The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • Lagos decries allocation of wetlands

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Tunji Bello has blamed the Federal Government for indiscriminate allocation of land in the state, especially parcels of land around natural water channels and under high tension wires, saying such acts have grave effects communities.

    He cited the alleged approval given to some land owners at the Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, which the state said was threatening lives and properties in and around the estate.

    Bello, who spoke during an inspection of Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, regretted that the Federal Government allegedly approved building development on natural water channel, which the state government had preserved for safety and ecology.

    Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Drainage Service, Bello gave reasons on the need for the demolition of such structure on the natural water channel, since it constitutes threats to lives. The construction, he stressed, has obstructed the state’s natural wetland in the Osborne Foreshore Estate, adding that it is appalling that the Federal Government approved such a place for a developer.

    “We have high tension wires on this channel. We also have wetland, which absorbs water when there is rise in water level. This is a surprise to us. This is a federal estate. There is no doubt about that. But for the reasons we have given, how can the Federal Government approve this kind of project knowing its grave effects on lives? The developer cannot continue the project. It is a disaster in waiting. It must be stopped,” Bello said.

  • Preserving the environment

    Preserving the environment

    Experts have unveiled the roadmap to harnessing the hidden treasure in climate change and how to explore its potential to tackle unemployment and create wealth. They spoke at the Sixth Lagos State Climate Change Summit. Assistant Editor MUYIWA LUCAS was there.

     

    For three days, experts gathered in Lagos at the instance of the state government to devise means of how to protect the environment. The summit in which speakers from Nigeria, Brazil, Japan, France, Finland, South Africa, Canada, Ghana, Germany and Cameroon presented 47 papers covered various aspects of business opportunities and financing options for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies.

    With theme: “Exploring business opportunities in climate change mitigation and adaptation: Lagos State in focus” Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) set the tone for the summit, when he expressed concern over the rapid population growth worldwide and the choices people make.

    He noted that these were compounding responses to the increasing challenge of climate change and the efforts to pursue sustainable development. According to him, with the global population of seven billion that may eventually reach about 10 billion in the next few decades, the world faces a challenge of meeting the needs of the people within the available and technological resources, unless deliberate attempt is made to slow the rate of population growth, particularly in the face of changing climate.

    This, he said, was one of the main reasons the state continues to see the import of a yearly dialogue on climate change, to draw attention to the need to pursue climate compatible development. He said the state, as the commercial centre of Nigeria, sees a lot of business opportunities in the pursuit of climate compatible development, and it is channelling its efforts towards harnessing such abundant opportunities, through the summit.

    The President, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), Jeb Brugmann, delivered the lead paper on “Exploring innovative opportunity and smart solutions in climate change”. He explored the various ways investors and the public can key into the opportunities in climate change.

    From the papers, several observations were made. These include the devastating impact of recent extreme weather events (Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, floods in Nigeria and The United Kingdom, among others), which have continued to put the imperative for low carbon climate -resilient green and sustainable development initiatives in the front burner of climate discourse.

    The urgent need for decision-makers and the public at large to adopt effective climate-sensitive policies and ambitious climate actions, including a well informed high quality climate information on current and future impacts of climate variability and extremes (natural disaster hazards); research and access to better observational data, they noted, are critical to improve understanding of on-going changes in climate and their impacts; the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage established at COP19 in December last year, which offers Nigeria a new opportunity to start looking at, and dealing with climate change from a new paradigm angle; climate resilient agenda is not just about making cities greener, it is about growing businesses and creating employment in the agenda; climate entrepreneurship is the possible way to create employment for the youth in a clean environment.

    The event also observed that appropriate financing for climate change mitigation and adaptation measures and initiatives, remain a major challenge at all levels, but the newly established Green Climate Fund provides a good opportunity that can be tapped into.

    It said addressing climate finance readiness would help the state to improve its capacity to absorb financial resources and ensure that it builds up its internal financial infrastructure in order to act as a full participant in emerging international climate financing arrangements.

    Importantly, speakers emphasised that partnering with the private sector, particularly Financial Intermediaries, such as the African Development Bank (AfDB), is critical to seeking financing for business opportunities in climate change mitigation and adaptation because of their ability to help amplify implementation capacity and bring in additional resources.

    In this regard, AfDB is said to be committed to supporting Africa’s move towards climate-smart development, and it is helping to expand access to international climate change financing such as the Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and Global Environment Facility (GEF) portfolio. Also, critical to this is the need for an enhanced access to sharing and use of climate data at the regional, national and sub-national levels, such as hydro metrological data and metadata, on a voluntary basis, to facilitate the assessment and management of climate-related risk. Also, implementing comprehensive climate risk management approaches, including scaling up and replicating good practices and pilot initiatives, needs to be encouraged.

    Besides, it was observed that cities with high concentration of people and buildings, particularly those along the coastline, including Lagos, will be more adversely affected by climate change in the future and need to adapt to the impacts of climate.

    By the virtue of its geographical location along the coastal environment, the transport system of Lagos State is highly vulnerable to changing climate, while the design and use of the built environment is a critical arena for climate change mitigation because human settlements and activities within and between them account for over 40 per cent of carbon dioxide emission.

    It was also observed that the rate and pattern of urban growth in the state may not make land available for Lagosians in the next two decades, and this may force development into areas that are vulnerable to climate change. While the speakers commended the effort of state gvernment for redesigning its roads to make them climate resilient is commendable, it noted that evidence from developed nations indicate that there are viable and profitable opportunities in the use of renewable energy sources, such as solar for power generation.

    The speakers made some recommendations. These include challenging the government to reframe climate change issues and seek new kinds of solutions to help affected communities and people deal with negative effects of climate change that exceed their capacity, within the context of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage.

    The state government was urged that, beyond having a policy on climate change, it should also legislate on it to ensure sustainability of initiatives for climate-resilient development. In addition, it should also lead a strategic stake-holder-engagement programme, with awareness on creation and capacity building on green models and strategies, and, more importantly, on the economics and business of going green.

    It was also agreed that beyond the support for micro-financing gender – sensitive green small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs), the government should put up mechanism that will simplify climate change issues for easier understanding and comprehension by non-experts.

    Experts also recommended that the government may consider imposing carbon emission taxes on corporations in the energy sector, including generating set manufacturers and merchants to promote investment in climate-friendly business initiatives.

    In line with the theme of the summit, the state government was also admonished to support business opportunity through feasibility studies in green entrepreneurship in the energy sector, recycling and waste management, water management, transportation sector, urban agriculture and urban food systems, ecotourism and climate change monitoring to encourage potential investors, and should develop and implement strategies for public-private partnership in climate entrepreneurship to translate marketable opportunities for climate technology ventures into reality.

    Lagos was also charged to conduct a detailed air quality assessment for its metropolitan areas and set in motion the process to review regulatory framework for enforcing air quality standards, as well as establish an integrated air quality monitoring system for the state.

    And in partnership with the Federal Government, the state was advised to start reframing climate change issues and seeking new solutions to help affecting communities, to benefit from the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage, and encourage the collection of relevant data and research that will compare climate impact across sectors and to systematically assess climate risks.

    Stakeholders agreed that the summit was, indeed, worth its content as it is believed to be an agenda setting event even as the fight to save the environment continues to be on the front burners locally and internationally.

    The summit, which was partly supported by First City Monument Bank (FCMB) Plc, brought together a broad spectrum of about 750 stakeholders, comprising traditional rulers, senior civil servants from federal, state, and local governments, political office holders, members of the academia, students, representatives of the private sector, national and international experts in climate change, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and environmentalists, etc.

  • Climate Change: From doom to boom?

    Climate Change: From doom to boom?

    Global warming has continued to be of concern to all. But while some countries are curtailing the threat, the Lagos State government is exploring ways of transforming the menace to the environment to financial boom, writes Assistant Editor MUYIWA LUCAS.

    Driving into Ikorodu Road from either the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway or the Kudirat Abiola Way, Oregun, can be quite discomfiting on some days. The stench from the dumpsite at Ojota is enough to upset the respiratory system.

    Residents on this corridor, which is also gradually turning into a commercial area, have for long had to cope with the offensive odour from the site. Notwithstanding, most traders in the area consider it good for business.

    But in another part of the town, Ogba, it was a different scenario. Thirteen pupils of Ogba Junior Grammar School in Lagos were hospitalised recently after allegedly inhaling a poisonous chemical, which engulfed their school premises, bringing the need for man to protect his environment to the fore.

    Senate Committee Chairman on Environment and Ecology Dr Bukola Saraki said climate change is becoming more difficult to ignore, even by the most-hardened skeptics. He noted that desertification is taking a toll on the north, threatening to deplete the major source of income for people living in that area, which is basically agriculture, and by extension putting food security at high risk.

    Saraki observed that the changing weather patterns and continued lack of adequate rainfall has reduced the quantum of arable land for food production in the north, which is already the source of conflict between the Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt of the country, where the natural savannah grasslands are shrinking at such a rate that it has resulted in fierce competition for water and land for farming.

    According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), between 1963 and 2010, Lake Chad shrank by as much as 95 per cent of its size, thereby placing the economic livelihoods of the over 30 million people living in the four border countries of the Lake and the Sahara Desert – Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria – on the precipe. Now, with insecurity, coupled with socio-economic instability, regions which have insufficient funds to fight the impact of climate change are the hardest hit.

    Obviously realising the huge funding requirement to tackle the scourge, Saraki noted that funding for legislation change by global organisations is very important for a start. At a recent GLOBE Climate Legislation Summit, a key question brought to the fore, was on how global institutions can financially aid governments to develop and pass climate change laws.

    “With tight government budgets, raising funds internally is a difficult task. Many believe that climate change is a long-term problem and can be dealt with ‘later’, but resources need to be found and need to be found now. So, GLOBE Nigeria welcomes support from organisations such as the World Bank and the UNEP,” Saraki said.

    But the Lagos State government seems to have taken the lead in this direction. The state, not wanting to be bogged by the scarcity of funds to tackle the climatic change, is looking inwards to see how the needed revenue can be generated from the environment itself. Therefore, as the impact of climate change persists on one hand, the positive side, on the other hand, is the throwing up numerous opportunities for investors, courtesy of a range of emerging profit-spinning prospects inherent in it.

    The opportunities are what participants at the Sixth Lagos Climate Change Summit holding from today till Thursday at the Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island, will attempt to explore. The state government, at this year’s edition of the annual Climate Change Summit, with the theme: “Exploring business opportunities in climate change: Lagos State in focus” hopes to sensitise the public on the investment opportunities in the sector, which is valued at over N170 billion, and assist them to partake of the opportunities.

    While the state does not want to be seen as celebrating or advocating increasing emissions, the carbon market, estimated to be a multi-billion dollar business, has since tickled with the fancy of investment analysts, who argue that responding to opportunities might mean helping others to reduce their own vulnerability to extreme weather or other impacts of a changing climate.

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Tunji Bello explained the rationale for the business opportunities in climate change, which has largely remained untapped. He said there was likely to be an increasing demand for products and services designed to function in the new climate, citing the products that are heat resistant, robust, waterproof, moisture retaining or made from permeable material, as front runners in the direction given the country’s climatic conditions.

    “Also, there are likely to be market opportunities for new or existing products or services that help others deal with the climate risk. For example by providing products or services that monitor or measure weather or impacts,” Bello said.

    The commissioner revealed that the state’s Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) at its Olushosun Landfill Site at Oregun is converting waste to wealth by curbing carbon emission and producing gas from waste while national and state officials are also involved in the promotion of the Save80 Fuel Efficient Wood Stove, which reduces by 80 per cent the wood needed for cooking, thereby keeping the carbon sink and slowing the rate of desertification.

    Bello noted that the initiative is part of the state being proactive to developments locally and globally. He revealed that the nation is operating several Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects approved by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) with one of such being the Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Composting Project in Ikorodu operated by EarthCare Nigeria Limited.

    Submissions from previous summits have proved to be very helpful for the state, producing many recommendations which, on implementation, have helped to advance the state’s adaptation and mitigation capabilities to the impact of climate change. For instance, from one of the summits, the government some years ago, adopted July 14 yearly as its Tree Planting Day. It came under a programme aimed at planting millions of trees to beautify Lagos and also provide a carbon sink; over six million trees have so far have been planted under this scheme.

    Similarly, the government has established the Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) to beautify and regenerate the Lagos environment from the effect of climate change, in the light of the intensity of global warming that is threatening the entire ecosystem. This effort, it is believed, has placed the state among the notable green cities in the world today.

    The state’s desire to be proactive was captured by Governor Babatunde Fashola, who is committed to tackling the global environmental scourge and the unsavoury impact of the climate change phenomenon in Lagos in particular, at the inaugural summit in 2009, when he said: “Gone are the days when we could succinctly draw a line between the rainy season and dry season; gone are the days when harvest was predictable and bountiful; gone are the days when select species of certain fish were readily available on the menu table.”

    He has since been proven right with events that followed much later. For instance, on July 10, 2011, the heavens poured rain for 16 hours non-stop. Lagos experienced a torrential rainfall that was unprecedented in the history of the state.

    Again, on February 13, 2012, an unprecedented storm with wind speed of between 75 and 100 kilometres hit the city, damaging many homes and several properties. The incident occurred in the middle of February, a month not usually associated with such an extreme weather condition.

    Saraki believes that the country is not folding its hands hoping that the world will come to its aid.

    “GLOBE Nigeria and the Environment Committee I head in the Nigerian Senate are working to put laws in place that will make climate change a high priority for the government and future governments to come,” the former Kwara State governor said, adding that the Bill for an Act for the Establishment of a Climate Change Commission is in its second reading in the Senate.

    He is confident that when the Bill is passed, the Commission would serve as a place for working out targets towards achieving a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in Nigeria, and by extension, facilitate the early development of programmes that will enable Nigeria achieve a sustainable future.

  • Lagos decries allocation of wetlands by Fed Govt

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Tunji Bello has blamed the Federal Government for the indiscriminate allocation of land in the state, especially those around natural water channels and under high tension wires, saying such acts have grave effect on communities.

    He cited the alleged approval given to some land owners at the Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, which the state said, was threatening lives and properties in and around the estate.

    Bello, who spoke during an inspection of Osborne Estate, Ikoyi, regretted that the Federal Government allegedly approved building development on natural water channel, which the state government had preserved for safety and ecology.

    Accompanied by the Permanent Secretary, Drainage Service, Muyideen Akinsanya, Bello gave reasons on the need for the demolition of such structure on the natural water channel, since it constitutes threats to lives. The construction, he stressed, has obstructed the state’s natural wetland in the Osborne Foreshore Estate, adding that it is appalling that the Federal Government approved such a place for a developer.

    “We have high tension wires on this channel. We also have wetland, which absorbs water when there is rise in water level. This is a surprise to us. This is a federal estate. There is no doubt about that. But for the reasons we have given, how can the Federal Government approve this kind of project knowing its grave effects on lives? The developer cannot continue the project. It is a disaster in waiting. It must be stopped,”Bello said.

    The commissioner said the development was contrary to the agreement the state had with the Federal Government and that globally, construction of buildings under high tension installation and on natural waterways are not permitted.

    Akinsanya said the row over the natural wetland was resolved some years ago, adding that from the lagoon, the delineation had been done in terms of the extent the Federal Government could develop the area.

    He said he was surprised that the Federal Government suddenly made a u-turn on this after years of complying, terming it a breach of agreement.

    He feared that not only the residents of the Osborne Foreshore Estate would be affected by the development, but the Ikoyi and Lagos Island environs have been endangered.

  • Engineers, architects to be held for collapsed building

    Henceforth, engineers and architects must put their seal on their drawings and give a letter of indemnity on any building they are handling.

    This is part of the Lagos State new building regulations aimed at stopping the scourge of collapsed buildings in the state.

    With this step, professionals will be held be if the building collapses.

    This was one of the decisions taken at a town hall meeting in the Ikorodu division of the state.

    The meeting, which had in attendance officials from the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), chairmen of the Ikorodu local government and other Local Council Development Areas (LCDA), executives of various artisans groups, block makers, and Community Development Associations’ Executives, was aimed at ensuring a safer environment in the state.

    LASBCA General Manager, Dr. K. A. Animashaun-Odunayo, regretted the rate at which buildings were falling in the state, adding that this is of serious concern to the government. More saddening, she said, is that some of the incidents were caused by the use of sub-standard building materials, non-qualified artisans and “pseudo-professionals” in the industry.

    “This stakeholders meeting has become imperative in the sense that rainy season is around and we normally witness collapse of buildings during this period, hence, the need to sentisise our people on what to do and what not to do,” said the LABSCA chief said.

    She said it was mandatory for builders to involve the agency from the beginning of construction to the end to ensure that the specifications were followed, and ensure its quality, adding that every stage of construction must be certified.

    Also, it has become mandatory that registered artisans, such as plumbers, electricians, mason, and others involved in onstruction.

    Besides, the contractor handling such project must provide insurance, not only for the building, but also for the workers, who may sustain injury.

  • C of O collection made easy

    C of O collection made easy

    The long walk to obtaining land titles may soon end, courtesy of the initiatives of some state governments. Experts believe this is a good move, which may check the scam-infested old process. Assistant Editor MUYIWA LUCAS writes.

    His demeanour says it all: frustration and regrets. But for the people that consoled him, perhaps he would have harmed himself.

    Listeners opened their mouths wide as Adeola Ogunniran, a pensioner, told the story of how he lost N500,000 to fraudsters pretending to be agents who process Certificates of Occupancy (C of O).

    According to him, about seven years ago, he had gone to the Lands Bureau in Alausa, Ikeja, the Lagos State capital, to regularise his house documents. He was accosted by a young man who promised to assist him. To date, he has neither seen the young man, nor received his title documents.

    For Alabi Olorunnishola, a landlord in Akute in Ifo Local Government Area of Ogun State, the amount he has spent on procuring a C of O for his property has tripled the cost of buying the land 12 years ago. He also engaged an agent, who purportedly specialises in facilitating such documents. But five years on, the documents are not yet ready, despite coughing out about N400, 000. The agent, he said, is also at large.

    He has since keyed into the Home Charter Scheme put in place by the Ogun State government. For Ogunniran and Olorunnishola, their loss and long days of waiting and the loss may be over.

    This is because the Lagos State government has simplified the process of getting the C of O. Some days ago, the government issued electronic Cs of O to 55 property owners, to set the new regime rolling. At the ceremony, Governor Babatunde Fashola said the migration from the paper title to an electronic C of O platform was to tackle counterfeiting of the document, as it would eliminate fraud and ensure efficiency in land administration.

    “This new electronic document is more secure as it is designed to eliminate cloning and issuance of documents that are not genuine. Those issued with this e-C of O can be sure they have bought land rather than law suits. The new document guarantees safety of properties,” Fashola said at the presentation in Ikeja.

    He said landlords with authentic paper C of O had nothing to worry about as they would soon be required to exchange that copy for the e-C of O. The process of obtaining the e-C of O is faster and less cumbersome. The document is issued within 45 days after an applicant has concluded and filled all the documents.

    The process begins with a letter addressed to the Executive Secretary, Land Use and Allocation Committee, Lands Bureau, The Secretariat, Alausa, Ikeja; this is followed by a completed C of O Form and Land Information Certificate with receipts. Four copies of original Survey Plan, two on cloth background and two on paper; four passport photographs with white background; and a sketch map of the site location; a duly stamped purchase receipt; evidence of payment of income tax; development levy. But for a corporate body, two directors’ tax clearance and development levy are required.

    Also a publication fee of N10,000 is charged – this is for an applicant’s name to be published in a national newspaper. The essence is to make the public aware in case there is a dispute on the property for which the C of O is being sought; capital contribution fee subject to a minimum of N30,000; a building plan approval if there is already a building on the land; and copy of tenement rate receipt if the building is occupied. While this provides the basic requirement for the document, there is a slight variation between processing requirement for state and none for state land.

    In Ogun, the Governor Ibikunle Amosun administration is trying to alleviate the sufferings of the people seeking to obtain C of O. With its Home Charter Scheme, which has turned out to be very successful, the state hopes that 1,500 Cs of O will be issued monthly to land and property owners across the state. The state is also set to launch a website that will provide comprehensive information and procedures on land matters, including industrial, agricultural and residential locations and acquisitions as well as title documents processing. Having launched the Homeowners’ Charter in December last year to allow homeowners to regularise the legal status and documentation of their properties at a huge discount on what they would be required to pay, the state government is also planning to step up the issuance of Cs of O to speed up property development across the state.

    The Special Adviser/Director-General, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Adewale Oshinowo, recalled that homeowners in the state usually have difficulties using their properties as collateral or selling their properties due to lack of documentation and ownership titles. But with the scheme, this will be a thing of the past. The scheme grants a window of grace to owners of eligible properties who built on their land without the required approvals or illegally built on land acquisition to obtain Building Plan Approval, C of O or other title documents.

    All penalties and fines are being waived and the documentation requirements have been relaxed and fee discounted to enable as many residents as possible to benefit. Oshinowo, through his Information Officer, Mr. Ademola Orunbon, said more 30 days have been given to the days of obtaining and submission of forms to enable the residents of the state benefit from the window opportunity, as the deadline for the form is March 31, this year.

    He said the launching of the website on land matters would take place next month, adding that the Ogun Geographic Information System (GIS) and Land Management System (LAMS) project is unprecedented in the history of the country, and on completion, is expected to improve and transform the socio-economic development of the state. The consultants implementing the project include; IQ System Solution Limited, GeoQinetiq Limited, Spatial Matrix Limited and Digital Spatial Solutions Limited. GeoQinetiq would launch the first modern Continuously Operating Reference System (CORS) network in the country for Ogun to upgrade its survey system.

    The network of three CORS stations being implemented on this project would enable the government to determine where to locate its infrastructure and help the government address boundary disputes and reduce loss of territory and the inherent loss of revenue. He said another four CORS stations would be implemented; the project would allow surveyors, government agencies and the public to access data through radio satellites, GPRS, internet and post processing. The design, planning, re-observation and correction of 200 first and 200 second order survey controls all over the state is also underway.

  • Lagos HOMS: Homes at last for the needy?

    Lagos HOMS: Homes at last for the needy?

    The first draw for the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (HOMS) holds today. Beneficiaries are upbeat about the scheme, but there are questions about its sustainability amid rising loans’ repayment problems, reports Assistant Editor MUYIWA LUCAS.

     

    Today, history will repeat itself in Lagos State. Since the housing scheme of the Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration of the early 1980s, there was no other such scheme until that of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration between 1999 and 2007.

    Continuing in Tinubu’s strides, Governor Babatunde Fashola, has upped the ante, with the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme (LagosHOMS).

    The draws for the first set of 200 houses under the scheme holds today. The initiative is the state government’s way of addressing part of the country’s 17 million housing gap. The Lagos HOMS is designed for tenants desirous of having their own homes.

    After today’s draws, expectedly, 200 families, would become house owners under the scheme, which offers a 10-year tenor of loan repayment at 9.5 per cent interest rate.

    This is seen by industry players as a mortgage scheme reflective of global best practices considering that it is targeted at first-time home owners.

    The scheme is the outcome of three years of debates in government circles on who should benefit from it.This, perhaps, informed Fashola’s explanation last month, at the kicking-off when he said while the state’s Tenancy Law is representative of his administration’s moral intervention to protect salary workers landlords that demand multiple-year advance payments, LagosHOMS represents the administration’s leadership intervention to increase the stock of affordable housing on convenient payment terms.

    “As we flag-off this scheme, there are 1,104 completed homes, while another 3,156 units are at various stages of construction and we intend to start more. We are starting 132 units in Iponri; 720 in Ibeshe Ikorodu; 420 in Ajara Badagry; 648 in Sangotedo Phase II; 216 in Obele; 36 in Akerele Phase II; 48 in Oyingbo; 125 in Ilubirin and 1080 in Ijora. These projects are funded from the taxes that our people have paid as the monthly internally generated revenue,” Fashola noted.

    The Lagos HOMS encourages and supports home ownership of First-Time Buyer (FTB) residents of Lagos through the provision of accessible mortgage finance. Lagos HOMS is administered by the Lagos Mortgage Board (LMB) in collaboration with the Lagos Building and Investment Company (LBIC), through which the state provides housing stock.

    The scheme provides access to mortgage finance for beneficiaries. Under the scheme, outright purchase of the house will not be permitted. This is to prevent moneybags from hijacking it and to enable a larger number of residents to have their own homes over time, and to avoid purchase by multiple property owners, who may distort the intention to meet the large-scale demand for affordable housing.

    With an initial 30 per cent contribution of the actual cost of a house, plus any other prescribed fees, an applicant becomes an owner. Yet, to ensure that it is truly a mortgage finance scheme, and for effectiveness, owners are discouraged from exceeding payment of the minimum requirement, just as they will not be allowed to commit more than 30 per cent of their monthly income to mortgage repayments. It is planned that, beginning from today, there should be a minimum of 200 new home owners in Lagos monthly.

    But, going by the fate of previous housing initiatives, fears of a possible hijack of the scheme by the rich, who may want to trade with the houses allotted, are rife. So, also is the fear of loan repayment default.

    However, such fears seem to have been cleared by Fashola, who said measures have been taken to ensure that such apartments can only be rented out after 10 years when the owner would have fully paid for the house. He added that prompt payment of monthly mortgages will be enforced because, from past experiences, of payment default and difficulty of re-possessing houses from defaulters were a major disincentive to investment in the property sector, especially by private developers whose participation in housing development is critical to the scheme.

    The LagosHOMS encourages private developers to build and sell to the government on the condition that their housing units are built to specifications and standards under which HOMS houses are developed. “If you do not live in the house that you win, you would have violated our first home owner rule and it is a ground to re-possess the house, pay you off and offer it to those who really need a home,” Fashola warned, adding that the government has resolved to quicken recovery of houses from defaulters through the use of arbitration rule, which have been drafted into the contract of sale and the mortgage agreement and the arbitration proceedings are expected to be completed in 21 days. Only Lagos residents, who are tax payers will benefit from the scheme. In arriving at this conclusion, the state took cognisance of the definition of residency applicable in the countryh’s tax laws which is a continuous period of residency for a minimum period of 189 days or about six months irrespective of one’s original root.

    A public analyst, Ade Shonobi, said if the government can adhere strictly to the terms of the scheme, then it would be a huge success. Besides, he said the effort would go a long way in reducing the homelessness in the society, while also serving as a means of forcing shylock landlords to reduce the high cost of rent, which has become prevalent in the state.

    He wants the government to have a strong hold on the owners and the buildings even after they have completed payment. This is to ensure that the houses do not become a slum as a result of bad usage and alteration to the original master plan by the owners.

    “There should be a monitoring unit to constantly ensure that this houses are not turned into slums or ghetto from misuse by the owners; we should remember that Lagos is now a megacity and that standard must be maintained at all times,” said.

     

    Five steps to Lagos HOMS

     

    •Application and sub-mission

    You complete the application form in accordance with the instructions, pay the prescribed processing fee and collect a receipt after submitting copies of all necessary supporting documents. The form can be submitted in person or online. Originals of supporting documents will be required for sighting if you are successful at the Draw.

     

    Hints about Lagoshoms

     

    To prevent property speculators from defeating the objectives of the Scheme, there shall be an enforceable “No buy-to-let” clause in the contract of sale. Homes will be delivered only on an owner-occupier basis.

    Applicants must be primarily resident in Lagos State and will be required to provide proof or submit a copy of their Lagos State Residents Registration Card where applicable.

    Duly completed Application Forms will be submitted online or in person to the LMB with the prescribed processing fee and copies of all required documents attached. Originals of documents must be brought along for sighting.

    Co-Applicants will be permitted but will have to take joint title. Both applicants must be first time buyers.

    Only tax compliant applicants will be eligible under the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme and must provide proof of tax payment for the last five years.

    Once an application is submitted, it will go through a pre-qualification process at the LMB. If additional information is required, the LMB will contact the applicant through the contact details submitted. This process may take up to 30 days, after which Draw Reference Numbers will be issued in respect of approved applications. Applicants will be contacted with their Draw Reference Numbers and will be notified of the Draw date so they can attend if they wish. The Draws will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

    Successful draws will be published while unsuccessful applicants are at liberty to re-apply. Applicants who have applied before will not be required to submit a fresh Application Form unless the information contained in the original form has changed. Applicants who are re-applying will depose to an affidavit declaring that the information in their form is still correct. Any false deposition will result in automatic disqualification. The processing fee is payable each time an applicant re-applies.

    Applicants who are successful at the Draw will be eligible for access to mortgage finance subject to post-draw processing administered by the LBIC. The post draw process involves (amongst others) a credit appraisal to assess the applicant’s ability to make the 30 per cent down payment and meet the monthly repayments.

    Lagos HOMS has a speedy and effective dispute resolution mechanism. This will take the form of arbitration by a single arbitrator appointed by the President of the Lagos Court of Arbitration. The arbitration will be conducted under the specially designed Lagos HOMS Housing Arbitration Rules to be administered by the Lagos Court of Arbitration. The cost of arbitration is nominal and has been pegged at two per cent of the value of the purchase price, to be shared in equal part by the parties.

    Prospective applicants will be required to depose to an affidavit attesting that they are first time buyers. Applicants will also undertake in their mortgage deeds, not to abuse this understanding. A breach of this provision will make the homes liable to re-possession and the applicant criminally liable to be prosecuted for making a false deposition.

  • FHA targets 25,000 housing units in Abuja

    The Federal Housing Authority (FHA) will soon start work on the New Town project in Bwari, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), to provide cheap housing for workers, its Managing Director, Mr Gerver Cremade, has said.

    Speaking in Abuja during an inspection of the site with members of his management, Gemade promised that houses in the new town would be affordable. It will least at least 25,000 units.

    Gemade said experience in the past few years underscored the urgency to relieve the city centre of pressure on its facilities and infrastructure.

    Already, enumeration of properties has started and compensation would be paid to those to be affected by the development for work to start on schedule. The project, which would consist mainly of one, two, three and four-bedroom apartments in high-rise structure, is aimed at saving cost on infrastructure and the serviced land, and would be delivered through direct construction and public-private partnership (PPP); it would be serviced on completion, by its own independent power and water treatment plants.

    The FHA boss said the authority’s new focus on the construction of housing for low and medium income earners, looks beyond the pursuit of profit, but a commitment to contributing its quota to the realisation of the housing and job creation components of President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation Agenda.

    Gemade said the FHA had acquired land in 17 states for housing estates and that consultations were on with the Lagos State government on the titling of FHA’s land holdings in the state.

    According to him, the emphasis on housing for low and medium income earners is informed by the need to cater for the vulnerable segment of the population and to assist the government in combating crime, disease, unemployment and other economic problems facing the people.

    He said FHA had been a major player in the effort to deliver to the natio a modern capital city and that it had delivered no fewer than 15, 000 housing units in the FCT. He disclosed that work was progressing satisfactorily at the Authority’s new site at Apo in the Gudu District of Abuja, where about 1,300 housing units are expected to be delivered through direct construction by the FHA and in partnership with private sector operators. The FHA chief executive said the Authority had plans to open more of such new towns in Kwali, Kuje and other satellite towns of Abuja.

  • Commissioner inspects drainage projects

    The Lagos State government has said there is need to protect drainange channels and free to avoid erosion and its harmful effects.

    Commissioner for the Environment, Mr. Tunji Bello and Special Adviser to the Governor on Environment Dr. Taofeek Folami while inspecting drainage projects, said the state government was working assiduously to ensure that the state is free of flood in order not to record any disaster as being experienced in the United Kingdom (UK).

    “This we have strengthened with the intensification of our pre-rain cleaning and maintenance programme across the state,” Bello said. The mass cleaning and maintenance of drainage channels and canals across the state will allow free flow of storm water as well as eliminate the incidence of flooding, which is of great consideration to the state, in order to ensure safety of life and properties.

    Folami said the inspection of pre-rain cleaning and maintenance was to assess communities’ readiness for this year’s rain, and also note areas of challenges across the state. He said the Ministry of Environment had kicked off a campaign on radio and television to complement government’s effort at reducing flooding in the state.

    Canvassing the support of residents, Folami cited the flooding ravaging the UK, despite their advanced technologies.

    He advised Lagosians to prevent its reoccurrence in the state by desisting from acts that could lead to flooding, adding that Lagos is a coastal state. He urgedLagosians to desist from dumping refuse in drains and canals, and stop patonising cart pushers. He urged them not to build on drainage alignments, warning that clogging of drains hinders free flow of water because, whenever it rains, flood will definitely carry the filth into the drains.

    “We should desist from all acts that could lead to flooding because Lagos as a coastal state is susceptible, and if advanced nations could experience flooding, then we should all join hands with the state government on its effort to reduce the incidence of flooding to the barest minimum in the state,” Folami cautioned.

  • ‘Ignorance, poor cement use, others cause building collapse’

    The high level of ignorance among consumers coupled with negligence on the part of producers, have been blamed for the controversy over cement quality in the country.

    Founder, Society for Quality Awareness, Abdullahi Mailafia pointed out that there was no substandard cement in the country, but a misapplication of use of the existing types of cement.

    Nigeria, he said, is not isolated from the proven correlation and direct relationship between falling standards or misapplication of cement produced and the frequency of collapsed buildings in any country, because the higher the amount of misapplication of cement types used in construction, the higher the number of collapsed buildings and physical structure.

    “The right knowledge and application of cement types in the country will be to the benefit of manufacturers, architects, engineers, foremen and builders, under their respective associations and groups as well as artisans and the general public,” Mailafia said, adding that)) consumers need to deepen their knowledge of goods and services on offer, not only about cement, but on all other goods in the market.

    To address the issue, he said the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) should summon a meeting of technical committee of stakeholders for a review of the practice, taking into consideration what happens in other countries.

    He commended SON for ensuring standard and quality of other building materials such as steel to be of international standard and its efforts in upgrading national quality infrastructure such as the enumeration of standards, upgrading of testing laboratories like the one which offers testing of building materials in Enugu. He said attention must be focused on cement, which is a major component of any building or construction work.

    A coalition of civil society groups and professional bodies in the construction industry recently threatened to launch a major campaign for what they called the “standardisation of cement production and importation in Nigeria”.

    According to them, government is turning a blind eye to the scourge of substandard cement in the country. They seek to engage other groups such as the Consumer Protection Council (CPC), the Council of Registered Engineers of Nigeria (COREN) and the National Assembly to help in the fight for standard cement in country and the enforcement of building codes.