Category: Building & Properties

Palton Morgan, the parent of Grenadines Homes and Oceanna, has signed a contract with Business Contracting Limited (BCL) for the construction of Claren Villas, housing project at Ikoyi County.

Located in the Lugard Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos, Claren Villa is a four-bedroom semi-detached and detached houses with private rooftop garden aimed at complementing a lifestyle of value and opulence upon completion.

The Executive Director/Group Chief Operating Officer (CEO), Palton Morgan, Nidal Turjman, said the company has engaged the finest international contractors to build projects that meet global standards and the expectations of the market.

“Claren Villas is a project of Palton Morgan by Grenadines Homes. It is an exclusive project that will complement the lifestyles of those that desire elegance and luxurious living. It is unique by the technology being put in place, the materials used for building and the amenities within the environment, which all match international standards. It is for those who are dissatisfied with conventional homes,” Nidal added.

Turjman explained: “Palton Morgan is committed to providing its customers with an international standard luxurious lifestyle. The real estate sector in Africa has experienced an unprecedented shift over the last couple of years and the demand for excellence has become more prevalent. Palton Morgan is, however, running at the forefront of meeting that demand.

“We are driven by the commitment to meeting global best standards in the best interest of our customers. Our target market goes beyond Nigeria, so we have to be at the top in terms of standards. We work towards perfection in quality and the perfection of the customer experience. Thus, excellence is at the heart of all our projects, by all our subsidiary firms.’’

He added: “We have confidence in their (BCL) expertise, quality of equipment, and their capacity to deliver on schedule. Our expectations from our contractors are timeous delivery, quality of workmanship, and compliance with Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) ethics.’’

BCL Managing Director, Roda Fadlallah, expressed delight at the opportunity to work with Palton Morgan on the Claren Villa project and commended the company for its track record.

“Working with the team has been a delightful experience. I worked on the Skyvilla project and I found them of integrity, professional and transparent.

I’m inspired by the sheer magnitude of their ideas and their vision,” he said.

Roda added that BCL shares the same vision with Palton Morgan.

The theme for this year’s World Habitat Day, celebrated on the first Monday of every October, was: “Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world. The Day, therefore, explores how national, regional and local governments as well as organisations, communities, academic institutions, the private sector and relevant stakeholders can work to create sustainable, carbon-neutral, inclusive cities and towns, OKWY IROEGBU­-CHIKEZIE reports

On Monday, last week, the World Habitat Day  was celebrated in various parts of the world in tandem with the United Nations’ (UN) objective to draw attention to one of man’s basic needs: decent housing. Nigeria was not an exception as state governments and organisations marked the day in style.

Stakeholders used opportunity provided by the Day to create awareness on the global Race to Zero campaign and encourage governments to develop actionable zero-carbon plans in the run up to the international climate change summit COP26 next month.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu noted that in line with this year’s celebration theme “Accelerating urban action for carbon-free world,” the state, through compact city planning, seeks to reduce emission by targeting critical sectors such as housing, energy and waste management, among others.

He called for measures in tackling environmental challenges confronting the state development as a low-line and coastal megacity.The governor, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, said: “As a result, we have retrofitted our economy by adopting energy-saving alternatives as a decisive step towards reducing carbon footprint in the state.” He added that initiatives like tree planting campaigns, landscaping and beautification of open spaces, climate change advocacy summits and promotion of waste recycling had become institutionalised in response to the scourge in Lagos.

The governo his administration recently signed a N25 billion Green Bond Market Agreement to provide viable financing options for green and sustainable projects in areas such as climate change, adaptive transportation, housing, health and agriculture, noting that efforts to address climate change were necessary to maintain the competitive edge of the state as a megacity, an international gateway and a business hub.

The state Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, in his welcome address, stated that successive topics of the celebration had underscored the importance of the environment, particularly the built environment, as a superstructure interconnecting with other important sectors.

Also, the guest speaker, Prof. Taibat Lawanson, noted that carbon emissions were prevalent in urban centres, such as Lagos, with high population density, small land mass and high commercial and industrial activities. She, therefore, sought proactive measures in accelerating action for a carbon-free state through sustainable ways in transportation, energy, agriculture and other areas.

The President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP), Olutoyin Ayinde, said the Day for  reflection on human settlements system, particularly the cities because the world is going urban.

According to him, it’s an opportunity to remind ourselves that our collective destiny lies in with individuals if situations in our various living environments are to improve. “What we see physically in subsequent years are the results of the actions we have taken or failed to take about what we have continuously seen in the mirror,” he explained.

Ayinde stressed that the environment could no longer cope with the abuse, neglect and failure to understand the implications of not planning human settlements. He explained that the principles of livability and sustainability are based upon the need for people to make the world available for conducive living to those who would be the residents of this planet in other one hundred, two hundred or more years. He further stressed that creating that carbon-neutral, livable and sustainable future relies on stakeholders’ ability to collaborate and make the right actions happen through responsible living.

He called on all tiers of government in the country to become alive to their responsibility for planning while making use of the knowledge, wisdom and skills of Town Planners to help in transforming the various visions, policies and plans of government into blueprints as Master Plans, Sector Plans, District Plans, and Action Plans that will ultimately deliver to all.

Chairman, Nigeria Institution of Estate Surveyors & Valuers, Lagos Chapter (NIESV), Mrs Olabisi Demola-Alade, said the day marked a call for action for stakeholders, professionals and experts in the built environment.

She canvassed the need to put all hands on deck to protect our environment from the effects of carbon dioxide. “The future of our planet depends on national, regional and local governments and organisations, communities, academic institutions, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders working together to create sustainable, carbon-neutral, inclusive cities and towns”. She stressed that the effects of urbanisation and climate change are converging on dangerous ways and called for urgent action by government to mitigate its effect.

In the decades ahead, hundreds of millions of people in urban areas were likely to be affected by rising sea levels, increased precipitation, inland floods, more frequent and stronger cyclones and storms, and periods of more extreme heat and cold. Climate change may also negatively impact infrastructure and worsen access to basic urban services and quality of life in cities, she added.

The NIESV boss lamented that despite these risks, many political leaders had have not yet addressed climate change in cities.  According to her, the reasons include a lack of relevant city policies and action plans; existence of regulations on urban planning and environment which have not been adjusted to manage climate change.

Others are slow response to climate disasters due to lack of capacity and resources; and lack of public awareness on climate variability and climate change-induced hazard mitigation.

Palton Morgan, the parent of Grenadines Homes and Oceanna, has signed a contract with Business Contracting Limited (BCL) for the construction of Claren Villas, housing project at Ikoyi County.

Located in the Lugard Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos, Claren Villa is a four-bedroom semi-detached and detached houses with private rooftop garden aimed at complementing a lifestyle of value and opulence upon completion.

The Executive Director/Group Chief Operating Officer (CEO), Palton Morgan, Nidal Turjman, said the company has engaged the finest international contractors to build projects that meet global standards and the expectations of the market.

“Claren Villas is a project of Palton Morgan by Grenadines Homes. It is an exclusive project that will complement the lifestyles of those that desire elegance and luxurious living. It is unique by the technology being put in place, the materials used for building and the amenities within the environment, which all match international standards. It is for those who are dissatisfied with conventional homes,” Nidal added.

Turjman explained: “Palton Morgan is committed to providing its customers with an international standard luxurious lifestyle. The real estate sector in Africa has experienced an unprecedented shift over the last couple of years and the demand for excellence has become more prevalent. Palton Morgan is, however, running at the forefront of meeting that demand.

Read Also: Lagos plans fitness certificate for buildings

“We are driven by the commitment to meeting global best standards in the best interest of our customers. Our target market goes beyond Nigeria, so we have to be at the top in terms of standards. We work towards perfection in quality and the perfection of the customer experience. Thus, excellence is at the heart of all our projects, by all our subsidiary firms.’’

He added: “We have confidence in their (BCL) expertise, quality of equipment, and their capacity to deliver on schedule. Our expectations from our contractors are timeous delivery, quality of workmanship, and compliance with Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) ethics.’’

BCL Managing Director, Roda Fadlallah, expressed delight at the opportunity to work with Palton Morgan on the Claren Villa project and commended the company for its track record.

“Working with the team has been a delightful experience. I worked on the Skyvilla project and I found them of integrity, professional and transparent.

I’m inspired by the sheer magnitude of their ideas and their vision,” he said.

Roda added that BCL shares the same vision with Palton Morgan.

To curtail the menace of building collapse, the Lagos State Government has re-launch the issuance of the certificate for completion and fitness for habitation.

Launching the initiative in Ikeja, the state capital, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said it was was one of the moves to further reduce building collapse. He said the huge losses that accompany building collapse, called for the redesigning of a more holistic strategy that would nip the menace in the bud.

The governor said law-abiding citizens and those whose construction were done to specifications had nothing to worry about as the initiative would save them the stress of presenting documents to the monitoring and enforcement teams.

Commissioner for Physical Planning, Dr. Idris Salako, said over the years, only few buildings could boast of having been issued the certificate after satisfying the statutory requirements.

Read Also: Lagos to join climate change group

He stressed that buildings seeking the planning permit and buildings that have been detected to be distressed would be required to present satisfying results of non-destructive tests to ensure the structural integrity and prevent imminent collapse. He charged officers of the agency to ensure due diligence while carrying out their duties.

The Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), General Manager, Gbolahan Oki, noted that the decision to re launch the project is to enhance professionalism and expunge quackery from the industry. According to him, the agency is poised to take building control to greater heights through enhanced broad-based participatory planning and commitment to deepening building construction engagements with the citizenry, professional bodies and sectoral stakeholders.

He stressed that the agency is putting in place strategies that would serve as a pedestal for improved service delivery to its clients. This resolve, he recalled, was recently demonstrated at Ebute Metta, where a highly distressed building housing over 300 young pupils was pulled down to avert disaster.

Oki stressed that building construction would, henceforth, be monitored by officials of LASBCA from foundation to finish ensuring specifications were followed. He however requested the deployment of a specialised unit of police and paramilitary officers to be in the Office of the General Manager, LASBCA, to ensure protection of officers during enforcement.

By Okwy lroegbu-Chikezie

Stakeholders in the housing industry have called on the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and Bank of Industry (BoI) to create policies and programmes that would encourage backward integration.

They listed the apex bank’s interventionist pragrammes in the agricultural and aviation sectors, saying their impact were being felt by the beneficiaries and the people.

According to them, these would boost the confidence of developers to invest in tiles, cable, woodwork, and other building materials firms. The end result would be reduced costs, they added.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Octo5 Holdings Limited, Babajide Odusolu and his TAF Global counterpart, Mustapha Njie, said housing construction requires various affordable building materials, which result in patronage for small and medium enterprises involved in trading these items as a multiplier effect to boost the economy.

Read Also; Lagos plans fitness certificate for buildings

They also said the issue of foreign exchange (forex), especially on the rise and fall of the naira, which is affecting the prices of building materials, should be tackled.

The stakeholders called on the players in the public and private sectors to create a window that would open up the market for the patronage of indigenous building materials and encourage governments at all levels to develop and ensure the implementation of friendly policies to attract investors into the market.

Against the backdrop in the increase in prices by over 15 per cent in the past month in cities across the country, some developers called on the National Assembly to move for legislation that will help cut the skyrocketing costs of components in building construction, including the provision of industrial and larger tax incentives to encourage local investments, adding that the Federal Government should introduce liberal policies to stimulate more investment in the manufacturing of local materials.

By Okwy lroegbu-Chikezie

To the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), there is the need for members to boost their knowledge in Intellectual Property (IP) valuation.

Experts, who spoke recently at an event organised by NIESV’s group, known as the Business Assets and Intellectual Property Valuation, agreed, saying IP is one of the key areas of growing the economy.

Notwithstanding its potential, speakers, however, lamented the state of the IP industry. But to reverse the trend, the group’s Chairman, Lekan Akinwunmi said, NIESV President, Emma Wike, gave him the nod to organise the training that intended, among others, to bring IP to the fore as a resource that could be used, managed and commercialised to provide economic and social environmental benefits for government at all levels, the community and business.

Akinwunmi said it was high time stakeholders paid more attention to IP sector, adding that its value in the long run would impact positively on stakeholders.

According to him, every business starts with an idea, which  is an essential intellectual property asset that can drive business development, economic prosperity and human progress.

Read Also: Wanted: Stiffer sanctions for land grabbers, sponsors

“While the opportunities are enormous, each business, regardless of its size, is focused on a core product or service that differentiates itself from other enterprises and competitors. Protecting an idea is protecting a business and the role that Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) ownership plays cannot be under – estimated in seeing the future of small-and medium-sized enterprises.

‘’As property valuers, we represent the most rational professional group to ascertain IP value for consistency and in harmonising ‘tone of value’ between tangible and intangible assets of a business,’’ he said.

Another speaker, Thomas Ashaolu, identified five categories of IP assets. They include technological, marketing, customer-based, contract-based and literary and artistic.

He argued that while the first four are associated with business and described as industrial property, the fifth is simply referred to as ‘copyright’.

While urging the estate surveyors and valuers to develop themselves, Ashaolu said the nation’s IP industry is huge and largely untapped.

“As property valuers, we represent the most rational professional group to ascertain IP value for consistency and in harmonising ‘tone of value’ between tangible and intangible assets of a business”.

A presenter, Nosakhare Uwadiae, said intellectual property assets have not received the desired consideration in the scheme of affairs in most corporations in developing economies.

According to him, in Nigeria, for instance, most reputable estate surveyors and valuers were yet come to terms with the reality that IP assets constituted appreciable percentage of the valuable assets of a company, corporation or any business concern.

Uwadiae, who lamented that the estate surveyors and valuers and valuation users in Nigeria, concentrated primarily on tangible assets of real estate, said there was much room in the sector to be explored.

To Yomi Ibisola, estate surveyors and valuers have the opportunity to raise the standard of valuations and increase the confidence in the work that they do on the development of intellectual property.

By Okwy lroegbu-Chikezie

The Nigerian Institution of Environmental Engineers (NIEE) and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) have sought the full implementation of the Presidential Executive Order 5 to improve local engineering content in construction.

The bodies agreed on the need to institutionalise the methodology for fighting quackery in the industry.

The professional bodies spoke when the National Chairman, NIEE, Olalekan Ajani, visited the COREN President, Ali Rabiu.

Read Also: Nigerian varsities must stop producing engineers who can’t solve problems－COREN

The two bodies said there was the need to recognise environmental engineering as a distinct body of engineering in higher institutions, with its condition of service in the civil service and to have its COREN seal.

They spoke on the need to create a conducive environment and collaborate with NSE, for the formation of a pressure group to fight for improved condition for engineers, and the development of the continuous mandatory professional development programmes.

The COREN chief and 20 engineers were decorated with the fellowship of the institute for their contributions to the engineering.

By Okwy lroegbu-Chikezie

The Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development (CHSD), University of Lagos (UNILAG) has won a grant worth £1.9 million for research on Migration, Urbanisation and Conflict in Africa (MUCA).

The three-year project funded by the United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) comes under the UKRI- Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) African Research Universities Alliance (ARUA) research excellence programme.

The MUCA project, which is a collaboration with ARUA centres at Addis Ababa and Makerere universities and University of Sheffield, also supports building research capacities of young African universities such as University of Jos, Gulu University, Uganda and Hawasa University, Ethiopia.

Speaking at a National Inception workshop for the project, at the UNILAG’s Arthur Mbanefo Resource Centre, the institution’s Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the ARUA Centre of Excellence for Urbanisation and Habitat Cities has a mandate to scale up applied urban research and practice in Africa towards achieving the SDGs.

Read Also; FEC grants N1.04bn variation for health, water contracts

Ogundipe, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academics and Research, Prof. Oluwole Familoni, described the project as part of efforts aimed at unravelling the complexities surrounding migration and urbanisation in Africa, its attendant conflicts and developing a full proof plan for peaceful urban futures.

“The future of African cities cannot be determined outside science policy engagement. Effective development strategies cannot be developed without the contributions of knowledge institutions,” he added.

Also, Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, commended the efforts of the UNILAG leadership and other collaborators in mobilising expertise towards ensuring a comprehensive approach to addressing challenges associated with rural/urban migration.

UNILAG’s Director, Centre for Housing and Sustainable Development, Prof.Timothy Nubi, who said there had been migration due to conflicts in the country, emphasised the need for research to tackle myriads of social problems and regeneration of urban and rural communities.

He said the ARUA Centre is coordinating multidisciplinary research  and capacity building across various urbanisation and built environment thematic areas. “In partnership with 13 ARUA member universities, CHSD provides opportunities for in-depth engagement and solution finding to Africa’s most crucial urban issues,” Nubi said.

The case study cities would be Lagos, Lokoja-Obajana and Jos. The Country Lead of MUCA Research Project, Prof. Taibat Lawanson, explained that the research would investigate the causes and drivers of urban conflict within African cities of differing sizes, demographic and socio-economic profiles and experiences of migration.

It will also explore how conflicts over control of key sectors of the informal economy manifest in these cities and how these conflicts are affected by rural-urban migration.

The project will also explore how factors such as land rights, informal economies and governance, resource availability and access influence resilience and vulnerability to conflict.

In a keynote address, by the pioneer Dean, Faculty of Multidisciplinary Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof. Olawale Albert, who advocated a multidisciplinary cum blended approach among state actors, academic researchers and industry players in developing roadmaps to address conflicts associated with migration and urbanisation.

Speaking on the theme ‘Migration, urbanisation and conflict: Research and development options, the professor of African History, Peace and Conflict Studies’ solicited a new academic research culture, which promotes a multidisciplinary research design and multisectoral approach in identifying challenges and proffering solutions.

The workshop had delegates from Jos, Lokoja and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as well as representatives of government agencies in Lagos State, and Principal Investigator for the Migration Urbanisation and Conflict in Africa (MUCA) Research Project, Dr. Fana Gebresenbet from the Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia.

By Okwy lroegbu-Chikezie

The  Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr. Idris Salako, has stated that the delivery of Right of Way for Projects is to pave way for the socio-economic development of the state.

He stated this during the stakeholders’ meeting on the Rehabilitation of Babs Animashaun Road, Surulere at the State Secretariat, Alausa.

Salako, who was represented by Director Technical Services, Bola Aliu, said: “The delivery of Right of Way for public projects is a pro- development endeavour with the ultimate relief of ease of connectivity and socio- economic development that are bound to sprout as a result of the road construction.”

Read Also; Special status: Lagos seeks one per cent Consolidated Revenue Fund allocation

On the regular engagement of stakeholders, the commissioner stated it was an indication of the commitment of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu Administration to citizens’ participation in the development of thier communities.

“It is by so doing that we all can see development projects as ‘ours’ and be ready to own and protect them,” he said.

He added that the rehabilitation of Babs Animashaun Road would not have come at a better time as it is very critical to connectivity and socio-economic development of the state by linking the Surulere axis to the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

He assured that government agencies would be mobilised to take stock of property that would be affected by the road and make arrangements for compensation.

Speaking on behalf of the stakeholders, the Baba Oja of Babs Animashaun Market, Mr. Akande Mudashiru, expressed his happiness with the project and urged the government to do more for the people of the area.