By Bose Adelaja
Due to the stress associated with building and owning a property in Lagos, many residents of the city have given up hope of ever owning a house of their choice. To compound the problem, the menace of land grabbers popularly called Omo-Oniles is on the increase and this has discouraged many would-be property owners.

Indeed, some people have, in the process, either been maimed, killed or sent back to their villages due to various atrocities perpetrated by the hoodlums at building sites.
During Vanguard Metro’s, VM, visit to some construction sites, some property owners complained bitterly about the menace of Omo-Oniles, alleging that they have made developers a ‘spinning machine’.

According to them, these omo-oniles visit the sites at will to demand several unauthorised levies such as owo foundation, owo lintel, owo roofing, owo atunta-ile and owo receipt ( levy for foundation , lintel levy, roofing levy, ratification fee and payment for receipt), to mention but a few.

A lady who identified herself as  Faith Alfred told VM that her mother-in law, Madam Serifat Owoeye, was murdered when some land grabbers engaged her community in a tussle. In a related development, another victim of the omo-oniles, Mr. Johnson Orilowo, told VM that he was deprived of two plots of land which he  bought, although he paid for them on installments.

A former resident of Igando in the Igando -Ikotun Local Council Development Area, Mr. Bernard, said he will live to remember a recent event which led to the premature death of his wife. The family had gone to inspect  the work going on in their site when suddenly they discovered some new faces at the site. The strange persons warned them to steer clear of the property or be prepared for the consequences.

Apparently annoyed by this threat, the deceased who was identified as Maureen, challenged the people. The ensuing scuffle led to her death. Until her death,Maureen was described as  hypertensive.
Residents of Unity area of Bayeku in Igbogbo/Bayeku Local Council Development Area also have bitter tales to tell about  land grabbers. The residents of the community are presently at logger-heads with the omo-oniles over land sales and acquisition.

Succour, however, seems to be underway for Lagos residents following the launch of the Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, HOMS. HOMS is a government initiative to encourage and support home ownership of first-time buyers, FTBs.

The scheme will enable Lagos residents to purchase decent and affordable homes through the provision of mortgage finance as administered by the Lagos Mortgage Board, LMB. The scheme stipulates that applicants must be first time buyers of property; must be residents in Lagos and will be required to provide proofs or submit copies of their Lagos State Residents Registration Card where applicable.

Also, an applicant must be 21 years old and above and a proven tax payer. The prospective home owner must be able to make the 30 per cent down payment (equity contribution) with monthly repayments.
With the take-off of the scheme barely two weeks ago, the state government said it has provided 4,620 housing units in various sizes. They range from a one-bedroom flat to the four- bed room units.

While many Lagosians applauded the gesture as one that would bail residents  out of the rigours often associated with conventional building acquisition, others urged government to ensure security in such locations as well as make the roads leading to them motorable. Lagos State Commissioner for Information, Mr. Lateef Ibirogba, said the step was a bold approach in solving the  housing deficit in the State.

‘’As a mega city with 21million people, Lagos is the smallest in terms of land mass but harbours more than 10 per cent of Nigeria’s population. As a result, there is need for shelter and we know we can solve the problem through creativity,’’ Ibirogba said, adding that  for the initiative to be meaningful, it must get to those who need it. ‘’It is not for Shylock  commercialisation or money bag politicians,’’ he added.

The Commissioner said payment is not the ‘Ghana-must-go type’, rather ‘’buyers will pay 30 per cent  of the total cost while the rest is spread over a period of 10 years. If it works abroad, it can also work in Lagos. We want to have houses all over Lagos like Epe, Lekki, Ogba, Alimosho, Agege, Ikorodu, Surulere and many others to enable residents to own a house.

The project is financed by tax payers’ money and we don’t want non-residents to buy and sublet. That is why LASRRA card is highly essential. Also, the price is affordable but depends on location while buyers must have capacity to pay after making a choice of location,’’ he said.

Existing landlords in the State, according to him, are exempted from the initiative. ‘We want to try as much as possible to remove class barrier; 200 owners are to emerge monthly through  open draws and the units are in one to four-bedroom flats because we want people to interact with one another regardless of the class,’’ he said.