Unlocking Homeownership: Luxiar’s Role in Alleviating Nigeria’s Housing Deficit

Starting from humble beginnings and a dream in 2017, MUHYDEEN OKUNLOLA KAYODE (MOK)tells his story of how anybody can achieve his dreams even with the current economic situation of the country. Muhydeen fondly knows as MOK, is the Principal Partner, Luxiar Construction Limited. He is a certified Quantity Surveyor, married with three kids and lives in Abuja.

How has Luxiar Construction Limited been of impact to Nigerians?

Shelter is very important. Without a house, you can hardly plan your life or make significant progress and that is why Luxiar was born.

People associate owning a home with having a lot of money, but it is not so with Luxiar.

Most of our clients are public servants and then a good number of private sector workers so nobody is too small to own or rent a home. We also have a partnership with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) which enables its clients to access the National Housing Funds (NHF) contributions.

What makes Luxiar unique

Building homes is important at Luxiar Homes, but so is making sure that customers get value for their money and earning their trust.

Luxiar goes over and above to understand the clients’ needs and then create tailor-made solutions. As long as a client pays up to 30 percent of the cost of the property in view, he is issued an allocation letter and can access his house. In other places, before they issue allocation and grant access, one must have paid 70 percent or full payment.

Also, Luxiar classifies its housing units into high, medium, and low-income categories. The Bwari site is meant for the low-income earners while the Life Camp site is for the higher income earners or senior staff.
This way, the company has been able to cater for the housing needs of more people. At large, we are contributing uniquely towards bridging the nation’s housing gaps.

Our services cut across diverse social classes the people are availed of wider choices at more affordable rates for them. That is why we believe in establishing trust with our clients. And we do not just see them as clients, we see them as partners.

Credibility

At Luxiar, we verify all land allocation papers to ensure that only right and authentic documents are issued. This is because land scammers and fraudsters are always trying to get ahead by faking documents and some unsuspecting persons have often been caught in their web.

To settle disputes with Abuja original land owners and indigenes, Luxiar atimes mediates between the company and the district head or the Hakimi for amicable resolution through settlement of the concerned families.

The reach of Luxiar
Luxiar is a frontline player when it comes to real estate and construction. We have built housing units in various parts of Abuja and other states.
As at April 2023, we hit and surpassed 3,000 housing units in Abuja alone and they are at various stages of completion. So far, Luxiar has delivered over 2000 houses to their happy owners while the rest are still being built.

We have houses spread over a wide area and are currently located in about 15 locations all in Abuja. Some of these locations include Life Camp, Kaura, Games Village, and Gaduwa within the Federal Capital City radius. A major housing project site of the company comprises over 700 units near Brains and Hammer, Life Camp, Abuja. As at April 2023, the project was about 70 percent complete. The company has also started the second phase of the project near the same location made up of 500 housing units. As stated, beyond Abuja Luxiar also operates in some other states in Nigeria.

Focus

At the moment, the company places a lot of emphasis on two-bedroom houses. The reason being that Africans are social in nature and they usually accommodate relatives and dependants. Just as mentioned earlier, it is all about our clients’ need so we develop the kind of houses where they can grow with their families for a long period of time.

Families may start with a one-bedroom apartment at the initial but it is not convenient for them as they expand.

Challenges faced by housing developers in FCT

Illegal buildings springing all over the place is a ticking bomb. The owners have circumvented the process of getting plan approval and do not follow due process, control or regulation. As it is now, it is a ratio of 65:35 where illegal structures are almost double the legal structures we have. While the approved standard buildings are growing arithmetically, the illegal structures are spreading geometrically. Government needs to do something quickly to address the imbalance to avert the alarming crisis in this vital sector as removing such illegal developments might come with frightening risks and costs.

Also, unoccupied houses in the capital are a great cause for concern. Houses are locked up for various reasons ranging from being out of reach because of they are too expensive, or they may be products of money laundering. There is need for there to be a database to document the owners of houses.

Lastly, the cost of building materials keeps on rising higher and higher. The sector has to be regulated by the government urgently.

Trust and confidence

The company does not sell more than what is available on ground. For those who cannot wait, they have the option of seeking alternatives.

We believe in discipline both in handling clients’ funds and in the quality of the house we deliver.

Professional challenges

Number one challenge is dealing with the off takers. To combat this, we bring in artisans and workers from outside Abuja and house them within the project site. So, we can concentrate without distraction and deliver in good time. All these efforts are geared towards cutting costs to deliver more affordable and standard houses to clients. Another challenge are the fraudsters and land grabbers which has been addressed earlier.