How Jakande’s mass housing policy helped the poor

Late Lateef Jakande, popularly known as Baba Kekere has left living legacies by his housing programmes that targeted the poor in Lagos state. LKJ had planned to construct over 30,000 housing units during his four-year tenure.

The houses that are today known as Jakande estates, scattered all over Lagos State, were called low-cost buildings, but the people changed it to Jakande estates to honour the former governor.

Some of the estates are located in Amuwo Odofin, Ijaiye, Dolphin, Oke-afa, Ije and Abesan. Others were built in Ilasan, Iponri, Ipaja, Abule Nla, Epe, Anikantamo, Surulere, Iba, Ikorodu and Badagry.

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To fund the project and others, he increased tenement rates and prices of plots of land in affluent areas of Victoria Island and Lekki peninsula, as well as processing fees for lottery, pools and gaming licenses.

Becoming a landlord in the estate was not through political affiliations, nor was it reserved for civil servants; rather, it was through an announcement on the television. Jakande specified that there was a housing opportunity for low income earners, and there was no discrimination in acquiring flats.

Residents were asked to procure a N50 form to show interest and make a deposit of N1,200 for a 3-bedroom flat and N1,000 for 2-bedroom flat in any of the estates.

Each building has six flats, with staircases in the middle demarcating them. There was no gate, no fence, and there was a reasonable distance in each building.

There was an opportunity to acquire a whole building with a fence and gate in a part of the estate. That part was called a bungalow area as all the houses within the area were only small buildings. Only few could afford it as the price then was high. A minimum of N100,000 was paid to acquire a bungalow as the cost of building had increased when the bungalows were built.

Although the houses were placed on mortgage, the price for a three-bedroom flat in a two-storey building was less than N7,000, while a two-bedroom was about N5,800. It was at the time money had value as N2,900 could be used to buy a Volkswagen car.

If anyone wanted to buy more than one flat, the person would not use the same name because if a name occurred in two places, one would be removed.

How the project became a reality

The can-do ability of Jakande, along with his team, as well as their commitment to the downtrodden, made the project a reality. According to reliable sources, he was able to build the houses due to the commitment of those working with him. All materials used in the buildings were directly from the factories or point of sale to the site, nothing missed on the way.

The then Secretary to the State Government, Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun, said Jakande achieved mass housing policy through determination and commitment.

“The manifesto of the UPN was to address the suffering of the masses. In addressing the problem of the masses, he chose to build houses. He decided to build houses that would have the necessary infrastructures. Each flat had toilets, water closet, bathroom with shower, kitchen, sitting room and bedrooms.

“Wardrobes and others were not there, but the two rooms and the parlour were there for you. If you got inside and thought you wanted something better, you could start improving on them,’’ Basorun said.

According to him, Jakande was able to achieve his mass housing mission by setting up a building material board headed by Alhaji R.I Solomon, the  father of Senator Ganiyu Solomon.

He said the board was directly in charge of materials for the housing projects, and this eliminated third parties in the procurement process.

Basorun added, “The prices of cement and iron rod were negotiated with the suppliers, not going to the general market to buy. Every Sunday, he would hold a meeting with the suppliers of iron rod, cement; and he got very good prices, which he gave the contractors. If you got a contract to build a block of six flats, you would go to the building materials board to collect materials, including blocks.

“He intended to build 50,000 housing units in his first term, but he could only do 9,000. How many governments, from that time till now, have built 9,000 units of houses for the masses?”

The estates

All the estates have some things in common; however, some have more basic amenities than others. As at the time the estates were built over 35 years ago, there were good drainage and sewage systems, health facilities, mosques, churches, markets, schools (primary and secondary), and an open field for sports in all of them. With time, things changed and many private school owners built schools within and around the estate as an alternative for those who could afford them for their children/wards. Also, after some years, some landlords sold off their flats to interested buyers while others rented theirs.

In the Jakande Estate at Oke-Afa, Isolo, there were over 600 buildings which housed six flats in each building within 39 zones. The estate was officially commissioned on December 29, 1983. At the time it was constructed, it was the largest in West Africa.

The Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) built the houses and it was placed under mortgage as many low-income earners could not afford to pay for their flats.

The chairman of Landlords Association in the estate, Alhaji I.O. Salami, told our correspondent that he acquired his flat by applying without knowing anybody. Salami, who worked in a private organisation recounted, “As a salary earner in 1984, I was paying in installments while I was already living in the flat. I was paying with interest, and with time I paid it all.”

Aside the money paid in installment for the ownership of the flats, the only time each flat owner paid was during the tenure of Governor Babatunde Fashola, who asked each flat to pay N10,000 for revalidation and verification.

Regarding water supply in the Oke-Afa Estate, Pa Salami explained, “Every house is its own water corporation as there’s no central water. Although there was a central water system, the water was not adequately supplied to all the buildings. The money being generated from water was not much, so they eventually disconnected it. In all the 39 zones, every zone has a spot where water is being fetched. As time went on, people started sharing wells, wherein a pumping machine pumps the water into individual tanks. In most instances, two buildings of 12 flats could share a well to pump water.”

Things are not so different in the Jakande Estate at Abesan. There is no central water in the estate despite that the pipes were run in each flat when it was built. Also, a water corporation close to the fire service unit was installed, but it was not commissioned by Governor Fashola; hence, it has been abandoned.

Alternatively, people generated their water by themselves. In some sections of the Abesan Estate, close to Ipaja, when a tenant moves into a building, the person pays for water as some landlords have dug wells to pump water. A certain amount of money is paid for water to be pumped into the tank through a hose of each building or flat and the person pays the owner of the borehole on a weekly basis or based on the arrangement on ground. A maintenance fee of N200 or N300 is paid for the well on a regular basis. The arrangement is majorly what the estate people depend on for their source of water.

According to a resident of the estate in Abesan, Ipaja, Mrs Sola Badmus, the whole area has been peaceful and highly secure.

“The uniqueness of the estate when compared to others around is that there is security of lives and property. It is a safe environment, apart from some pickpockets who take advantage of the darkness to steal early in the morning,” she said.

Some of the flats have been rented out. In the 1980s, tenants paid the same amount for a two or three bedroom, but the rent is no longer the same as it is being determined by individual owners. However, the flats are still relatively affordable when compared to other houses in the area. In a building, the rent of the person living upstairs will be different from that of the person down.

It was observed that a lot of land meant for certain facilities in Abesan were not properly utilised. Also, the road in the estate has been neglected for years, as well as the drainage and bridges. It was only recently that the current administration fixed the major roads in the estate after a report by a television station, which showed the state of the environment.

Mrs Badmus also said that in 2007, the whole estate was renovated by tenants and landlords on the instruction of Governor Fashola. Some have been complying while others haven’t.

While most occupants of other Jakande estates paid to acquire their flats, those in Ilasan, Lekki, Eti-Osa did not pay. They were evictees of the demolished town of Maroko in 1990 when General Ibrahim Babaginda was the military president and Colonel Raji Rasak was the governor of Lagos State. The residents insisted they were forcefully evicted from Maroko; hence they sought refuge in one of the low-cost housing estates built by the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande at no cost.

The chairman of the Community Development Association (CDA) of the estate, Mr Sulaiman Kazeem noted, “Besides the Ilasan Jakande Primary School and the health centre, other infrastructural facilities like the market, central mosque, central church were built through communal efforts while the Ilasan Jakande Junior and Senior Secondary Schools were built by Chevron Plc.’’

The president of the Landlords Association of the Ilasan Estate, Mr Orioye Oluwaseyi, emphasised that when the residents of the estate were dismissed from Maroko in 1990, some buildings were not completed, and there was no electricity, drinkable water nor good roads. He wondered where they would have been if the estate was not in existence before the demolition of their homes at Maroko.

Residents appealed to Governor Sanwo-Olu to redevelop the estate as a mark of honour to the late Alhaji Jakande. According to them, there is insecurity in the estate and incidents of flood every time there is heavy rainfall. The roads are also in bad condition, even as they lack constant electricity and drinkable water.

A resident and landlord in the estate, Alhaji M.A Banjo, said most of the house owners had died; hence their flats were either sold or rented to questionable people, a situation that has contributed to the spate of insecurity in the area.

“A flat in the estate is now N400,000 per year, and that has made those evicted by their landlords to build illegal attachments within the vicinity, so the estate no longer looks attractive,’’ Pa Banjo said.

A youth leader, Adeola Adeyemi Moshood, said he was born in the estate in 1990 and his parents told him how Jakande had been a man of honour, having governed the state well.

Management and maintenance

In all the estates, the buildings, although old, are still strong as individuals are said to maintain wherever they are residing.

Meanwhile, over the years, the management of the estate has been transferred to the Lagos Building Investment Corporation (LBIC) by the LSDPC.

Expectations from government

On the expectations of the people from the state government, Alhaji Salami in Oke-Afa said, “The LBIC should be more committed and know how to relate with residents in the estates. Majority of the original landlords in Jakande estates are retirees. Some are living from hand to mouth while others rely on their children. They should relate with them in that mentality and context.

“The payment of a supervision fee of N1,500 and an insurance fee of N1,500 annually has not been easy. Some flat owners want to pay, but the distance and cost of transportation is the major challenge they have. They should make a passionate effort to create a paying office in each estate. Alternatively, they should announce the day they can come for their money at a certain point, such that their officials would collect the money. They stand aloof at Alausa and say people should pay online when some landlords are barely digitally compliant. And if a flat defaults in the building, it would be regarded as if the whole building has not paid.”

At Oke-Afa, sewage management has been a major challenge. To this end, Pa Salami advised government to consider a comprehensive management of the system. “If they want the number of people that will visit the health facilities to reduce, then they must consider an environmental management of the estate,’’ he said.

The head of the Landlords Association at Oke-Afa also said, “Management of the drainages is as important as putting drugs in a hospital, if not better. There was a time there was no mosquito in the estate because after each rainfall, water would flow easily. But things are now different. Now, when rain falls, mosquitoes parade the drainages and eventually enter houses.

“If the Lagos State Government could provide a drainage system to put an end to the perennial flooding within our area before the 2021 rainy season begins, that would show the respect they have for the late governor,’’ Ilasan said.

The President-General of all the Jakande estates in Lagos, Alhaji Abiodun Taiwo, said he had been having discussions with the management of the LBIC and they were urged to write their complaints so that there could be solutions.

 

From Risikat Ramoni, Abdullateef Aliyu and Ibrahim Kegbegbe, Lagos