The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • NUJ to build N74m guest house

    NUJ to build N74m guest house

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos chapter has laid the foundation of a two-storey 20-room guest house in Shomolu, Lagos.

    The edifice will be built on the grounds of the old secretariat of the union located at 3 Adeola Street, off Apata Street, Shomolu.

    The Chairman, Mr Deji Elumoye, said the choice of a guest house was aimed at earning income for the chapter.

    He said the guest house will also serve as accommodation for journalists, especially those in transit.

    On the design, the chairman said the guest house is designed to have car park, restaurant and bar on the ground floor, 10-room ensuite on the first floor as well as another 10 rooms on the second floor. On the cost, Elumoye said it is conservatively put at N74million.

    On financing, he said it would be financed from proceeds accruing from rent from the Lagos NUJ property, a four–storey house named after a former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, located in Victoria Island in addition to a facility from a bank.

    The Managing Director of Epega & Co (developers and project managers), Mr Segun Opayemi, said they were looking forward to delivering the project in two years. He said the two-floor guest house has a parking facility for 14 cars and would be built to specifics and managed to yield good income for the Lagos NUJ.

    Opayemi said his firm has a history with NUJ properties, revealing that they are not only managing the NUJ property in Victoria Island, but also midwifed the buying of the union’s secretariat in Iyalla Street, Ikeja.

    He said the guest house will have competitive services with the kitchen and bar located at the ground floor and first and second floor housing 10 rooms each.

    Chairman of the event and former Governor of Ogun-State, Chief Segun Osoba, while commending the chapel for the laudable project said it would present journalists in good light as a respectable and responsible professionals.

    He regretted that journalists have always borne the brunt of brutal regimes and pleaded with them to be persistent in the pursuit of the ethics of the profession. He advised both the Federal and state governments to learn from journalists in terms of project costing and management without inflation of contract figures as it is common with government’s contracts.

    At the event were the NUJ President, Mallam Muhammad Garba; his Guild of Editors counterpart, Dele Adesina and representatives of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Deputy Governor.

  • Lagos NUJ to build N74m guest house

    Lagos NUJ to build N74m guest house

    •Osoba praises initiative

    The Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos chapter is set to deliver a two-storey 20-room guest house in Shomolu, Lagos.

    The magnificent edifice will be built on the ashes of the old secretariat of the union located at 3 Adeola Street, off Apata Street, Shomolu.

    At the turning of the sod, the chapter Chairman, Mr Deji Elumoye, said the choice of a guest house was made for the chapel to earn an independent source of income and increase its revenue base.

    He said the guest house will also serve as accommodation for journalists, especially those in transit.

    On the design, the chairman said the guest house is designed to have car park, restaurant and bar on the ground floor, 10-room ensuite on the first floor as well as another 10 rooms on the second floor. On the cost, Elumoye said it is conservatively put at N74million.

    On financing, he said it will be financed from proceeds accruing from rent from THE Lagos NUJ property, a four–storey house named after a former Governor of Lagos State, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, located in Victoria Island in addition to a facility from a bank.

    The Managing Director of Epega & Co, Mr Segun Opayemi, developers and project managers, said they were looking forward to delivering the project in two years. He said the two-floor guest house has a parking facility for 14 cars and would be built to specifics and managed to yield good income for the Lagos NUJ.

    Opayemi said his firm has a history with NUJ properties, revealing that they are not only managing the NUJ property in Victoria Island, but also midwifed the buying of the union’s secretariat in Iyalla Street, Ikeja.

    He said the guest house will have competitive services with the kitchen and bar located at the ground floor and first and second floor housing 10 rooms each.

    Chairman of the event and former Governor of Ogun-State, Chief Segun Osoba, while commending the chapel for the laudable project said it would present journalists in good light as a respectable and responsible professionals.

    He regretted that journalists have always borne the brunt of brutal regimes and pleaded with them to be persistent in the pursuit of the ethics of the profession. He advised both the Federal and state governments to learn from journalists in terms of project costing and management without inflation of contract figures as it is common with government’s contracts.

    At the event were the NUJ President, Mallam Muhammad Garba; his Guild of Editors counterpart, Dele Adesina and representatives of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly and the Deputy Governor.

  • Bank, council partner on climate change

    • Inaugurate ‘committed to green’ programme

    Climate change is a global problem and we are glad that FCMB has offered a helping hand in our quest at ensuring a sustainable environment in Isolo. They are indeed, a responsible corporate citizen who really mean well for our people.

    These are some of the words of the Chairman of Isolo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Shamsudeen Abiodun Olaleye, last week while acknowledging the support the First City Monument Bank (FCMB) has given the council in its pursuit of climate change initiative.

    This was at the inauguration of the Committed to Green programme of the bank, Green Brigade of the council and the inauration of the Climate Change Unit of the council. The bank and the council have entered into a two-year agreement to work together on climate change. The bank, according to the agreement, would foot the bill of the green brigade of the council and support the council’s initiative on climate change.

    “FCMB is thinking about greening the environment. They believe that our environment can be beautiful. They believe that our markets can be very beautiful. The bank has chosen markets in Isolo to bring about their campaign of greening the environment. This cannot be done alone, there must be people on the ground to ensure that the markets are clean and tidy,” Olaleye said.

    He said his council and the bank have started a 25-man new brigade called Committed to Green (C to G) to be remunerated by the bank for a period of two years. “Their salaries would be paid by the bank. This is another way of creating employment; taking people out of the circle of unemployment. All these people have been taken away from joblessness to employment. They are to ensure the cleanliness of the market. They are to ensure that all sanitation laws are enforced. The climate change unit would be under the office of the chairman,” he said.

    The bank’s Executive Director, Olufemi Bakre, said climate change, global warming and flooding have become major hazards to the well being of humanity and the world at large. “As we are aware climate change, global warming and other environment hazards have become major challenges to the well being of humanity and the world. The United Nations and other international bodies have forecast that Sub-Saharan Africa would be worst hit if nothing is done now. Already, we have begun to see the signals in various directions through desertification, pollution and flooding everywhere,” he said.

    Combating this issue, he said, requires concerted efforts by all. “It said that prevention is better than cure. It is on this basis that we are proud to partner with the LCDA to establish a unit of climate change in the council. We believe that this will go a long way to adequately enlighten the public on environmental issues.

    “As a demonstration of our commitment to this, our staff members would be at markets within the council area to pursue our committed to green programme, which since 2009, has been the way we have expressed our deep interest in environmental sustainability. We have a long history of human and community development, which we have implemented in different areas across the nation.

    “We strongly believe that in all communities that we operate should benefit from our presence. Our corporate social responsibility philosophy is centered on the long time relationship with our customers,” he said.

    He said the bank has over the years, lived its philosophy by implementing some initiatives with focus three areas of poverty alleviation, economic empowerment and environmental sustainability.

    “We will continue to do this in a way that is consistent with our value propositions, which are: we are simple, reliable and supportive. Your bank and I,” he said.

    The high point of the event was the inauguration of the Climate Change Unit of the council; a portable cabin in the premises of the council.

  • ‘Lagos not deterred by flimsy court cases’

    The Lago State Government will not be distracted by flimsy court cases in its pursuit of delivering competitive infrastructure in the state, the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Dr Femi Hamzat, has said.

    Hamzat, who spoke over the weekend in response to the current status of Lekki/Ikoyi floating bridge and Okota Road, which have been dogged by several litigations, said the court case on the first cable-stayed bridge in West Africa, the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge, has not affected its inauguration. The government is more concerned with ensuring the delivery of a safe bridge by the contractor, he said.

    He said the bridge was restricted to tippers, tankers and trailers considering the location.

    On Ago Palace Road, he said the contractor had moved back to site after an amiable out-of-court settlement with some landlords. He said several roads roads would be delivered by July, including Ozumba/Mbadiwe, Ayobo/Ipaja road, Ajao /Ejigbo road and Idimu/Ejigbo, while the Second Lekki/ Epe toll plaza will take–off as soon as stakeholders agree on a date, he added.

    Hamzat also said 82 new roads of 112.75km have been added to the state’s infrastructure stock, but stressed the need for the public to protect them. On the choice of roads to build, he said they were undertaken in a manner that reflected the need to develop all parts of the state and not any sectional interest.

    Hamzat noted that the state government has incorporated the period of rainfall into its master plan, thereby including the upgrading and construction of drainage channels in a way that it will properly discharge water from the roads, bearing in mind that Lagos is a coastal city.

    On the 13.5km Ikorodu six-lane expansion project, with a dedicated BRT lane on both sides, the commissioner said the state is satisfied with the pace of work done. He further emphasised that it requires patience and commitment from citizens for government to deliver an enduring infrastructure.

    On the major challenges of road development, he said the government constantly undertakes soil test, soil replacement with enormous cost implications.

    Hamzat frowned at the careless attitude of the public to several infrastructure provided by the governemnt by incessant vandalism of road furniture and public utilities by traders, and artisans.

  • ‘Losing our land means losing our lives’

    ‘Losing our land means losing our lives’

    For landlords of houses on three streets — Arowolo, Akinola and Onitiri — in Ojokoro, Abule-Egba on the outskirts of Lagos, the hope of retaining their houses appears slim. A 1987 court ruling, enforced on the land in 2009, has brought about unending legal brickbats. A future without their properties stares them in the face, reports SEYI ODEWALE

    Segun Gbadamosi, a pensioner, who retired as a Chief Superintendent of Nigeria Customs Service, Seme Border, in 2004, never had an inkling that 41 years after he had fully paid for his two plots of land, and 35 years after he had moved into the house he built on the land, he would be tagged an ‘alien’ on his land, courtesy of a 1987 court ruling.

    His number 57, Arowolo Street, Mile 16 ½, Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway, Abule-Egba Ojokoro residence, came under the threat of bulldozers in 2009 in a bid to enforce a 1987 court judgment, which ceded his land and those of others to another family, different from the one he bought the land from.

    He is not alone. His neighbour, Olusegun Akinola of 50, Olusegun Akinola Street, who also retired from Incar Nigeria Limited in 1993 as a General Manager, is equally running from pillar to post to save his property. His house of about 40 years is facing a similar threat. So are many others, such as those belonging to Johnson Popoola; Jonathan Anuibe Adewale Shola; Madam Adisatu Bankole and Mr Oyewumi on the three streets – Arowolo, Olusegun Akinola and Onitiri – at Mile 16 ½ Lagos–Abeokuta Expressway, Ojokoro, Abule Egba; an area comprising 32.5 acres of land. They are faced with the dilemma of losing their houses and land.

    To them, the thought of losing their properties is a nightmare that has refused to go. The land has been a subject of litigation and counter-litigation over its ownership for many years.

    “About 120 homes and houses would be destroyed; several families would be displaced; many would be made to suffer for what they knew nothing about and many more people may be forced into crime or be made to do what may be inimical to the peace of the area and the state at large, if justice is misplaced on the land,” said Gbadamosi.

    The trouble with the land, Gbadamosi, who is the Chairman, Landlords’ Association of the streets in question, said, started on August 7, 2009, when forms ‘O’ (certificates of execution of warrant of possession) were served on them, taking possession of their lands and houses by the Carenna family, which was said to have won a 1987 High Court case on the land.

    “We were rudely shocked that day when we saw people with armed uniformed men come with bulldozers to pull down our fences and houses. We were helpless and watched hopelessly as their machines destroyed some of our properties. We bore the brunt of what we knew nothing about,” he said.

    While the ‘invasion’ lasted, Gbadamosi said he and others ran to the Iyanru family, which they knew as the original owners of the land.

    “We went to the family and they assured us that nobody would take our land away from us. To them, it was a cruel joke. They showed us the original Deed of Conveyance of the land, which covered a vast area from Sango-Ota in Ogun State to the Abattoir in Agege.”

    Recalling the genesis of the problem with the land, Gbadamosi, said: “I bought my land in 1972 and, by 1978, I had built and moved into my house, so had others like me. I think the trouble began in 1980 when Carenna family went to court; they accused the Akinlase family, a branch of the Inyanru family, of encroaching on its land.”

    He continued: “The matter went on for so long, for over 20 years. But within the first 10 years, precisely in 1987, Carenna family, who took Akinlase to court, won. This was because Akinlase, through a member of the larger Iyanru family, was not seen as representing the Iyanru family. Iyanru Chieftaincy family of Ogun and Lagos states owns the land. I actually saw the Deeds of Conveyance made in 1930s covering Sango to Abattoir in Agege.”

    The judge in his declaration said, inter alia: “In the statement of defence filed on behalf of the 5th-9th, defendants, the Defendants (others joined with Akinlase in the case) averred in paragraph three that they are the owners in possession of all that large area of land situate at Ojokoro in Lagos State as an estate of inheritance under Yoruba Native Law and Custom.

    “Other paragraphs alleged one thing or the other which required oral evidence to be given. Since the defendants have failed to appear, and to give evidence, I am bound to consider the only evidence before. I am, therefore, satisfied that the plaintiff (Carenna family) is entitled to the declaration of title asked for by virtue of the evidence before me which is in line with principles laid down by Coker JSC in the case of Olujebu of Ijebu v Oso, Eleda of Eda as regards trespass, there is evidence before me that the plaintiffs were in possession until 1980 when the defendants entered.” Akinlase’s failure to prosecute the case and present evidence at Justice Fernandez’s court made him and others joined in the suit to lose the case.

    Justice Fernandez said: “I hereby declare the plaintiffs (Carenna family) as entitled to the property situate at Ojokoro Mile 16 ½ (Abule-Egba) Agege-Abeokuta Road in Lagos State and covered by a Deed of Conveyance known as No. 38 page 39 in Volume 987 in Lagos State Registry of Lands.”

    “But a member of Iyanru family, Chief Jimoh Arowolo, now late, on behalf of himself and Olarokun family, another branch of the Iyanru family, filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal. Although he was not a party to the earlier case, but he sought to be joined as a party to prosecute the appeal,” Gbadamosi said.

    Arowolo’s appeal, he said, could not sail through.

    “On November 24, 1994, his appeal was dismissed. But he was not satisfied with that. He went on to appeal to the Supreme Court in Appeal No. SC.65/1965. While his appeal was pending at the apex court, the man also in Suit No ID/313/94 instituted a fresh action against the Plaintiffs, who are also Respondents in the appeal, asking for four prayers,” Gbadamosi said, reading from a certified copy of the Supreme Court judgment.

    He continued: “In March 1999, his September 22, 1995 appeal in suit SC.65/1965 was dismissed for want of diligent prosecution. On January 25, 1999, Chief Jimoh Arowolo filed another application for stay of execution of the ruling of the lower court, but he lost. In July 2001, he appealed against it and won. His victory was short-lived as he was taken to the Supreme Court. The presiding judge, F.F. Tabai (JSC), set aside the appeal and the Appeal Court judgment of Moni Fafiade of March 2000, which endorsed the High Court’s declaration, was upheld. But while the cases were on, Arowolo died. This was a huge setback for the entire family.”

    The issue has not been laid to rest as series of litigations are still pending in different courts and this has compounded the fear of the affected landlords. At some point, some of them came up with an idea of amicable settlement, whereby they would repurchase the land. Representations were said to be made to the Carenna family, but they did not make any headway.

    “Although we are still exploring legal options available, we have not foreclosed amicable resolution of the matter. Some of us went to negotiate with Carenna’s family lawyer to see how we can salvage our land, but the family seemed insensitive.The amount they are demanding is outrageous. They are asking us to pay N6 million per plot for the land most of us had built on about four to five decades back. We even made our position known to them, but they flatly refused,” Gbadamosi said.

    Showing photocopies of cheques drawn in favour of Carenna family by some of the landlords, which were rejected,Gbadamosi said the Carenna family does not seem to agree to an amicable settlement.

    Seven persons: John Popoola; Olusegun Akinola; Oyewumi; Mrs Mosunmola; Jonathan Anuibe; Madam Adisatu Bolanle and Adewale Shola through their lawyer, Victor Kolade &Co., on February 28, 2011, wrote to the counsel to Carenna family, Mrs Bisi Awonuga and offered to pay N3 million per plot and N150,000 as legal fees to be spread over two years. To show their seriousness, they attached cheques drawn in favour of Carenna family. It was delivered on March 3 of the same year.

    “But the letter accompanying the cheques was received and the cheques returned. Consequently, Mrs Awonuga wrote a reply on March 15, to acknowledge the receipt of the letter from Kolade’s Chambers and the rejection of the offer. On May 11, 2011 counsel to the seven landlords wrote again to increase the offer to N4 million per plot. But this had no effect as no response was got,” Gbadamosi said.

    What was to later bring fear into minds of the people was the issuance of Form 48, which is notice of consequence of disobedience to court order to the landlords on November 4, 2011. “The order put us on the edge and we are hopelessly helpless,” he said.

    “While we are still battling with Form 48 order, Form 49, order of committal to prison for disobeying a court order was issued on the 21st of the same month. And this has left us where we are. Not only this, there have been instances of direct physical attacks on us by the alleged agents of Carenna family. Last January, I was short at and I almost lost my life. The Police investigator told me that the people behind it are very powerful. According to him, they see me as the only obstacle to their ambition of taking over the land. They said I know so much about the land, hence I must be removed,” Gbadamosi said.

    Carenna family’s lawyer, Mrs Awonuga, however, dismissed the landlords’ claim. To her, their ‘noise’ is just to attract sentiments to themselves.

    “I hope you know that the case has gone to the Supreme Court and back and the apex court’s decision is final,” she said on phone.

    She continued: “They are not telling the truth about the case. Some of them have gone to court to challenge the Supreme Court’s judgment. But, quite a number of them are complying. Some have fully paid up while others are making attempts to pay.”

    On the price the landlord were asked to pay, she said: “Initially, we agreed with them to pay N4 million, but we later discovered that some of them are not sincere. Some went to court to seek injunctions and you know that we are paying money to look after the land. We pay N1 million monthly on the land and we have to recoup the money.”

    But Gbadamosi said: “While the legal battle is on I believe we can get a way around this imbroglio. I think the family should be reasonable enough by shifting ground. If after building on a land bought over 40 years ago, someone is now asking for N6 million per plot from pensioners, widows, widowers and the aged to be paid afresh, then we should ask ourselves what our values are? Where am I going to get that kind of money? I don’t want to leave debt for my children when my father never left any debt for me,” Gbadamosi said with emotion.

    “I would suggest that the families involved meet and settle out of court. We have seen instances like this and hell was not let loose. I remember a similar issue happened in Ilupeju area of the state. The family who won the case did not bring bulldozers to pull down all the houses in Ilupeju. The same happened in Papa Ashafa, Agege between The Apostolic Church and residents of the area, involving about 15 streets, stretching to about 42,000 acres. Heaven did not fall. I think it was resolved amicably,” he said.

  • Fed Govt, Ondo commit $5m to UN-Habitat partnerships

    The Federal Government and Ondo State have pledged $5 million to boost the work of the global city agency. The contribution was announced at the 24th Governing Council Meeting of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN Habitat) which ended at the weekend in Nairobi Kenya.

    The contributions comprised $3 million through the Federal Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, aimed at research and strengthening UN-Habitat’s engagement with Habitat Agenda Partners and other non-governmental actors across sub-Saharan Africa and, $2 million from Ondo State, to be used in preparing a range of programmes, such as slum upgrading, youth empowerment schemes, local economic enterprises, and land reform in the state.

    The Nation learnt that the new partnerships will enhance Nigeria’s status among emerging economies supporting UN-Habitat with core funds. The continental initiative is aimed at mobilising and building the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and non-governmental actors towards a New African Urban Agenda, which focuses on transformational initiatives and governance, anchored on the core values of transparency and inclusiveness.

    African countries have been actively engaged with the urban challenge over the past two decades. Following the African Union’s Decision 29 in 2003, African countries established the African Ministerial Conference on Housing and Urban Development (AMCHUD) in 2005, and have addressed themselves at national levels to the challenge of urban poverty, slums and access to land for development.

    This initiative is aimed strengthening the second and third legs of the engagement with private sector firms and civil society actors as the continent prepares itself to benefit from urbanisation.

    The New Urban Agenda recognises Africa as a rising continent which prosperity will be shaped by its cities as the drivers of growth, equity and sustainability. It is expected that the process will contribute to a shared vision for sustainable urban development.

    The Ondo State initiative is coming on the heels of a N100 million partnership brokered between Osun State and the UN Habitat in July last year, under which Structure Plans are being developed for nine cities in the state, namely: Oshogbo, Ile Ife, Ilesa, Iwo, Ede, Ejigbo, Ila Orangun, Ikire and Ikirun.

    Earlier, the partnership had seen the completion of Structure Plans for three cities in Anambra State (Awka, Onitsha and Nnewi), as well as work nearing completion on masterplans for four cities in Nasarawa State (Lafia, Doma, Keffi and Karu).

    In Ondo State, the administration has risen to the urgency of governance and is addressing the needs of its people through programmes that touch and impact on peoples livelihoods. The Governor who is a winner of UN-Habitat’s Scroll of Honour pledged to further the recognition by aligning the State’s development priorities with the new vision of UN-habitat.

    The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms. Pepple, said: “The New Urban Agenda recognises that Africa’s prosperity will be shaped by its cities as the drivers of growth, equity and sustainability. It is expected that the process will contribute to a shared vision for sustainable urban development”.

    According to Governor Olusegun Mimiko, “The collaboration between UN-Habitat and the Ondo State government that we are here to formalise today is to ensure that together we are able to transform our vision to reality in the areas of youth employment, urban economic development, urban infrastructure rehabilitation and better land reform management. To us, these areas are strategic and important for both individual development and improved state economic growth.”

    Un-Habitat Executive Director Dr. Joan Clos commended “the energy and freshness brought in by Nigeria’s move”, and expressed hope that other countries in the global South would follow suit.

  • Abubakar, others for Lagos Housing Fair

    The 13thLagos Housing Fair will host former Head of State General Abdulsami Abubakar as the special guest of honour. The event will attract stakeholders in the built environment sector from April 29.

    Other political leaders such as Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, General Yakubu Gowon and Dr Alex Ekwueme have graced past events. The theme of this year’s fair is ‘climate change and housing delivery’

    In a chat with The Nation, Chairman of the fair, Mr Moses Ogunleye, said the theme was chosen based on the need to beam the searchlight on the implication of the climate change phenomenon on housing development. He said the idea is to direct the nation’s attention to the debilitating effects that climate change could have on all aspects of housing delivery, which include design, land use management, material use/specification, construction methodology, infrastructure as well as finance.

    In addition, he said the fair will refocus on the issue of mitigation plans for housing management in view of the continuous likely negative impact of climate change on the housing sector, especially regarding the predicted excessive flooding of communities and towns by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET).

    Last year’s rain and subsequent flooding led to untold hardship to the citizen as a result of losses in human and material form.

    Quoting reports, Ogunleye, who is also a member of the Nigeria Environment Society, said the climate change phenomenon will impact heavily on the building construction sector.

    The Housing Fair Chairman stated that most major cities in the country currently have heat Islands as they record higher temperature with higher sunshine period resulting in lower relative humidity.

    Stressing the need for adapting mitigation strategies, he observed that buildings must be designed to more than ever withstand the vagaries of climate change with emphasis on design that enhance ventilation and natural lightening in order to reduce energy consumption.

  • Quantity surveyors urged to enhance standards

    President,Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mr Agele Alufohai, has urged senior quantity surveyors in professional practice and academics to create a platform to enhance standards of quantity surveying training and practice.

    He made the call in his message to the Convocation of Senior Quantity Surveying Academics in Nigerian Tertiary Institutions at the Department of Quantity Surveying, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).

    The event created an avenue to emphasise the enormous mutual benefit that can be had from close interaction and collaboration between quantity surveyors in the field and those in the academia.

    Alufohai underscored the need for quantity surveyors to collaborate with relevant government agencies and allied professionals to build the confidence of the citizenry in the costing processes associated with public procurement.

    He said: ”Transparency in construction and infrastructure expenditure not only accelerates our economic growth but makes an important contribution to resolving political and security problems.”

    He commended the ceremony as a major landmark in the history of quantity surveying in Nigeria because of the great value of close collaboration between the industry and the world of research.

    In his words: “One of the most valid criticisms one can make of the Nigerian education system is the dissonance between the teaching and research in our higher education institutions and the needs of industry”.

    He stressed that to play a successful role in enhancing governance, quantity surveyors must acquire and disseminate up-to-date relevant knowledge on cost economics theory and practices while mastering the latest value-for-money techniques on public-private partnership projects.

    He enjoined quantity surveyors to work towards excellence, not only in their core competence, but also in other allied construction and infrastructure fields to create excellence in the construction industry.

  • Abandoned govt properties turn homes for hoodlums in Lagos

    Abandoned govt properties turn homes for hoodlums in Lagos

    They were built with public funds and were in use until a few years ago. Today, most Federal Government properties in Lagos are either abandoned or underutilised. These national monuments are now in ruins and pose security risks. Some have been taken over by weeds, rodents and reptiles; others serve as abodes for squatters and miscreants. Eric IKhilae reports.

    Many multi-million naira properties owned mostly by the Federal Government have been abandoned. They are common features in the Lagos Business District (LBD) and Ikoyi.

    From the historic Mosaic House on Tinubu Street to the monumental Independence House on old Defence Street; former Nigerian Telecommunication Limited (NITEL) Headquarters, 3-5 Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS), Race Course; Council Chambers of the old National Assembly Complex within TBS and the old Cabinet Office Building that straddles Strachan and  Moloney streets, all paint the picture of desertion.

    Though the ease with which the government abandons its assets to rot away baffles many, others perceive the problem as that of misconceived, misapplied and wrongly executed policies and absence of probity in the management of resources.

    Other assets in this category include the old Federal Secretariat Complex (Ikoyi), Ministry of Communications building (Obalende), Ministry of Information building (15 Awolowo Road, Ikoyi), NETCOM House (Marina) and NITEL building (10 Odunlami Street). There are also the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) building (18 Tinubu Street), NEPA House (17B, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi). Lagos School of Nursing and Midwifery building (Awolowo Road, Ikoyi) and Savannah Bank building (Broad Street).

    They all have a rich history that should make them stand out as national monuments or major sources of revenue, but each of them suffers from either neglect or underutilisation.

    The five-storey Mosaic House (a twin structure) was built around 1958. It housed the Federal Ministry of Finance, a component of which was the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It was vacated by the ministry around 1996.

    Information from the National Library, Lagos, showed that the structure was erected in place of a building designed by the late Herbert Macaulay, which served as the residence of Henry Carr, a member of the Assessment Committee for Rates and Taxes of Lagos Township (1929–37) and the Nigerian Legislative Council (1933–44). Mosaic House, owned by the Ministry of Finance, once housed the office of the Finance Minister, beginning with the late Chief Festus Okotie-Eboh. The late Chief Obafemi Awolowo operated from there as the Federal Commissioner for Finance under Gen. Yakubu Gowon. Former President Shehu Shagari operated from the building as a Federal Commissioner for Finance in the early 70s.

    Today, the building serves as the Stamp Duties Office of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), a trade centre, where all sorts of wares are sold and as residence for squatters.

    The FIRS occupies the first floor. A first-time visitor will be oblivious of this fact because of the trading in and around the building. What used to serve as the parking lot is now occupied by beer parlours and canteen operators . They share the space with clothes sellers and those who combine the sale of new currency notes with bureau de change services. Besides the first floor, the other floors are occupied by squatters.

    The residents’ clothes and other belongings hung on corridors and window railings are visible to passers-by.

    FIRS officials refused to comment on the identity of the residents. An official, who would not want to be named, said the situation was embarrassing to the organisation. He said the FIRS could not change it because some of the occupants are not entirely squatters.

    He directed The Nation to his superior, who he described as the Regional Coordinator, for further comments.

    When The Nation met the Regional Coordinator, I. Ohagwa, in his office on the 12th floor of NEPA House, 17B, Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, he also refused to comment.

    “My friend, I am not in the position to address this issue. I was just transferred here a few weeks ago. I think you should go to Abuja and speak with those in charge of facility management.

    “You know that the house was once occupied by people like Okotie-Eboh, as the Federal Finance Commissioner? So, please, I don’t want to say anything that I am not in a position to say,” he said.

    Calls and e-mail to FIRS’ Director, Communication and Liaison, Emmanuel Obeta, were ignored. It was learnt that some squatters in Mosaic House are civil servants, who were transferred to Lagos and are unable to secure accommodation.

    There are also people, who reside in the building under an arrangement with the security guards manning it. The traders said they pay to those in charge of the building.

    A canteen operator in the building said some men come around at the end of every month to “collect money from us. So, you cannot call us illegal occupants. We know it is owned by the government, but we pay to those in charge,” the woman, who begged not to be named, said.

    The situation is the same with the Customs building next to Mosaic House, until the squatters were chased out recently. When The Nation visited the four-storey structure, which once served as the Customs headquarters, it was deserted. An attempt was being made to renovate it. But, no worker was on sight. A bold sign: “Nigerian Customs Service. Investigation and Inspectorate,” hangs at its main entrance.

    The sprawling NITEL headquarters at TBS, bordered by Moloney and Macarthy streets, was, until some years back, a major administrative base for NITEL and MTEL. It has been taken over by squatters. It replicates the picture of Mosiac House.

    It is one of the several abandoned NITEL properties that litter Lagos and other cities. The inability of the government to successfully privatise the company has worsened the situation. The only known corporate occupants of the building are the Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST), Ecobank and Fidelity Bank, which occupy part of the ground floor of the five-floor property. Decaying office furniture and other items removed from the building and dumped on the premises are visible from the road.

    Spokesman of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) Chigbo Anichebe said he needed time to confirm the status of squatters on the property. He said until NITEL was sold, the company’s properties, particularly the non-core assets, would remain officially unoccupied.

    “Such squatters are not tolerated on NITEL core assets. By core assets, I mean, those buildings with NITEL installations. Where there are no installations, they are classified as non-core assets. I believe this building you talked about falls into the non-core asset group.”

    Although Anichebe promised to get back to The Nation on the status of the squatters, he never did until the filing of this report.

    Not far away, on the old Defence Street, is the imposing 25-storey Independence Building, which stands 300-feet tall. It is abandoned with all its facilities destroyed. Work on the building, The Nation gathered from the Federal Ministry of Works (Lagos office), was completed in 1961. It was a donation to the then newly-independent nation by the departing British colonialists.

    It was later taken over by the military and renamed Defence House. Then, it became the second most strategic building in Lagos, the first being Dodan Barracks (then seat of power). The then chairman, Joint Chief of Staff, the late General Sani Abacha, had his office there with other top military officers.

    Its destruction began with the first fire in the building in 1993. It got burnt again in 2002.

    In 2004, former President Olusegun Obasanjo approved the proposal by the Minister of Commerce for the establishment of a World Trade and International Business Centre (WTIBC) in Lagos. The ministry chose Independence Building as the core structure for the project. Obasanjo subsequently authorised the release of the building to the ministry, on which basis ownership was transferred to it in 2005 with final physical hand-over concluded in 2009.

    The project was designed to rival the Dubai World Trade Centre. It was planned to house all types of investors, entrepreneurs and businesses; representatives of various trade associations, chambers of commerce, and relevant government agencies, with facilities and services geared toward meeting business and leisure needs of visitors and tourists.

    The project remains in the pipeline till date. Efforts to make officials of manager of the building Tafawa Balewa Square Management Board (TBSMB) to comment on why the property has been seemingly abandoned, were rebuffed.

    NECOM House belonged to the former Nigerian External Telecommunications Limited (known as NET), but was ceded to NITEL at its incorporation in 1985.  The house was burnt in 1983 but was later renovated.

    The building is considered strategic to NITEL because it housed the terminal station of SAT-3 that connects West Africa to South Africa, Europe and the Americas. It was purportedly sold in 2011 to WAAP Plc, which is linked to Chief Alani Bankole, father of former Speaker, House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole, at N4 billion. When The Nation visited the building last week, it still bore the signs of NITEL and NET Limited.

    It was learnt that it has been taken over by the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON). Bold messages on the building, in red, indicate that AMCON took over the property following a court order obtained from the Federal High Court, Lagos, over a purported debt owed to Skye Bank Plc by the property’s last buyer.

    The old Cabinet Office building has its back on Strachan Street and its frontage on Moloney Street.The three-storey structure served as offices to the Prime Minister, the late Alhaji Tafawa Balewa and his cabinet members, in the early 60s.

    When the Independence Building was burnt, the military relocated to the old Cabinet Office. It still serves as the Ministry of Defence Headquarters (annex). Surprisingly, part of the expansive building, burnt about 10 years ago, still remains desolate. It is gradually being overgrown by weeds, even when the other part is occupied.

    Years after the expansive Federal Secretariat complex was concessioned to a private firm, Resort International Limited (RIL), it lays in ruins. RIL, linked to businessman-lawyer, Wale Babalakin, reportedly bought the property at N7billion. It made efforts to convert it to residential property, but the Lagos State government resisted the move. Today, parties are in court, while squatters and all manner of people reside there.

    The TBS, where the independence ceremony, including the lowering of the British Union Jack for the Nigerian flag took place, is underutilised.  It once housed the National Assembly.

    Today, the structure has been consessioned to BHS Infrastructure Management Limited. Every available space in the building has been rented out for all sorts of purposes.

    The parade ground serves mainly as venue for big-time social events and car park. Both legislative chambers are hardly utilised.

    The Senate chamber once served as the sitting venue for the Human Rights Violations Investigation Commission (HRVIC), better known as the Oputa Panel, which was headed by Justice Chukwudifu Oputa (rtd).

    The Lagos State School of Nursing and Midewifery complex is an unpleasant sight. Located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, the complex consists of one skyrise building, two hostels and an L-shape building that once served as the administrative block. It also housed three schools – General Nursing, Post-Midwifery and Public Health. There is also an acre of land.

    The complex, which has its main entrance on Awolowo Road, is bordered by Obadeyi Close, St. Gregory’s Road and the Macgregor Canal.

    Upon inquiries from The Nation, an official of the state’s Ministry of Health could only offer an unconvincing explanation on why the property appears abandoned, despite its location in Ikoyi, one of the most expensive parts of the state.

    The official, who begged not to be named, said the building appeared abandoned because its management was constructing another facility in its place in Alimoso Local Government Area of the state. He could not say what would become of the Awolowo Road property when the alternate one comes into use.

    Experts are displeased with the large number of such properties in Lagos. They argued that beside posing as security risk, the ease with which government’s properties are abandoned, reflect the growing culture of absence of probity in the management of state’s assets.

    An estate surveyor and valuer, Charles Ebong, decried the high number of abandoned properties in the state. He said though it would be difficult to cost to the abandoned assets, they nevertheless are worth billions of naira.

    Ebong said they should not be allowed to waste away. He described the development as unfortunate, noting that the assets are deliberately destroyed.

    He argued that the government was losing millions of naira daily on the properties. He urged the government to hand them over to investors on lease, who will put them into better use.

    A facility manager, Mrs Josephine Aleje, said public assets were wasting away because people failed to attach value to them.

    “If the properties belonged to the private sector and they are on the main road, people will begin to calculate the loss. But because they belong to government, it is nobody’s business.

    “It is high time government gave them to private investors or leased them out to people who could turn the fortune of the buildings around,” Mrs Aleje said.

    A security expert, Adekunle Daramola, argued that with the reported arrest of some miscreants in abandoned properties in parts of the state, security agencies should pressurise the government to rehabilitate them and put them to use. This, he said, would prevent a situation where they serve as hideouts for individuals of dubious characters, squatters and miscreants.

    “Any responsible government should know that abandoned structures in cities like Lagos with its peculiarities of insecurity and shortage of housing are security risk any day,” he said.

    A retired Commissioner of Police, James Okechukwu, spoke in similar vein. He urged the government to ensure that such abandoned structures are urgently put in purposeful uses because of the security risk they pose.

    “With all the growing security risk, it is dangerous to allow abandoned property in Lagos. I read recently that some miscreants were arrested in such abandoned property in Ijora, Lagos. That should serve as warning to all concerned that it is risky to allow all these abandoned property to remain,” Okechukwu said.

  • How to own property in London, by firm

    How to own property in London, by firm

    WANT to own a property in London? Your dream may soon come true through a popular acquisition agency in the United Kindom (UK).

    Daniel Ford International is dangling comprehensive real estate services to Nigerians to encourage them to own properties in London ease.

    Its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Yemi Edun, who  spoke with reporters in Lagos, said the firm’s services were geared towards obtaining the best value for the buyer while also saving him time.

    He said: “We manage the acquisition process on our clients’ behalf providing them with the direction and assistance they require when buying, renting or investing in London. Our typical clients are first time buyers; buy to–let landlords; developers; overseas/offshore buyers; clients looking to buy at the auction and ‘cash rich time poor’ investors like footballers and artists.”

    He said the firm has an edge in adding value to properties bought at auctions featured regularly on a British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) programme ‘Homes under the Hammer’.

    Besides, Edun said their services are tailored to cater for the needs of clients, such as non-UK residents, high net worth global investors keen to invest in the dynamic London real estate market and UK residents looking to buy in particular locations.

    “Our strong network and knowledge of the London property market has provided a platform for numerous offshore and high net worth clients to achieve the purchase of their dream homes. Our business is tailored to our clients’ need and guarantees success,” he added.

    On the best takes in the UK property market, he said auctioned properties still represent one of the best ways to acquire properties at a better rate than market rate. “However a working knowledge of the process and the best properties to go for, are keys in this fast moving market,” he stressed.

    On financing, the Daniel Ford international boss maintained that regardless of the client’s financial circumstances, finding the most appropriate finance arrangement for clients’ property purchase is essential and can sometimes prove to be rather hectic. But he added that through their relationships with several financial institutions, his firm can conveniently provide specialists’ property finance advice to ease these challenges and work out a financial package tailored to suit specific needs.

    The firm’s specific services, he said, include private rental and relocation services. According to him, choosing to move locations has remained one of the most difficult decisions for some individuals and families, but he maintained that the company is there to ensure that the process is as smooth and stress-free as possible.

    Some of the targeted services in this category he said, include personalised property search, business purchase search, recommendations on areas to live based on lifestyle, property management, bill paying and maintenance.

    Others, according to him, are setting up a UK bank account, city and area orientation, car purchase/lease and school search services.

    The 2012 winner, Property Management Agency of the year in the UK, said the firms consistent level of personalised service has seen both landlords and tenants renewing their agreements. He said that their knowledge of the importance of maintenance of property and its relationship to increasing the value of investment to attract the right tenants are the reasons they assign property managers to each property in their stable.

    This, he said, is to ensure that a particular property is ready for letting and also looked after. These also includes sorting out rent collection, tax matters, organising insurance cover, settling utility bills, among others.