The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • Ogun flags off groundwater abstraction control

    Ogun flags off groundwater abstraction control

    The Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has said that the introduction of the groundwater abstraction control scheme in the state would have more positive impact in controlling environmental degradation and regulating potable water for the citizenry.

    The governor, represented by his deputy, Chief (Mrs), Yetunde Onanuga, made this known at a stakeholders’ meeting on water abstraction control scheme held at the June 12 Cultural Centre, Abeokuta.

    The governor noted that groundwater remains a vital commodity globally, considering its importance in the survival of both humans and animals. According to him, 80 per cent of groundwater comes from the private sector and presently no real restriction or control on its extraction.

    To this end, government, he said, is now set to take full control and regulate all activities of water extraction in the state. In doing this, activities of operators would be monitored such that it would even guarantee the quality of portable water produced for the peoples’ consumption.

    “Anybody can install a borehole anywhere in his land and extract any amount of water at anytime without consideration of its detrimental effects to the society. Groundwater is the largest source of usable, fresh water in the world, but in many parts of the world, especially where surface water supplies are not available, domestic, agricultural and industrial water needs could only be met by using the water beneath the ground,” Amosun said.

    The state Commissioner for Environment, Mr. Bolaji Oyeleye stated that the importance of water in society especially to human beings cannot be over-emphasised, noting that water is an inseparable nexus with life.

    He said it is a recognised fact that the importance of groundwater to meeting the growing water needs was not well appreciated by concerned stakeholders, noting that more efforts were required to make groundwater issues more visible among water resource managers, planners, policy makers, stakeholders and end users.

    “It is imperative to organise this stakeholders’ meeting to talk about the control of water extraction, protection of our water with particular focus on the groundwater resources of the state, and there is urgent need to protect and preserve the strategic importance of groundwater resources to safeguard livelihood from future water crisis and enhance water quality and security,” Oyeleye said.

  • NIOB seeks better professionalism in construction industry

    The Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB) has reiterated the need for builders to hone and sharpen their skills in the core area of building production management. The body also called for the quick passage of the bill for the enforcement of the Nigerian National Building Code.

    The NIOB, arising from its 2017 Mandatory Continuous Professional Development (MCPD) programme held across four locations of Lagos, Abuja, Katsina and Uyo, made the call in a communiqué it issued at the end of the workshop. The communique was signed by the Chairman, Professional Development and Practice Committee of NIOB, Mr. Kunle Awobodu.

    The workshop, themed: “Site Management Practices for Builders,” also had as sub themes: “Concept of Site Management;” “Construction Methodology;” and “Construction Programming using Primavera 6.”

    The NIOB, noted in the communique obtained by The Nation, that government should take steps against such environmentally unacceptable characters manifesting in the form of social miscreants, land grabbers, the “omo onile” menace as these were already affecting the delivery time of projects.

    The NIOB commended the Lagos state government for its proactiveness in this aspect, urging other states to emulate the gesture.

    While admonishing its members on ensuring proper construction layout to avoid fatalities, accidents, waste and double-handling at sites, it recommended that construction site layouts should be well defined and designed at the commencement of a building construction project by a registered builder. It urged the public to take advantage of temporary site layout planning for building construction works as rendered by builders.

    The body noted that collapsed buildings were as a result of unrealistic and unprofessionally projected timeframes.

    The communique read in part: “Nigerian public and private clients are enjoined and required to embrace the use of Construction Methodology Document duly prepared by registered builders for their building construction works. Registered builders are equally enjoined to prepare this critical document on all their building projects for all public and private entities.”

    Furthermore, stakeholders at the workshop submitted that “while the construction methodology is a precursor to the preparation of construction programme, a construction programme has implication on time, cost, resource deployment, safety and even the legal status of a project. Some collapsed buildings are attributable to unrealistic and unprofessionally projected time frames. Consequently, the Workshop enjoins all public and private sectors procuring and executing entities to request for and use Construction Programme duly prepared by registered builders for time and other resource management.”

    The communique submitted that poor project record keeping affects future projections of projects. Additionally, poor house-keeping (project site cleaning) can lead to avoidable hazards on project sites. Consequently, there should be proper record keeping of different activities during and after the life span of a project. Proper house- keeping should be planned and cost into the project as routine practices and should start as soon as the building project starts. Builders should enhance these best practices on their projects while clients should play their roles accordingly.

    Participants at the workshop were taken through first principles, real life case studies and simulations.

  • ‘FMBN, REDAN, Shelter Afrique to create $2b affordable housing fund’

    ‘FMBN, REDAN, Shelter Afrique to create $2b affordable housing fund’

    Some stakeholders have agreed to pool resources to tackle the housing problem headlong. This is by ensuring  improved access to credit facility and reducing development costs for low-income housing.

    The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN) and a pan-African finance institution, Shelter Afrique have joined forces to create a $2 billion affordable housing fund.

    The money, will be disbursed at $200 million yearly to developers, to help in financing the construction of a targeted 10,000 homes over the next decade.

    Activities to be generated from the construction works are expected to  create more than 150,000 jobs.

    “We agreed that we needed to bring in Shelter Afrique to work in partnership with REDAN to make available some funds over the next 10 years by providing REDAN members with the necessary construction finance that is required to drive the national housing model,” the Acting Managing Director of FMBN, Richard Esri, explained.

    Recently, the Federal Government announced it would waive an initial 10 per cent payment on mortgages below N5 million or $15,700, being administered by the FMBN. This is targeted at future homeowners planning to take out mortgages in the low-to-mid price range. According to the Centre for Affordable Housing in Africa, the average cost of a mortgage is $18,000, with interest rates at around 19 per cent as of last September. This move comes on the heels of the establishment of the Family Homes Fund by the government, last September.

    Aside from helping to develop more houses, the injection of the $2 billion fund is to keep mortgage rates in affordable housing schemes at well under the average 23 per cent, with a target of 9.99 per cent and payable over 20 years. Under this arrangement, prospective buyers are required to make an initial deposit of 10 per cent of the house value to qualify for these home loans; 70 per cent of the mortgages are expected to go to houses priced between N2.5m ($7, 900) and N4.5m ($20,000).

    Financed through the Sovereign Wealth Fund, Federal Government bonds and Bank of New York, the scheme will work as a public-private partnership (PPP). It is also expected to promote the development of primary mortgage institutions, which tend to have a narrow banking licence and are generally reliant on wholesale funding, making them more vulnerable in times of financial or economic crisis.

    These changes will come as welcome news to many Nigerians, with half of the population living on less than $1 a day. Furthermore, the minimum wage is currently around $60 per month, meaning home ownership is often out of reach for those in the low- to middle-income wage bracket.

    The Centre for Affordable Home Financing in Africa reports that a standard mid-level apartment in an urban area in the country can cost as much as $100,000, with rent averaging around $5, 000 a year; the situation has kept home-ownership rate at 25 per cent.

    Meanwhile, the mortgage penetration rate stands at about 0.6 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP).  The World Bank data which although is low by standards in more developed economies, puts Nigeria roughly in line with many other large African markets. The report also attributed low mortgage uptake to lack of awareness and cost, as high interest rates can make mortgages too expensive for middle-and low-income earners.

    According to the Oxford Business Group, a global research and consultancy company with a presence in over 35 countries, including the Middle East, Africa and Asia to the Americas, in order to begin filling Nigeria’s existing deficit of 17 million housing units as projected by the World Bank and to meet the increase in demand, the government will need to support the construction of 170,000 units per year over the next decade. With almost half of the country’s 170 million population residing in cities and urbanisation growing at an annual rate of 3.75 per cent, demand for affordable houses is also set to remain strong.

  • ‘Lagos is Nigeria’s model in environmental management’

    • Cleaner Lagos initiative ‘will transform state’

    Lagos State is the country’s number one model in environmental management and its Cleaner Lagos Initiative will transform it into a more adorable place to live.

    This was the submission of a specialist in Environmental Resources Management Dr Tajudeen Abiodun Afolabi, in a lecture he delivered at the  Lagos State University (LASU) Centre for Environmental Studies and Sustainable Development. Dr Afolabi, Director of Enforcement Advocacy at the Ministry of the Environment,  spoke on “Good Governance and Environmental Sustainability.”

    Afolabi noted that government needed to be more proactive in ensuring the sustainability of the environment through forthright decision making, forward looking policies and focused execution of such policies in the interest of all.

    His words: “Environmental sustainability involves making decisions and taking actions that are in the interest of protecting the natural world with particular emphasis on preserving the capability of the environment to support human life.”

    He stressed that the state government had always taken positive steps towards actualising its vision of maintaining a flood free, hygienic and beautiful Lagos and had always risen to the challenge of achieving a clean, livable state.

    According to him, through the annual tree planting campaign, the greening and beautification programme as well as advocacy and public enlightenment campaigns, the Lagos State government had been in the forefront of efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change, stressing that the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had characterised climate change as ‘the defining human development challenge for the 21st century.’

    He stated that the adverse effect of climate change was considered one of the most serious threats to humanity and sustainable development, because if left unabated, it would cause global loss of gross domestic product (GDP) of between five and 20 per cent.

    Afolabi pointed out that Africa was becoming the most exposed region in the world to the impacts of climate change because in Sub-Saharan Africa, extreme weather would cause dry areas to become drier and wet areas wetter; agriculture yields would suffer from failures and diseases would spread to new altitudes.

    By 2030, Afolabi said, it is expected that 90 million people in Africa will be exposed to malaria, a disease that is already the biggest killer in the region. Lagos State, he said, is doing a lot which other states can emulate to regenerate the environment.

    Afolabi disclosed that to further sustain the environment, Lagos State government was embarking on effective solid waste management reform through Cleaner Lagos Initiative, stressing that the programme would transform the state into a cleaner and more beautiful one as it confronts the challenge of technology, investment in facility, job creation and poverty alleviation by creating the enabling environment for private sector participation.

  • Landlord to insure old, new buildings

    Lagos State government is  to introduce mandatory insurance for all existing and new buildings in line with the Insurance Act 2003 provisions.

    Lagos State Safety Commission, (LSSC) Director-General Mr. Hakeem Dickson,  said henceforth, it was mandatory for house owners and new ones under construction, to insure their property as stipulated by law.

    He said Dickson was addressing reporters on ‘’naija safe Awards 2017.”He said in the event of disaster, victims would be able to access compensation from the insurance companies instead of having to wait on government every time.

    Dickson said the state was already talking to a consortium of insurance companies through the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) and that the measure, which is proactive, was to bring the state at par with developments around the world.

    To ensure success of the exercise, Dickson said the commission has been reorganised and its members of staff reassigned to ensure innovative approach and better delivery of service to the public.

    Speaking on the “naija safe awards 2017”, he said the event was meant to recognise, encourage outstanding performances and initiatives of organisations, individuals and groups towards promoting and raising safety consciousness among workers and citizens.

    The Chief Coordinating Officer, naija Safe Awards 2017, Mr Femi Da-Silva, further explained that the award was aimed at promoting health, safety and environment (HSE) best practices in the workplace and generally raise safety consciousness.

    Da-Silva said over 170 industry professionals attended the maiden edition of the award in 2015, while nominations were received from 15 states across the nation with 345 nominees from different sectors of the economy.

  • Lagos hands over 200 rent-to-own homes

    The Lagos State Government has handed over keys to another set of 200 successful applicants of the Lagos-Rent-To-Own initiative with a promise to sustain the policy in partnership with the private investor.

    Its Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, who presided over the ceremony, said the state has over 4, 000 housing units yet to be subscribed to across various areas of the state.

    According to him, the state has already mapped out sustainability strategy such that upon exhausting the available units, partnership collaboration would be ignited with the private sector for another round of 20,000 housing units.

    “Beyond any doubt, this state government made 100 residents  house owners in their own rights last month, this month also, another set of 200 home owners have emerged under the initiative. We will continue with this method until the housing deficit in the state is reasonably bridged,” Lawal said.

    He disclosed that of the 100 successful allottees last year, 75 of them have moved into their homes and are enjoying their residency. He attributed the increment from last month’s 100 housing units to 200 units this month to increasing demand from applicants, who are desirous of becoming home owners under the scheme.

    The Commissioner further disclosed that more windows of opportunities would be opened to more residents as some government housing schemes in Sangotedo, Ajara in Badagry, Igbogbo, Igando Gardens, Egan-Igando, would be completed and made available to Lagosians before the end of the year.

    He solicited the support of allottees to assume responsibility for the estates by cooperating with the facilities managers at ensuring that the facilities are put to good use. “Efforts should be geared towards ensuring that the environments are kept clean always. The allottees are to ensure that they pay their rent as at when due and embrace maintenance culture,” he added.

    Also, the state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, who was at the event, said with the Rent-To-Own policy, Lagos is on course in addressing the state’s housing deficit.

    The Commissioner, who acknowledged the huge housing deficit in the state when compared with others in the country, said the state chose the path of Rent-To-Own to save low and middle income earners the burden of paying for house out rightly.

    He said the five per cent commitment fee payment was perhaps the best any state could offer all over the world, adding that testimonials of beneficiaries of the scheme speak volume about the transparent nature of the initiative from the application stage to the handing over of keys.

    In his address, the General Manager, Lagos State Mortgage Board, Mr. Dehinde Tunwashe, said the testimonies of some of the first 100 allottees last month were enough evidence to convince people that the Rent-To-Own policy of the state was real and that they should be encouraged to apply, saying, “the handing-over ceremony we are witnessing today will be an event that will go down in the history of Lagos State and generations to come.”

  • Fed Govt backs development of underground space

    The increasing pressure on land for development purposes may have influenced the Federal Government to endorse the development of the nation’s underground space in tackling the country’s infrastructural deficit.

    The Federal Government last week endorsed tunneling and underground space development.

    At the first Nigeria International Tunnelling and Underground Space Conference held in Lagos, the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said the nation needed interventions to build critical sectors to raise the bar of the country’s infrastructural needs. The conference was organised by the Tunnelling Association of Nigeria (TAN).

    He said the conference, theme: ‘Developing the Tunneling and Underground Space Industry in Nigeria,’ clearly showed the readiness of Nigerians to seize opportunities that abound around the world in solving myriads of the nation’s development deficits.

    Amaechi, who was represented at the event by the Managing Director of Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), Freeborn Okhiria, said the presence of International Tunneling and Underground Space Association President, Dr. Tarcisio Celestino, as well as other partners from all over the world at the conference, was an assurance of the global community’s belief in Nigeria’s potential to attain the dream.

    He assured the international community of the  administration’s commitment to its change agenda, which he said, places so much hope on the youth; the professional bodies’ ingenuity and every Nigerian all over the world, to deploy their God-endowed potential towards the nation’s growth, development and prosperity.

    “According to the National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan draft of 2013, Nigeria needed about $2.9 trillion in 30 years to close its infrastructural gap; that was the period the country was spending $10 billion on its infrastructures at lower interest rate. But reports of 2016 suggested that the country requires between $12 and $15 billion annually over the next six years to meet the infrastructure requirements. At current market rates, this amount to over N7 trillion per year,” he explained.

    Amaechi said though closing the gap requires commitment from the government, but not without the inclusion of Nigerians and relevant stakeholders in the key sectors for the development of its infrastructures.

    “In this spirit, we commend TAN for its initiative to opening up this emerging trend, first in building capacities of Nigerians to embrace the imperatives of developing our underground space, which is long overdue, and broadening it to combat the challenges and mitigate the impacts of congestion and other needs in Nigeria’s growing cities.

    “He noted that underground space development will be a major inter-ministerial commitment to respond to national needs. This, he further revealed, informed the government’s willingness and commitment to buy-in into the vision,” he said, assuring that the present administration would do everything possible to provide an enabling environment for the vision to flower, mature and be embraced as major factor in the country’s quest for national planning in road, rail, flood control, power and other areas.

  • The remaking of Osapa Kingdom

    The rush for homes in and around the ocean is fast becoming the fad. “Osapa London”,  one of the earliest settlements to emerge before this trend, sits on an extensive prime land that stretches from the banks of the Lagos Lagoon to the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean. The area is being reworked into a sustainable city – in line with modernisation, writes MUYIWA LUCAS.

    The concept of smart cities has now become the fad. On regular basis, developers have found the need to work on this evolving concept to attract market for such projects. This, perhaps, explained why the Lekki Peninsula in Lagos, has over the years, grown into a huge residential and commercial hub with a few sustainable communities.

    With the rush to such areas comes the challenge of maintaining sanity and good architectural piece. This is why one of such work and live in the cities, Osapa Kingdom, popularly known as “Osapa London”, is being reworked.

    Osapa Mega City…

    From this project the Osapa megacity will emerge. This, according to the Chairman of Kazeem Royal Properties Limited- the developers of the city, Prince Kazeem Eletu, comes as a multi-billion naira project. He explained that the estate will sit on over 150 hectares of land, which will contain a five-star hotel, schools, glass house building, hospital and mall, among other amenities. It will also serve as the new base of Osapa Mega City.

    The new estate is located just few minutes from Lekki, and lies between various shopping centres and surrounded by schools, parks and a flourishing local business scene. It will be part of proposed new layout, being prepared by the United Arab Emirates -based firm, Abu Dhabi Construction Company and other renowned construction firm based in France. Eletu explained their choice to be as a result of “Kazeem Royal’s stand on not compromising standards.”

    Existing property

    Homes in the existing estate are built by either the prospective owners themselves or the project developer may be contracted for such. Although the firm said there are homes for sale or lease, Eletu explained that while they build only five bedroom homes for sale, the homes being put up for rent have two, three and four bedrooms, which all come equipped with furniture and accessories. However, an occupant is at liberty to choose, in consultation with the company’s interior designers, what sort of interior designs he prefers.

    Also, houses in the estate are linked and well-paved with interlocking stones and lined with drainages to rid the city of storm water. Kazeem Royal, through its main contractor-firm, Structmatics Engineering Limited, began the process of de-flooding the city by rebuilding all the bad roads and drainages that were blocked.

    The Osapa London City will also be dotted by exquisite terraces, known as Kareem Royal Terraces. This, according to the Chairman, underlines the firm’s design philosophy. Eletu said Kazeem Royal Terraces offer an exciting opportunity to live life at its finest with such a highly versatile space for work, play, relaxation, or entertainment.

    “Free-flowing interiors spill onto spacious balconies and private terrace areas, providing each home with an idyllic outdoor setting all year round. This is why when it comes to shared facilities, Kazeem Royal gives residents plenty of reasons to love their neighbourhood,” he said.

    Eletu said that the firm’s homes stand out with its interiors. “When it comes to our homes, it’s what’s inside that counts. Our renowned eye for detail and command of functional design are evident throughout Kazeem Royal, from the superbly functional open-plan living spaces to seamless finishings that exude modern charm.”

    The homes, he said have high ceilings, quality flooring and generous storage space enhances the naturally free-flowing design. All bedrooms are fitted with built-ins and some of the expansive master bedrooms offer a spacious walk-in wardrobe. He said there are four varieties of home layouts to suit a diverse range of lifestyles from individuals to families. “With options of two, three, and four bedroom designs spanning two and three storeys in structure- most with secure two-car garages- Kazeem Royal are built to fit the needs of all residents, “ he said.

    Kazeem Royal has plans to be a global player in real estate and construction. On account of this, the company already has facilities in France, the UK, South Africa and will be moving into Dubai shortly.

    Kazeem Royal’s portfolio includes residential, offices, retail, hospitality and education. In addition, the real estate and construction company has actively contributed to the sustainable development of the environment and the society.

    The Chairman said, “Kazeem Royal is renowned for creating outstanding places to live, work and invest. Established in 2009, Kazeem Royal is a leading brand in real estate, consistently delivering innovative and high quality products that exceed expectations.”

    Kazeem Royal, he said offers its residents a peaceful home-life rests in balance, a mix of modern onsite amenities, as well as easy access to all of the everyday necessities. “As the proven leader in the retail industry, Kazeem Royal offers a full array of retail services for investors and occupiers of real estate seeking to maximise value, regardless of the size of their portfolio, the location of their assets or the scope of their operations.”

     

  • Race for sustainable safe drinking water

    Race for sustainable safe drinking water

    Globally, an estimated 663 million people are living without safe water supply. In Nigeria, about 70 million are said to be affected. Experts believe that access to safe water is one of the most-effective instruments in promoting health and reducing poverty. The importance of this commodity was  stressed at this year’s World Water Day celebration. Amid the citizens’ cry for potable water, the government says it is taking steps to meet their need, MUYIWA LUCAS writes. 

    Original Suffer Head”, an album by the late Afro beat king, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, is generally accepted as one of his greatest hits. The song, released in 1981, captures the sufferings of Nigerians in the battle to have access to clean water. Although Fela is no more to see the continued water challenge in the country and beyond, his song, 36 years after its release, remains a constant reminder to the government and stakeholders ofz the importance of having in place, clean water for the populace.

    The need to have sustainable safe drinking water has now become a global issue. It was, therefore, instructive when the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) included this commodity as one of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) target.

    On March 22, this year’s edition of the World Water Day was celebrated to attain sustainable drinking water for all and direct the attention of government to the plight of people without this essential of life. The theme was: “Why Waste Water?”

    Globally, experts say waste water from homes, cities, industries and agriculture flow back to nature. And that since it is not treated or reused, it pollutes water for drinking, bathing, and irrigation, losing valuable nutrients and other recoverable materials.Therefore, it is believed that reducing and safely treating  waste water will make it available for use.

    At an event to mark the day in Abuja, the Minister of Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu, described waste water as “any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence,” saying this could originate from a combination of domestic, industrial, commercial or agricultural activities, surface run off or storm water from sewer inflow or infiltration.

    Adamu expressed concern that “no part of Nigeria has fresh water of sufficient quantity and quality that can continually be misused, abused and mismanaged in the way it has been in the past decades without dire consequences.”

    The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Mrs. Rabi Jimeta, said waste-water “as a valuable resource in the secular economy and its safe management is an efficient investment in the health of humans and ecosystems.” Therefore, she said, it is pertinent to situate the place of planning and effective management as the crux of proactive policy to give access  to safe water for drinking and providing water for domestic and economic use in the country. Hence, this year’s theme was a booster for the government to leverage the recycling technology as obtainable in other countries with more difficulties to access  water, in resolving multi-sector demands of water in Nigeria to boost sustainable development.

     

    Staggering statistics

    Investment in water infrastructure will play a major role in every nation’s plan for development. As an essential component of national economies, huge investments in water have more benefits towards attaining many of government’s policies. This is why stakeholders are of the opinion that without critically looking at the water sector, it may not be feasible to create and maintain more jobs across the economy because of its usage across the entire economy.

    For instance, a 2016 report of the United Nations World Water Development said half of the global workforce is employed in eight water and natural resource-dependent industries. It is, therefore, pertinent to note that sustainable water management leading to access to clean and safe water is critical to improved living standards and social inclusion. Beyond sanitation, the report further said, only proactive water management can be annexed to drive the green growth and sustainable development. The report disclosed that Africa has about nine percent of the world’s fresh water resources. In  a similar vein, the World Bank reports that African agriculture is mostly rain fed farming; regrettably less than 10 percent of the available cultivated land is irrigated. This places more responsibilities on the imperatives of effective water management to feed humans and animals, as well as maintain its nutritional demands. UNICEF also reported that about 70 million Nigerians lacked  access to safe drinking water, and over 110 million lacked access to improved sanitation in 2013. According to the world body, about 124,000 children under the age of five die because of diarrhoea, mainly due to unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene. Lack of adequate water and sanitation are also major causes of other diseases, including respiratory infection and under-nutrition.

    “Conversely, neglecting water issues runs the risk of imposing serious negative impacts on economies, livelihoods and populations with potentially catastrophic and extremely costly results. Unsustainable management of water and other natural resources can cause severe damages to economies and to society, thus reversing many poverty reduction, job creation and hard-won development gains,” the report stated.

     

    Govt effort

    Adamu  hinted of government’s thinking to include water recycling as a target policy to manage wastewater for agriculture, sanitation and other uses for disease control, food security and job creation in realisation of  the “Change” mission and diversification effort of the President Buhari’s administration.

    To achieve this and change the face of the sector, the Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, noted that it requires multi-level partnership and synergies for the effective implementation of the agenda, as no single individual or government agency can meet the required development needed all alone.

     

    The journey so far

    Although the country has made substantial progress in developing policies and strategies for water supply and sanitation service delivery, translating these into deliverable actions are challenges confronting the nation. Notwithstanding though, stakeholders are quick to point out that in the last one year, government’s effort has been commendable. For instance, within this period, the administration has provided water and sanitation facilities to Nigerians to end open defecation. The Executive Director of Water supply and sanitation collaboration Council (WSSCC), Mr. Chris Williams, supported the initiative with $5 million through its Global Sanitation Fund for the implementation of sanitation and hygiene promotion activities across six local government areas (LGA’s) in Benue and Cross River states. Non-availability of sanitation and hygiene affects the health of women. The need to provide it will reduce mortality rate.

    Also, the government was able to initiate a bilateral engagement to organise an international conference on Lake Chad to draw international attention to the drastic drying up of the Lake Chad basin in order to save the over 47 million people  living around the lake who depend solely on it for farming, fishing, livestock production as well as water supply for drinking/sanitation. The Lake Chad Basin Commission and Power China International Group Limited have signed a memorandum of understanding to actualise the transfer of water from the Congo basin to Lake Chad basin.

    Importantly, the implementation of the Rural sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in Nigeria (RUSHPIN) is a  project across six LGA’s in Benue State and Cross River State. It is a five-year sanitation and hygiene project  which seeks to stop open defecation through the construction of toilets and shallow wells with hand pump. The project has yielded success in three LGA’s across Cross River State.

    Other commendable efforts include the commencement of work on the Adada Dam River site project which has about 1.4 million cubic meters of water capacity. The dam is expected to serve Nsukka community and environs by providing adequate potable drinking water and for other domestic users. Commencement of nationwide construction of boreholes to address the need of internally displaced persons’ (IDP’s) access to water. The ministry has also partnered the Katsina State Government to complete Zobe Regional water supply project. Zobe regional water supply was conceived in 1992 to meet the water supply shortfall in Katsina State. Also, the N5.9 billion water supply projects which will supply water to Otuoke, and 12 other communities in Bayelsa State has been inaugurated, just as there has been a  technical audit of 117 abandoned water projects; 25 per cent of the viable ones will be completed this year.

    The launching of the recently gazetted water use  licence 2016 is another landmark. The document will address a lot of issues like protection, conservation, control, equitable development and maintenance of environmental integrity of the nation’s freshwater and non-freshwater, including its strategies for achieving set goals in the sector.

     

    The Road Map

    The government has also put in place a roadmap to stimulate activities in the water sector. The roadmap will: establish a policy and regulatory framework for the water sector; prioritise and implement the Ministry’s Projects; see to the development and implementation of a National Irrigation Development Programme between 2016-2030,  to boost food production; development and implementation of a National Water Supply and Sanitation Programme to attain the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG); development of a blueprint to strengthen the River Basin Development Authorities as enablers for food  security and socio-economic development; identifying alternative sources for funding the delivery of Water Supply and Sanitation through enhanced collaboration with Development Partners, States and Local Government Authorities, Communities and the Private Sector.

    To actualise the Roadmap, Adamu said there is a strong collaboration with Federal Ministries of Agriculture and Rural Development, Power, Finance, Budget & National Planning, Environment, Health, as well as Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission (ICRC), Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Bureau for Public Enterprises, state governments and other stakeholders.

    “I am confident that implementation of the Roadmap will be accelerated as we move into the third quarter of the year and beyond,” a confident Adamu said.

  • Fayemi praises Lafarge’s industrial power generation

    Fayemi praises Lafarge’s industrial power generation

    •Firm offers support in solving energy problem 

    The Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, has called on Lafarge Africa, a construction solutions provider in Nigeria, to support the Federal Government’s drive towards ensuring adequate power generation and distribution, particularly in industrial hubs.

    Fayemi, who made the request during a recent working visit to Lafarge Africa’s Ewekoro Cement plant, praised the company for its efforts at generating sufficient power for its operations across the country, especially through the use of biomass. He also praised the cement manufacturer for its initiative of recycling palm kernel shells, which are waste material, as biomass to generate power for the kilns used in making cement.

    According to the minister, the use of biomass in any production process saves money that would have been used to buy fuel and foreign exchange. He assured that although presently, the power generated from Lafarge’s biomass plant generates half of the energy used in firing its kilns, they will ultimately get to 100 per cent.

    “An environment-friendly production site is something to take away from Lafarge Africa here in Ogun State and I hope there are lessons to take on board. That is not to say that coal should not be used because we have coal in Nigeria that will also save us foreign exchange,” Fayemi said.

    Reiterating the importance of power generation for existing and new factories as being critical, Fayemi also noted that power is an essential need for Nigerians, that is why government is desperately in need of adding more to its generation in order to fuel plants and factories that are springing up.

    “Every day, you have a new company springing up and you want to ensure that there is enough power for those companies, whether it’s biomass, coal or natural gas or renewable energy, you what to ensure that you have enough power to use. So, for us, we are impressed with what we have seen and we want to support Lafarge Africa to expand its operations,” the Minister said.

    In his response, the Country CEO, Lafarge Africa Plc, Michel Puchercos, noted that the effects of the slowdown in the economy prompted the company to seek an alternative means to generate energy for its Ewekoro and other plants.

    “We realised last year that dollars was scarce and energy was scarce in Nigeria. So, the company reacted very strongly to the situation. We said to ourselves, how can we do both? We wanted to do both – keep on producing and saving energy and also getting US dollars.This is how the idea of using biomass came,” Puchercos explained.

    He further said that: “Ogun State being an agriculture hub as well, made it possible for us to produce 50 per cent power from biomass in 2016, which we can grow to 70 – 80 per cent. We aim to roll out the scheme in other plants- Ashaka, in Cross River  State, Gombe State and just across the road in Ewekoro II.”

    According to Puchercos, the production of biomass fuel from palm kernels isn’t restricted to recycling palm kernels. “Burning and recycling wastes like silica and aluminium which are dangerous to man can generate electricity and improve the standard of living. If Nigeria is ready, we are ready to support,” he assured.

    Lafarge Africa a member of LafargeHolcim, in partnership with Ogun State, inaugurated a biomass alternative fuel feeding system last September.  Using palm kernel shells, the plant generates about half of the energy requirement at Lafarge’s cement factory in Ewekoro. There are plans to replicate the technology in its plants across the country.