BY MICHAEL IKEOGWU/WARRI
The Association of Estate Agents of Nigeria (AEAN), Delta State Chapter, yesterday, called on both the federal and state governments to partner with real estate developers to address housing shortages in the country.
The State Chairman of AEAN, Comrade Oyibo Oke, made the call while on a courtesy visit to the Executive Chairman, Uvwie Local Government Area, Hon. Anthony Ofoni.
Comrade Oke, who lamented the acute shortage of housing in the country which has given rise to high cost of renting an apartment, stressed on the need for urgent intervention in the sector.
He expressed the association commitment to maintaining high industry standards and providing required professional training for its members, decried the prevalence of unprofessional agents who undermine public trust in the real estate industry.
“Over the years in Nigeria the real estate profession has been bastardized by unprofessional agents, who disguise as real estate agents to defraud clients of their hard earn resources with no hope of recovering their money back, this has given the public a poor perception of estate agents and its noble profession.
“Therefore, in a bid to reverse this ugly trend/perception and to curtail these fraudulent activities, the Nigeria Institute of Estate Surveyor and Valuer established AEAN IN 2013 to ensure the real estate industry standard are met, upheld and members are regularly train on basic techniques to enhance the growth of their business such that the public/parties and stakeholder will be satisfied.
“Real estate play a critical role in the development of any state or local government area, Development of real estate goes hand in hand with development of critical infrastructure like roads, bridge, drainages and construction. Government at all level should partner with real estate agents, surveyors and valuers in formulation of policies and most especially in curbing the challenge of shortage of houses.
“The incessant increment of house rent by landlord is worrisome and it is affecting our clients, government should help to build low cost housing to help reduce the bane of shortage of houses, government should put mechanism in place to help checkmate the excess of unprofessional agents who want to drag the real estate business to the mud.”
Comrade Oke while congratulating Hon. Ofoni on his election and successful swearing in as the Executive Chairman of Uvwie Local Government Council, expressed confidence in his ability to drive positive change in Uvwie. Saying, “We believe in your leadership and your capacity to transform Uvwie for the better”.
Responding to AEAN’s concerns, the Chairman Uvwie Local Government Council, Hon. Anthony Ofoni said that the increase in rents is partly due to rising cost of building materials. He also suggested that agent fees should be reviewed, as high charges can be burdensome for tenants.
According to him, “Landlords invest heavily in building materials, and it is unreasonable for agents to charge excessive fees. We need to address this issue to make housing more accessible,” he concluded.
He pledged to support the association on any initiative that will bring about the transformation of the council, just as he promised to continue to work towards the sustenance of peace currently enjoyed in the area.
