| The Gains of Holy Ghost |
 By FOLASHADE ADEBAYO
It was 5 am on Wednesday, December 15 at the Redemption Camp of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, RCCG. The sky was still dark and drunk with sleep. But Chidera Ifeanyi, a worshipper and mother of four was not asleep. Inside the congress arena, where the program held, she grabbed a bucket of water and roused her children sleeping on benches nearby. Within minutes, she and the children had had their bath at the adjoining minister's car park, under the cover of darkness. That done, the family returned to their benches to sleep. Ifeanyi and her children were not alone. For the one week of the Holy Ghost Congress, Adeola Ajayi, a 25-year-old caterer, also rose early from her ‘bunk’ to take her bath in the dark. Ajayi and Ifeanyi have an ally in thousands of worshippers with no planned accommodation for the duration of the congress. As usual, people like them either camp under the 3 kilometre, km by 3 km auditorium or ‘live’ inside their vehicles throughout the programme. For Ifeanyi, the problem is the limited free accommodation at the camp. “The hostel had been fully booked six months ago. But, because of the blessing I am after, I don’t mind the inconvenience,’’ she told the magazine. Ifeanyi and Ajayi are among thousands that have not bought into the booming property business at the Redemption Camp. From 1983, when the auditorium and a few dormitories were built for the annual convention of that year, the Redemption Camp has metamorphosed into a town of its own. With three banks, a university, a secondary and primary school, the Redemption Camp has transformed from just a spiritual resort centre into a home for members of the church. A filling station, cybercafés, restaurants and other conveniences dotting the camp have also added value to the property market boom. Now, members of the church with the means no longer hustle for a bath or book for the public hostels in the church ground six months ahead as they live in the luxury of their homes within the camp, with functional electricity and water facilities. Some years back, however, the church had encouraged property developers to take advantage of the free land allocation policy at the camp. Aside private buildings on a plot of land, the church reckoned that since land is limited resource, the developers should erect at least eight apartments on a plot of land. This would inevitably take the pressure of private land allocation off the church. Now, property developers are taking advantage of the new manna. All over the camp, a number of estates are springing up and competing for attention. This is understandable. With free land, the turnover of property development makes it a lucrative business. However, the developers are not only mandated to build a minimum of eight small apartments on a standard plot but also close all their other accounts and bank with Haggai Microfinance Bank, owned by the church. Tokunbo Areola, an area pastor, is one of such developers. As the chief executive of JoySic Nigeria Limited, he has built a number of one-bedroom apartments for many families at the camp. Located on Lotto Road, Areola has completed his second one-bedroom apartments for another set of eight families. Fitted with a kitchen, two baths and an air conditioner, the apartments sold for N2 million. On a plot of land, Areola makes a minimum of N16 million each. “The doors are imported and the roofing is of very high quality. Interested buyers paid 50 per cent at the initial stage, another 35 per cent at the roofing stage and 15 per cent when completed. So, when you consider all these and the fact that all the rooms are fitted with air conditioning facilities. You find out that it is one of the cheapest on the camp,” he said. Areola is right. Built as architectural masterpieces, Haggai Homes, phases one to three are a beauty to behold. Furnished and finished to taste, the estates boast of three-bedroom detached bungalows, three-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, two bedroom semi-detached bungalows and one-bedroom executive suites. Aside the proximity to the Congress arena, the perks include a treated water plant, 24-hour security service and sound proof generators. But a delicious meal costs a fortune. That is the parable of the Haggai homes as they are called. While the three-bedroom detached bungalow costs N13.5 million, the two-bedroom detached type goes for N11 million. The one-bedroom executive suite, fitted with just a toilet and no kitchen costs N4.35 million. Expensive? Bamidele Osuolale, estate maintenance officer, does not think so. He said the church spent a fortune to erect the buildings. “It is an opportunity to escape the menace of Omo Onile. There is peace and you know you are not purchasing from the wrong hands. On this camp, you buy houses and not land. Whoever visits this place will appreciate it. It is tastefully furnished,’’ he said. Osuolale knows what he is talking about. Within weeks of completion, the three phases of the estate have been paid for. A landlord, who prefers anonymity, said he is happy with his new place. “I used to live in Warri and it was quite stressful for me to come down here for programmes. Because my family lives abroad, we will use this place for vacation. I moved in here this Monday and I have enjoyed every moment here,’’ he said. Encouraged by the financial success of Haggai Homes, the church has initiated Tree of Life, another estate built to the taste of rich members. One of the major challenges of the estates is that only members of the church are qualified to buy homes on the camp. “We don’t give certificate of occupancy to the owners, what we give is land occupation license and if you move to another church, it is like you have decamped. We will take back the house,’’ said Osuolale. Emmanuel Adeboye, a nephew to Enoch Adeboye, general overseer, has lived in the camp for five years. “It is more peaceful here. This place is rowdy only when there are programmes. Outside that, there is peace. There is constant electricity, at least from six in the evening till early next days. There is a lot of job opportunity here if you are not the lazy type. We have three police stations around. We have one at Mowe, Ibafo and at the Redemption Camp. That is apart from the internal security arrangements here,’’ he told the magazine. Other estates at the camp include Gilgal Suites, The Brook, Hebron Altar Front and a few others. Estol Engineering Company Limited has also constructed two and three-bedroom houses for N2.5 million and N3.5 million respectively. For those who have not bought homes on the camp, executive hostel suites and chalets are provided to meet different tastes. While a single room cost N2,000 per night an air conditioned suite costs N5,000 per night. A chalet goes for N7,500 per night while the executive lodge goes for N15,000 per night. From an initial 4.25 acres of land at Loburo Village, Ogun State, the Redemption Camp has grown to a city size, dwarfing Gbegira, Simawa and Likosi villages. The church has also recently constructed a road linking Ikorodu, Lagos State to the camp. This, according to the church, is to ease traffic congestion on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway during its programmes. |
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