I will reduce the cost of land in Lagos when I win-Jimi Agbaje

The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, on Wednesday promised to reduce the cost of land in Lagos to address the problem of accommodation in the state. Agbaje said his administration would also implement a low-cost housing scheme that would be affordable to low-income earners. Speaking during a town hall meeting in the Ifako- Ijaiye Local Government Area, Agbaje said the Lagos State Government had continually paid lip service to the plight of the masses in the state in the area of housing, noting that 25,000 housing units built by the APC-led government in the last 16 years were inadequate. The PDP candidate noted that the high cost of land in the state and the bureaucracies of obtaining a permit from the state government had compounded the housing challenge. He said, “We understand how building low-cost houses can be done in Lagos. The first thing we will do is to reduce the cost of land because our records show that the elite have taken all the land for themselves. “When we reduce the cost of land, this will reduce the cost of buildings. We will also make approvals easier for individuals who wish to build because the delay also affect the finished cost, especially for those who obtained loan to build.” Agbaje, who claimed to have a unique formula to address the challenge, urged the people to vote for him. “I disagree with the excuses given by the Lagos State Government that it is not easy to build for low-income earners in the state. A former governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande did it and I will do it if elected,” he said.