Hyacinth Chinweuba
The Police Multipurpose Co-operative Society estate has been commissioned by the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris in Badagry, Lagos State.
Named after President, Muhammadu Buhari, the housing estate which was conceived eight years ago under the then Inspector-General of Police, Mike Okiro was contracted to the Remax Realtors Nigeria Limited and financed jointly by the Stanbic-IBTC Bank and the Police Mortgage Bank.
The estate which is sited at Agemowo, along the busy Lagos-Badagry Expressway when fully developed will have 1,083 bungalows of both 2 bedrooms and 3 bedrooms delivered to the Nigerian Police Multipurpose Co-operative Society Limited. There are currently 312 buildings standing with 105 fully serviced with roads, water, sewage and electricity.
The amenities to be provided are all befitting the middle and high income category, water reticulation system to provide water to the whole estate, a central sewage processing system and over 14 kilometers of paved roads running through the estate.
Other facilities planned for the estate are a nursery and primary school, a mini shopping complex with a banking facility, an event centre and a petrol station. The estate is planned over 64 hectares to give a befitting layout and ambience of a 21st century development that will appreciate in value particularly give that the intended commercial significance of Badagry being put in place by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and eventual completion of the 10 lane Lagos-Badagry expressway..
Speaking shortly after commissioning the estate, the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris said that the project was the outcome of the painstaking efforts his administration made towards improving the welfare of the officers and men of the Nigerian Police Force.
Idris disclosed that the estate was named after President Muhammadu Buhari whose fervent support brought the force this far.
According to him,”I also assured police personnel of my determination to accelerate all the issues that are around the welfare of policemen and families such as promotion, prompt payment of entitlements, salaries and provision of affordable housing units among others. These promises I pursued with zeal because of my firm believe that police officers deserve huge support in terms of welfare, emoluments and other logistics given the nature of our duties.
“In view of the above, my administration has sustained major result orientated initiatives aimed at reinvigorating the police welfare system through police cooperative society and insurance which are investments made by the police”.
He recalled that in keeping with his promises, similar projects were commissioned in some states of the federation including but not limited to Katsina, Zamfara, Niger and FCT while those of Enugu and other states would soon follow.
He therefore enjoined the Police officers to be at their best, applying best practices in their dealings with the populace with total loyalty to the country.
Earlier in his opening speech, the Commissioner of Police, Cooperatives, Mr. Shola David disclosed that the project which was in four phases with phase one consisting of 312 units, 105 units made up of 40 3bedrooms and 64 2bedrooms were ready for immediate occupation while 207 units were awaiting sanitary installations.
David further revealed that many policemen were already registering their interest to occupy the buildings by filing the cooperative’s form.
“Permit me to also inform you Sir and also the generality of our officers and men that other welfarist intervention programme are already springing up in Kaduna, Kano, Zamfara and Sokoto. Very soon sir, we will soon call you to come and commission those projects. I also want to use this opportunity to inform the IG that the biggest shopping mall along Mobolaji Bank Anthony is nearing completion and very soon, the IG will commission it, before December, 2017″, he added.
Also speaking, the Chief Executive Officer of Remax Realtors Nigeria Limited, Mrs. Funke Adesoji while appreciating the IGP for his support to the company since assuming office pointing out that they saw the gesture not only as support to their organization but also an unflinching commitment to the welfare of the officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force.
Adesoji disclosed that the construction of the estate threw up a lot of challenges which led them to the drawing board on many occasions, the most significance of which made them raise a level by filling up the land mass with sand in anticipation of flooding that would likely occur from raised level when the expressway is completed.
She said,”The project also suffered a major shock having been caught at construction stage with massive foreign exchange devaluation. For example sir, the exchange rate at the contract signing was N156 to a dollar and this rose invariably over at N380 to N450 to US dollar at different points. This led to higher cost of building materials at both local and imported goods thereby spiraling cost of construction at an astronomical rate”.
Highlights of the event were unveiling of commemorative plaque and handing over keys to the bungalows to two successful female police officers who are the first beneficiaries of the scheme by the IGP.