The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has commenced a series of infrastructure rehabilitation projects in FESTAC Town, Lagos, as part of efforts to restore the estate to its former status as a model community.
At the official inauguration on Monday, FHA’s Managing Director, Hon. Oyetunde Ojo, said the projects marked the beginning of a broader regeneration plan for the estate. The newly delivered works include the reconstruction of the Estate First Gate, rehabilitation of the First Avenue Road, and the installation of solar-powered streetlights.
Ojo recalled that when he assumed office, FESTAC’s roads, gates, and streetlights had fallen into disrepair, leaving the once-thriving estate in darkness and poor sanitary condition. “The First Gate had collapsed, the road to First Avenue was nearly impassable, and major avenues were in darkness. We had to act quickly,” he said.
According to him, the regeneration plan prioritises security, mobility, sanitation, and livelihoods in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive that FHA should maintain its existing estates while delivering new housing projects.
The FHA chief further announced that rehabilitation of the Fourth and Seventh Avenues had been awarded to the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), while the Authority would handle other critical projects. He also hinted at plans to ban commercial motorcycles within the estate by 2026, replacing them with tricycles and shuttle buses to improve safety and orderliness.
“FESTAC Town is very dear to FHA; it is not only a national monument but also the birthplace of the Authority itself,” Ojo noted. “Our immediate priority is securing the gates. Having completed the First Gate, we will now focus on the Second and Third.”
He, however, appealed to residents for cooperation in safeguarding infrastructure and urged them to pay their ground rents, noting that FHA has not received government budgetary allocations since 2003.
Ojo also disclosed that FHA had revived an abandoned sand-filling project covering 2,000 hectares, originally approved by the Federal Executive Council nearly 15 years ago. The project, he said, was part of President Tinubu’s push to complete both ongoing and previously stalled developments.
Giving further details, FHA’s Executive Director of Projects Implementation, Mr. Oluremi Omowaiye, revealed that over 20 truckloads of substandard road materials had been removed and replaced with interlocking stones to guarantee durability. He assured residents that FESTAC would soon enjoy uninterrupted power supply as the estate gradually transitions off-grid.
Similarly, FHA’s Executive Director of Estate Services, Mr. Ezekiel Nya-Etok, appealed to residents for patience while acknowledging the sacrifices made by FHA staff to restore the community.
