By Kayode Akinmade Drive along the Siun-Sagamu Expressway today and it is easy to miss how recently the landscape around Kobape was little more than open bush. Today, standing prominently on that corridor is Prince Court Estate — a thriving residential community of completed and occupied homes, with its own electricity supply, shopping mall, health centre, ATM gallery and security post. It is more than an estate. It is a statement of what housing policy can become when it is conceived not merely as the provision of shelter, but as an instrument of economic development, urban renewal and wealth creation. That is perhaps the most important story behind the housing transformation taking place quietly across Ogun State under Governor Dapo Abiodun. When the first phase of Prince Court Estate took shape at Kobape, few would have imagined that it would become the anchor of a rapidly developing residential corridor. The estate has since expanded through four phases, while the surrounding area has recorded significant growth in residential and commercial activity. The model has subsequently been replicated across the state. From Idi-Aba in Abeokuta to Sagamu, Itanrin in Ijebu-Ode, Ilaro and the Gateway Aviation Village at Iperu, the Abiodun administration has deliberately spread housing development across Ogun’s three senatorial districts. The objective is clear: to ensure that the benefits of Ogun’s rapid economic expansion are reflected not only in factories, roads and commercial investments, but also in the quality and availability of homes for the people who live and work in the state. Housing as economic policy The significance of the programme lies in its architecture. The Abiodun administration has approached housing as both a social responsibility and an economic asset. Its portfolio cuts across affordable housing for ordinary families, premium housing for middle- and high-income earners, public-private partnerships, urban regeneration and the redevelopment of underutilised government assets. The first phase of the Kemta, Idi-Aba scheme, comprising 150 two- and three-bedroom homes, sold out rapidly. That response was an early indication of the enormous pent-up demand for decent and affordable housing in Ogun. At Kobape, some of the early Prince Court homes were sold to civil servants and members of the public for between about N4.95 million and N5 million. According to figures provided by the state’s housing authorities, similar properties are now worth substantially more on the open market. That transformation is significant. It means the government’s intervention did not simply put roofs over people’s heads. For many early beneficiaries, it created an appreciating asset and opened a pathway to household wealth. In a country where housing remains one of the biggest barriers to economic security for working families, that is a powerful dimension of public policy. From estates to communities The most striking feature of the Ogun model is that the government has not treated housing as the construction of isolated blocks of buildings. Prince Court illustrates the philosophy. Electricity, healthcare, security, banking and commercial facilities have been integrated into the development, creating a community rather than merely an estate. That approach matters because modern housing policy is ultimately about the quality of life around the house. A home without reliable infrastructure, access roads, security, healthcare, commerce and other essential services can quickly become another form of urban vulnerability. But when housing is integrated with these services, it becomes the foundation for a functional community. This is where the Ogun intervention acquires a broader development significance. Housing generates demand for roads, electricity, water, retail, transportation, security and other services. Construction itself creates jobs across a long chain of activities involving artisans, engineers, architects, surveyors, suppliers, manufacturers, estate managers and financial institutions. Every new estate therefore has an economic footprint that extends well beyond the walls of the individual houses. Unlocking forgotten public assets The administration’s housing philosophy is perhaps even more evident in its urban regeneration projects at Ibara in Abeokuta and Igbeba in Ijebu-Ode. For decades, more than 200 civil servants’ quarters constructed over 50 years ago had deteriorated and become largely unusable across approximately 25 hectares of valuable government land. The Abiodun administration chose not to allow those assets to continue decaying. Instead, it moved to replace obsolete struct
Don't miss out on breaking stories and in-depth articles.
