The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • ‘Landscaping helps mitigate negative climate change effects’

    ‘Landscaping helps mitigate negative climate change effects’

    The role of landscape architects in the building of  Nigeria is misuderstood. This is because a lot of people believe landscape architects are gardeners.

    But to Fadera Williams, Nigeria’s first lanscape architect, landscape architects are “Environmental doctors” of our time. She said that while the misconception of the profession is prevalent here, she said that on the international front, a lot is being done to integrate landscape architects into sustainable development goals and there has been a call for the international landscape convention from continent to continent. For this to happen, each country in the continent in question is required to come up with a landscape charter that is region specific and integrate it into a holistic picture. This is because all over the world, the world leaders are beginning to realise that the interpretation of what landscape relationship is to man is the key to solving most of the cross purposes mankind as found himself in with Mother Nature.

     

    Landscaping as a concept

    It is the design of outdoor public areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions that will produce the desired outcome. In simpler terms.it is the architecture of outdoor spaces. That is an attempt to blend the available building technology with the environment. We build roads and we destroy the river basins; we drill oil and we disrupt the ecosystem of the aquatic organisms. We prepare Environmental impact assessment reports for major constructions, for oil drilling activities, for any activity that would generally affect the environment negatively. We also design private, public outdoor spaces, hotspots of social interaction, health farms, urban agriculture gardens, parks and gardens and so many more.

     

    Benefits to buildings

    It is all aimed at creating harmony and balance with nature. Buildings do not only get beautified by landscape designs, they also have some health benefits. According to the research of my master’s thesis, I discovered that a small estate like Atunrase estate Gbagada was emitting close to 200,000kg of Carbon from domestic source carbon emissions from the use of Kerosene, briquette, cooking gas and petrol only without putting into consideration vehicular influx and outflux of  carbon emissions. Also a total of 3,350 shrubs and a total of 1668 trees are proposed to offset these emissions in the estate. These means that if every home planted a tree and the parcel of land available used for tree planting and the canal scaping was done, the small residential estate could cater for its domestic source emissions. This tells us the potential that residential areas have towards addressing the problem of climate change. Apart from this it has health benefits because inhaling oxygen which is a bye product of plant photosynthesis is actually beneficial to humans. Another benefit of trees and plants generally is the protection they serve as windbreakers for seasons where the wind might have carted away your roof!

     

    Landscape architecture vs climate change

    Landscape architecture has a critical role to play in mitigating and ameliorating the impacts of climate change in Nigeria. Let’s take flooding as a typical example. The problem of coastal flooding has been heightened by global warming and as a result, Landscape architecture is positioned to provide the following services; Design for Flood protection, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), River and basin management plans, Room for the River, Multifunctional Levees, Waterfront development and so on. Apart from this, carbon sequestration by vegetation is the way by which carbon is being stored in the body parts of plants such as roots, stem, leaves etc. This way, Carbon which is one of the most lethal greenhouse gases is mopped up and taken away from the atmosphere.

     

    • Williams is a Landscape

    Architect in Lagos.

  • Lassa Fever: Rotary mulls cleaner environment

    Lassa Fever: Rotary mulls cleaner environment

    With an increasing concern about a clean and disease free environment, the need to ensure a safer environmental condition has become the business of all. Now, in keying into this campaign for a cleaner and safer environment, the Rotary Club of Ikeja, District 9110, has donated environmental/sanitary equipment to the Obada/Ipodo market community in Ikeja, Lagos State. Items donated include big waste disposal bins of different sizes, rakes, modern brooms, parkers and packs of face masks.

    The President, Rotary Club, Ikeja District 9110, Mr. Tosin Kadiri, while making the presentation, explained that the choice of donating sanitary items was borne out of the passion and need to consciously imbibe a culture of having a clean and healthy environment in the people.

    According to him, the recent outbreak of Lassa fever can be linked to the preponderance of unclean environment. He also warn against the Zika Virus, which is currently ravaging countries of South America.

    “We just finished battling Ebola and almost immediately, we are been faced with another disease-Lassa fever. We all know Lassa fever is as a result of filthy environment, and if we don’t have a very filthy environment we won’t have rats everywhere,” kadiri said.

    Explaining its choice of items donated, the Club president explained that a need assessment was carried out on the community and it was discovered that the Obada Ipodo market lack waste disposal bins. “They don’t have a central collection point where they can put their waste and if you don’t dispose your waste properly that is the beginning of all these problems. So with this discovery the Club now decided to procure the sanitary items for them,” he explained.

    Presenting the items, a past president of the Club, Mr. Bintan Famutimi, admonished the market men and women to make the best use of the items so as to encourage the club to continue to do more for them.

    A representative of the Executive Secretary of Ikeja Local Government, Dr. Matthew Ebuloku, expressed his gratitude to the club for the kind gesture and also implored them to continue to do more for the society.

     

  • ‘Housing man’s most expensive acquisition’

    The real sector has been identified as the first casualty in the event of a fall in any country’s currency. This is because the sector is a highly capital intensive one. This view was expressed by the managing director of Interstate Architects Limited, Mr. Olusegun Ladega, in a chat with The Nation.

    Ladega, expressing concerns over the crashing naira against other currencies and its effect on the real estate sector, regretted that when situations of a crashing local currency persists in an economy, then most potential investors in real estate are usually compelled to make a downward review of their budget, which in the overall, takes a toll on the industry.

    “Construction has never been cheap, so when the economy gets bad, then people will naturally make some form of adjustment in order to suit their pockets. It may interest you to know that the real estate sector had for long been feeling the heat of the downward trend in the economy, except that it got more pronounced this year as a result of the drastic fall in the value of the local currency- the naira,” Ladega disclosed, adding that the most expensive acquisition of any individual is the building of his own house, no matter how simple the house may be.

    Decrying the current financial position of the country, Ladega posited that the situation should serve as a wakeup call to the government to now look beyond crude oil as the country’s major source of income. The real sector, notwithstanding its challenges, he agreed, can significantly contribute to the economy if it is properly positioned and its potentials harnessed. Indeed, the sector has had its fair share of challenges especially the spate of building collapse, and the absence of good policies like the National Building Code (NBC).

    Ladega cautioned that the absence of the NBC should not be misconstrued as the reason for the incessant building collapse being experienced across the country. Rather, he argued, every single activity that is undertaken in the process of bringing about a building in the country has regulatory body that contributes either as a regulator or policy formulator. The problem, he further said, is that failure of regulations’ enforcement has always been the bane in the industry. “When there is enforcement by the regulatory bodies assigned to monitor these developments, the incidences of collapse would be greatly reduced to the barest minimum,” he assured. This he explained can be achieved by certification of construction personnel, monitoring and inspection of buildings from conception

  • Structural engineers seek involvement in projects

    President, Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) Engr. OreOluwa Fadayomi has called on government to redirect its policies to address patronage, remunerations and easy access to funds for the development of engineer and the nation.

    Fadayomi, in his inaugural speech after his investiture as the 18th president of the Institution held in Lagos last week said some projects below a certain threshold should be for national bidding only by Nigerian firms, adding that for others above the threshold, Nigerian firms should also play a reasonable role.

    The NIStructE boss said payment for professional services should no longer be delayed and where inevitable, interests should be paid according to the contract agreement. “Stunting and kill the engineering firms through over taxation and multiple-taxation must be addressed in the interest of the nation”, he said.

    According to him, the policies drawn by various governments in the country should be favorable to ensure regular supply of jobs from where young engineers can be trained and gather experience, saying that, if government does not provide jobs for them, they will find other things to do.

    He said, “At present, the Nigerian structural engineers are poorly remunerated compared to the level of service and responsibility they carry. Also in relative comparison to professional colleagues in management, banking and oil and gas, the remunerations are dismally poor. This coupled with poor patronage stunts the growth of Nigerian engineering firms,” adding that all past and present recommendations concerning collapse of buildings should be addressed by all concerned.

    On preventing collapses, he said the public should stop patronising non-structural engineers in the design and construction supervision of their projects. Also that they should carry out due diligence in choosing the structural design and construction supervision team, are the personnel truly what they claim to be?  Are there references? Are they registered to practice?  In case of the unexpected, are you adequately protected? He queried.

  • ‘Landscaping helps mitigate against negative climate change effects’

    ‘Landscaping helps mitigate against negative climate change effects’

    Fadera Williams is Nigeria’s first landscape architect produced by the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and, by extension, in the West African region. A botanist, she also studied at the University of Ibadan, (UI) and Horschule Fur Nurtingen, Germany. Williams, who is President, Society of Landscape Architects of Nigeria (Southwest Chapter) and an adjunct Lecturer at UNILAG, where she teaches Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, is a Ph.d candidate of the Department of Architecture, University of Lagos. She speaks to MUYIWA LUCAS on Landscape Architecture 

    Landscape architecture in Nigeria is a budding profession in Nigeria. In fact, most of the Landscape Architects  in Nigeria are foreign trained. The role of landscape architects in the building of our nation is not well understood. A lot of people believe landscape architects are gardeners or like some say ‘Landscapers’.  I call landscape architects the “Environmental doctors” of our time. Interestingly, on the international front, a lot is being done to integrate landscape architects into sustainable development goals and there has been a call for the international landscape convention from continent to continent. For this to happen, each country in the continent in question is required to come up with a landscape charter that is region specific and integrate it into a holistic picture. This is because all over the world, the world leaders are beginning to realise that the interpretation of what landscape relationship is to man is the key to solving most of the cross purposes mankind as found himself in with Mother Nature. However, in Nigeria, sadly, we are yet to be thinking in this direction. Hitherto, different built environment professionals such as urban planners, building architects e.t.c have attempted to do the work of landscape architects but thankfully, we as a profession are gradually growing in our great nation and things are beginning to take shape.

     

    Landscaping as a concept

    It is the design of outdoor public areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions that will produce the desired outcome. In simpler terms.it is the architecture of outdoor spaces. That is an attempt to blend the available building technology with the environment. Of all the species of creation, it seems as though it is only man who builds houses and affects the environment. We build roads and we destroy the river basins; we drill oil and we disrupt the ecosystem of the aquatic organisms. My responsibility as a landscape architect is to create a synchrony with  the environment and the technology in question, (be it a building technology or otherwise) We prepare Environmental impact assessment reports for major constructions, for oil drilling activities, for any activity that would generally affect the environment negatively. We also design private, public outdoor spaces, hotspots of social interaction, health farms, urban agriculture gardens, parks and gardens and so many more.

     

    Benefits to buildings

    It is all aimed at creating harmony and balance with nature. Buildings do not only get beautified by landscape designs, they also have some health benefits. According to the research of my master’s thesis, I discovered that a small estate like Atunrase estate Gbagada was emitting close to 200,000kg of Carbon from domestic source carbon emissions from the use of Kerosene, briquette, cooking gas and petrol only without putting into consideration vehicular influx and outflux of  carbon emissions. Also a total of 3,350 shrubs and a total of 1668 trees are proposed to offset these emissions in the estate. These means that if every home planted a tree and the parcel of land available used for tree planting and the canal scaping was done, the small residential estate could cater for its domestic source emissions. This tells us the potential that residential areas have towards addressing the problem of climate change. Apart from this it has health benefits because inhaling oxygen which is a bye product of plant photosynthesis is actually beneficial to humans. Another benefit of trees and plants generally is the protection they serve as windbreakers for seasons where the wind might have carted away your roof! And trees are the first line of defense against erosion during the time of rains or floods. Greening our homes has become so important it is no longer considered as luxury but rather as Green infrastructure.

     

    Landscape architecture vs climate change

    Landscape architecture has a critical role to play in mitigating and ameliorating the impacts of climate change in Nigeria. Let’s take flooding as a typical example. The problem of coastal flooding has been heightened by global warming and as a result, Landscape architecture is positioned to provide the following services; Design for Flood protection, Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), River and basin management plans, Room for the River, Multifunctional Levees, Waterfront development and so on. Apart from this, carbon sequestration by vegetation is the way by which carbon is being stored in the body parts of plants such as roots, stem, leaves etc. This way, Carbon which is one of the most lethal greenhouse gases is mopped up and taken away from the atmosphere. Landscape architects are responsible for estimating and drawing up a landscape plan on a local, regional or national scale to address the possibility of introducing urban forestry into the Nigerian landscape.

     

    Landscape architecture in Nigeria

    Well, I would say Nigeria has been gradually embracing this concept. We see how Lagos was transformed by the preceding governors of Lagos state, in the persons of Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN). Also the current Governor Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode is working at continuing the building process and hopefully we would get to see him take the greening of the Lagos metropolis to finishing. The truth is such brave acts at greening the Lagos metropolis must be emulated in all 36 states in Nigeria. The era of reactionary leadership where environmental concerns are involved is over! It is time to be proactive and think and plan ahead for the impending climate change impacts. Another way Nigeria can embrace the concept of Landscape architecture combating climate change is to employ the services of landscape architects to prepare a plan of action for the nation taking a bottom up, socio-cultural specific approach towards combating climate change. This we must always have ready so as to be able to tap into and effectively utilize as many funds available to developing countries in the international committee of nations.

     

    Cost implication of landscaping

    Landscaping is not as expensive as a lot of people think it is. If you take a typical building project, what you find is that house owners end up using hardscape for their landscape. Whether they employ the help of a landscape architect or not, they tend to spend on flooring the outdoor landscape and so on. However if you employ the services of a landscape architect, not only would the professional help to design the outdoor spaces but the job can be done at only a fraction higher than what you will spend using individual non-professional artisans. At our own landscape services firm, Hermon Empor limited. We have a vision to stand as a  leading landscape firm committed to innovation, beauty and respect for the environment. At Hermon Empor, our slogan is “Your environment tells me who you are.”  Our pricing is affordable, our job is professional and we always create an environment that makes you happy. A basic landscaping project that entails only the soft scape depends on the area earmarked for greening and it ranges from N150,000 upwards. However when paverblocks or hardscape is concerned, then the expense will include the area of coverage of the hardscape.

    The truth is even if you cannot afford to landscape your whole outdoor space, I think it is very necessary to plant at least a tree or two in your compound. There is a research that says that one fully mature tree can cater for the oxygen needs of a family of four people. There are definitely health benefits in the greenspaces. A study showed that children who had exposure to outdoor green environment displayed more joy and contentment than those cooped up indoors. Also there has been an emergence of what is known as therapeutic gardens. These are gardens which heal the mind and the body. Plants generally are known to bring calmness to an environment and the breath of fresh oxygen they provide does indeed clear the head.

  • Maryland Mall redefines retail marketing

    Maryland Mall redefines retail marketing

    The predictions of experts in the real estate industry that the commercial segment of the sector will be more viable than the residential arm this year may not be unfounded, given the level of development in the commercial wing of real estate business. It is now a common sight across the states to see shopping malls, and office/commercial buildings springing up.

    This trend, it is believed, will boost the retail activities penetration in the country, presently estimated to be at two per cent, compared to what obtains in the United Kingdom said to have 80 per cent penetration. One of such fast developing is the Maryland Mall, located on the Ikorodu Road axis in Lagos.

    The project, being promoted by Purple Capital Partners Limited, a financial and real estate development company, has since been described as being unique in design and rendition, especially because of the commendable use of space as the mall is springing up in a built up area and designed to fit the space available through mainly vertical development.

    The Maryland Mall sits on 7,700 square metres (sqms) of prime land in a built-up neighbourhood which used to accommodate the Maryland Shopping Complex. It has a gross lettable space of about 6,400sqms and it is built vertically, compared to the horizontal buildings that is the style in this clime. Logistics like movement to and around the Mall has been made easy after due studies carried out by the promoters in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Transport.

    The managing partners of the project, Mr. Olaide Agboola and Mr. Obinna Onunkwo, said they worked with the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development, and the Ministry of Transportation for about five months “before we were able to get an approval to do what we are doing. We created something like a slip-road around the mall. We created a new road infrastructure at the mall to accommodate the vehicles that will be taking through the Ikorodu road.”

    Already, over 40 brands have keyed into the Mall, with some already configuring their space to suit their brand. The anchor tenants in this mall are led by Shoprite, a reputable retail shop and Genesis Cinemas, which has four screens in Maryland Mall. It was gathered that Shoprite, for the first time, will use the Mall as a demo-location for an initiative it calls “Shoprite-You-Save.”

    Stakeholders in the retail market maintained that this kind of structure and innovation allows even international retailers to further express greater ingenuity they also have in other markets like what obtains in Zimbabwe and other countries in Southern Africa where the You-Save brand or Shoprite Mini brand has been in existence. Maryland Mall will also be fitted with a huge 550sqms LED screen, said to be the largest and newest in sub-Saharan Africa. The screen would be managed by the Troika Group, apart from other screens that is being jostled for by other advertisers.

    Onunkwo, locating the Maryland Mall on Ikorodu Road is strategic considering that the Ikorodu Road axis has a traffic flow capacity of over 5, 000 vehicles per hour. Besides, on the stretch, there is no single mall of international standard that is capable of catering to the aspirations of the retail market.

    Agboola, giving reasons for the vertical construction, explained that in building retail outlets on Lagos mainland, it is extremely difficult to get the size of land that may be required, unlike in the newer parts of Lagos such as the Lekki corridor. This, he said, brings out the ingenuity in the promoters especially in the way the mall has been structured and built. Such ingenuity, he said, enables the owner to maximise his returns and optimise what he gets on his building. For instance, to maximise the space the promoters had to include a dedicated basement parking lot into the building, thereby getting an additional three floors of retail, supported with escalators and lifts.

    The mall, Onunkwo revealed, has the lowest development cost per square metre in the country at the moment. The average cost is estimated to be N730,000/per sqm. “We are well below that and we are clearly the go-to development partner if you want to arrive at development cost that makes sense. In this location and in terms of return profile, we are probably going to be the highest. We have leased both vertically and horizontally,” he said.

    For this duo, the Mall, given the strategies deployed into making it a reality, presents a new way of doing business in a retail space. This is because infrastructure in the state is yet to be commensurate with the on going development in the state; hence, the need for sustainable development.

    They therefore called for sustainable development through the provision of adequate infrastructure, particularly in built-up areas. They also plan the soft opening of their precious project, the Maryland Mall, Lagos, in May, this year.

    Construction of the Maryland Mall, started in September 2014 and its expected to be inaugurated by April 2016.  The Maryland Mall, a partnership between Purple Capital and Network Hotels, is financed locally by Stanbic IBTC.

  • ‘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.

    Other contributors to the climate change discourse also called for greater agricultural water management programme and the development of a water harvesting culture. The Implementing Partners were also advised to regularly access information from the Nigerian Metrological Agency (NIMET) and interface with farmers in disseminating information on climate change. A case was also made for the proper inspection of beneficiary farmers by the Implementing Partners in some of the BATNF crop enterprise implementation projects to ensure greater compliance.

    The Executive Director, BATNF, Seyi Ashade, lauded the BATNF Implementing Partners for their cooperation and support with the focus on agriculture in Nigeria and how the sector could be enhanced to play a more meaningful role in Nigeria’s socio-economic development.

  • ‘Why we introduced Homeowners’ Charter’

    ‘Why we introduced Homeowners’ Charter’

    The desire to save residents and home owners living in areas under government acquisition from hardship and loss of properties may have been the reason behind the introduction of the Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s HomeOwners’ Charter scheme.

    With this initiative, buildings in border town areas between the Ogun and Lagos states like Agbado, Akute, Mowe, Ibafo, have been saved from demolition.

    The Ogun state commissioner for Urban and Physical planning, Mr. Adebola Adeife, in a chat with The Nation, also revealed that most of the buildings in those areas had no title documents to their lands because of indiscriminate disregard for procedure on the part of builders as well as because the areas were under acquisition by the state government.

    “When you talk of the peripheral areas or slums, most people occupy them illegally. Agbado, Akute .Agbado, for instance, are completely under acquisition. The property owners there don’t have legal titles in the core areas, but for those houses that have titles, the Homeowners’ Charter has helped them as they will be accommodated in the envelopment system for development,” he explained.

    Adeife explained that while the Amosun administration embarked on urban renewal initiatives, it realised that the slum areas and acquisition areas already built up could not be overlooked, hence the resort of the administration to envelopment development. He explained ‘envelopment’ concept as a system in which a built up area is incorporated into an urban renewal scheme without demolishing existing structures, and yet provided with modern facilities to suit human habitation.

    He explained that the process of urban renewal is in two phases- the major roads, which have to be in their proper shape and proper urban regeneration. Adeife noted that the road aspect had almost been completed with all the major roads around the capital city widened and properly modernised to international standards.

    “It is partly to solve the issue of slums and it has to a large extent afforded people the opportunity to have legal rights on the land they occupy and to have building approvals. The Homeowners’ Charter has helped people to avoid the long, windy and probably corrupted previous process,” Adeife said, adding that the Homeowners charter had brought more benefits and succor to applicants than the normal process of getting Certificates of Occupancy.

    So far, he further revealed, the Homeowner Charter, introduced as a stop gap measure, will come to an end after all the applicants have receive their Cs-of-O. The volume of applications received under the scheme, Adeife said, surpassed the expectations of the government such that it was forced to extend the closing period.

    This, coupled with the desire to follow the proper procedure to the letter, has slowed down the issuance process. So far, between 20, 000 or 25, 000 Cs-of-O are ready for issuance, but they are being delayed to avoid probable litigation in the future. For instance, Adeife explained that names of those to be given the C-of-O must be published in national dailies for 21 days as required by the law and if there is no objection, it will be issued to the applicant.

  • Housing for all: Living on fantasy island?

    Housing for all: Living on fantasy island?

    The phrase-affordable ousing, has become more of a cliché because not many Nigerians can afford the so-called houses. It is not only the houses provided by private developers that are beyond the reach of mst Nigerians, the ones built by the government are equally offered at punitive prices.

    The reason for this is not far fetched: it is simply because the cost of getting these houses are completely prohibitive. Those that need to be accommodated- the lower and middle income earners cannot afford them. It is more disheartening, when the government that has  the social responsibility of providing shelter for its people put on sale, houses that are priced beyond the income of the people they were targeted at.

    For instance, the Ogun State Property and Investment Company (OPIC), in its New Makun City housing scheme at Shagamu interchange on the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, has placed a N15 million price tag on a three-bedroom bungalow sitting on about 78 square meters. The price is said to be inclusive of a plot of land, which OPIC priced at N2.5 million.

    The same goes for that of Lagos State under the Lagos Home Owners Mortgage Scheme (LagosHOMS), where Lagosians, truly desirous of partaking in the scheme, have cried out against its high cost. Under this scheme, depending on the location, a one-bedroom unit in a block of flats can cost as much as N5.7 million. Fears are that with the free fall of the naira, the prices may be reviewed upwards as the cost of construction will definitely rise.

    More worrisome is the initial deposit of between 10 and 30 per cent required for these houses. At N5.7 million, 30 per cent deposit translates to N1.71 million. Now, with the minimum wage pegged at N18, 000 per month, that translates to N216, 000 per annum.

    The question now is: Can there truly be affordable housing in the country? What is the way out of this?

    The Chief Executive Officer, Aggregates and Concrete, Lafarge Africa Plc, Mr. Loren Zanin, explained that houses have become expensive in this clime because efforts to reduce the country’s housing deficit, estimated at 17 million, are not commensurate with the population growth.

    According to him, affordable housing means building homes that are accessible to the vast majority of the people adding that his firm has a team that builds high quality and affordable houses which people are happy to live in.

     Affordable housing model

    The concept of affordable housing according to Zanin, is a general term which again is relative in interpretation. For instance, he explained that N50million can be affordable to some people, while N2million can be affordable to others. “So it depends on the homeo wner,” he said. He said his firm is only making homes available by creating access to home ownership. One of the major things, he explained, is cost, a factor that has motivated the firm to go into affordable housing initiative with the aim of bringing down construction costs through technology.

    Zanin said the firm works with some developers, who provide the land and the cement giant, Lafarge, which  provides the technology. By this, he said, construction is industrialised, making it faster, neater and with minimal wastage. “This is where affordability comes in. The other area the firm focuses on is making bricks that are durable,” Zanin said, adding that “the target is to build and bring the cost as low as possible, since our focus is on the low-income earners, those at the end of the pyramid.

    “We have two ways of doing that: the microfinance scheme and mass housing. So, if it has volume and is required to have low cost, you will find us there.”

    He  added  that  even though houses are not available for the base of the pyramid, it is also not available for the middle class, thereby making the term “affordability” relative.

    Foray into affordable housing

    He said Lafarge Africa is not new to this concept, but only just trying to make it more efficient and deliver more quality units to home owners. “We have been into housing for 193 years, but now we are focusing more on what we want to deliver. It is not just in Nigeria, in Malawi, we do affordable housing; in France. We also do affordable housing because even in the developed countries, there is need for low cost housing for the citizens,” he explained, adding that this year, LaFarge Africa’s target is to build at least 3,000 homes in Nigeria.

     

    Achieving the feat

    Already, concrete steps seem to have been taken by the firm to achieve the target. For instance, the firm recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Fortis Microfinance Bank for the provision of 3,000 housing units target this year. With this, the firm hopes to reach more home owners and have better spread of homes.

    Head, Affordable Housing & Building, Lafarge Africa Plc., Mrs. Jumoke Adegunle, buttressed this position. She said through the company’s partnerships with Shelter Afrique, LAPO Microfinance Bank, among others, more houses have been delivered to the public. “We look at ways we can take advantage of these partnerships, relationships and in-house strength to make sure that we deliver value and also avoid some risks. Some of them are beyond our control, but we have to carry on because the future of Nigeria is very bright. Also, there is an existing partnership between Lafarge and Ogun State. Talks are also at an advanced stage with Lagos State government. “The cement manufacturing giant is also currently working in the Northeast too where there are a lot of displaced people, to provide them shelter. There is a lot of oil, gas, agriculture and people. So, the potential is very high and we are positioned, this year may not be as good, but next year, we are hoping that things will be much better. We  can’t  just stop because things are tough,” Adegunle explained.

    She said while the country is waiting for the government to do something,  there is a lot going on in the business space. This is where her firm sees projections and tries to work as much as possible within them. For instance, Adegunle said with 17 million housing deficit, and an ever growing population, then there’s a lot of houses to be built.

     

    Govt policy vs affordability

    Both Zanin  and Adegunle agree that one of the biggest issues affecting  homes affordability is the high interest rate on mortgage for homeowners. For certain category of people, they advised government to have facility to make it lower. “Some people can afford to pay 20 per cent interest rate, for instance, but for some others, it should be much lower; that will be  a huge advantage if the government can reduce the cost of mortgage. It is a big factor in housing provision,” Adegunle said.

    Besides, Zanin disclosed that government policy summersault has remained a natural fear in the country, obviously because of past experience. He, however, said Lafarge has not had any troubles with the government.

    Indeed, the era of affordable housing may still remain unattainable, especially because many developers run from affordable housing because small profit margin believed to be associated with it. But according to Zanin, this may not be the case again, especially when his firm’s technology, which comes with speed, less wastages compared to when brick and mortar are used, are deployed. This is because it reduces the cost of homes and housing to between 15 and 20 per cent.

    Given the prevailing scarcity of land in places such as Lagos, Zanin feared that since a lot of people prefer bungalows to high-rise buildings with some space around them for  gardens, the challenge of affordable housing may linger.

  • Experts differ on real estate market rebound

    The continued fall in the value of the naira may have taken its toll on the property market.

    With the war on corruption assuming an all-time high, tougher times may be ahead for the real estate sector, at least, for another two years.

    Experts at a dinner organised by the International Real Estate Federation (FIABCI) in Lagos also warned that the “unclear policy direction by the Central Bank of Nigeria” (CBN), would give rise to “persistent macro-economic headwinds”, resulting in the slowing down in construction activities. A continuous foreign exchange restriction, they further argued, will increase the cost of building materials and lower disposable income, which would ultimately affect the demand for property.

    Speaking on the “Role of the Real Estate Sector in Reshaping the Economy” at the FIABCI gathering, the Chief Executive Officer, Financial Derivatives Company Limited, Mr. Bismarck Rewane, said several abandoned projects and reduced disposable income, which have affected property demand, can be attributed to the huge shortfall in government revenues.

    He noted that because of the prevailing liquidity pressure and the capacity for refinancing on the part of Primary Mortgage Banks (PMB), there is a huge growing focus on high-end property and shopping malls, which are now attracting increased interest from private equity firms.

    “Private investors have adopted wait and see position as the CBN may likely expand the forex trading band before the Monetary Policy Committee meeting in March to N185-N220, which will reduce cost of building materials,” said Rewane, adding that this year, constrained by low activity levels in the economy and weak domestic consumption, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth will remain sub-optimal at three per cent. He, however, assured that this will get a boost next year once government spending picks up.

    But the Chief Executive Officer of Bode Adediji and Co, a firm of Real Estate practitioners and consultants, Mr. Bode Adediji, carpeted Rewane on the possibility of the market rebounding in 2017.

    Adediji explained that the property market thrives on the fortunes and misfortunes of other sectors of the economy, arguing that until there is an overall turn around in the economy, the real estate market will exhibit features of worst recession ever experienced in the past decades.

    “In any economy, a period of mass disengagement of staff is always followed by a prolonged property crisis. Those laid off will default in rent payments,” Adediji said.

    While these experts may disagree on a rebound period for the sector, except urgent steps are taken, more properties, especially residential, will continue to remain unoccupied while may more tenants may not be able to pay their rents.