Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Lagos state governor, has unveiled a public housing scheme in Idale, Badagry.
The project, which consists of 252 units of two-bedroom eco-friendly homes, was done in partnership with Echostone Development Nigeria.
The state government said it has partnered with Echostone in a public-private partnership to deliver 100,000 affordable homes in 10 years as part of efforts to bridge the current three million housing deficit.
Speaking at the commissioning of the home units, Moruf Akinderu-Fatai, the Lagos state commissioner for housing, said the partnership has leveraged technology to provide affordable housing for low-income earners.
“We are leveraging on this technology, and we want to take this technology to the next level. For instance, the entire estate was constructed within one year. So, if we leverage on that, we would be able to provide more affordable housing units for Lagosians as fast as possible”, he said.
Akinderu-Fatai described the inauguration of the Idale Estate as historic being the first green and eco-friendly estate constructed by Echostone Nigeria in Lagos state.
In his remarks, Sammy Adigun, managing director of Echostone Development, said the housing scheme named, ‘Peridot Parkland Estate’, is the first-ever green-certified affordable housing community in Nigeria, and the first to be certified by the International Finance Corporation (WorldBank) EDGE.
According to him, the project is not only the first-ever in Nigeria to be World Bank EDGE certified, but it is one of only three in all of Africa to meet the advanced certification level for its significant carbon, energy and water savings.
He pointed out that the estate is confirmed to a 53 percent energy savings home, 42 percent water savings and 35 percent carbon savings.
“The EDGE recognition puts Nigeria among leading nations in the world committed to meeting the highest standards of sustainability that supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG11, Sustainable Cities,” he explained.
“Not only is the environment considered, but more importantly, the people who live here will benefit greatly from a higher quality living standard for their families while having the opportunities of lowered utility costs.
“As we all know, housing is at the heart of communities and EchoStone and the state of Lagos can be proud to deliver a community that is not just affordable, but healthy and resilient and is the foundation for education, health and more.”
Other housing units will be constructed in Ayobo, Alimosho local government area and Imota in Ikorodu local government area.
