Real Estate firm moves to tackle housing challenge among teachers

As part of efforts to proffer solutions to the housing deficit for low-average income earners in Nigeria particularly teachers, RESSA Real Estate Project Development Ltd, held a one-day forum in Lagos.

The programme, which came under the theme, ‘RESSA intending landlords and land ladies 2022 support conference,’ exposed teachers in both public and private schools in Nigeria to how to acquire lands they can develop.

Speaking at the conference which was the second in its series, the founder of Real Estate Project Development Ltd, Ibiam Uko affirmed that the conference was necessary so as to educate teachers on how best to acquire lands which in turn will enable them to build houses of their own.

According to him, most teachers in Nigeria are low-income earners, adding that many of them believe that they cannot own houses.

In his words: “RESSA has come to change the narrative. What we do is to encourage them to form a team of eleven teachers in their schools, we understand that they do monthly contributions and because they do not have any project to execute, the moment they receive their monthly contributions, they consume it, but now we encourage them to invest their contributions in acquiring properties.

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“So, now when they receive their contributions, eleven of them will add it together and buy a land for one person, before one and half years all of them would have become a land owners, we will give them time to pay for the remaining part of the money .We wave both agency and agreement fees for them.’’

On the choice of teachers, Uko said: “We are focusing on teachers because they are important in the society, they are character molders and should be well taking care of, the government cannot do it alone.’’

While commending the efforts of Lagos State government towards improving the lives of public school teachers in the state, he stressed the need for governments to partner with organisations like RESSA and added that such partnership would improve the quality of the lives of teachers.

Lagos State Director, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN), Ojewuyi who spoke at the conference described the event as unique, adding, “A situation where a real estate is partnering with teachers, trying to make available to them low cost houses and as such helping them to enhance their professional career, it is a beautiful package.’’

On the other hand, Ojewuyi stressed the need for teachers to register with the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, saying such registration qualifies them as professional teachers.

One of the participants, a retired teacher, Stella Ijeoma who also spoke at the conference, advised teachers who are in service to plan their lives very well so they will not suffer after retirement.

She also encouraged them to engage in other businesses that will yield extra income.