…First Lady to commission estate Tuesday
By Ishola Balogun
ABEOKUTA — The Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun, has rescued the President Muhammadu Buhari Estate in Abeokuta from possible forfeiture and transformed the stalled project into a 108-unit residential community.
The estate, located along the Abeokuta-Sagamu Expressway, is scheduled to be commissioned on Tuesday by the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
The project, inherited by the Abiodun administration in a largely undeveloped state, had only its infrastructure awarded and one show building completed before becoming embroiled in a legal dispute over outstanding obligations to the contractor handling the development.
The dispute had put the property at risk of forfeiture through legal action before the state government intervened, settled the matter out of court and commenced payments to secure the state’s interest in the property.
Rather than abandon the project, the administration subsequently adopted a Public-Private Partnership, PPP, model under which the state provided the land and infrastructure, while private developers undertook the construction and sale of the housing units.
The intervention has resulted in the completion of the PMB Estate, comprising 108 four-bedroom fully detached and semi-detached duplexes built with modern designs and supporting infrastructure.
The estate features road networks with street lighting, landscaped green areas, water supply, waste management facilities, a sports centre, children’s playground, clubhouse, 24-hour power supply, parking spaces and security within a gated environment.
The fully detached houses sit on approximately 900 square metres and comprise four en-suite bedrooms, boys’ quarters, a master bedroom with closet, spacious living and dining areas, family lounge, study, visitors’ toilet and terrace.
The semi-detached units, measuring between 460 and 500 square metres, provide similar facilities, except for the study.
Governor Abiodun said the project demonstrated his administration’s commitment to protecting public investments and completing inherited projects rather than allowing them to become abandoned assets.
“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 are completed rather than abandoned,” the governor said.
He added that the PMB Estate would serve as a model for similar public-private housing developments across Ogun State.
Strategically located opposite the State Judiciary Complex and near the Ogun TechHub, the estate provides access to major institutional, commercial and transportation corridors.
It is approximately 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 about 30 minutes away.
The development has also attracted private-sector investment, with Access Bank developing a training school and other facilities within the estate.
The commissioning will formally mark the completion of a project that was previously stalled and faced possible forfeiture but was subsequently recovered, restructured and completed by the Abiodun administration.
Beyond the 108 housing units, the PMB Estate represents the administration’s approach to protecting public assets, leveraging private capital and converting inherited projects into productive infrastructure for Ogun State residents.
