Chairman, Association of Quantity Surveyors in Public Service (AQSPS), Odulana Ayoade Alex, has said the idea behind  the formation of the association is to provide a platform for members to meet and discuss matters of mutual interest.

He spoke during the inauguration  of the executives of the Lagos branch of the association.

Another objective, he said, is to promote the  the profession  and support the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) in  training their members, controlling the practice  and maintaining highest  standard of discipline and professionals ethics.

He stated that for the above-mentioned objectives to be achieved, there is the need for them to work  for excellence.

The Zonal Coordinator of the  association, Fausat Ajibade,  said the event marked the first by the branch.

“It is the first in the history of the association, and it is hoped that this will be replicated in other states of the Federation.

Read Also: Estate surveyors, engineers bicker over property valuation

“As we strive for a great Nigeria, we understand that the actualisation of every government policy is brought about by professionals who carry out both the specifics and the general requirements of the Civil Service.

“As quantity surveyors, working with other allied professionals, capacity development is essential to evolving situation and trends in the construction industry to foster the specific objectives of the various Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) which we all represent.’’

She appreciated their parent body, the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) for allowing the constitution of AQSPS to see to issues that are germane to quantity surveyors within the Public Service.

Lagos chapter chairman urged his members to support  the vision of the NIQS National President, Olayemi Osinubi to deploy technology in administering the association for the good of all.

She canvassed this position because, according to her, that is what the profession represents, to promote the development of infrastructure and to tailor expenses towards a given budget.

She tasked the members on the new media and the need to self develops for their professional growth and advancement. He said it has come to a level that if one insists on the traditional ways of doing things it will be difficult to fit into the technological driven economy.

There is a fad among many property developers. They are running promos and offering prospective buyers gifts. They target big celebrations of the two major religions and national holidays or anniversaries. The other strategy is the use of brand ambassadors, especially Nollywood actors and influencers with large social media following. It is not uncommon to see realtors give bags of rice, beans, vegetable oil, cows, rams, chicken to buyers during festive seasons. OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE reports that while a large percentage of the operators and prospective clients support it as a good sales approach, others believe they are taking advantage of the growing poverty.

Deep structural reforms guided by evidences are urgently needed to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty, says a New World Bank Report. Sluggish growth, low human capital, labour market weaknesses, and exposure to shocks are holding Nigeria’s poverty reduction back, says the report entitled “A Better Future for All Nigerians: Nigeria Poverty Assessment 2022”.

The report represents the culmination of the World Bank’s engagement on poverty and inequality-relevant data and analytics in Nigeria in the past two years.

According to the report, which brings together the latest evidence on the profile and drivers of poverty in the country, as many as four in 10 Nigerians live below the national poverty line.

Taking advantage of the high level of poverty, realtors are deploying some marketing strategies, including  offering  foodstuff  such as rice, beans, semovita, cow, ram, chicken, vegetable oil, among others, to  woo buyers they see as premium customers to purchase land.

The competition is intense among property sellers as they struggle to outdo one another with enticing packages.

Commenting on the raging battle for survival in the sector, on the sideline of a real estate event in Lagos, the Managing Director,  Family Homes LTD, a sub-Saharan African housing fund focused on affordable homes for low-income bracket, Femi Adewole,  noted that this was expected and healthy  as developers employ innovative methods to increase market share and boost more sales.

The competition, according to him, is severe among developers in major cities, especially Lagos and Abuja where the offering foodstuff and other essentials to attract customers and boost their sales orginated.

He said: “We are competing with each other on brand ambassadors and influencers from Nollywood. The sing song among the developers seems to be “my brand influencer is hotter than yours. Currently, it’s not unusual now to see these influencers on billboards on busy highways and public places. They also came up with offering cows, goats, chickens, vegetable oil etc, almost to a ridiculous level, in addition to mouth-watering discounts such as buy two plots of land and get one free,” he added.

Responding to the trend of brand ambassadors and gifting of foodstuff, President, Nigeria Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Toyin Ayinde, said  the face of  real estate had  hugely changed almost to a ridiculous level recently.

Personally, he  said he  can never be swayed by such gimmicks which apparently may appeal to others as the developers have not relented on the advertisement.

“Usually during festive seasons the prices of staple foods hit the roof with people looking for a way out. Dangling a piece of land and promising rice, chicken, groundnut oil, pepper and tomato, among others, which customarily add to the  colour of the celebration may be enough temptation and enticement for people who are easily swayed. No doubt it is working, especially for those who build for  the low to middle income bracket,” says Ubong Isaac, a realtor.

Though it is predominantly designed to attract those in  the low to middle income segment, Isaac mentioned a particular developer that operates in the high-end market in Ikoyi and Victoria lsland in Lagos who once promised the latest Mercedes range to prospective buyers of his luxury apartments.

A former National Secretary of Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers (NIESV), Offiong Samuel Ukpong, said developers were taking advantage of the vulnerability of Nigerians.

Ukpong observed  that  Nigerians  were always  ready to get something from nothing most of the time. “Unfortunatelty, some people are easily enticed, the new trend is just a marketing gimmick. Some get duped in the process because the give-aways are built into the cost of the property and there is nothing free about it as far as I know. Though some of these people may actually be in need of a land to buy but, most times, they are blinded by greed and other considerations.”

The danger, according to him, is that people may unwittingly buy sub- standard products because of their vulnerability.

For the Immediate Lagos Chairman of NIESV Dotun Bamigbola, the trend is an elevated form of marketing.

He said: “I must say that the success story on the part of buyers varies and may not be as catchy as the upfront gifts or incentives they have already obtained. Most of the land sold in these packages are not titled at all or are just in the process. Allocation may take more time than necessary. In some cases, the developers don’t deliver as promised or takes longer time to deliver. Then buyers would find out that the food items given can’t compensate for the stress,” he added.

Asked if this can be controlled by the government.  He said there may be little in terms of regulation that could be done for now on this.

For the Chief Executive, Revolutionplus, a Lagos-based real estate firm, Bamidele Onalaja, the trend is a marketing gimmick to get and retain customers and a way of encouraging prospective home owners.

The Nation learnt that many real estate firms engage in the trend, especially during Sallah and Christmas.

Speaking on the fad, Onalaja, whose firm commenced operations eight years ago, with housing projects across Lagos, Ogun, Oyo and Abuja,  said the marketing trend was to encourage people to acquire homes.

From investigations many real estate firms use this marketing strategy to sell their homes and land.  Some buyers spoken to who received gifts from their realtors said the gifts come in handy during festive seasons.

A buyer who claimed anonymity said the gifts he received from his real estate company went a long way to sustain his family.

Most buyers lauded the initiative while some said they would not be enticed with gifts of foodstuff to buy a house or piece of land as they believe the cost of the gifts are built into the price of the property for sale.

But it seems the trend has come to stay in the sector.

The  Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) has said compliance with physical planning permit laws will guarantee safety of houses, prevent collapse and ensure a beautiful and healthy environment.

Its General Manager, Mr. Kehinde Osinaike, stated this during a road show.

He said compliance with physical planning laws would assist to reduce to the barest minimum loss of lives and property, which could have been avoided if proper approvals were sought and genuine professionals engaged for construction work.

The road show was earlier held in lkeja and lfako ljaye,  Eti-Osa Local Government Area and Lagos Island Local Council Development Area (LCDA) of the state.

“What we are trying to tell the good people of Lagos is that there are enormous benefits inherent in voluntary compliance,” he said.

Osinaike said the benefits of compliance with planning permit outweighed the consequences, hence, the need for residents to embrace it.

According to him, building collapse and haphazard development usually occur wherever compliance is ignored.

He said: “One of the benefits of voluntary compliance is that it will help us to ensure that there is safety in terms of lives and property. Two, is that buildings will also be constructed in consonance with our extant laws and thirdly we  be able to ensure that the right professionals are always on site during and after construction.”

Osinaike said the advocacy would be sustained “until everybody is brought to compliance voluntarily.”

He said the objective of government was to ensure that physical planning were carried out  in a way that would not endanger lives and property.

He said non-compliance would attract sanctions, including sealing of construction sites, payment of penalty fees, imprisonment and outright demolition, if the building was defective.

According to him, it is mandatory for residents to obtain planning permit before embarking on any construction, after which they should approach the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) to obtain other required documents.

Deputy Director, LASPPA, Mr Musa Okuniyi, who is a town planner, listed the three important documents which developers and individuals should present before getting planning permit.

Okuniyi said those who built without requisite approvals could correct the errors by visiting LASPPPA for assessment and approvals.

He advised residents to always crosscheck with LASPPPA before purchasing any land so as not to fall into the trap of buying land that cannot be developed or used for intended purposes.

During the event, officials of LASPPPA were in a motorcade, sensitising residents with the use of public address system.

Aside distributing fliers, they also visited some construction sites to sensitise workers and sealed some building projects with serious infractions.

The agency also used music and dancers to attract people to the awareness campaign.

He promised that LASPPPA would not relent in sensitising the populace and in engaging professionals in the built sector until everyone is brought to compliance voluntarily.

The Lagos State Government has restated its call for sustainable attitude to engender livable built environment.

The call was made on the 2022 World Environment Day through a statement by the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development,  Dr. Idris Salako.

While felicitating with Lagosians on the World Environment Day, he said that the global celebration of the day constituted a clarion call for sustainable attitude  towards the built environment.

His words: ” No doubt, the human element is germane in what becomes of our earth. Therefore, let everyone of us,  in the various relationships we share with this benevolent matter- be it professionals in the built environment, decision makers or land users, retune ourselves towards cultivating the right attitude that will promote livability and protect the Earth”

Reflecting on the celebration theme, ” Only One Earth “, Salako urged Lagosians not to bastardise the Earth but protect its alluring features and discharge their responsibilities towards its sustainability.

” The day also reminds us of the responsibility we all share towards the sustainability of our avuncular host, housing our civilisations, symbolised by the physical developments and all their trappings “, he said.

He averred that building collapse experienced in the State in recent times was an aberration and needless distraction which must be corrected by all acting in unison to promote livability, sustainability and organised environment.

” Specifically, in the built environment it behoves  us to adopt attitude of compliance to regulations and endeavour to build right by doing the needful, including obtaining Planning Permits before building, subjecting building construction to Stage Supervision by LASBCA and getting the Certificate of Completion and Fitness for Habitation before moving into any building”, he said.

No fewer than 60 delegates from across Africa, Europe and United Arab Emirates gathered in Lagos for the 10th Unite Summit of real estate operators, which had as its theme “Towards a sustainable culture.”

It was held at the Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The experts said the event was historic as it marked the return of the most-influential real estate event in Africa since the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Chairman, Unite Environment Sustainable Goals (ESG) Community, Jumoke Akinwunmi, gave an overview of the industry in the last 10 years and the role they have played to fill the gaps.

On how the African real estate practitioners could embrace a more sustainable culture, the keynote speaker, Prof. Obas John Ebohon, said how and where we build could have a great impact on health.

“A 36 per cent reduction in CO2 emission by 2030 is expected of the real estate sector to remain under the 2oC target, benchmarking with the Paris agreement target. The ultimate goal is carbon neutrality by 2050,” the professor of Sustainability and Environmental Law, London South Bank University, said.

The estimated $768 billion investment potential in green buildings between 2018 and 2030 in emerging market cities is due to the sharp increase in building construction expected over the next few decades .This is in addition to the opportunity to ensure these are built green, said Dennis Papa Odenyi Quansah, Green Building Lead, International Finance Corporation (IFC) Nigeria Ghana & Kenya representative.

On the introduction to sustainability in the built environment, he noted the importance of Edge and how it aligns with the major international green finance standards. Green buildings cost three per cent more with a three-year payback.

The highlight of the event was that the Unite ESG community, a network of climate tech, sustainability and ESG leaders from the real estate sector in Africa, with the common goal of achieving a sustainable and equitable future, was launched.

Its founder, Ruth Obih said the group would encourage ESG assessment, sustainability education, Edge and other certifications, sustainability policies and statements.

“The Unite ESG recognition is a tool to encourage, empower and spotlight real estate professionals, organisations and projects embracing sustainability by using ESG metrics to measure and assess their performance and their commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Obih,who is the managing director of 3InVES, added.

Brains and Hammers,  a real estate company, has blazed another trail with the inauguration of 101 units of mixed housing in Lagos.

Tagged CoopEast Resort Estate, the project, situated in the Lekki area of Lagos, was developed in partnership with the Cooperative Societies  of Shell, and ExxonMobil, as well as a handful of individual subscribers.

On the importance of the landmark achievement, the Chief Operating Officer (West) Brains and Hammers, Mr. Omo Osobase,  noted that the project was a testament to the three fundamental tenets of being the partner of choice of private and public organisations, developing projects that meet best global practices and providing a sense of investment and humane comfort for our clients.

“When we announced this first-of-its-kind real estate development partnership with the cooperative societies of Shell and ExxonMobil in the third quarter of 2019, we were very clear on the task ahead and the audacity of our ambition. This ambition was solidly rooted in our determination to deliver not just high quantity, but quality housing units built to the best global practice and at a price that would not break the bank despite the unique location.”

“Despite the onslaught of Covid-19 and the very volatile economic situation in the country between 2020 and today, we have weathered the storm to deliver this project below the projected 24 months construction timeline. Today, we have commissioned units of 3-bedroom flats, 4-bedroom terrace duplex, 4-bedroom semi-detached duplex, and 5-bedroom detached duplex with BQ’s.”

The Chairman of Brains and Hammers, Mr. Adebola Sheidu, noted that the company was on a mission to reshape the residential and commercial real estate landscape in Nigeria. He said the company had proven with over 10,000 completed projects in Abuja, Kano, Lagos, and Oyo State.

The Kano Economic City, arguably the biggest Economic City project in West Africa, and the Oyo State Agri-business industrial hub projects speak to the importance of public-private partnerships to the company.

Mr. Sheidu said: “I am proud of our work on this project, and my sincere thanks to our partners, Shell, and ExxonMobil cooperatives. They not only trusted in our ability but showed a great sense of belief in our resolve to complete this project in record time despite the pandemic and economic challenges of the last two years.”

The President of Shell Cooperative, Martins Amos, expressed delight with the project and praised Brains and Hammers its professionalism while delivering the project.

British American Tobacco (BAT) Nigeria has restated its commitment to addressing climate change and environmental management issues. This is in addition to delivering a positive social impact and ensuring robust corporate governance across its operations.

This was contained in a statement issued by the multinational organisation on this year’s World Environment Day in Lagos.

The company also highlighted some of its achievements and plans in the areas of waste and water management, reduction in Co2 emissions and transition to renewable energy sources in its operations.

Specifically, the company is poised to implement a 1 MW Solar Panel renewable energy solution (without backup battery storage) that would complement the gas engine-powered supply at its Ibadan factory.

The project, which will consist of the installation of 1,900 polar panels, will generate a cumulative energy of 1,400,000 KWh annually, representing about six per cent of the factory’s annual power requirement which would be injected directly into the company’s energy mix. To achieve this, the company is making a significant investment of about £1m over the next two years on the project, which will reduce its carbon emissions (by the equivalent of 992 tons annually).

According to the statement, this will take  the company closer to its target of 100 per cent renewable energy source and carbon neutrality by 2030.

On the investment, Area Director, BAT West and Central Africa, Yarub Al-Bahrani, said:“BAT Nigeria’s Sustainability Agenda is integral to our Evolved Group Strategy and reflects our commitment to the principal focus area of reducing the health impact of our business. This is underpinned by excellence across our other Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) priorities. We are committed to reducing our climate impact, taking care of biodiversity, and rethinking our means of consumption.

“The investment we are making in renewable solar energy in Nigeria aligns with our commitment captured aptly in our purpose to build a better tomorrow and is in line with our ESG target of being Carbon Neutral in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2030.

“Already, the company has recorded an impressive 23.7 per cent reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions, when compared with the 2017 baseline, among a number of other achievements, including 100 per cent recycling of waste generated at her Ibadan factory with zero waste evacuated to landfill, 26.2per cent reduction in water drawn and 4 per cent water recycled as well as the ISO140012015 environmental certification of the Ibadan factory, among others,”Al-Bahrani said.

Commenting on the company’s achievements and the theme of this year’s World Environment Day, External Affairs Director, BAT West and Central Africa, Odiri Erewa-Meggison, said: “This year, the world celebrates 50 years of the initial Stockholm Conference with the theme ‘Only One Earth’. It is once again an opportunity to reiterate the need for mankind to live sustainably in harmony with nature and for BAT Nigeria, we are proud of the achievements we have made so far and are committed to continuously push for new ways to reduce our resource use, preserve the natural environment, improve the lives of farmers and communities, and uphold robust corporate governance standards.

“In 2019, we began partnering with local recyclers to recycle waste material such as paper, plastics and cigarette waste.

Some of the end products which are on display at the sustainability corner in our Ibadan factory show that beyond repurposing waste material, the initiative is also creating new capacities among implementation partners and employment in the local community.

”Sustainability has been central to BAT’s business and ethos for decades. In 2021, the company was recognised as a sustainability leader for the 20th consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices, being the only tobacco company to be included in the prestigious DJSI World Index representing the top 10 per cent of ESG performers,” Meggison added.

No fewer than 3,500 Nigerians will benefit from N10 million worth of fuel earmarked for distribution by Adron Homes and Properties as part of its 10th anniversary.

Each person is expected to get distribute N3,000 worth of fuel.

The company’s Director-General, Sales and Marketing, Mrs Folashade Oloruntoba, broke the news at the weekend at the company’s head office in Lagos.

She said: “Adron Homes and Properties are bent on giving back to the society and this the company has continually done over its 10 years of existence.

“The company will be targeting several filling stations across eight states, namely; Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Abuja, Nasarawa, Niger and Ekiti starting from May 31, till the last person is served.”

She identified the 34 filling stations where the give-away would be taking place as: Mobile Filling Station, Fagba; NorthWest, Gbagada; Oando, Iwo Road, and NNPC, Egbeda. Others are in Niger State, Abuja, Nasarawa, and Garki in Abuja.

She noted that the project would cost the company about N10 million.

Mrs Oloruntoba added that the purpose of the programme is to appreciate the customers and to welcome more prospective customers.

She explained: “We want to gift 3500 Nigerians a token of about N3000 worth of fuel, in each filling station. We will  be attending to no fewer than 100 cars at the filling stations, which will amount to 3000 Nigerians to appreciate and to welcome on board our prospective customers all across the earlier listed eight states in Nigeria. We are also extending same gesture to Cotonou in the Republic of Benin.”

It would be recalled that the real estate company in its 10 years  bridged the gap of affordable housing among the citizens.

The 10th anniversary celebration, the company has reiterated, would be a year-long event and this is one of the givebacks it would be embarking on in appreciation of its customers and giving back to the society.

Mrs Oloruntoba emphasised that everyone needs to take advantage of the company’s affordable housing scheme with a flexible payment plan that will span across 24 to 36 months payment .

Also, Director, Sales & Marketing (Lagos), Sunbo Oguntoye, said a prospective customer could actually own a house with cash.  Asked on how this would be, she said they take prospective clients round their projects and allow to make a choice.

She added that once a committal choice had been made, the person could take ownership of the house.

She urged Nigerians to take advantage of the offer of free fuel which begins from today.

The President, Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS), Mr Olayemi Shonubi, has the raised alarm over the corruption in the execution of constituency projects.

Shonubi, during the Quarterly Interactive Forum organised by Property and Environment Writers’ Association of Nigeria (PEWAN) in Lagos, called for specific Ministry, Department and Agencies (MDAs) that would track and warehouse constituency projects to curb leakages.

He said many public procurement for constituency projects were marred with corruption and irregularities.

He said several constituency projects awarded were made to look like conduit, where funds were being siphoned because  they were either non- existent or sited far from where they were financed.

“There should be a specific MDA where these projects should be warehoused, that is the way we can get value,” he added.

He said reports from the project tracking organised by the ICPC, in conjunction with NIQS and some CSOs, showed that “our public-funded projects are still enmeshed in corruption”.

“In a situation where MDAs undertake projects outside their areas of operation leaves room for a lot of underhand deals aside from further increasing the administrative costs of running such projects.

“The private sectors’ situation, where no law binds the award and execution of contracts other than the basic corporate governance code, is more abysmal.

“However, because the spotlight is usually on the public sector, the tendency is to believe that corruption exist only in the public sector.

“There is the need for procurements for constituency projects to be warehoused under a specific MDA for effective monitoring and supervision,” he added.

He lamented the low engagement of quantity surveyors in government and projects, adding that quantity surveyors helped to curb wastage, reduce cost of projects and eliminate corruption.

He  decried the trend in the built environment, where engineers had hijacked the roles of quantity surveyors, thereby creating a vacuum in accurate quantities delivering.

Shonubi explained that it was only in Nigeria that the Bill of Engineering Measurement Evaluation was used in contract awards instead of Bill of Quantity, which only quantity surveyors could use to bring down the cost of projects.

He said the trend was difficult to correct because “once you have something that has become a norm it takes time to change”.

Evercare Hospital, Lekki, Lagos has made history as the first hospital in Nigeria to receive Final EDGE Certification as a resource-efficient and environmental- friendly designed building health  care project.

Sintali-SGS, an environmental certification body and global certification partner for IFC’s EDGE green building programme, said Evercare Hospital Lekki’s resource-efficient design achieved 38.81 per cent reduction in energy usage, 20.50 per cent in water consumption and 42.07 per cent in materials’ embodied energy compared to a local benchmark.

Evercare Hospital, Lekki a 165-bed purpose-built multi-specialty, tertiary care private state-of-the-art equipment.

A part of the Evercare Group of Hospitals, it provides integrated health care across Africa and South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Kenya.

It offers a range of specialty medical and surgical services and health care to communities.

“We are excited that Evercare Hospital, Lekki has achieved the Final EDGE Certification. This milestone is testimonial to the hospital’s vision for leading sustainable change in Nigeria’s health care industry. It also shows that it is possible for hospitals, which consume 2.5 times the energy of an equivalent commercial building, to provide enhanced care for its patients as well the planet.”

Corinne Figueredo of the IFC EDGE Green Building Market Transformation Programme, said: “Hospitals are where people go to get better and the comfort and ambience of it can fast track healing in a placebo-like effect. We are happy to work with EDGE towards ensuring that our hospital provides quality and advanced medical and healthcare services to Nigerians in an environmental-friendly environment.

“This is because, we believe that medical facilities can provide state-of-the-art treatment while minimising energy and water use if the right decisions are made at the design stage. Additionally, this will help us cut operational costs.

“Working with EDGE, we have been able to target those areas where technologies can significantly reduce energy bills and help facility managers stay within tight budgets,” the Chief Executive Officer, Evercare Hospital, Rajeev Bhandari, said.

An innovation of IFC, EDGE helps property developers to build and brand green in a fast, easy, and affordable way. EDGE is supported by free software that encourages solutions to reduce energy, water and the energy used to make building materials by at least 20 per cent, which is the standard for EDGE certification.

The programme is supported by  Austria, Canada, Denmark, ESMAP, EU, Finland, GEF, Hungary.

In Nigeria, EDGE has certified projects in Lagos, Abuja, Maiduguri and Benin City. Over the past four years EDGE has supported several forward-looking pioneers of green buildings to lead a profitable transformation of the country’s real estate sector. EDGE adopters include Alphamead Development Company, Echostone, Alliance Capital, Greenage, Modern Shelter, MISA, American University, Karmod Nigeria, Sachela Limited, Student Accommod8 and Stanbic IBTC.