Excerpt from My Memoir
In my memoir, I share the remarkable story of how I acquired a house through the owner-occupier basis, overcoming numerous obstacles along the way.
It all started with a phone call from the late Malam Halilu Yahaya, the Chairman of Bakori Local Government Council in Katsina State. He informed me that the house had been allocated to me, and I was filled with gratitude for this opportunity.
I had expressed my interest in the house by submitting an application to the Local Government Chairman while the houses were still under construction. These houses, a total of 30 in each local government area of Katsina State, were part of Governor Ibrahim Shema's initiative to provide affordable housing to the people.
However, when I received the news of the house allocation, I was facing multiple challenges. My rented house in Kaduna had been burgled while I was away, and I had also been robbed of my money by armed individuals. It was a difficult time, and I had no funds to pay for the house.
The chairman informed me that I had one week to pay 10% of the house's cost or risk losing the allocation. The remaining 90% had to be paid within six months, or the house would be given to the next person on the waiting list. I was in a desperate situation.
I spent days trying to figure out how to raise the money for the initial deposit. But no idea came to mind. I even doubted if I could sell my plots within such a short period.
After two sleepless nights, I received a pleasant surprise. My bank notified me of a significant amount of money deposited into my account. It turned out to be outstanding allowances that were due to me. The amount was more than enough to cover the 10% deposit. With excitement and relief, I transferred the required funds to the local government account.
Armed with the payment teller, I went to Bakori and collected the receipt and allocation letter. At that time, the construction had only reached the foundation stage, so I had some time to arrange for the balance.
I applied for a housing loan through the Federal Government Staff Housing Loan Scheme to help me settle the remaining amount. The chairman who initially allocated the house had stepped aside, and I approached the Vice Chairman, Aminu Magaji, for his support. He agreed to sign the necessary forms and granted me a grace period until I secured the housing loan.
However, before the loan was approved, there were changes in the local government administration. The chairmen were replaced by Heads of Personnel Management. The new chairman in Bakori was someone familiar to me, but he refused to honor the agreement made by his predecessor. He demanded immediate payment or else I would lose the house.
This setback pushed me to sell my two plots in Katsina to cover half of the remaining balance. I pleaded with the chairman for more time to settle the rest, and he agreed. However, the officer he directed to draft the agreement failed to do so for several weeks as promised, hoping to extort money from me. I took matters into my own hands and had someone else draft the agreement, which he eventually signed.
To finance the other half of the balance, I approached my bank and was fortunate enough to secure the loan. Finally, I settled the remaining amount and officially became a homeowner.
Before moving into the house, I decided to fence it for security reasons. However, some local government personnel tried to extort money from me for a permit to erect the fence. Unbeknownst to them, I had already obtained approval from the Katsina Urban Planning and Development Authority. I ignored their demands and proceeded with the fencing.
The challenges didn't end there. They continued when I applied for the local government certificate of occupancy. To my dismay, my file mysteriously disappeared. I was unaware of this until a meeting was called, and we were told to settle the outstanding payments for our houses. When I confidently stated that I had completed my payment, they requested to see my file for confirmation. To everyone's surprise, the file was nowhere to be found.
In order to prove my case, I presented them with copies of all the letters and original payment receipts that I had kept. Realizing their mistake, they directed that a new file be opened for me, using the photocopies I provided. I patiently complied, hoping that this would finally resolve the issue.
Several months passed, and another meeting was scheduled. To my dismay, I was informed that the photocopies I had given them had been misplaced. Despite my frustration, I gathered my documents once again and handed over new copies to them.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, a staff member of the local government approached me and blatantly requested money before they would open another file for me. I was outraged by this blatant corruption. In that moment, I firmly told them to go to hell and refused to comply with their demands.
To this day, I am uncertain if another file was ever opened for me. The journey to owning my house had been filled with countless hurdles, from financial challenges to bureaucratic obstacles. However, through perseverance and determination, I overcame each setback and finally achieved my dream of becoming a homeowner. My memoir serves as a testament to the resilience and unwavering spirit that carried me through this arduous journey.
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