Need for Other States to Copy Ogun’s Homeowners’ Charter Programme Highlighted

Governments in the remaining 35 States of the country have been advised to replicate the Homeowners’ Charter programme recently launched by the Ogun State government in their respective States to ensure environmental sustainability as well as eradicate poverty and hunger as advocated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

 

Special Adviser to the State Governor on MDGs, Mrs. Hafsat Abiola-Costello gave the advice in her remarks in Ilorin, Kwara State at the fourth Regional Conference on Post MDGs 2015 organized by Department for International Development (DFID) South West Office in collaboration with Kwara State MDGs Office.

 

She said with the Homeowners’ Charter programme, the Ogun State government has provided a rare opportunity for owners of structures built without obtaining requisite documents such as survey, building plans and approval as well as Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) to obtain them at huge discounted rate.

 

Abiola-Costello contended that following this, values of such properties would increase and if the need arises, such owners could approach financial institutions using the documents particularly the C of O as collateral to borrow money to start small scale businesses of their choice.

 

According to her, when such business grows, it would not only reduce poverty and hunger, but also create employment opportunities and enhance socio-economic growth.

 

Speaking on MDGs programmes that the Senator Ibikunle Amosun-led administration had embarked on since it took the reign of government; Abiola-Costello informed that no fewer than 130 solar powered boreholes had been provided for use of public primary schools and communities across the State.

 

She added that the State Government had also renovated maternity centres in different parts of the State and equipped with modern facilities, provided ambulances and built or renovates classrooms provided with ancillaries such as toilets, benches and chairs. 

 

In her presentation, Lead Consultant to DFID on MDGs projects, Dr. (Mrs.) Dayo Lajide affirmed that the State Government had been giving priority to educational development as it had consistently devoted the largest singular portion of its budget, not lower than 20 percent to the sector as stipulated by UNESCO.

 

Saying that measures to improve the quality and capacity of teaching staff through training and re-training had been sustained, Lajide added that the government was not neglecting the agriculture and health sector either.

 

She enjoined other States to emulate Ogun and establish Bureau of Statistics to aid data collection and collation that could be needed for effective execution of MDGs.