Dr Makanjuola Ojewumi, an estate developer and chairman of Jericho Mall, Ibadan, has described Governor ‘Seyi Makinde as an intentional leader who is deliberately developing Oyo State.
Makanjuola, a Fellow of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), disclosed this in an interview with The People’s Verdict.
According to him: “He (Makinde) is a governor that has intentionally freed the process of getting things done and getting development to take place. So many estates have popped up within the city. He must be a governor that is positively looking at what can be done to raise the standards and the building set up in the city for him to have consistently done that over time.
“Of course, there have been one or two controversies. For instance, the Baywood GRA beside Agodi Gardens. Some people felt why should a conservation area be approved as a GRA and all that. But the argument is neither here nor there.
“Let’s be candid, that area is prime; if it is not done today, it could be done another four, five years and it might not be done structured or organised. What I have seen there is an estate that is being professionally put together. There is a lot of land compacting; they have left a good part of the conservation area. So, it is a balance of flora and fauna with the built environment.
“So, it is showing a consistent pattern of someone who really wants Ibadan to grow into the city that is evolving right now, a nicely evolving city that shows a lot of development.”
Commenting on the disposition of Makinde in supporting the development of new estates in the state, Makanjuola said “It is always a welcome thing for us to see a governor that is positively looking towards developing a city or town with approvals for various developments. It is impactful.
“Nigeria has a huge housing gap; the number of houses we have is not enough to house the populace, as it were. You know we have changing demographics. Young people are growing up; someone who was 20 a few years ago is now 26 or 28 and needs accommodation. Those who were 28 before are now 35. The demographics keep changing, if the government is not conscious of it, they will just do nothing.
“It is old fashioned for government to say they want to build houses for people, what is called social housing. Government doesn’t have enough resources to do that. What the government should do is what Oyo State under Makinde is doing; facilitate places where land is available and developers can come in with necessary capital and develop housing for the citizens and the city.”
Talking about the necessity for new estates in the state, Makanjuola said: “To the degree that they increase the number of houses available for the people to be housed in, it is good, it is important. These days, the trend is for us to have gated developments, where people have a sense of security, a sense of community. So, it is necessary for us to have new estates and we don’t have enough yet. We can still have more.”
On the nexus between estate development and economic development, the estate developer said: “There is no way estate development can take place that it will not trickle into economic development. Every time you are building a house, you are engaging workmen. You will be surprised that some workmen may come from as far as Cotonou and Lagos to Ibadan. They earn money and spend money within the city. They must be accommodated in the time that they are here, they must eat.
“Some people set up kiosks to serve the workers. The timber market at Bodija will know that development is taking place when a lot of demand is coming in for timber. There is a postulation that if you allow a lot of estate developments, you can actually cause an economy to boom.”
Makanjuola also submitted that there is a link between estate development and wealth creation as well as job creation.
He said: “For the developer, wealth is being created, for the buyers of the properties too, wealth is being created. There is a small GRA behind BCOS at Bashorun. The price at which property started there is not the price today. I am sure it has virtually doubled. That is wealth creation.
“But much beyond that, what interests me here is job creation. Jobs are created when estates are built, not just during construction, even post-construction. You won’t believe the number of people that work in an estate; stewards, helps, security men, etc. So many jobs are created post construction.”
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