By Daniel Tyokua
The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN ) has directed it members across the country to waive 5 months house rent for Nigerians to cushion the effect of coronavirus pandemic on the economy.
President of the association, Dr. Aliyu Wammakko said the developers have come to terms with the reality of what was happening in the country and had directed developers not to collect house rent from tenants starting from February to June, this year.
Wammakko stated this when he donated COVID-19 relief food items to Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA ), yesterday in Abuja.
He said: “The Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria have come to term with the reality of what is happening in the country and we have instructed our members to first of all reduce the price of houses, for those taking rent developers should not collect the rent of February to June. The coronavirus pandemic has touch tremendously on the economic wellbeing of Nigerians.
“We urge mortgages to also reduce their prices from February to June, REDAN is doing its best, only in Abuja developers have provided over 10 housing units for Nigerians in Abuja” he said.
The Palliative items donated include 200 bags of 5kg rice, 200 cartons of Indomie noodles, 50 bags of semovita and 69 bottles of groundnut oil for distribution to households to enable them comply with the sit-at-home directives.
Wammako used the occasion to reveal that with the sit-at-home directive, the association has come to the realization that some Nigerians are homeless while others are living in congested homes, just as he pledged that REDAN is ready to partner with the FCT Administration to systematically increase the stock of housing in the territory.
He also prayed that the nation gets over this pandemic soonest, just as he appreciated the efforts of President Muhammadu Buhari, members of the Presidential Task Force, health personnel and staff of the FCT Administration who are doing their best to contain this virus.
“As part of our corporate social responsibility, we support the Federal Capital Territory Administration with some food items for distribution to households to enable them comply with the sit-at-home directives.
“With the COVID-19 directives of sit-at-home, we at REDAN realized that some Nigerians are even homeless while others are living in congested homes. We hereby wish to partner with the FCT Administration to systematically increase the stock of housing in the Federal Capital Territory,” Wammako noted.
Receiving the items on behalf of the administration, the FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, who was represented by the Director General of FCT Emergency Management Agency, Dr. Abbass Idriss, described the pandemic as a war zone, noting that the donation received so far would go a long way to cushion the effect of sit-at-home order.
According to her, “On behalf of the administration and the entire vulnerable people in the FCT, we are happy to receive these palliative items from REDAN. We appreciate this kind gesture at this critical tine.
“We are faced with a war of the coronavirus pandemic and hunger is another war of itself. We have received assistance from organisations like REDAN due to the lockdown in the nation’s capital. In the FCT, we have already commenced the distribution of the palliative and we started with Abaji area council and we are loading to go to Kuje and Kwali area councils tomorrow by the grace of God.
“We will like to go round the area councils on or before fasting commences. The government is not unmindful of the hardship people are going through and we believe that these palliatives will assist a great deal”.
Aliyu therefore called on others to emulate this kind gesture, while assuring the group that the items would be distributed to the vulnerable in rural communities.
