An Ibadan based estate broker, Dr Akeem Olayinka-Martins has condemned the habit of selling pieces of lands hitherto earmarked for industrial estates to residential housing developers across the country.
Olayinka-Martins who is the managing director, Ownership realty ltd in a statement, said such practices were inimical to the future of the generation yet unborn.
He specifically noted that such practices were common in Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states where areas such as Lekki, Ajah, Shimawa, Mowe, all in Lagos and Ogun States respectively, Elebu, Moniya, Akinyele, all in Oyo State and other areas across the country reserved for industrial estates are now becoming residential settlements.
“If we sell off every reserved land, where are we going to site industries where the future generations yet unborn will work?”
According to him “although mass housing developments schemes are very important because of our teeming population, but it should not be at the detriment of industrialisation which will provides employment to our university graduates facing unemployment in the land, stressing that government at all levels can use the housing development initiatives to improve rural communities and reduce pressure on public infrastructure and elongate their life spans.
“Why are we concentrating all these projects in urban centres when most buildings in the villages and rural areas are empty and dilapidated? All what we need is good road networks and public transportation to reach our destinstions.
“Those vast areas of lands which are being sold to influential moneybags and people with questionable source of income can also be used for agricultural farmlands or farm settlements to achieve food security like in the olden days, rather than just building resorts and hospitality businesses that doesn’t add value to international trade.
“We should diversify our economy from mere buying and selling to embrace manufactunng so that the country can rank among world’s industrialised natons.
He called on governments of the states concerned to take a critical look at the issue with a view to addressing them for the sake of future generations.