FMT & A Cooperative Takes Delivery of its 52 Housing Units Built for Members

…in line with the Federal Government Housing For All scheme

Providing people with access to decent and affordable housing is one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Precisely, Goal 11 focuses on making cities sustainable. When families invest in a good home, their living conditions improve and they take a stake in their community. A house also becomes an asset for their old age and their children’s future. Investing in housing also increases shared prosperity, since construction generates jobs and economic growth. Hence, the legacy project of the Sotin’s Led Administration at the FMT&A Cooperative Society (2018-2022) in line with the Federal Government Housing For All scheme, built houses for their members to have a place of abode before retirement.

The outgone President of FMT & A Cooperative Mr.  Babatunde Sotin at the handover ceremony of their newly completed 52-housing construction of two-story buildings containing 18 units of two-bedroom flats, and 34 units of exquisite 3 Bedroom Bungalows, all en-suite known as the FMT&A Gardens constructed by the Contractor – Messer Strategic Shelter Development Company Limited within Queens Land Estate,  Alapoti, Ado-Odo, Ogun  State on January 6, 2023, was so delighted that he handed over to experienced management committee members whom all are part of his administration and is sure will continue with the giant strides and legacies of the founding fathers and the father of the modern FMT & A Cooperative Society.

Mr. Sotin was so excited to see one of the legacy projects of his administration come to reality after four years of dedicated hard work and team spirit, in his remarks after taking delivery of the project at a well-attended event by past and present members of management of the Cooperative society over the weekend,  He called on members of the society to grab the opportunity provided through the project to become landlords in a beautifully serene, well organized and very secured estate.

He further expressed his profound appreciation to the Trustees and Management of the Society for their cooperation and immense support while the project was ongoing. He also appreciated the project contractor, Messrs Strategic Shelter Development Company Limited, for ensuring that the housing project was completed in due time, despite the numerous challenges encountered along the way.

Engr. Stanley Da’Silva who is a past president of the FMT&A Cooperative Society and also the Past President of Lagos Island Multipurpose Cooperative Union (LIMCU) & Lagos State Cooperative Finance & Investment Society (LASCOFIS) was the Chairman of the occasion that Commissioned the Project. Mr. Sotin said he nicked named Engr. Da’Silva the Father of the Modern FMT&A Cooperative Society because he revived and turned around the moribund society, and led it to a sustainable path when he handed over to Prince Adeyemi his predecessor who equally tried his best now himself has done his own best and handed over the society to a more capable hand who is part of the team and have no fear or doubt of his performances.

Also speaking at the occasion, Managing Director of SSDC Limited, Mr. Emeka Oranugo who said he has successfully developed many Estates in Nigeria, affirmed that his company is a total estate developer which has built a name on integrity and not mere land sellers. He insisted that it is not enough to buy lands in the estate; but encouraged the cooperative society to develop the lands bought which became a feat to be celebrated by members of the FMT&A Cooperative Society.”

“When the cooperative society approached us for land here, after we finished the construction of Fire Cooperative Society Hotels at BEESAM area of Ewututun, Lagos. We told them that we are not just land sellers but estate developers. We advised them to put money into the development of the estate which they accepted. Today the project has been completed within due time and we are delivering it to them.

“When this project started, I knew that I was going to deliver the project according to the terms and conditions of our agreements. I am not one of those estate developers who always look for a loophole in their contracts so that they can go to court with their clients and eat the contract money or use their money to trade and the court would rule that they should value the work done and at the end of the day the value would always favor the developers. I am not like that I am open. When prices of materials were going higher, I went back to them and told them the realities on the ground.  And by the time they saw what we had done, they agreed that we had exceeded the milestone. When a client gives us one naira, we do works that are worthy of N1:20. We don’t cash in on our profit immediately. The project is more important to us than making the profit upfront.  If you try to make a profit upfront you will lose money to inflation which would force you to keep on going for reviews which is not good. Our watchword is housing on integrity,” Oranugo stated.

The event was attended by the incoming President of the cooperative society, Mr. Akinola Olaposi,  former President of  FMT&A, Alhaji Lawal Yusuf, and President of Airport Fire & Safety Cooperative  Society Alhaji Sadiq Saheed Anako, Representative of  Directorate of Federal Cooperative Abuja, Mr. Emmanuel Opaleye,   CRASON  President/CEO  Mr. Victor Oyegoke, Assistant General Manager,  Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Mr.  Wale Adetunla, and other dignitaries from the community and the friends of the cooperative.