The General Manager, Kwara State Housing Corporation, Architect Salihu Sulaiman has attributed housing deficit to the increasing cost of renting apartments in the state.
Speaking to Pilot Business in an interview, on Friday, related the consistent hike in rent to theory of demand and supply.
The GM said, ” The issue of shylock house owners can be explained by the economic theory of supply and demand. It is because the demand of housing is higher than the supply that we are having exorbitant charges by house owners.
” By the time we have the deficit in housing going down, that is when rent will definitely come down. And, anywhere in the world, especially in the central business district, rents are usually higher than on the outskirts,” he added.
Suleiman, therefore, urged people to own their own houses through some of these programmes the corporation has put in place.
He said, ” You know owning a house is the best and something that everybody is striving to do in life. But I think what we can do is to encourage developers to build more houses in the state and when they do, house rent will fall.
“Look at what is happening in Abuja currently, there are more housing scheme therefore driving down the cost of rent. More investors are building houses everywhere in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“If we build more houses in Ilorin metropolis, it will surely drive down the cost of houses even in the local government areas, satellite towns and communities.
The Maigida Housing Scheme and the Budo Osho new GRA are geared up to solve those problems on building collapse, he said the owners should be blamed, adding that the corporation is working against activities of quacks in the sector.
He said, “The state Housing Corporation and Town Planning are man by professionals who are involved in the construction of houses.
“We are trying to have synergy with professional bodies, so that we don’t allow quacks to do what they are doing. Most of the building that are collapsing I can tell you without mincing words that thy were constructed by quacks.
“We could also hold the clients responsible because they are the ones that are always trying to cut corners and not engaging professionals.”
