The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • Marketers: 2.2 million vehicles hit Lagos for fuel

    No fewer than 2.2million vehicles came to Lagos in search of fuel, The Nation has learnt.

    According to the Executive Secretary, Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Obafemi Olawore, the figure would have been higher had the Federal Government not made efforts to halt the trend.

    He said the figure represents the number of vehicles that came from different states in search of fuel at a relatively cheaper price. He said motorists from other states decided to come to Lagos to buy fuel, following their inability to get the commodity at between N150 and N200 per litre from the black market.

    While stating marketers’ position on the lingering fuel scarcity during a meeting organised by the Products Petroleum Marketing Company (PPMC) to proffer solutions to the issue, Olawore said the number of vehicles that came to Lagos to buy fuel  increased by one million from 1.2million to 2.2million.

    He said: “Lagos officially has 1.2million vehicles on its roads.  However, the figure has increased greatly, due to influx of vehicles into Lagos from other states. Findings have shown that the number of vehicles that flowed into Lagos at the height of the ongoing fuel scarcity has increased to 2.2million. The reason is that fuel is normally scarce outside Lagos, so whenever problems occur in the supply/demand chain of the petroleum product, the only option left for fuel users, especially owners of vehicles is to come to Lagos to buy fuel.”

    Olawore said it is extremely difficult to ensure a steady supply of fuel in Lagos, despite efforts made by the government to solve the problem. He said Nigeria will achieve positive results in the area of fuel supply when one considers the huge volumes of fuel imported into the country by the Federal Government in recent times.

    In a related development, the Executive Director, Supply and Distribution, PPMC, Mr. Justin Ezeala, said arrangements are being made to remove major oil marketers from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) fuel importation programme, adding that such marketers would start importation of fuel into the country soon.

    He said marketers would bring cargoes of fuel into the country once they firm up arrangements with some international organisations that will supply them with foreign exchange for fuel importation.

    Lagos is noted for its huge vehicular traffic. Being the nation’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos is used to traffic as vehicles flowed into the city from different parts of the country. However, Lagos recorded an unprecedented vehicular traffic in the last three weeks, due to fuel scarcity.

    Though the government had taken delivery of seven cargoes of fuel last week end and also promised to import more fuel with a view to make the product available to users, the problem persists.

  • Lagos Housing Fair begins April 25

    The 15th Lagos Housing Fair (LHF) begins on April 25.

    The Vice Chairman of the  LHF Committee, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, told reporters that attention would to be paid to the values and benefits in the production, application and promotion of indigenous materials of all types. He observed that at this stage of the country’s development, Nigeria should be a global leader in the export of various types of building materials.

    His reasoning is hinged on the provisions of the National Housing Policy of 2011, which has as its core goal the hastening of the development of appropriate capacities to achieve sufficiency in the production of basic building materials and components of acceptable qualities from local sources.

    “There is a need to focus attention on local content in the provision of housing, particularly now that the emphasis of the government is on the diversification of the economy,” Ogunleye said, adding that specific attention needed to be paid to the values and benefits in the production, application and promotion of indigenous materials of all types.

    The LHF will focus on the encumbrances in the channels of turning locally-made items into other products for construction purposes and wealth creation.

    Already, 85 exhibitors have signed up to participate in the fair, which will be declared open by the country’s former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. “Organisations that will exhibit their products are those that are already manufacturing local building products,” The Chairman, Planning Committee, LHF, Mrs. Abiola Williams, said.

    In its 15 years of existence, the fair has been a veritable avenue to create awareness on designs and indigenous materials in construction.

  • Institution trains artisans on foundation work

    The Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) has resolved to train young engineers and other artisans in foundation construction to curb building collapse.

    Its President, OreOluwa Fadayomi, said this while declaring open a three-day course on “Application of sub-soil investigation results to design of different foundation types and piled foundation integrity tests.”

    The course was organised by the institution in Lagos, last week.

    Fadayomi noted that the collapse of buildings in recent times has become very embarrassing to professionals, regretted that since some artisan and construction practitioners are not well grounded in what they do, it therefore becomes imperative that as qualified professionals, they should train the younger ones and share experiences they have garnered over the years.

    While urging participants at the training to share their knowledge with their colleagues, he said it is possible for other professionals to hide their mistakes, but for engineers, it is difficult as it will result into loss of lives and investments.

    Course Coordinator and Vice-President of the institution, Dr Kehinde Osifala, in his welcome address, said the need for continous development of technical manpower coupled with the need to reduce the spate of building collapses necessitated the course.

    The training, Osifala assured, would be a continuous exercise, and tailored to other aspects of engineering, with another one focused on addressing supervision in construction work.

    The course focused on sub soil investigation and laboratory tests; interpretation of subsoil investigation; foundation types and areas/situations of applicability and pile loading and integrity tests among others, also involved site visit.

  • Lagos champions ‘green economy’ campaign

    Lagos champions ‘green economy’ campaign

    The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr Samuel Adejare, has called for the integration of tree planting and other environmentally-friendly mechanisms into national policy to enhance development.

    He made the call at the third annual forum and seminar of the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARKS) held at the Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, Alausa, Lagos State, on Tuesday.

    Adejare said the seminar was a forum to educate, inform and exchange ideas by the public and policymakers on how best to integrate tree planting into the national economy for sustainable development.

    He said when tree planting is integrated into the national economy, the benefits would be fundamental to militating against the adverse effects of global warming and its attendant climate change impacts. It will also reduce poverty level through job creation and gainful engagement of youths; ensure production of food and other essential goods; ensure sustainability of agricultural production for export; ensure availability of woods, furniture and other allied products; and ensure environmental sustainability and improved socio-cultural value of greening.

    Adejare stressed the state’s commitment to protecting the environment for the present and future generation through its pace setting programmes and actions, including the ‘Operation Green Initiative’, which has been lauded locally and internationally. He encouraged Nigerians to embrace good policy framework as regards tree planting, public awareness campaign and positive attitude toward all the ,state’s greening programmes.

    He noted that despite challenges that may be encountered, regenerating the environment can only be done through collaborative efforts of the government and the private sector.

    In this regard, he called on non-governmental organisations (NGOs), private organisations and government to partner to develop the state through holistic tree planting programmes and creating a green national economy.

    The General Manager of LASPARK, Mrs Abimbola Jijoho-Ogun, said from a recent survey conducted by the agency, Lagos State citizens have called for the planting of more trees in the state.

    Stating the benefits of tree-planting, she said: “It has been long established that trees absorb pollutants in our cities with measurable benefits to people’s health such as reducing asthma levels. Yet, trees also deliver a host of other extra ordinary economic and social benefits as source of foods, medicine and shelter for all.”

    She said more empirical studies have shown that employees are more productive and have greater sense of job satisfaction in an environment adorned with trees. Also, she further said, trees have the potential to increase economic wellbeing of the people with properties and values boosted by their presence.

    Jijoho-Ogun decried the population’s negative attitude to trees, saying fears over safety or disturbances to foundations and properties, which lead to felling of such trees, rather than its integration, were unfounded.

    “The development of the space in which we live and work represents an opportunity for change that may not be repeated for many years. Making the right decision at this pivotal moment can influence peoples’ sense of place, health and wellbeing for generations,” she said.

    The LASPARK boss encouraged Nigerians to think positively about trees and to become advocates for greening and beautiful environment.

    Prof Musiliu Onilude of the department of agriculture, University of Ibadan and Dr Julius Agboola, an environmental scientist, were major speakers at the seminar.

  • How to bridge housing gap, by experts

    How to bridge housing gap, by experts

    Housing shortage is not limited to the middle class. It cuts across every stratum of the society,  the Executive Director, Grenadines Homes, Mr. Adesope Adeyinka, has said.

    In an interview, he said: “When we talk about housing deficit, people actually think it is limited to the lower class of the society. It will not be fair to look at the housing deficits challenge in Nigeria from one side. The deficits actually exist among all the market segments: the top, the middle and the lower classes.’’

    in partnership with stakeholders, Adeyinka said the deficit could be  managed. Besides, through the use of modern innovative technologies, some initiatives aimed at catering for the needs of each segment of the real estate market could be executed.

    For instance, he said its parent company- Palton Morgan Holding Company, Grenadines Homes and Propertymart, is working as subsidiaries, to provide for the different classes of the market. Propertymart caters for the middle and  the lower classes, by developing affordable property, for example, that civil servants and young executives can buy.

    On the other hand, Grenadines Homes, he said, was established to provide for the housing needs of the upper class whose projects are usually in exclusive areas.

    To boost housing units in the A and B luxury and upper segment, Grenadines Homes is undertaking a new housing project, called the “Atlantic Resort”, which on completion, will add 165 residential units to the upper end of the market.

    Adeyinka said it was conceived in response to the demand for mixed-use developments driven by the rise of the middle class and a thriving business environment in Lagos state.

    “The Atlantic Resort concept is basically around live, work and play in one, beautiful environment. We are looking at a model that will achieve self-sufficiency in terms of necessary facilities that will make the residents to be productive in their respective endeavours. There will be recreational, educational, shopping and tourism facilities, among others. In other words, you can control the world from the estate. It’s already attracting foreign direct investments. The phase one alone is going to cost $150 million. It’s a project we need at a time like this,” he said.

    The Marketing Manager, Grenadines Homes, Ms. Francisca Dyegh, explained that the Atlantic Resort concept as a well-thought-out project.

    He explained: “What other companies are doing is different from what we are doing; they are selling land to developers to develop, but what we are doing in Grenadines Homes is that we are directly responding to need of people within this vicinity. Atlantic Resort is about the only mixed used development that can give you the opportunity to live, work and play in one serene, beautiful environment.’’

    The Managing Director, Brash Brands, Dubai, Kiran Gill, said her company is coming into the project to tell the story of Atlantic Resort to Nigeria in a compelling way that will attract investors locally and internationally.

    “So, we understand what the ambition and the hopes are for Grenadines Homes, what they’re planning to do with the development.  And for us at Brash, we look at how we can tell that story. To tell that story in a compelling way to consumers and to investors who are looking to buy.

    Stakeholders believe that with a growing middle class and the need to cater for their housing needs, which is projected to hit 7.6 million by 2030, the prospects for this category in terms of investment potential.

  • AfDB boosts African housing with $8.2m

    Shelter Afrique, a Pan-African finance institution supporting the development of the housing and real estate sector in Africa has received a $8.2 million injection of equity by the African Development Bank (AfDB).

    In a statement by the AfDB, the injection is meant to strengthen its balance sheet and help achieve its objective of providing quality affordable housing in Africa.

    “Africa’s economic landscape remains positive with promising scope for growth; Gross Domestic Product remains robust supported by multiple factors. The continent’s growing population, a growing middle class and the fastest urbanisation rate in the world are some of the factors driving increased demand for affordable houses and housing finance,” AfDB noted.

    The Managing Director, Shelter Afrique, Mr. James Mugerwa, said the equity increase is a testimony to the confidence reposed by AfDB in his firm. “The African Development Bank has sent strong signals about the seriousness of housing on the continent, and by extension, the seriousness of what we do here at Shelter Afrique. It is a welcome development but we see it as a challenge as well. This equity increase means the AfDB wants to see more, they want to see impact and scale and that is what we will be aiming for this year; impact,” Mugerwa said.

  • Address human factor in building collapse, urges ATOPCON

    Address human factor in building collapse, urges ATOPCON

    The immediate past Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Toyin Ayinde, has said the spate of building collapse in the country is a signal that quality is being compromised.

    Ayinde, who spoke at this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association of Town Planning Consultants of Nigeria (ATOPCON), stated that aside the quantity of building materials, labour is also a vital aspect of quality.

    Ayinde was represented at the AGM by Mr. Moses Ogunleye.

    Ayinde, who noted that though  town planners, like other professionals in the build industry are facing challenges, said it was rather unfortunate that the industry is at the receiving end.

    “When incidents of building collapse still stare us in the face, it is a signal that quality is being sacrificed, but that really is the essence of ATOPCON, an association intended to foster quality consultancy services and healthy peer review,” he said.

    Ayinde, therefore, charged the experts and others to ensure that the level of awareness for quality must be raised if professionals were to remain relevant to the built environment.

    ATOPCON, he maintained, needs to enlighten professionals and other colleagues who might just see the association as another elitist movement designed to strangulate some people out of practice.

    Rather, the former commissioner said the association was seeking to bring together experienced professionals, who could learn from one another, and thus cause an improvement in service delivery.

    “There is no better time to convince more people to be committed to quality practice. There, indeed, lies our future. Sustainable systems have always survived on quality service, and ours should not be different. I therefore urge us to begin to think through the various challenges faced in the built environment and the construction industry, and to evolve viable solutions that will make us the pride of the society,”Ayinde said.

    Similarly, a Mass Communication lecturer at the University of Ilorin, Dr. Kadijat Kadiri-Bello, while delivering a lecture titled: “Rebranding town planning firms,” said there was the need for town planners to rebrand and take their place in the built environment.

    This, she cautioned, was not just about change in name, logo or colour, but also about professionals being open to adopting a consistent definition of branding, including evolving and sustaining transparency within their operations.

    ATOPCON’s immediate past Lagos chairman, Mr. Joseph Akande, said it had become imperative for the body to evolve new ways to deliver services. If imbibed, Akande said, it would lead to great improvements in the image and integrity of town planners before the general public, clients and professional colleagues.

    ATOPCON President, Mr. Olaide Afolabi emphasised that the aim of the association is to ensure the evolvement and nurturing of sustainable human settlement and cities.

    This, he explained, would be achieved if its members promote  urban and regional planning practice.

    “Our message to the Lagos State government is that it should  continue its efforts in the development of the city into a true mega city and ensure physical planning is used as an important and vital tool in guiding development plans, schemes and policies within the city.

    ‘’As is obtained in other climes, countries with sound, proactive physical planning and policies develop rapidly and sustainably.  Lagos cannot afford to be left out in creating an enduring liveable city and, as town planning consultants, we have to live up to the calling of our profession and its ethics,” Afolabi said.

  • Embrace global standards, estate valuers told

    Embrace global standards, estate valuers told

    To boost their practice, estate valuers have been asked to embrace international best practice.

    The call came at the seminar by the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers  (NIESV), Lagos Branch.

    The event, tagged: “Head of Practice Forum 2016: International property measurement standard and its impact on the Nigeria property market”, held at IKeja.

    Among others, the body emphasised the importance of proper valuation in the real estate sector.

    Questions, such as: Would it be possible to place values on properties without measurement? Would such values be correct if the measured areas are not correct? Is it proper to have, for example, three different measured figures from the same property from three different surveyors? were addressed at the event.

    The guest lecturer, Messrs Jimmy Olayinka Omotosho, a realtor, said the importance of international property measurement standard (IPMS) could not be over emphasised, saying it is one of the instruments that practitioners should be familiar with and make use of for their effective performance.

    According to Omotosho, IPMS, apart from its being an effective tool for the eradication of quackery in the profession, ensures the accuracy of measurement and that it should not be left in the hands of the incompetent staff.

    “Because of its importance, head of firms should ensure that a competent hand is involved in engaging in valuation business and not to be left for an incompetent staff, though, they are employed and need to develop, any mistake in applying IPMS may lead to wrong valuation that may not favour either the service provider or the  owner of the property, he added.

    Omotosho listed the benefits of the IPMS as: provision of a mechanism for benchmarking property across international markets as well as in Nigeria; provision of a common transportable market  for  practitioners to use and the provision of  greater transparency to all property users wherever they are located within the country.

    Others are that IPMS provides consistency in the data, with valuation and financial reporting and will support property and facility managers to better compete and utilise space within the local market. In addition to enabling  international occupiers, investors and owners to benchmark their properties.

    “Therefore, NIEVS, as one of the coalition organs should engage in IPMS training and guidance for professional use and also write it (IPMS) in their professional statements, which will become mandatory over the time and should be appropriately regulated,” Omotosho advised.

    The Estate Surveyors &Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) Chairman, Elder William Odudu, who extolled practitioners’ quest to be at par with their foreign counterparts, noted their achievements over the years.

    Odudu, however, informed the gathering that a book had been written by one of the members that would put more light into international property measurement standard.

    “The Registration Board will look at the paper presented here by our guest speaker and make the necessary comments and recommendation. Nevertheless, I must commend the organiser for a job well done, ‘’ said Odudu.

    Earlier, the Chairman of the chapter, Mr. Offiong Samuel Ukpong, emphasised the need for the group to ensure that their practice was  done according to the best international practice.

    According to him, the event came as a follow-up to last years’ forum, where they examined the subject of international valuation reporting standard (IVRS).

    “Here today, we are meeting to examine and take home what should be our guiding principles on measurement of commercial properties,’’ he said.

  • ‘Climate change is humanity’s greatest challenge’

    Climate change is the greatest challenge for humanity, with potentially huge, negative consequences for agriculture, Prof. Francis Adesina of the Department of Geography, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, has said.

    He spoke while delivering a lecture titled: ‘Some thoughts on climate change, agriculture,’ at the British American Tobacco Nigeria Foundation (BATNF) Implementing Partners workshop in Ibadan.

    Adesina noted that the impact of climate change is felt most on “exposed systems,” which he said include rain-fed agriculture. He traced the genesis of global warming to 1880, noting that successive years since the 19th Century have been hotter, with 2015 being the hottest year. He regretted that Nigeria and other developing countries are most susceptible to the harsh effects of climate change due to poor water storage system, which he said has grave implication for all including agriculture.

    “Considering the very high consumption of rice in Nigeria, nowadays, if you must control climate change one of the crops you need to control is rice because of its high water demand,” he said, while emphasising the need for farmers to be climate smart. He noted further that climate change signs are evident and cited the example of the absence of an August break in 2015.

    Earlier in his address, a BATNF Technical Committee member, Prof Chidi Ibe, reiterated the need for all to develop the capability to adapt to climate change. One of the achievements of climate change adaptation, he noted, is the development of a drought resistant rice variety.

  • Lagos keys into mortgage refinance scheme

    Lagos keys into mortgage refinance scheme

    •Continuous mass housing on the cards

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr. Gbolahan Lawal, has reiterated the state’s willingness to partner the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC).

    To this end, the state government says it is prepared to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) as soon as parties agree on the terms and modalities of the facilities which are geared towards alleviating the burden of financing mortgage in the state.

    At an interactive meeting of the ministry and its agencies with the management of the NMRC, led by the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NMRC, Professor Charles Inyangete, Lawal reiterated that Lagos State has positioned itself positively in terms of provision of mortgage laws and the establishment of necessary institutions to enable it access a value-chain approach in financing housing.

    He further stressed that the state is working towards reducing poverty because ‘home ownership goes beyond shelter as it is a major investment’’.

    The commissioner also said that in the effort of the state government to prepare for housing investment, it commissioned empirically based studies across the state to ascertain the various needs so as to guide government in its quest to reducing housing deficits across the state.

    To this end, the state government promised that there would be a continued and sustained provision of mass housing units to Lagosians. Lawal said the provision of mass housing is part of government’s efforts to tackle the current housing deficit being faced in the state, blaming the deficit on population increase and influx of people into the state. Government, he disclosed, could no longer shoulder the responsibility alone; hence its resolve to invite developers to partner with the Ministry.

    The commissioner was emphatic that the current housing crisis calls for drastic measures requiring a Public Private Partnership (PPP), to take housing beyond delivery to possession. He disclosed that government is considering the introduction of other housing ownership initiative options such as a rent-to-own apart scheme that could enable the people have more access to homes considering that there are a huge number of houses that are yet to be accessed by the public.

    Although the participants at the forum, which included real estate operatives, were in agreement with the rent-to-own scheme, they however advised that necessary precautionary measures should be put in place to ensure its success and sustainability