The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, has charged real estate companies in the country to establish synergy with Nigerian government towards reducing housing deficit in the country.
Oba Ogunwusi gave this charge on Friday, while inspecting the Ojaja Residence Park in Akure, Ondo state capital, said realtors have important roles to play in reducing housing deficit in Nigeria.
The first class monarch charged the Federal Government to intensify its patronage of local manufacturers as a deliberate means of growing the economy.
He decried the neglect of local industries by Nigerians, outing that Nigeria’s political leaders must live by example by patronising local industry in every sector, saying this will generate employment for the teeming populace.
He said “We won’t continue to cry over spilled milk. We know that we have housing deficits in the country but we need to make do with what we have to get results. We need to buy Nigeria products, we need to produce in Nigeria, including our housing needs.
“Our project here is a city on its own. It is 100,000 square meters, and we are trying to showcase what is possible in Nigeria. Practically, everything you see here, we know where it came from in Nigeria.
“So, our own mantra is at least 90 percent of things that are made in Nigeria will be used, because a lot of people probably think we do things that are of inferior quality. No, it’s not true and today is the official showcasing of Ojaja City to the world”
Oba Ogunwusi said the official showcasing “is to actually let everybody that matters in this country to know that whenever there is a will, there is a way.
“A lot of good things can happen in our country and if we believe in ourselves, like this typical project, if we believe that Nigeria and Nigerians can do it, then our deficit of housing will continue to reduce gradually”
Speaking on the unique qualities of the park, the monarch said “Here is an integrated city that you don’t even need to go out. We have everything here, we have a five-star hotel here, game center, children’s park, we have a shopping mall here, we have park, we have school, we have residential estates.
“So for us, it’s just to model something that has never been done in Nigeria. A lot of people are always very skeptical of our products, that homemade goods, Nigerian made products aren’t good but we are not skeptical. We went all the way. Everything you are seeing here, we know the manufacturer.
“So, going forward, we will now display it at the mall. We have a mall here that basically let us be very proud of our home. This is the only way we can grow the economy”
He said he deliberately invited two Nigerian leaders to come and bless the project because they have also shown interest in Nigeria products and youths engagement.
“We don’t need to leave government to do everything and this is why I invited General Abdusalam Abubakar and Bishop Mathew Kukah to come and bless this place, because they believe in peace, and they believe in youth engagement, because for us here, it’s all about youth engagement and I believe Nigeria will be a better place.
“On the number of youths that are expected to work at the park, he said: They are in thousands. We can’t even count because it’s a lot.
‘You can see they are all working. It’s over a hundred thousand square meter land that was condemned. It was a condemned land. We had to sand field first.
“It took us almost two years to even reclaim the land back and we have a lot of youths here that have actually shown their strength, things they can do and how they can make it happen.
“And all the products here, the beauty is they are made here. So this is what can actually engage youth, and that is what I stand for on this throne.”
He maintained that the housing scheme is not only for the rich and said “We are not driven by money. When you are driven by money, you can’t do such a project, it’s not possible, but for me, on the throne, I just want to see a lot of youth and their lives being turned around.
‘And I’m happy, I’m fulfilled. I have thousands of youths that, from nothing, they are something today. So, that’s my objective.
“The numbers, you can’t even count, they are into billions. But, we don’t want to talk about number here.
“It’s about passion. What can we do for our dear country? We always blame government but what are we all doing individually?
“The person that wants to acquire should believe in our dream. We are doing for different categories. The poor, the middle class and the lowest class, the middle, and the high end. So we are doing for every category. So, it encompasses all people in this society.”
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