Lagos State government has warned prospective home buyers to beware of fake real estate developers and agents in the state, citing House Height Developers which, it says, claim to be agents of the state government.
Abdulhafis Toriola, the Permanent Secretary of Ministry of Housing, who gave the warning at a meeting in Ikeja recently, advised buyers, especially those in Diaspora, to desist from transacting any business with the firm and their agents on any matter relating to Harmony Court Estate.
Toriola explained that the state-owned estate located along Command Road, Ipaja, Ayobo in Ipaja Local Council Development Authority (LCDA), Lagos, is not in any way linked to the developer.
He decried the activities of the firm which has Ngozi Elizabeth Ola-David popularly known as Ngozi Elizabeth Phil-Ebosie as managing director, stressing that the developer is not an agent or partner of the state government.
“ Ngozi Elizabeth Phil-Ebosie has not been appointed to deal on behalf of the state government in respect to any three-bedroom apartment at Harmony Estate. Any claim by anyone that he or she is an appointed agent by the ministry is false and should be disregarded”, Toriola advised.
He disclosed that an erstwhile partnership between the state government and House Heights had been terminated for non-performance in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contractual agreement.
“Members of the public, particularly those in Diaspora, are therefore advised to disregard the claims of ownership by House Height; anyone who deals with the firm or its agents or buys home from them in violation of this notice does so at his or her own risk,” Toriola cautioned.
Bukade Idowu-Koya, director of Legal Services at the ministry, also advised that anyone interested in the homes should contact Office of the Permanent Secretary, Block 3, Second Floor, The Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja.
Lagos State government, in the last four to five years, has been waging war against quacks and fake developers and estate agency practitioners who have been taking advantage of high demand for housing in the state to defraud home seekers.
This relentless war was responsible for the setting up of an agency in the ministry of housing called Lagos State Real Estate Regulatory Authority (LASRERA) to regulatory and monitor activities of real estate developers and estate agents. The authority has the power to prosecute defaulting practitioners.
