The Ogun State Commissioner for Housing, Jamiu Omoniyi, on Monday, said the just-completed Phase I of the Gateway Aviation Village, Iperu-Remo, generated over 5,000 jobs. Omoniyi stated that the project also injected at least N700 million paid daily as wages to the workers at the housing estate for a period of six months, boosting the state’s economy. He also revealed that plans are in top gear to commence the second phase of the aviation village, which will consist of 200 housing units before the end of the first quarter of the year. The Commissioner made this known while inspecting the first phase of the Gateway Aviation Village, comprising 100 housing units at Iperu-Remo in Ikenne Local Government. He stated that Phase I of the housing estate is fully sold out, with all necessary facilities — including drainage systems, roads, electrical fittings, and security — already provided at a high standard. He added that subscribers can begin moving into their new apartments in about two days. Omoniyi explained, “For the first phase of the Gateway Aviation Village, there is a 75,000-litre water reservoir capacity here to serve this estate. The road network is 98% completed, and from the feedback from the handler, by this time tomorrow, the whole estate will have been tarred. “This implies that by Wednesday, the residents of this estate can move in and begin to live in the estate because every facility that is needed for a comfortable living has been provided by the government of Governor Dapo Abiodun.” The Commissioner disclosed that the housing estate was designed to support those working and doing business around the nearly completed Gateway International Airport along Iperu/Ilisan Road, adding that it is part of the government’s deliberate plan to open up Remo development clusters. He said, “One beautiful thing Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration has done is to open up the Remo development clusters. In these clusters, we have the much-talked-about Gateway Village and the world-standard aerotropolis. With this, the movement of goods and services, raw materials, and agricultural products will soon commence here. “Apart from that, commercial operations will soon begin at the airport, and when all these are put together, it shows that this Remo cluster is open for business. It serves as a hub for business activities and connectivity within Ogun State. “Agricultural products from the state or the Southwest could easily be transported, and within six hours, they will arrive in Europe. This shows that Ogun State is ready for business. This project has placed the state on the world map.” Omoniyi stressed that the airport cannot thrive in isolation without a supporting community, which was why the Gateway Aviation Village was strategically designed to complement the aerotropolis. He stated, “The airport cannot thrive on its own without having a community around it, and that is why the Gateway Aviation Village is well primed to support and complement the aerotropolis so that people who work and do business in that environment will have a place where they can live, work, and play. “So far, so good, what we have on the ground is fully sold, and I am happy to announce that on or before the first quarter of this year, we shall open up Phase II for another 200-unit affordable housing scheme.” Speaking on the economic benefits of the project, he highlighted its massive job creation and financial contributions to the state. “By our design of direct labour approach, this project must have generated about 5,000 jobs for the people in this axis. This includes bricklayers, electricians, carpenters, and many others within the building construction value chain. “By our extrapolation, these jobs would have injected nothing less than N700 million as daily wages paid to workers. If you add that up for the six-month construction period, you will see that we have contributed immensely to the net GDP of the state,” he explained. Omoniyi further emphasised that the facilities at each of the housing estates initiated by Governor Dapo Abiodun’s administration are of top quality, with a focus on creating comfortable and liveable homes while bridging the housing deficit in Nigeria. Earlier, the Commissioner and his entourage paid a condolence visit to the palace of the Alaperu of Iperu Remo, Oba Adeleke Idowu-Basibo, who passed away on Tuesday at the age of 67 after a brief illness at Babcock University Teaching Hospital, Ilisan Remo. Omoniyi described the late royal father as “a leader par excellence and a father to all in the state,” praying that Almighty God grants the family, the people of Iperu Remo, and the entire Ogun State the strength to bear the “quantum loss.”