The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • Lagos rejigs waste management

    Lagos rejigs waste management

    With the unveiling of new reforms, the Lagos State government is set to transform waste management, environment and the economy, writes MUYIWA LUCAS.

    It was an unusual gathering, coming just a few days after the ministry’s monthly media parley was held.

    And the entry of the state’s commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare and his Information and Strategy counterpart, Steve Ayorinde, meant it was not business as usual. As the duo, accompanied by other members of the ministry sauntered into the PearlWorth Hotel, Ikeja conference room, it was glaring that something ‘big’ was in the offing.

    The occasion turned out to be one that would catapult the state into the next level of waste management, which has remained a sour point in the affairs of a state with an estimated 22 million people.

    Using graphics to explain the reform, tagged the Cleaner Lagos Initiative, Adejare noted the flaws in the structure as well as dynamics of the  system. Besides creating an enabling environment for the private sector to harness international best practices, the initiative will equally tackle challenges in solid waste management in the state.

    “The Cleaner Lagos Initiative aims to protect the environment, human health and social living standards of Lagos residents by promoting a harmonised and holistic approach to the waste and environmental challenges, thereby ensuring improved operational efficiency. It will also address the lacunae in the  legislation to expand the scope of the Lagos Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) to enable it enforce, regulate and generate revenue from the waste management process,” he explained.

    To this end, Adejare said the government would carry out a recertification of all the 350 PSP operators, relicense them and audit the state of their compactors. Besides, five new power stations – one in each division in the state – will be built to generate power from wastes, and the numerous dumpsites dotting parts of the state will soon be a thing of the past.

    As part of the initiative, Olusosun and Solus dumpsites are to be closed next year, because it has been established that they are dangerous to health and the environment.

    “We plan to regenerate Olusosun and turn it into a park, where intercity buses will end their journey and would no longer be allowed to enter into the city. Passengers will from there take taxis and intra-city buses to their destinations in town,” he explained.

    Alaso, he said about 25,000 people would be engaged as street sweepers. They would be well-kitted with decent uniforms, gloves, boots, pickers, brushes, carts as well as mobile phones with which to communicate with the control centre, and they would be well paid.

    To make them effective, every sanitation worker will reside in where they operate, especially for convenience and to curb the high cost of fare to work. They will be will be well-trained and given an attractive welfare package.

    “In all, we hope to generate a total of 46,000 new jobs,” he said.

    The commissioner, who disclosed that a law is in the works to back the Initiative, said the scheme would allow big-time players in the waste management sector to do business with the state.

    This is why Lagosians will be required to pay a public utility levy (PUL), which is not a tax but something similar to what is being paid to PSP operators. Part of the PUL goes into an Environment Trust Fund.

    The commissioner, who described   the situation as a “broken system,” regretted that several factors had combined to cripple the smooth running of the state’s waste management. Some of these include hindrance of regular waste collection by a vicious cycle between clients and operators as poor collection service delivery leads to irregular and poor payments; bin placement, transfer loading stations (TLS), and other supporting infrastructure had been ignored and undue attention placed on waste collection only.

    Besides, the waste billing system is said to be unduly complicated due to the differences and inconsistencies in charges and collection routes, therefore, leaving the billing system open to manipulation and fraud.

    Adejare  said LAWMA, as regulator for waste management, is overwhelmed by the responsibilities of having to coordinate 350 companies and still carry out its own collection.

    To address the situation, he said there would be a transformation of the TLS to modern ones, including the introduction of no fewer than 25 Material Revolving Facility (MRF) where wastes will be sorted. Also, 600 new compactor vehicles will be acquired. Each compactor will be tracked while  the state will be divided into zones for ease of allocation of compactors. There will be a control room where every compactor will be monitored, and existing waste dumpsites will be closed and replaced with engineered sanitary landfill sites. The government is considering sites in Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu for the five sanitary landfills being proposed. The leachate and gas to be recovered from the proposed sanitary landfills will be put to good use.

    “The PSP and LAWMA partnership was quite effective, but is no longer applicable, considering the fact that the population of Lagos has increased several fold (and still increasing) and the over 300 compactors in use are old and not suitable for modern waste collection. Wastes should not bring us hardship and shame, but rather we should make money from it. Emphasis will be on zero-dumping, recycling and generation of power from wastes,” he explained.

    When fully implemented, Adejare is convinced that the new arrangement will ensure that waste disposal will no longer be a challenge in the state. An efficient system would have been put in  ground for effective management to eradicate cart pushers in the city.

     

  • Kano rejigs land registration, targets N1b

    The Kano State government has kicked off a new process of land registration.

    The initiative, known as the Systemic Land Title Registration (SLTR), is geared towards   seamless collection of certificate of occupancy (C of O).

    Anchored by the Growth and Empowerment in State (GEMS3) office and funded by the Department for International Development (DFID), it involves the demographic data mapping of valuable property.

    The project is expected to generate N1 billion from the issuance of   Cs of O in three councils.

    At a forum for journalists, GEMS3 Media Adviser, Hajia Hadiza Abdullahi, said the SLTR was initiated to simplify the C of O process.

    The new systemic certificate, she  explained, offers alot of economic and investment merits at low-cost charges.

    Abdullahi described the new process as valid, possessing the same authority with the traditional C of O. She said the SLTR has security of tenure, guarantees inheritance right and assured investment opportunity.

    She called on land and property owners to avail themselves of the  opportunities in the scheme to guarantee investment opportunity on their valuables.

    “Before the recent extension of its demographic data mapping to Tarauni Local Government, a pilot scheme of SLTR was launched in Dala and Fagge local government areas with 30,000 certificates  issued to land owners.

    ‘’The SLTR C of O, being issued at the cost of N5, 000, was targeted at creating alternative means to the cumbersome process of the sporadic approach required for the collection of traditional certificate of Occupancy,” she added.

  • Ogun warns against reserves destruction

    The Ogun State Commissio-ner for Forestry, Kolawole Lawal, has warned  those destroying its forest reserves to stop or face the music.

    He gave the warning during a visit to sand evacuators at Alakala Communal Zone of Ipake Forest Reserve in Yewa South Local Government Area.

    He warned the sand evacuators to desist from encroaching into the forest reserve, adding that they should keep to the terms of their contract with the government and avoid going beyond the demarcated areas.

    ”We do not intend to victimise or deal with anybody except those found to be economic saboteurs, who through their actions or inactions, deliberately encroach on government reserves to make money; we urge them to immediately desist from such action before government clamps down on them,” he said.

    The Commissioner also cautioned cocoa farmers at Area J4 to desist from destroying the state’s economic trees in the reserves, advising them to replace the ones they have destroyed.

    He explained that the government has been magnanimous enough to allow Taungya farming in its forest reserves, saying that farmers should not abuse the privilege given to them through wanton destruction of economic trees and illegal activities in the reserves.

    Lawal said the government would revamp the depleted reserves.

  • Experts blame weak legislation for PPP failure

    Experts blame weak legislation for PPP failure

    Experts at the just-concluded African Engineering Conference, organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, have blamed the failure of public-private partnership on weak laws.

    It also featured the society’s Annual General Meeting and the UNESCO African Engineering Week.

    The events were held at the Tropicana Conference Centre with the Federation of African Engineering Organisation (FAEO) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisations (UNESCO).

    Over 600 delegates from across the world attended.

    Its theme was “Adequate, reliable and sustainable energy in Africa.”

    Many papers were presented

    In his presentation entitled: “Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit:  Beyond the limitation of finance in public-private partnership and project procurement options,” Senator Iyiola Omisore said the global perspective of PPP is that it remains the best approach to infrastructural growth.

    He noted that although the PPP model had been deployed to execute a few public projects, its value has been mostly felt in Lagos State, where the authorities have partnered the private sector on design, finance and management of public utilities.

    Outside the state, he said, infrastructure procurement by states is still tied to the old model of contract awards to private firms to execute a project designed and financed by the government. For this reason, the country has fared poorly.

    “The critical point to be made here is that, though there seems to be shortage of investable funds in the international market, but Nigeria’s crisis seems compounded by the integrity profile of our legal framework for an ideal PPP model,” he said.

    Omisore said without going into the details of the shortfalls in the legal framework, “suffice to say, however,  that  the  Infrastructure Concession Regulatory  Commission    (ICRC) Act  of  2005, the Public Procurement Act 2007 regulations issued by ICRC governing  the  PPP process and  various state laws as described in each state’s PPP policies,  fall  short  of necessary regulatory framework for proper implementation of  PPP projects, most  importantly  with respect  to  dispute resolution during the tenor of the contract and drew attention to the absence of political will to see through the policies of previous administration.

    He said because   concessionaires  are  aware  of  a  negative   tendency  by  a new  administration not  to honour to  the letter, the tenets of an arrangement  by a departed  administration,    they  are often inclined to speed up the inauguration of projects, irrespective of its stage of completion, before the expiration of tenure of the awarding  administration.  And except there  is a  determination  that a PPP succeed,  there are vested  interests   in  a  country to  ensure  that  the  governments initiative  to  promote PPP  as  a  policy  fail.

    “PPP projects often  encounter  serious  resistance  from  labour unions,  civil  service  employees and  sundry   socio-economic  interest groups,” Omisore said, adding that the  general  public sometimes misunderstand  PPP out of ignorance and  on the strategic  importance of PPP in a  nation’s socio-economic development.

    He said PPP are  meant to  be  contractual arrangements   between  the public  and  private sectors of  the economy, in which  responsibilities, risks and  obligations are  to  be  shared  by  both  sides   in  order  to  guarantee  the  greatest benefits to the public.

    He regreted that in Nigeria, a segment of  the  public  service  operators tend  to see the private  sector concessionaires  as the  enemies that  would deprive them  of  their  jobs, therefore,  to  be overcome at  all cost. This, he said, is  often  achieved  when  some rules in the civil service are exhumed to advise  the government on why all of a PPP undertaking, or some aspects of  PPP  project  agreement  should  not  be honoured, thereby leading to the government unilaterally rebidding on contracts voluntarily entered.

    “Moreso, with a weak legal  framework, under which concessionaires cannot be protected, the tendency is for the  private  sector operators, both from within and from outside of the country, to be wary  of doing business with government. Thus, timely procurement of public utilities suffers and the socio-economic development and the country is the worst for it,” he regretted.

    The outgoing President, Otis Anyaeji FNSE, thanked Omisore for touching on a crucial aspect affecting the industry by harping on the opportunities that PPP model brings.

    Anyaeji called on engineers to see beyond the threshold of career limitations and be creative in their service.

    Another speaker, Director of Operations of General Electric, Mr. Uzo Ezimora, one of the operators of the Nigerian Railway project under the PPP model, emphasised that no government anywhere in the world can fund infrastructural development.

    Corroborating Omisore, he beckoned on engineering firms to form formidable partnerships or mergers to pull resources to meet the requisite qualifications for government’s advertised jobs on engineering and  projects.

  • Painter wins N42m land in promo

    Fortune smiled on Mr. Saheed Lawal, a house painter in Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State, last week, when he was handed a plot of land worth N42 million in the Imperial International Business City (IIBC), an exclusive island at Lekki Phase 1, Ikate Elegushi, Ajah in Eti Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    Lawal, who bought a N500 lotto ticket to participate in the ongoing Imperial City Promo by Channeldrill Resources Limited,  emerged as the winner in the first of the seven raffle draws last week. The draw ends on December 31.

    Other winners were two persons with N1 million each; four won N500,000; 10 won N100, 000 each while 20 others won consolation prize of N50,000 each.

    Winners have also emerged in the second draw held during the presentation to Lawal. They will be presented to the public today.

    The Elegushi of Ikateland, Oba Saheed Ademola Elegushi, felicitated with Lawal and his family, advising them to make the best use of the rare opportunity to own a property. The traditional ruler also urged the family to be grateful to God always and remain steadfast in God, because He will certainly perfect the good work he has begun in their lives.

    “When we embarked on this promo, our prayer was that people like Saheed should win, because we know such would empower them and change their life story,” the monarch said.

    ChannelDrill Managing Director, Mr. Femi Akioye, said the status of the first winner makes him happy because such people are the real ones in dire need of shelter.

    Akioye said the promo would help his firm touch lives of the poor in the society. “It is part of our Corporate Social Responsibility which the Elegushi family and our firm have been used to doing over the years,” he said.

    Lawal told The Nation: “There is nothing I can say than to thank God. I cannot believe this is happening to me.”

    He however said he would sell the land and use the proceeds to establish a business, including setting aside certain amount as endowment for his children’s education.

    Channeldrill Resources Limited, is an infrastructure and city developer; the firm is partnering   the Elegushi Royal Family of of Ikate Elegushi Lagos, in the IIBC project,

  • Lagos, firm in N85b waste mgt deal

    The Lagos State government has entered into agreement with a firm to manage domestic waste. The deal, which is a  public-private partnership (PPP) based contract, is worth N85 billion over the next five years.

    This was disclosed by the state’s commissioner for the environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare in a chat with The Nation. Although he declined to name the investor cum contractor, the Commissioner however said the contractual agreement is part of an initiative to tackle waste management in the state, and as well tap into the wealth opportunities inherent in waste management.

    “Waste management is now big business. We are pulling out the PSP operators from domestic waste management in the state and they will now concentrate on the commercial waste management and collection which is more lucrative. The new contractor, a renowned international firm, will focus on domestic waste management, and will invest about N85 billion over the next five years,” Adejare said.   And as part of the new drive in this regard, the state will take delivery of 600 units of brand new Mercedez Benz waste compactor vehicles.

    Adejare said that waste management will continue to receive high priority in the state. And as a demonstration of the commitment to this, the state last month, evacuated waste on highways and other public places. He said that in this period, a total of 32,662.00 metric tons of waste was evacuated in the Central, Western and Eastern parts of Lagos; 196,197.00 metric tons of waste was deposited at various landfill sites of Olusosun,  Solous 111, Ewu-Elepe and Epe; Simpson and Agege Transfer Loading Stations evacuated 6,923 waste, while 216 marine waste was evacuated in 13 major water bodies locations in the state.

    Besides, he explained that advocacy and enlightenment on the PSP programme received a boost with waste and environment regeneration campaigns carried out in General Hospitals, Primary Health Care Centres and Private health Care Facilities, while 263 feedbacks came in form of complaints relating to service delivery and online bill reconciliation.

  • Experts seek solution to air quality, others

    Environmentalists have met in Abuja to proffer solutions to some problems in the country.

    This was at the 10th Stakehol-ders’meeting of the National Evironmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) at NICON Luxury Hotel in Abuja.

    The event’s theme was Air quality: aspect of control and regulations.

    Participants discussed installation of emission control devices on vehicle generations, collaboration within relevant agencies in environmental management and encouraging urban to rural movements.

    They also discussed firewood as a cooking instrument versus gas cooker, deforestation, ozone friendliness, toxicity, biodiversity and species extension and cost.

    A member of the Nigeria Environment Society (NES) Chief James Nwachukwu said to get quality air in the country, the following must be done: awareness on the implications of air pollution and its health hazard, the menace should be tackled with scientific alacrity and there had to be sincere strategic plans by the government.

    Accappocco Global Services Nigeria Limited Managing Director Opone Valentine Ottis rooted for the establishment of an Air Quality Control Commission (AQCC), rejigging of the laws establishing some parastatals to avoid clash of interests, higher penalty for defaulters, and periodic Environmental social Impact Assessments (ESIA).

    The forum later went into technical sessions. Its chairman was Prof. Babajide Alo, a former DVC, University of Lagos.

    In a communique, it urged the Federal Government to provide adequate funding for effective implementation of air quality programmes, including compliance monitoring and enforcement. It askedthe Federal Government to build capacity for national monitoring of emissions from both stationary and mobile sources, including the development and management of national emission inventories for the major air pollutants and greenhouse gasses.

    It suggested that NESREA should establish an air quality monitoring network to link the geo-political zones for data acquisition.

    The participants said since the world would converge on Maracach in Morocco this month to discuss global air quality and its environmental and health impact, Nigeria had to attend with a ratified document on environmental management.

    Among those at the event were Minister of Environment, Hajia Amina J. Mohammed who gave the keynote address, House Committee on Environment and Ecology Chairman Hon. Osita Obinna and Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET) Director-General.

  • ‘How to ease process of acquiring C of O, others’

    •3,000 certificates awaiting collection in Lagos

    Stakeholders in the land and housing sector in Lagos State have applauded reforms put in place by the state government.

    At the quarterly interactive stakeholders’forum organised by the Lagos Lands Bureau in Alausa Secretariat, Lagos, the participants lauded the Permanent Secretary, Land Bureau, Mr. Bode Agoro, for the reforms.

    These reforms include the deployment of professionals to achieve optimum performance, minimising abuses, especially those relating to corrupt practices and red tape; reforming mode of payment, placement of templates for the conduct of business in the Bureau, and introduction of the Electronic Document Management System (EDMS).

    Others include the reduction from  30  days to 21 days at the most, the processing of Governor’s Consent; digital mapping of the state to complement the effect of EDMS; reduction of payments on consent fees, capital gains tax, stamp duty and registration fees; and the establishment of the Directorate of Land Regularisation to eliminate the defective ratification procedure, among others.

    A participant, Mr. Olusola Ayeni, however noted that to make land registration easy, tax requirement should not be a prerequisite.

    He   said  not many land owners, especially those in rural areas, pay tax.

    “I believe that the government would make more money from land registration if tax is not part of the requirement. The issue of tax is a difficult thing all over the country, but if this is removed, people will be ready to come forward, knowing full well the benefits that accrue to a land with title document,”Ayeni explained.

    Another participant, Samson Alade, suggested that a letter of allocation and a certificate of occupancy (C of O) could be issued together. He said its adoption would erase the practice of issuing letters separately, and crash the processing fee.

    “I am of the view that the certificate of occupancy alone is enough to serve the needed purposes, instead of subjecting the people to double payment,” he said.

    But the stakeholders were unanimous that the Bureau should have field workers who will inspect land before registration, instead of the situation in which government officials wait at the Lands Bureau office for land owners.

    “Many people have a wrong notion about civil servants. They see them as being hard, extortionists, and overly officious with many negative impressions. More than that, people lack financial wherewithal to be coming repeatedly without successfully getting their transactions done, particularly those that are not residing in the metropolis. So, if officials can be visiting them and make the charges as low as possible, the government revenue will increase and people will have value for their property,”said Kayode Oyedele, another participant.

    Agoro assured that the Governor Akinwunmi Ambode-led government was determined to make life easy for the people.

    He said the government had introduced proactive policies on property perfection and registration to develop to make life easy for the people. These policies, he noted, led to some reviews, which has helped in preventing abuses in town planning and urban protection laws.

    The Permanent Secretary said in line with Governor Ambode’s commitment to prompt issuance of C of Os to property owners, more than 3, 000 of the document were already signed, waiting for collection by their owners. Fifty-six of the documents were collected at the forum.

    “Some documents that don’t qualify to be registered find their way for registration, creating a lot of hiccup in Land Bureau, thereby making it possible for illegal land acquisition by fraudulent persons. But with quality control department that has now been put in place, every application will now be filtered to determine their originality,” he added.

    Also, Land Regularisation Director, Mr. Taofeek Adenuga, said every survey must reflect the reality on site; hence the government would incorporate surveyors, town planners and others, to assess the status of land.

    “It’s time we are seeking cooperation and suggestion from all stakeholders, especially those of you who will need our services. We would want all of us to be on the same page so as to make land administration fast, cheap and less cumbersome,” Adenuga said.

  • World Toilet Day: Lagos promotes sanitation

    The Lagos State government has marked the World Toilet Day.

    The yearly event promotes safe toilet habits to prevent diseases and epidemics.

    At the event, held in Apapa, the Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who was represented by his Special Adviser on the Environment, Mr. Babatunde Hunpe, said: “We remain resolute in taking sanitation issue to the front burner as we are determined to ensure that the twin evil of open urination and defecation can no longer rear their ugly heads.”

    He noted that the day was an opportunity to raise awareness about the value of best sanitation practices and propagate the right to water and sanitation among Lagosians.

    The governor pointed out that Lagos, as the fifth largest economy in Africa, was being exposed to movement of people from other parts of the West Africa sub-region, adding that this situation had compounded the challenges of water and sanitation of the state, even with 570 public toilets spread across the state.

    “One in every three people on this planet still does not have access to a clean and safe toilet; at least 1.8 billion people globally use a source of drinking water that is contaminated; 2.5 billion people lack access to basic sanitation services, such as toilets or latrines and 1,000 children die daily due to poor sanitation; whereas better sanitation supports better nutrition and improved health, especially for women and children,” Ambode said.

    The governor decried the practice of open defecation and urination, saying that not only does such act pollute underground waters, but also contaminate agricultural produce, aid the spread of diseases and incapacitates the workforce.

    Consequently, the state, he said, would provide modern public conveniences and upgrading of already facilities across the state, stressing that plans were afoot to step-up on-going massive enlightenment drive by putting waste management on auto drive, whereby Lagosians would be encouraged to sustain a clean, aesthetic and safe megacity that would always set the pace for the enation.

    “We are also accelerating the provision and monitoring of public toilets within the state, in addition to massive awareness campaign to re-orientate the people towards positive sanitation attitude,” Ambode said.

    He stressed that his government established the public sanitation utilities to draw up the roadmap for combating open urination and defecation in public areas within the state which would reduce health care costs.

    Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Adeyemi Saliu, enjoined Lagosians to join the state crusade to attain a cleaner, healthier, functional and sustainable environment, capable of promoting economic growth and well-being of the citizenry.

  • FHA inaugurates revenue teams

    FHA inaugurates revenue teams

     •Issues N600m demand notice

    The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) has inaugurated new revenue teams for Gwarinpa, Lugbe, Kubwa and Karu housing estates in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Southwest Zonal Office in Lagos.

    The teams, which took off early this month, were set up, following the non-performance of the previous ones.

    FHA’s Managing Director, Professor Mohammed Al-Amin, explained that the teams were set up to enable the Authority generate more revenue to enable it meet up with its commitments of about N1 billion between this month and next January.

    The FHA chief, in a document obtained by The Nation, said the  team members were appointed based on merit, integrity and track record of performance, urging them to justify the confidence reposed in them by Management.

    He promised to provide the committees with logistics, adding that they steer clear of controversy.

    Al-Amin promised that funds would be released for roads repairs and other infrastructure in Lugbe Estate to enable the team get the co-operation of allottees and residents of the estate. He urged them to pay attention to alterations, change of use and other abuses in the estates.

    The Authority’s Business Development Executive Director, Mr. Aniedi Akpabio, charged the team members that the Management would be expecting positive reports from them as soon as posible.

    Its Housing Finance, Accounts and Corporate Services Executive Director, Mrs. Nkechi Nwazota, said the members should send reports of their challenges and progress to the Managemnent of FHA.

    Many of the team members complained of the tenement rates the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) collects from estates’residents and the fees collected by the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).

    Meanwhile, the Gwarinpa Estate, Abuja Revenue Team has sent out demand notices worth N627 million.

    Its Leader, Comfort Ayeni, said the bills were for use charges and ground rents. Also, she said, bills of about N577 million had been despatched to property owners on change of use while about N105 million ground rent charges had been served on 105 units of Abriba duplexes in the estate.

    She said the team was concentrating on the seven avenues in the estate and would move to the inner streets later.

    In her report to the FHA, Ayeni explained that the major challenge the team has encountered so far were the multiple charges allegedly levied against allottees by the AMAC, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC) and other agencies of the FCDA.

    She said though the FHA had got approval to collect Change of Use Charges since 2012, many of the allottees claimed to have been told by the FCDA that they had taken over the responsibility for such collection from the Authority.

    The Team Leader said there was the need to sensitise staff on the revenue drive, adding that they had experienced stiff opposition  from some of the Authority’s workers.

    She said her team would need more hands, security and logistics  to succeed in its assignment, urging the Authority to map out the means of ensuring prompt payment by allottees who had been served with demand notices.