File photo: Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun
Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, has finished and transformed the stalled President Muhammadu Buhari Estate in Abeokuta into a 108-unit residential community, after the project was reportedly threatened by a legal dispute and possible forfeiture.
The estate, located along the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway, is scheduled for commissioning on Tuesday by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday by the governor’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Kayode Akinmade.
According to Akinmade, the Abiodun administration inherited the project from the administration of former governor Ibikunle Amosun in an incomplete state, with only the infrastructure awarded and one show building constructed.
The project had also become entangled in a dispute over outstanding payments to the contractor, placing the property at risk of being lost through legal action.
The administration subsequently settled the dispute out of court and began making payments to protect the state’s interest in the property.
Rather than abandon the project, the government adopted a public-private partnership model under which the state provided the land and infrastructure, while private developers handled the construction and sale of the housing units.
The completed estate comprises 108 four-bedroom detached and semi-detached duplexes, alongside a range of supporting infrastructure, including internal roads, street lighting, landscaped areas, water supply, waste management facilities, a sporting centre, children’s playground, clubhouse, 24-hour power supply, parking spaces and security within a gated environment.
The fully detached houses are built on about 900 square metres and feature four en-suite bedrooms, boys’ quarters, a master bedroom with a closet, living and dining areas, a family lounge, study, visitors’ toilet and terrace.
The semi-detached units, measuring between 460 and 500 square metres, offer similar facilities, except for the study.
Abiodun said the project reflected his administration’s commitment to preserving public investments and completing inherited projects rather than allowing them to become abandoned assets.
He said, “This project is part of our administration’s commitment to providing quality and affordable housing for different categories of residents, while ensuring that government projects inherited from previous administrations were completed rather than abandoned.”
The governor said the estate would also serve as a model for future public-private housing projects across the state.
The estate is strategically located opposite the State Judiciary Complex and near the Ogun TechHub, providing access to major institutional, commercial and transport corridors.
It is reportedly about two minutes from the Ogun TechHub, seven minutes from Government House, 12 minutes from the Abeokuta Golf Course and 15 minutes from the Wole Soyinka Train Station, while Lagos is approximately 30 minutes away.
The development has also attracted private-sector investment, with Access Bank reportedly developing a training school and other facilities within the estate.
The commissioning will formally mark the completion of a project that reportedly moved from a stalled and legally threatened development to a completed housing community.
The development is also part of the state government’s broader housing programme, with the administration saying it has delivered more than 5,000 housing units across locations including Abeokuta, Ilaro, Kobape, Sagamu and Ijebu-Ode over the past seven year.
