

Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal, disclosed this at the second Real Estate Stakeholders’ Forum held at the Lagos State Government Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja, pointing out that about 87 people per hour entered Lagos on daily basis.

Lawal said the fact that Lagos is Nigeria economic nerves centre had made it susceptible to influx of people which he noted had in turn put continuous pressures on the state’s infrastructures.

“About 87 people per hour enter Lagos on daily basis. This has led to unusual pressure on land and housing infrastructural facilities. And these have even led to the inadequate housing and increased number of slums in the state. Today, the state has about three million units of housing deficit. But in the next four years, we planned to provide 20,000 units of houses in the next four years,” Gbolahan said.

The commissioner, however, disclosed that the administration had appointed facilities managers for both it’s old and news housing estates, saying that with such appointments, the tide of continuous depreciation in values of such houses would be stemmed.

Special Adviser on Housing, Mrs Adebimpe Akinsola, in her remark, decried the negative effect of the fraudulent real estate practices on the state economy.

“It is instructive to state here that the world over, fraudulent practices is age long issue, since we are all humans, such acts are to be expected in our day-to-day activities or daily relationship.

“Real estate fraud is when an individual or agency uses false information or misrepresents the information for any Real Estate Transaction. Such activities have adverse effects on economic activities in the state,” Akinsola said.

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