A real estate company, COPEN Group, on Tuesday, launched its “Tenant to Landlord” homeownership scheme aimed at expanding access to affordable housing for low and middle income earners in Nigeria.
The event, tagged “A Home for Every Dream; A House for Every Pocket” held in Enugu, attracted stakeholders from the housing, banking and mortgage sectors alongside prospective homeowners and real estate investors.
The Group Managing Director of COPEN, Mr Ugochukwu Chime traced the history of the company to 1995 where it had delivered numerous housing projects across the country.
“Today, God has equipped us as a leader in real estate development in the country.
“We are humbled to be the first company recognized by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and given an award for delivering Goshen/Jubilee Estates in eight months as against the 24 months stipulated in the agreement with them.
“Our ability to effectively use funds and exceed expectations in quality and customer satisfaction is critical to us.
He said the company had built collaborative relationships with stakeholders across the real estate value chain, including the FMBN, MOFI Real Estate Investment Fund, AG Mortgage Bank, and other financial institutions that worked with it to help more people access mortgages.
Chime said that through this, COPEN had helped create thousands of multi-millionaires through wealth creation, capital appreciation, and asset growth for everyday families, especially through mortgages.
“Today, we are unveiling a further expression of that vision of Housing for All.
“The expression “A Home for Every Dream, A House for Every Pocket” is our bold statement that we are your go-to real estate company, regardless of the type of home you seek and regardless of the size of your pocket.
The General Manager of COPEN Group and keynote speaker, Dr Awokore Ogbimi, said the company designed the scheme to change the housing narrative in Nigeria.
Ogbimi said the initiative provided flexible payment structures and low-interest mortgage opportunities for intending homeowners.
He said the company partnered with the Federal Mortgage Bank, commercial banks and other institutions to improve housing accessibility.
According to him, the rent-to-own model allows Nigerians to gradually convert rent payments into home ownership.
He said the scheme offered mortgage opportunities with interest rates as low as six per cent annually.
Ogbimi said the company introduced structured customer profiling to help clients identify suitable housing opportunities based on their income and lifestyle.
He said the Urban Home Front Initiative would also help clients identify locations with better healthcare, education, transportation and security systems.
Ogbimi said the company focused on helping middle-income earners secure decent accommodation through sustainable payment plans.
Stakeholders at the event commended COPEN Group for promoting practical solutions to Nigeria’s growing housing challenges.
They also called for increased government support, lower housing taxes and wider access to mortgage financing.
The participants said that strategic partnerships would improve access to housing finance and encourage long-term investments in the real estate sector.
According to the representative of the FMBN, COPEN Group is one of the bank’s most trusted and reliable housing partners.
The stakeholders included Rev Fr Ejike Mbaka of the Adoration Ministries, George Eze of Bethel Microfinance, Samson Aneke of the United Bank for Africa among others.
The event featured awards to housing estates for environmental sustainability, child-friendly infrastructure and community development efforts.
