Tempers are currently flaring today (November 18th) in the 1004 Estate, as residents have massed up in protest over what they have regarded as years of neglect by the management of the prestigious housing complex.
Things reached a crescendo this weekend as the generator servicing the high-rise complex caught fire on Friday, with apparently no backup or emergency plan by the Homeowners and Residents Association (HORA).
- “We have not been able to as much do any cooking, neither are the lifts and air-conditioners working,” a resident told TheNewsGiant. “This is the result of years of shoddy neglect by the HORA team, since taking over in 2017.”
To make matters worse, residents took their grievances to the HORA office in the complex this morning and none of the key officers to address the issues could be found, nor had the management put in place any visible palliative measures to solve the prevailing issues.
- “Things may take an ugly turn as more residents show up to ventilate their grievances,” the resident said. “I have already warned my family to remain indoors.”
Documents sighted by TheNewsGiant show that previous efforts to make life rosier in the estate had hit the rocks.
Some of the protesting residents, including expatriates, bore placards, one of which said,
- One resident said “What is most painful is the fact that this crisis is unavoidable. But the HORA management teams have just been selfish, corrupt unreasonable, and apathetic to the general welfare of residents. It is no longer acceptable.”
The 1004 Estate is a luxury residential hub in Victoria Island, with the name derived from the numerous flats in the abode.
It is the largest single luxury high-rise estate in Sub-Saharan Africa with over 1004 flats, maisonettes, and studio apartments in Victoria Island.
Originally owned by the Federal Government, when it was opened in 1979 as a high amenity and upscale estate accommodation for senators and members of the House of Representatives, it was subsequently privately acquired by investors in 2007.
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I had a client seeking to rent a maisonette at 1004 last year for the sake of car parking space without considering other hitches that I pointed out and 2months later, he called to complain.
1004 Flats Estate was built by the Military administration of Obasanjo. With the advent of democracy in 1979, it became the accommodation for the Parliamentarians.
Then came the sacking of democracy and a return to military rule. It was then offered to accommodate the top echelon of the civil service.
Even then, the maintenance culture was modeled on the Nigerian state with a proneness for disastrous management exploits. I wonder why anyone would think that it would be different now.
Note that a lot of the residents are criminally negligent. They don’t pay their maintenance charges. Then again, the estate is overpopulated with non-paying residents which in turn pressures the facilities.
Unfortunately, no one has an answer to Nigerian problems. So, good luck to you people.
We keep getting told that the only way to make things work is by privatization of government facilities, but us using 1004 and NEPA as examples, I think privatization is only part of the solution instead of the whole solution.