A low-income estate built by the Bayelsa state government has been allegedly hijacked by politicians and senior government officials in the state, findings have revealed.
An estate built by former governor Seriake Dickson called “Anyama Low Income Estate Phase 1” was hurriedly inaugurated by Dickson before he left office on February 12, 2020 without internal roads, toilet facilities, electricity, and security provisions amongst others.
The estate which comprises 42 units by 84 flats has since been abandoned by Governor Dóuye Diri’s administration since he took over from Dickson in 2020.
The findings were made during an investigative tour carried out by members of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel of the NUJ on Thursday as part of its social obligations.
The correspondents visited the estate along Yenagoa/Oporoma Road, Anyama in the Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of the state and Okaka Phase 2 Estate in the heart of Yenagoa, the state capital.
Findings indicate that the estate has been occupied by homeless people who found solace in the uncompleted buildings.
However, some of the occupants claimed to have rented the place from the government officials who allegedly manipulated the process for selfish reasons.
It was further learnt that government officials capitalised on the fact that the homeless who thronged the estate were occupying the area without official allocation and had been collecting rent from some of them.
Speaking to members of the Federated Correspondents’ Chapel, Chief Daniel Oputu, a resident of Ayama Housing Estate said that he rented his apartment from one Clement Angalabiri.
“I am not one of those illegal occupants, I am the chairman of this estate but let’s say about 50 per cent of the occupants are illegal tenants because one man who calls himself the Community Liaison Officer illegally rented these houses to them.
“And some people said that he is from the Ministry of Housing. His name is John Amakiri,” Oputu said.
According to Oputu, over 95% of occupants in the estate do not have toilets.
“As I am here, I am trying to arrange a toilet for myself at the back of the flat. When I came here, I paid directly to the landlord and I discovered that there was no toilet and no staircase.
“When I complained to him, he said I should do it and I did everything including the wiring of the place but when the first payment of N100,000 expired, he said I should pay again which I refused and he gave me quit notice that made me relocate to this particular one.
“We made an inquiry and we were told that these houses are allocated to them by the government through the Ministry of Housing. For some of the apartments, two landlords are even laying claim to it. Some tenants don’t even know who is their landlord,” Oputu said.
According to him, the tenants are facing many problems in the estate regarding the lack of toilet facilities, electricity, water, and a poor road network amongst others.
“If you want to take a house here and you go to one John Amakiri at the Ministry of Housing, he will tell you to pay to him and he will come and allocate the place without you seeing your landlord for the next three years.
“This place is about 200 acres of land and these are the houses that they have built. These houses are not even completed. Legally you cannot even rent a house when the house is not completed but we are managing it.
“I have been here for three years and I am paying N200,000. Last year the government came and said that they wanted to do something, they came with caterpillars and other equipment, and in the end, nothing was done.
“We have about 42 blocks by 84 flats and almost all of them are occupied.
“I want the government to come and assist us by putting the toilet facilities, and connect lights to the estate. We don’t have water except for two or three boreholes that are privately owned. Every day, we spend nothing less than N500 on fetching water with labour. We lack security. Everybody is a security officer here in the night,” he said
Another resident, Mr Gentleman Siloko said, “Before the inauguration, there was no staircase, no toilet and no electrification which were supposed to be done but none. So if you pay you look for a source of light. Every landlord collects rent based on negotiation. But most of us rented two-bedroom flats for between N100,000 and N250,000,” Siloko said.
Another resident, Madam Preye Ebi said that houses in the estate are allocated to the “big men in the state”.
“Even the places that they have only dug foundation have been allocated to the big men,” she said.
At Okaka Housing Estate, Madam Joy Onbu said she came to the estate through one Philip who claimed that the brother known as Akpos was the contractor of the place.
She said, ” I came here through Philip and he didn’t collect any money from me. When I first came, I gave the person staying in my present apartment N70,000 and since that time I have not paid anything. I also gave Philip N20,000.
“I have been here for four years now and I am not paying anything because he is not disturbing anybody but now, he said that everybody will pay N100,000 because people are subletting the house to other people. We have a steady power supply but we put the toilets by ourselves.”
When contacted on the telephone on the pretext of seeking to rent a place at the Anyama Low Income Estate, Mr. John Amakiri agreed to give out a flat at the cost of N120,000 per annum.
Amakiri said the houses had been allocated to former commissioners, members of the House of Assembly and other top government officials.
He claimed to be acting on behalf of the Ministry of Housing in the state.
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