The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • Towards affordable housing

    Towards affordable housing

    Housing remains a major challenge in the country. But it is believed that with adequate funding, it can be tackled. This issue was revisited at the third Mortgage Banking Association of Nigeria (MBAN)-Housing Finance and Investment Conference and Exhibition in Lagos. The theme was “Mortgage banking: A catalyst for capital market growth in Nigeria.” SEYI ODEWALE was there.

     

    They are bankers with passion, but not for the run-of-the-mill, day-to-day banking. Their passion is focused on providing humanity with shelter. They are mortgage bankers charged with helping the nation to bridge the housing gap.

    Their gathering in Lagos last week was not to celebrate, but to assess the progress in their quest to proffer solution where needed. This year’s conference, the third in the series, focused on mortgage banking as a catalyst for capital market growth.

    The association’s President, Mr Femi Johnson, said the mortgage sector has, in over two decades grown from its narrow product-base and capabilities to a level it is proud to present to Nigerian and international communities today.

    He said: “The MBAN-HOFEX has been designed as an annual event to showcase the achievements and challenges of the housing finance sector in seeking innovative, pragmatic and contemporary solutions to these challenges in order to sustain the growth and evolution of the sector, and to highlight mortgage products and services, as well as home ownership opportunities available to Nigerians.”

    He noted that the previous editions were successful because of the support of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) and other stakeholders.

    The annual MBAN-HOFEX, he said, has helped the sector achieved some milestones, such as the soon-to-be concluded consolidation/reform of the mortgage banking/housing finance sector, the incorporation and setting up of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company and an increased public awareness of the housing/finance sector.

    As the world begins to recover from the worst financial crisis since the great depression, Johnson said, housing finance markets are again looking into the future.

    “Since the crisis was originally triggered by the sub-prime segment of the mortgage market, this has led to the questioning of some well established premises of housing finance and a revision of the way to approach it, both at the policy and at the market levels.

    “However, the academia, policy makers and practitioners agree that on the impact of securitisation in the sub-prime crisis, it is not wise to throw the proverbial baby away with the bath water, in spite of the issues that triggered the sub-prime crisis. Securitisation and other secondary capital market means are still considered effective strategies to deepen housing finance systems, especially in an emerging economy like Nigeria,” he said.

    In Nigeria, Johnson said, mobilising finance for housing delivery remains crucial and continues to encounter the same challenges as before. He noted that rapid urbanisation, growing population, limited land, access for lower income groups and dearth of long-term funds have continued to put pressure on housing finance and delivery systems.

    He noted that a well-functioning housing finance system is imperative for a prosperous economy. According to him, it plays an important role in stimulating economic growth and creating the much-needed jobs in an economy.

    The inadequacies in the housing financing system, he said, have resulted to the springing up of slums.

    “A chronic shortage of affordable housing has intensified the plight of the poor in all our major cities,” he said.

    He said there was an urgent need to increase housing finance to at least 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as against 0.5 per cent, adding that it would require the creation of more resilient housing systems to achieve this feat.

    Johnson said there were numerous solutions and approaches to fostering housing finance, arguing that mortgages are not always the most appropriate financing instrument for every borrower. Home improvement loans or self-construction loans may be more appropriate in some cases, to meet housing needs, he added.

    The take-off of the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Corporation, he noted, would mark a wholesale shift in mortgage funding in Nigeria from the depository savings institutions and pooled funds, to mortgage securitisation.

    He, however, noted that there is no solution to the nation’s housing finance needs, just as the generation of under supply of housing cannot be over turned within a year. The conference, he said, would lay a solid foundation upon which the association and other stakeholders can subsequently build, noting that the association and other stakeholders are committed to ensuring that housing finance in Nigeria is equipped to keep pace with the present demands and the imminent challenges of the fiture

    He predicted that the future of the housing finance industry would be shaped to dramatically transform the industry

    About six papers were presented at the two-day event. Presenting her paper on Creating the sustainable link between pension fund and the mortgage banking sector, the Acting Director-General of PENCOM, Mrs. Chinelo Anohu-Amazu, listed the roles of pension funds in the housing/mortgage finance sector.

    One of these, she said, is that pension funds being long-term and more stable funds, are ideal and appropriate for housing/mortgage financing, adding that because of its primary and illiquid nature, pension funds help direct investment in real estate.

    She spoke about initiatives that would increase investments in housing mortgage sector. These include: legislation which is about the ongoing amendment of PRA 2004 to allow the use of part of members’ RSA balances as equity stake to finance primary home ownership. She said the commission was working on modalities to ensure efficient implementation and safety of pension funds’ assets.

    She listed the establishment of the Mortgage Refinancing Company (MRC) that will provide financing to primary mortgage institutions, as an upcoming initiative that could deepen the process

    Enumerating preconditions for sustainable link between pension funds and mortgage finance sector, she listed approved legal and regulatory frameworks such as land reform (registration/titling, administration), securitisation laws and foreclosure laws.

    Other preconditions, according to her, are favourable tax policies to incentivise private sector participation; stable micro-economic environment and indicators, especially inflation and interest rates; products development and innovation in order to link the housing/mortgage sector to the capital market; establishment of a strong and functional secondary mortgage market; professionalism and high corporate governence practises by operators and reducing building/construction costs and transaction charges.

    She said a revolution in the housing/mortgage finance sector in Nigeria would have a significant socio-economic impact on the lives of Nigerians and the country, through job creation and enhanced living standards.

    She listed critical steps taken recently by some relevant stakeholders (the establishment of MRC; PenCom, to include on-going ammendment of the pension legislation to support primary home ownership by registered RSA holders).

    Stating the critical role of real estate developers in housing supply value, Brig.-Gen Tunde Reis, president, First World Communities Limited, defined real estate developer as those who orchestrate, control, imagine and create the development process from the beginning to the end.

    He defined them as risk takers, converting ideas on paper into real property and work with numerous counterparts in the value chain comprising city planners, surveyors, engineers, architects, building inspectors and a host of others.

    A real estate developer, Reis further said, is central to a development process that is interactive, long term and coperative.

    Private sector property developers in Nigeria, he said, contribute about 80 per cent of the housing supply. The drawback, according to him, is that housing units provided are usually out of the reach of the low-income families.

    To boost housing supply, Reis said, there must be a review of accessibility to land, accessibility to housing finance facilities, public sector infrastructure provision and cost of building materials.

    Other factors to guide developers, according to him, are affordability; target market, which include low and middle earners; end user driven initiatives through the use of cooperatives, trade groups etc and house ownership rental option.

  • Why buildings collapse, by governor’s aide

    WHY do buildings collapse? It is, among others, because of compromise in contractor’s use of materials, says Special Adviser to Ekiti State governor on Special Project Bayo Kolekun.

    He spoke at the sixth yearly seminar and general meeting of the Ekiti State chapter of the Nigerian Institute of Building (NIOB).

    Kolekun advised builders not to take the issue of Health and Safety Plan (HASP) on site with levity, urging them and other professionals to be Information and Communication technology compliant.

    Kolekun, who represented Governor Kayode Fayemi, said the cost of safety items on sites was not as high as the cost of medication and time spent on treatment when accidents occur on sites.

    He emphasised that safety items must be on site before work commences, adding that a lot of preventable accidents occurred on sites as a result of the absence of safety plans.

    On the need to patronise local artisans for manpower and materials need on sites, Kolekun lamented the unwillingness of youths in doing such jobs.

    He decried a situation where artisans working on sites in the state are recruited from neighbouring states.

    He blamed the trend on youths’ preference for commercial bikes riding instead of practising the trades they learnt.

    In his speech, the outgoing Chairman of the NIOB, Mr. Joseph Ajayi said the theme of the AGM, “Preparation of health and safety management plan in relation to building projects,” was chosen to stress the need for safety on project sites.

    He added that health and safety plans must not be overlooked in building structures.

    On why builders were not patronising local artisans in the state, Ajayi said some of the artisans were too eager to make money, thereby compromising their integrity.

    He called on the state government to employ more professional builders into the civil service to supervise its projects.

  • How to beat quacks

    A state Surveyors and Valuers have been urged to go for continuous training to have an edge over charlatans.

    President of Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) Mr. Emeka Eleh said such trainings and re-trainings would expose them.

    Eneh, who spoke at the Lagos Chapter of the NIESV’s Mandatory Continuing Professional Development (MCPD), held at the Civic Centre, Lagos, said the trend of losing their jobs to quacks and others not qualified and certified was gaining ground, reminding members that they are a major stakeholders in Real Estate Development in Nigeria. He was the Special Guest of Honour at the event.

    He said acquiring knowledge, skills and new ideas were pivotal to attaining success in their practice, hence the topic for discourse was said to be apt and appropriate.

    He said: “I see a trend of decline fortune of our profession.  When I left school, members of the profession then were managing virtually all the tall buildings in the country.  At present, the project, property management field of our profession is being taken over by other professionals.

  • Agency deplores oil spill in Niger Delta

    Agency deplores oil spill in Niger Delta

    The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has decried the increasing rate of oil spillage in the Niger Delta.

    The agency’s Board Chairman, Maj. Lancelot Ayanya (rtd), said the spill was getting worse by the day, adding that there is the need for the board to visit affected communities to provide a lasting solution.

    He said every individual, including expatriates of oil companies, could be a victim of the spill as a result of contaminated food produce such as sea foods.

    Ayanya said: “Visiting the region is inevitable. I do not see how we can sit in Abuja and coordinate things. Luckily, the agency has offices in some states and oil producing states. I imagine that we will have the opportunity to see some of the activities.

    “Luckily, some of us happened to come from these villages, so we don’t need to stress our imagination too much. Any time we go home for burial or whatever ceremony, we see it and it’s getting worse by the day so we understand the pains.

    “But for the benefit of those who might not have the first hand information to enrich our perspective, the community will bring to our assignment. I do not see how we can sit in Abuja and do our work, which is one of the things we discussed in our interactions with other members of the board.

    “We have to go where these challenges are most prevalent and we need to see for ourselves and do our work from another perspective.”

    Ayanya, who spoke on-behalf of the inaugurated boards, called for supports from all segments of the society to support the ministry to achieve its mandate.

    Earlier, Supervising Minister of Environment, Architect Darius Ishaku said inputs from the board were imperative for the Federal Government to achieve its transformation agenda.

    He said the Federal Government could not solely manage programmes aimed at achieving a sustainable environment in the country.

    “We must all bear in mind that the success of other sectors of the economy is largely predicated on safe environment. This is why the role of all stakeholders and other sectors is crucial,” Ishaku said.

    He reminded the boards that their activities should be coordinated in line with public service rules, financial regulations among other extant rules, which established the agencies.

    Other chairmen of the boards include: Alhaji Sanusi Magodo (National Park Service); Alhaji Suleiman Galadima (Forest Research Institute of Nigeria) and Mr. Ishiaku Mshelia (National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency).

  • Beautiful houses, desolate estate

    Beautiful houses, desolate estate

    The story of Gwarinpa Estate in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is that of the beauty and the beast. The estate is beautiful, but many of the houses are in squalor. This may not be the vision of the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha, who conceived the estate, which is noted as the largest in the country and the third largest in West Africa. Years after its conception, the sprawling estate appears desolate, reports OLUGBENGA ADANIKI (Abuja).

    To a non-resident of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Gwarinpa Estate may mean nothing. But to a resident, it means much as it is an estate that stands out. It is breathtaking. It is an estate for the rich and the largest in the country. Some people even consider it the third largest in West Africa. It can be accessed through the Murtala Mohammed Expressway (to Kubwa, Suleja and Kaduna) or from Ahmadu Bello Way (through Wuse Zone 2). It is about 20kilometres from the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport.

    Located about four kilometres outside the Central Business District (CBD), Gwarinpa, as Abuja residents call it, is unique and can be described as a city. From First Avenue to Seventh Avenue, the estate, built by former military Head of State, the late Gen Sani Abacha, is one of the choicest neighbourhoods after Asokoro and Maitama.

    Within the estate are some smaller ones. These include Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Estate; War College Estate; Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Estate, Citec Villas, Abuja Model City and others.

    Commoners are a rare sight, except scavengers who scout for disposable items in waste bins. The reason is not farfetched; the calibre of people residing in the estate and the enthralling aesthetic of the structures there. Besides, the cost of getting a plot of land there is scary.

    Its dwellers estate are top politicians, top military operatives, directors in the federal public service and private investors.

    With distinct infrastructure, such as, good road networks, water, constant power and health care facilities, the estate has become a playground for celebrities, lawmakers, politicians and business moguls.

    But, despite these enticing features, a large percentage of houses within the estate are occupied by birds, rodents, reptiles and security guards, popularly called ‘abokis’ or ‘maiguard’.

    A maiguard, for instance, may be the sole occupant of a five-bedroom duplex including boys’ quarters. Aside being the sole occupant, he cashes in on the situation to sell recharge cards, cigarettes and provisions. This may not be make more money, but an avenue to interact with people around.

    Investigations by The Nation showed that the local security guards, who are paid between N20, 000 and N30, 000, let out rooms to women of easy virtues and others, who do menial jobs.

    A group of the women, it was gathered, may pay about N50,000 monthly or weekly as the case may be, to a ‘maiguard’ for a single room, depending on what was agreed upon. The same condition applies to the hustlers.

    For instance, no fewer than 200 people were residing in the house where the Apo killings occured.

    “In some of the big houses, the local security men are paid just N30,000 by the owners. To make fast money and meet the housing needs of some people, the guards look for ‘Keke Napep’ riders, Mairuwa (water sellers) and prostitutes to secure one or two rooms. They can just ask these people to pay a token of N10, 000 per month and above,” a resident, who does not want his name in print, said.

    A visit to some of the houses, especially around First, Second and Third Avenues showed that many buildings at Lungu, Sahara and other settlements are unoccupied.

    The buildings are full of giant spiders and cobwebs, with everywhere smelling. Birds’ nests could be seen at the top edges of the rooms, while the paints on some buildings are fading. Interlocking stones used in paving the landscape and premises of most of the buildings are overgrown with grass.

    But rent is high.

    Depending on the location or avenue, the cost of renting a two-bedroom flat could be between N900,000 and N1.2m per annum, while a single room apartment is put at N400,000. Individuals interested in two-bedroom apartment, should be willing to pay at least N1.8m per annum.

    Developers, it was gathered, aim for the highest bidder. This perhaps, could be one of the reasons why these apartments remained vacant.

    A property agent, Mr. Dapo Adeniyi who spoke to The Nation

    said a two bed-room apartment in Gwarinpa will go for about N100 million.

    To another property firm, Abuja Properties Limited, an uncompleted two units of five Bed-room Duplex on a large compound costs about N70 million, while two Warehouses of 4, 000square metres with uncompleted office complex on four floors is put at N350 million.

    This is not only restricted to the Gwanripa estate. It spreads across other major developed areas including Jabi.

    However, as appealing as these houses are in Gwarinpa it is interesting to note that most of them are vacant and shut just as new buildings are springing up. Perhaps, the developers are hanging their hopes on an envisaged future and profit.

    Some of the residents said perhaps the prohibitive prices of these houses largely contributed to why the FCT, in the past five years had experienced a sudden increase in the number slums. Some of the residents, they said, could no longer afford the exorbitant rents. And those who used to manage could no longer do so hence, resorting to securing apartments in neighbouring states such as Nasarawa and Niger.

    According to an estate developer, Kene Unuora, the costs of houses at the estate vary based on the structure and cost of the land.

    Other reason said to be responsible for the desolate nature of the estate in is the tendency of developers to build houses that are beyond the reach of the residents, particularly, those in dire need of them. Some experts said the way land is administered in the FCT and lack of access to mortgage funds add to why the cost of houses are unaffordable by residents.

    President, Real Estates Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Olabode Afolayan explained that it is unreasonable for anyone to expect developers to build houses for the low-income group in the nation’s capital.

    He said FCT is a rapidly developing city where land is so scarce that many developers have to buy from the secondary market.

    The stress arising from land acquisition, cost of land and the general high value for land, according to him, have made developers to target the high-income earners when building houses in the territory.

    Afolayan said: “That accounts for why most of the houses are empty because when you look at the demand structure in FCT or demand structure generally, it is always in form of a pyramid. You see the lower part of the pyramid is where you have the bulk of the people.”

    The Vice President, Arc. Namadi Sambo at an event, National Housing and Slum Summit, organised by the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development acknowledged the increase in number of slums in the country, especially in the FCT. He advocated a holistic approach towards solving the problem.

    Affordable housing, he said, could be provided by creating dynamic policies in the National Housing Policy; National Urban Development Policy; the Revised National Building Code and the National Integrated Infrastructural Master Plan.

    He called for a reasonable approach to addressing the situation and stressed the need for a new roadmap for affordable housing and upgrading of slums.

    “While the human settlements sector requires a quick turn-around, the resources required to ensure its rapid transformation cannot be solely provided by the government. This explains the paradigm shift in the policy thrust of housing provision in favour of more effective participation of the private sector.

    “The housing deficit remains huge. It will only be gradually reduced over a period of time through the active engagement of key stakeholders,” he said.

    The Housing Ministry on its part is expected to make enabling policies to make housing affordable for all. The potentials embedded in the sector are much to contribute to entire development of the country.

    For instance, the process involved in building structures needed inputs from other experts such as architects, engineers, surveyors, welders, plumbers as well as direct labours and electricians. The trends of activities thus create jobs for different individuals in the building process.

    The Director of Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Housing, Mr. Paul Onuoha identified cost of lands as an index to consider. According to him, there are individuals who live abroad but own property in the territory. He said such individual may choose to come into the country once a while but hope to have a place to reside.

    “We are living in a free enterprise environment. Government cannot regulate the cost of houses. The best government could do is to create enabling environment for more investors to come into the sector. But to regulate and say this category of house must sell for this amount, government cannot do that,” Onuoha said.

    He continued: “Our work is to make the right policies, create enabling environment for the housing sector to thrive. We provide housing for people and to contribute to economic development of the country. The housing sector has potentials.

    “Imagine when the housing sector is booming, the sector has the potential to drive the economy. The dream of the ministry is to make the sector engine of the government, when more players contribute to the sector.”

    Asked if there are challenges preventing the ministry from performing its mandate, he said the responsibilities are far more beyond efforts of the ministry, but they interplay the entire economic function including relevant stakeholders.

  • Stakeholders seek climate change commission

    Stakeholders in the environment have called for the establishment of a coordinating commission to oversee climate change and other activities. They said commission or appropriate institution dedicated to handling climate change would revitalise the weak funding mechanism and institutional framework.

    At a two-day workshop to strengthen stakeholders’ capacity towards “Mainstreaming climate change into sustainable national development in Nigeria” organised by the Federal Ministry of the Environment and the National Planning Commission, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and facilitated by the Economic Policy Analysis Centre (EPAC) Ibadan, participants noted that there was a weak political will to drive climate change issues, especially adaptation and mitigation processes.

    Civil society groups had promoted the formation of a National Climate Change Commission. The bill on the commission was passed by the National Assembly, but got stalled at the Presidency, which has not signed the bill into law.

    The event provided practical guidance to policy makers, the three tiers of government and non-state actors on how climate change adaptation can be mainstreamed into development plans and strategies as part of overeaching measures to deal with its impending threats.

    Other issues observed at the workshop was the paucity of data for enabling mainstreaming of climate change in development issues. Participants harped on the need to identify and develop key performance indicators for effective monitoring and evaluation. hey said Nigeria wascontributing significantly to climate change through gas flaring and encouraged the setting of emission target for the country.

    They asked for legal framework to support mainstreaming of climate change into national development plans and strategies to be strengthened. Government, they said, should embark on human and infrastructure capacity building for all aspects of mainstreaming climate change into national development and appropriate methods should be deployed for development of functional and sustainable database.

    In the report after the workshop, they said Partnership should be strengthened with development partners; organised private sector and Non – Governmental Organisations (NGOs), promote activities that will support green economy; increasing industrialisation and reducing pollution and GHG emissions, appropriate technologies should be developed for sound management of non-biodegradable and biodegradable wastes from ‘’cradle  to grave’.

  • LASEPA to establish area offices

    The Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA) will soon establish area offices in industrial zones in the state to ensure compliance with pollution prevention and control regulations,.

    LASEPA’s General Manager, Mr. Adebola Shabi, who disclosed this said many industries have put in place effluent treatment plants to treat their waste water and chemicals to a permissible standards, which need regular monitoring by its agency.

    He said compliance level has risen as a result of monitoring and enforcement, adding that area offices in all the industrial zones would help in achieving much more.

    “In spite of having treatment plants we still monitor them because many of them are fond of bypassing their effluent treatment plant ETP because of the cost of running their plants,” he said.

     

  • Who owns the land?

    Who owns the land?

    Before an Ikeja High Court, Lagos State, is a litigation on a 26,486-hectare land involving a popular television evangelist and a military officer. The preacher is asking the court to decide the ownerhip of the land in dispute on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos, in his favour; so is the officer. While the case is on, court orders are said to have been flouted, reports SEYI ODEWALE.

    The sleepy, bushy and serene settlements of Ofiran and Aiyeteju villages in the neighbourhood of the Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ) could have remained in oblivion, despite the rate of development in the Lekki/Ajah corridor of Lagos State, but for the litigation on a parcel of land. The suit involves a real estate firm, Meridian Properties Limited, linked to a popular television evangelist and Senior Pastor, Kings International Christian Centre (KICC), Pastor Matthew Ashimolowo who has been served an Order of Cmmittal to prison proceedings for allegedly disobeying the order of an Ikeja High Court, Lagos Judicial Division to maintain the status quo on the land pending the determination of the substantive suit on a disputed land in the villages. Ashimolowo, who is said to be a director on the board of the firm and the claimant in the suit, allegedly flouted the court order.

    He was said to have been served forms 48 and 49 (notice of consequence of disobedience to court order and notice to show why order of committal) shoukl not be made against him, for not complying with the order of the court in the suit filed by his company.

    The firm is said to have sought the leave of an Ikeja High Court in the Lagos Judicial Division presided over by Justice Atinuke Ipaye to stop an Army Captain, E. Ugoh, attached to the Army School of Logistics, Ikeja, Lagos State from trespassing on its 26,486 hectares of land in Ofiran Village, on the Lekki/Epe Expressway, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos State.

    The said land, the firm claimed, was acquired in stages from land owning families of the village and let into possession and “had since remained in effective possession from time of purchase from sometimes in 2003 till date.”

    Meridian Properties Limited, through its counsel, Dapo Opakunle explained how the land was acquired. It said in its claim that 50 acres were bought from the Ilari Ogun family of Ofiran Village in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State at N30 million; eight acres were also said to have been bought from the Oduntan family of the same village at N12.6 million; six acres were equally bought at N15 million from the Kafaru family of the same village and three acres from Alimi family of Igando Onnudu Town, Ibeju-Lekki at N5.4 million.

    Upon buying the land, according to the firm’s counsel, “the claimant was put into immediate possession and had since been exercising full rights of ownership of the subject matter of this suit till date.”

    The land in question, according to the firm, was covered by Survey Plan No OJL/56a-c/89 dated 10th of September, 1989, signed by a licensed surveyor, O.A Ojo.

    The firm averred in its 26-paragraph claim, among others, that in its bid to construct housing units to be called Baron Estate on the said land, it cleared the place and commenced work on the site. However, the firm said sometime in February this year construction workers on the land were accosted and chased away by Captain Ugoh’s men, who later erected a “Military Zone Keep Off” sign on the land.

    But the sign was removed, according to the firm, and work continued on the land. “The claimant is not aware that the Military Barracks and formation close to the area have anything to do with the claimant’s land and so the claimant removed the sign post and continued its construction work.”

    The firm said it was shocked on March 1, this year, to see the said land invaded by soldiers, caterpillars and bulldozers to demolish structures being built on the land.

    With all these claims, the firm has sought the order of the court in a two-paragraph declaration that: “It is the bona fide owner of the land measuring 26,486 hectares situate at Ofiran Village, which is covered by various Deeds of Assignments and Memorandum of Sale and represented in Survey Plan no OJL/56a-c/89 dated the 10th day of September, 1989, signed by Surveyor O.A Ojo. It said the act of entering its land by the defendant without its consent or authority and subsequent demolition of its structures, properties and fence without a court order is unlawful and a trespass by the defendant.

    It then asked for the “order of the court to award N50 million damages against the defendant for trespassing and demolition of its properties; award another N50 million against the defendant as specific damages for destroying its properties and a perpetual order of injunction to restrain the defendant, his privies, assigns, workmen or any person whosoever, from acting for him from further entering or trespassing the said land.”

    The defendant in his statement of defence denied every claim by the claimant, from paragraph 1 to 26. He went further to correct the claim that the said land is located in Ofiran.

    “The defendant states in further denial of paragraph 3 of the statement of claim that the land in dispute is located at Alfa Alamo in Aiyeteju Village, Lagos-Epe Express Road, Ibeju/Lekki Local Government, Lagos and not Ofiran.”

    The Captain in his 17-paragraph defence said, among others, that “the land previously belonged to his late father, Mr. Nze Vitalis Ugoh; that his father bought the land from Oyafunke family in 1990 after he had relocated from Maroko and Oyafunke family of Aiyeteju Village issued him a receipt; that the land was surveyed by W.T Adeniji, a surveyor and boundary marks and pillars were erected on the land with Survey Plan no WAT/LA/1095/96 inscribed on them.”

    He also said that “his late father relocated to his village in 1993 as a result of old age and handed over the land to him and the Power of Attorney in respect of the property.”

    He said upon enquiry from the Oyafunke family from whom his father bought the land, he discovered that the Ofiran Village from whom the claimant alleged that it bought the land in dispute from, has no land on the Lagos-Epe Expressway.

    “The defendant states that upon enquiry from Oyafunke family, he discovered that the Ofiran Village from whom the claimant alleged that it purchased the land in dispute has no land along the Lagos-Epe Expressway. The Ofiran Village is about four kilometres away from the land in dispute. The vast area of land along the Lagos-Epe Expressway belongs to Oyafunke family of Aiyeteju Village, while the Ofiran land is located in the interior behind Aiyeteju Village,” the statement of defence said.

    But while the two parties were advancing their claims and defences, 11 other persons in a motion on notice, applied to be joined as applicants. They are Chief Ganiyu Raji (Baale of Ofiran); Alhaji Adio Shittu; Mr Olusegun Busari and Mr Ganiyu Tijani for themselves and on behalf of Ilari Ogun family.

    Others are: Pa Sule Kafaru, head of Kafaru family, representing himself and the family; Mr Lasisi Olooto; Mr Muyideen Tijani, representing himself and Alimi family; Mr Omodele Oyafunke; Mr Theophilus Oyafunke and Chief Taiwo Oyafunke representing themselves and the Oyafunke family.

    In their 31-paragraph affidavit to support their motion they said around 2001/2002 one Alhaji Olatunji Adenuga, who claimed to be a surveyor, approached them for a survey to be carried out on their land in Ofiran Village. Ofiran Village, according to them, is behind Aiyeteju Village, towards Marine River.

    The man, they said, later told them about a man who was interested in their land.

    “Alhaji Olatunji Adenuga later told us about a prospective buyer of land in person of Adedeji Obisanya. We welcome the idea, but when he said that they needed 50 acres of land along Lagos-Epe Express Road, we told him that we do not have land along the Express road. The small land we have is behind the land in dispute and which is for our farming and personal use only,” they said.

    They continued: “Alhaji Olatunji Adenuga pointed to the land where we assembled for that meeting in Alfa Alamo, but we told him that the land belongs to Aiyeteju Village as Ofiran Village does not have land along the Express road, but farm land behind the express road.”

    These persons said they later discovered that the prospective buyer that Alhaji Adenuga was representing was the claimant. The said Adenuga was later reported dead some months later.

    They also said they told the claimant’s representative that Ofiran Village does not have up to 50 acres of land on the expressway

    “We informed the claimant that the land along the express road belonged to Aiyeteju Village and that Ofiran Village land is located behind Aiyeteju

    They further said they “never assigned or handed over any land to the claimant in this case. We did not sign any Deed of Assignment in favour of the claimant The land in dispute does not belong to Ofiran Village and Ofiran Village did not sell the land to the claimant; the signatures of the Applicants (their signatures) on the Deeds of Assignment pleaded by the claimant, particularly, that of the 1st Applicant, were forged; the Ofiran land, which the claimant negotiated for is different from the land in dispute and the land is far away from the land in dispute and the claim by the claimant that the Ofiran Village sold the land in dispute to the claimant is false and fraudulent because the land in dispute does not belong to Ofiran Village, but belongs to Oyafunke family of Aiyeteju Village.”

    The claimant, it was said, flouted the orders of the court asking the parties to maintain the status quo. It went ahead to develop the land which necessitated the issuance of form 48 by the court. Justice Ipaye had ordered on July 3, this year, “that an order for the accelerated hearing of the claims be and is hereby made in lieu of the Motion on Notice for temporary restraining order dated 08/03/13; it is further ordered that parties maintain status quo before the beginning of hostilities namely: the claimant being in possession shall remain in possession and maintain her presence on the subject property as delineated on Survey Plan No 03l/56 A-C 89 Dated 10/09/1999 prepared by a licensed Surveyor, O.A Ojo.

    While adjourning the case, the 11 applicants that wished to be joined in the suit were also asked to keep off the land pending the hearing and determination of the claims.”

    The grounds upon which Pastor Ashimolowo was issued forms 48 and 49 are that, despite the forms served on him, the firm still continued with its construction on the property, “the subject matter of the suit, in flagrant disobedience of the status quo order made by the court.”

    The case has since been assigned to Justice Morenike Obadina for further adjudication.

  • Firm unveils $25.2m Caterers Court in Old Ikoyi

    Firm unveils $25.2m Caterers Court in Old Ikoyi

    Afriland Properties Plc has unveiled a $25.2million Caterers Court on 1 to 6 Onitana Road, Ikoyi, with organisations and individuals, especially those who love golfing, as targets. The court, sits on about 1.5 hectares of land.

    It is a four-storey building with 30 well-furnished and spacious three-bedroom flats, each of the rooms is en suite while the parlour and the dining are really large.

    In a chat with The  Nation,  Principal Partner Mr. Meckson Innocent Okoro of M.I.Okoro & Associates, a firm of estate surveyors and valuers, noted that in terms of size, location, luxury and aesthetics, Caterer’s Court remains unrivalled within its upscale neighborhood.

    These qualities, coupled with its proximity to Ikoyi Club Golf Course, he said, make the court a preferred destination for corporate organisations whose workers   love  sports, especially golf.

    Caterer’s Court,  he said, boasts of state-of-the-art facilities. Each of the court’s six blocks A to F  has an escalator and there are  36 units of boys quarters, one for each flat; and an Olympic-size swimming pool with party facilities.

    “Prospective tenants can hold their Christmas or other parties by the pool-side. There is a gym for relaxation and exercise, and there are security personnel here to ensure that lives and property are safe,” he assured.

    “The building is one of the foremost master-pieces in Old Ikoyi. The exterior has fine finishing with ceramic tiles and burnt bricks, which add to its aesthetic beauty and ensure durability. The concept is British with some level of modernization; it promises 24-hour power supply from the public mains to be complemented with two stand-by 2,000KVA generators,” he said..

    Okoro said everything needed to make the place livable and beautiful have been provided, adding that it targets those who have taste for luxury, quality and aesthetics.

    The building, according to him, is for lease and not for sale. He said the  minimum lease period  is two years and maximum of 10 years. Each flat is going  for $65 to $70,000 or N10 million per annum.  “Our expectation is to get a corporate body that can take the whole building or three corporate bodies that can take 10 flats each,” he said.

  • How Kano master plan was bastardised

    How Kano master plan was bastardised

    Managing Director of Kano State Urban Planning and Development Authority (KNUPDA) Alhaji Isyaku Mukhtar Kura is a United Kingdom-trained urban planner. In this interview with KOLADE ADEYEMI, Kura, whose agency recently bagged the National Productivity Award, speaks on how the Kano State master plan was bastardised, the construction of multi-billion naira cities, the N32 billion mega-roads and other sundry issues. Excerpts:

    KNUPDA has bagged National Productivity Order of Merit Award. How did you achieve the feat?

    I think it is because of the facelift that we have given Kano in term of infrastructures. A lot of things have changed in Kano State in terms of infrastructures when compared to what we had on the ground two years ago. If you recall before 2012 there were serious decay of infrastructures in the state especially as it concerned roads and drainage. Before 2012, because of lack of drainage, there were cases of flood that killed a lot of people and destroyed many houses, but we thank God from 2012 to date these have been reduced to the barest minimum.

    KNUPDA has been so much involved in the provision of some of these infrastructures, especially roads and drainages. We are also seeing to our main function, which is planning. When we came in, we realised that the Government Reserved Area (GRA) in Nasarawa area of the state is no more a GRA; it was just like any other part of the city. All those large land that beautifies the area has been subdivided and allotted to individuals for residential buildings. It was against this background that the Governor told us that we should create new cities for the low and high income earners.

    Following his directive, we then created three cities: Kwankwasiya along Zaria road, Amana on its opposite and the Bandirawo on the other part of the state. All these are big towns, which we have created to serve the people of the state. Initially, we only created the area, but the governor afterwards asked us to go into building and now some of the houses in these cities have been completed.

    In the cities, Kwankwasiya especially, we provided many infrastructures including drainages, roads and a bridge that linked the city with other areas. In Kwankwasiya city, we have 5 bed-room and 4 bed-room flats that have been completed and people have started to apply for their purchase. Though, the building of the houses is not my area, but what I’m trying to arrive at is that we have selected, design and planned the new cities.

    In our efforts to give pedestrians unhindered access road, we have interlocked all the major roads in the metropolis. We are doing the interlocking because in planning if you talk about motorists, you must also talk about other categories of road users. To this end, we have interlocked 65 roads in the city and the contracts for the remaining roads have been awarded. We have also considered the contractors that were left by the previous administration. I think these are some of the things that earned us the National Productivity Order of Merit Award.

    How many structures do you have in the three cities?

    Well, as I said earlier we are building the cities to open up other areas and by so doing decongest the main Kano city. I cannot tell you the exact number of houses we are building in these three cities because it’s under the supervision of the Housing Corporation of Kano State. We have about 500 plots there altogether. The Kwankwasiya city is a GRA while the two others are mixture which we are buildings for low, medium and high income earners.

    We have seen ongoing works on inter-locking streets within the metropolis. How much have you spent on the project?

    We have spent over N650 million on the interlocking project. We are doing it not only for beautification, but as I said earlier, to provide roads for pedestrians.

    What have you been doing to review Kano’s master-plan which has been bastardized by indiscriminate buildings?

    Yes, we have been doing a lot to bring Kano’s master-plan back to base. In fact, this is one of the strong-points of Governor Kwankwaso’s administration. Remember that we had three or so, we had one in 1963 and we had the revised edition of 2003, but unfortunately they did not follow it to the letter. The master plans were not implemented, but this time around, we are reviewing it. From all indications, the government is committed to it. The World Bank has sent representatives to contribute not financially, but in the technical aspect of it. So we are reviewing our master plan and we are going to implement it fully for the interest of all.

    What are you doing to tackle flood which has grossly affected some roads within the metropolis?

    As I said earlier that if you were here before 2011, you will appreciate what we have done so far because before then there were many cases of deaths caused by flooding and houses were also destroyed. The flood you are talking about was caused as a result of heavy downpour, but we have succeeded to a very large extent, in addressing the problem of lack or blocked drainages. Now if there is rain in less than an hour it will flow away unlike what was obtainable before our coming into power.

    How do you want Kano State to look like in terms of planning and infrastructures by 2015?

    Honestly, we want it to be like Mecca and Medina or to be modest; we want it to look like Dubai. In these two years of our administration, there have been a lot of changes and it’s still going on. If you want to appreciate what we are doing come to Kano at night from either Abuja or Lagos by air and see what is happening. You’ll see light everywhere, which can only be compared with what is obtainable in either Abuja or Lagos. So we want to see a city that is accommodating more people, providing more jobs and maintaining its beauty. You can see now the traffic in the state is moving now.