By Femi Akinola
Property owners and their tenants residing at Queenspark Estate, a developing community of Simawa, off Lagos-lbadan expressway, Ogun State, are fuming with anger, over failed promises of the developer who sold land to them over deterioration of the Estate environment.
The once envisioned idyllic Estate some years ago now grapple with poorly maintained roads, environment beautification projects have vanished and the Estate shrouded in darkness all night due to the failed promise of streetlights across the Estate by the developer.
Landlords and residents in the Estate now live in despair and disillusionment as their streets and roads are riddled with erosion and without streetlights, basic safety and nightlife is compromised in the Estate.
Reacting to the nonchalant attitude of the developer to the plight of residents in the Estate, Chairman of Residents Association, Joshua Odugbela, lamented that during the marketing stage before people bought land from the developer who sold the land to them, the developer promised not only to build but assure regular maintenance of the estate road network including a reliable drainage system within the Estate.
“These and many other promises made by the developer pushed us to buying the land on which we built our houses. The builder through his field workers succeeded in wooing majority of property owners in the estate and we invested our hard earned money nit knowing we’re investing on empty promises. Years after the first construction started in the Estate, none of the promise made has materialised,” Odugbela emphasised.
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According to another real estate investor in the estate, Chris Adibe, the developer failed to connect the estate to a dependable electricity source but that is yet to be a reality years after he packed into his house in the Estate.
He said, “We are still living in darkness as of we live in a village in the hinterland. All plea made to the developer by landlords and residents in the estate fell on their deaf ears. This has pushed people in the estate to the limit. We cannot continue living in a deteriorating environment and feel happy or grow.”
Chris called on the developer to honour the promises made to property owners in Queens Park Estate before this year rain season will start.
He said residents in the estate are tired of living in an unconducive environment noting that the developer may be sued for breach in an agreement with his subscribers.
The story of betrayal of estate developer and property owners happening now at Queenspark Estate, Simawa, Ogun State, is a common relationship across new estates springing up across the country.
In most cases like that of Queenspark Estate, property owners collective voice usually echoes demand for fairness and good living environment towards a better living.
