293 federal government houses in Lagos sold to highest bidders
Two Hundred and ninety-three federal government houses located in Lagos were in Abuja offered for sale.
The houses, located in Apapa GRA, Ijora GRA, Ikeja GRA and Victoria Island were sold to the highest bidder during a bidding session organised by the Ministry of Housing and Environment.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that out of the 293 houses, 72 are located in Apapa, 58 in Ijora, 88 in Ikeja and 81 in Victoria Island.
A block of flats in Ijora GRA valued at N74 million, was sold for N100 million to S. O. Energy. Minister of environment and housing, Mrs Helen Esuene, declared the bids open.
Esuene is also chairman, Presidential Implementation Committee (PIC), on the sale of government houses.
Speaking before the bids were opened, the minister said the occasion represented a significant milestone in government's determination to derive full benefits from its landed assets.
The exercise, she added, was in line with current government policy to divest itself of the responsibility of maintaining quarters that were no longer required.
According to Esuene, the primary concern of the PIC in the discharge of its mandate is to conduct an open, competitive, transparent and participatory process.
The minister, represented by minister of state environment and housing, Alhaji Ikra Bilbis, said the exercise would determine the highest bidder on each property bidded for.
''After the result is known, the highest bids will then be offered to the legal sitting tenant who will be expected to match the bids within the stipulated time,'' Esuene said.