1004 residents, facility firm clash over service charges

Some residents of the popular 1004 flats in Victoria Island yesterday protested what they described as exorbitant service charges by the facility manager, 1004 Nigeria Limited.

They also said they have fired the CEO of the facility firm, Samuel Ukpong.

The aggrieved residents accused Ukpong of gross mismanagement, lack of transparency and accountability.

But Ukpong dismissed his purported sack, wondering how residents who did not hire him or the firm can turn around to sack him.

Chairman of the Residents and Landlord Association of the Estate, Tayo Soetan, said: “The bone of contention is very simple. We all bought flats here when UPGC/Union Homes offered to sell flats to the general public.

“We did this with the expectation that we were moving into an Estate that would be well managed.

“Trouble started when the core investors exited from the Estate in early 2011 and handed it over to a company called HISPANIA, which was purported to be a foreign company. But upon search at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), we found out that it belonged to two individuals, Samuel and one Mr. Akin.

“Over a couple of months, we discovered that HISPANIA was just a name and we had been deceived to believe that a foreign company was taking over 1004 Estate.

“But it turned out to be a core set of individuals, who were either former or current UPGC/UAC staff.”

He went on: “Since Ukpong took over, nobody has known peace in this Estate. When we moved in, power was being sold at N50 per kilowatt hour and the excuse that UPGC gave us was that it was because the Estate was not fully occupied.

“They promised then that by the time we have full occupancy, the power rate would drop. When it peaked at 95 per cent rather than bring down the rate, Ukpong increased it by 50 percent and we started paying N75 naira.”

He continued, “The association had been in existence before he took over and he has done everything to bypass, sideline and demonise it.

“As at today, he has not given an account for all the monies that have been collected in four years. We decided to employ KPMG to audit the account of the service charge we pay and the power consumed.

“He agreed, but as at time went by, he refused and KPMG had to pull out, while the money we paid to the company had to be forfeited. We have therefore served him notice of termination.”

Reacting, Ukpong said: “These few disgruntled residents are those that cannot afford living in a luxurious apartment like this.

“They want to bring this place down, because they want to be suppliers of diesel. The purported sack is laughable because they did not hire me or the firm. They are not investors or shareholders. How can they ask us for account? It would interest you to know that many of the troublemakers are tenants, not flat owners.

“We are service providers; over 90 percent are impressed by us, but these few tenants are out to foment trouble.”