The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • ‘Recycling crucial to environmental preservation, job, says FBRA

    The Food and Beverage Recycling Alliance (FBRA) has emphasised waste recycling, especially those of food and beverage packaging, as vital in environmental preservation. According to FBRA, the value chain in the recycling process leads to job and wealth creation.

    FBRA Vice Chairman, Adekunle Olusuyi, who spoke at the 12th National Stakeholders’ Forum of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency (NESREA) in Abuja, said the Alliance has been intensifying awareness on separation of waste and environmental pollution, especially on post-consumer polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles, which can further be recycled to other useful products.

    Olusuyi explained that FBRA participation in the summit was in line with the Alliance’s commitment to the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policy of government, to help build a sustainable healthy environment that leads to business growth.

    “We are looking at the entire packaging lifecycle – from how bottles and cans are designed and made, to how they are recycled and repurposed.  We want to reduce the waste we generate as much as possible, encourage recycling, and our initiatives in this regard have been well tailored in achieving tangible results along with our partners,” he stated.

    The stakeholders’ forum, which had the theme: “Circular Economy and Environmental Governance”, provided a platform for an in-depth discussion and array of issues focusing on critical factors in attaining sustainable development in the national development plan.

    It also enabled stakeholders’ highlight waste-to-wealth initiatives, review progress in the implementation of the EPR programme, strengthens policies and regulations to enable the recycling of food grade packaging waste materials by establishing a national standards for recycled PET and determine how Producer Responsibility Organisations (PRO) can support  in waste management for a healthy environment, recycling roles, among others.

    According to Olusuyi, a recent survey indicated that the volume of post-consumer PET waste is over 800,000 tonnes, thus requiring participation of all stakeholders at the various stages to drive a robust circular economy.

    “The various roles in waste management start from waste separation, collection, to separation, transportation, shredding at the recycling plants, production of other products and re-use. At these stages, different jobs are created, whether directly or indirectly,” Olusuyi explained.

    He, therefore, urged other companies in the food and beverage sector to be part of the Alliance, which has sworn to protect the environment and help make the world packaging problem a thing of the past.

  • How we deployed technology to save Ijora bridge, by contractor

    But for advanced technology deployed in the renovation of the Ijora Seven-Up Bridge, the structure would have been lost, Hallekem Limited Chief Executive Officer Haim Halle has said.

    Hallekem is the contractor that handled the project.

    According to the Israeli firm boss, the state of the 325-metre section of the bridge before the renovation was bad. He blamed it on non maintenance of the bridge for over 35 years.

    “When we opened up the expansion joints, it was all rusty and full of water deposit dating back to several years. This is because there was no drainage constructed on the bridge to evacuate such water. Besides, the rubber in the joints were all worn out. This was why motorists felt the heavy vibration giving them the feeling that the bridge would collapse,” Halle explained.

    He said the most affected section of the bridge had to be lifted instead for repairs. The joints were fitted with rubber made by Alga of Italy.

    Besides, he said his firm also constructed drainage pipes into the bridge to ensure there was no water in the section repaired.

    “We used a four-inch pipe for the drainage. However, we also had to construct the edges specially because of the effect of heavy duty trucks on asphalt. What we did was to reinforce the edges with a 50-grade concrete whereas the bridge itself has 30 grade concrete. We also used ‘bituminous felt’ as reinforcement around the drainage; this will prevent water from logging on the bridge’s drainage path,” he said.

    Halle said the renovation had extended the life span of the bridge by about 40 years. He disclosed that instead of the official one year slated for the renovation, his firm completed the job in five months.

    Declaring the bridge open  last Friday, the Federal Controller of Works, Adedamola Kuti, said: “This is about the third bridge in Lagos that we have completed maintenance work on. Earlier, we completed that of Marine Beach. We completed Coconut Bridge and now this one. Hopefully, in a couple of months, we should be completing the Leventis Bridge,” Kuti said.

    Similarly, Kuti inspected the  failed portions of the Third Mainland Bridge. He said it was part of their deal to keep the over 25-year-old bridge in good condition.

    He said from January, renovation work would begin on the underwater piles. This would be followed by the joints.

    The controller said the repairs on the Third Mainland Bridge were being done at night to avert gridlock.

    “We work on the bridge at night when there is less traffic and only shut the section we are working on to allow cars on the other lane. We continue work till about 5:00 a.m.,’’ he said.

    Kuti listed other roads that were repaired to include the Agege Motor Road, Herbert Macaulay Way, and Alagomeji Road.

    “We want to thank Lagosians for their patience with us. This is just a necessity. The government is very responsive and trying its best under the leadership of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who has given us the opportunity to fix all bridges in Lagos,’’ he said.

    Dvirh Hirsch, Project Manager, Reynolds Construction Company Limited, said heavy vehicular movement coupled with reckless driving affected construction works on the Third Mainland Bridge.

  • Collaboration, solution to building collapse, say SON DG, others

    THERE is a need for  collaboration among regulators, associations, consumer advocates,  media and others in the building and construction sector to avoid building collapse, Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) Director-General, Osita Aboloma.

    Aboloma spoke at the Builders Congress organised by the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON) in Abuja.

    The event’s theme was: “Standardisation and innovative technologies for sustainable development in Nigeria’s construction Industry”.

    Aboloma noted that there was also a need for national standards for materials in the built sector.

    He urged professionals to adhere to them in the interest of the nation and its people.

    In the paper titled: “Standardising materials, products and processes,” he said SON was rejiging the National Standardisation and Quality Assurance Committee for the Building and Construction Industry for effective performance.

    This is to address issues on standards development, review, adoption, implementation and enforcement, he added.

    Aboloma, represented by the Head of Construction Management, Paul Oke, an engineer, said the organisation was tackling the circulation of substandard products  through its Mandatory Conformity Assessment Programme (MANCAP) and the Conformity Assessment Programme (SONCAP) for local and imported products.

    Aboloma noted that the SON Act of 2015 empowers the agency to seize substandard products and prosecute culprits who produce or sell such products.

    In his keynote address, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) urged professionals to the take advantage of the Presidential Executive Order 5  to prosecute quacks.

    He charged CORBON members and others to  fashion a legislation to regulate their practice.

    CORBON Chairman Prof Kabir Bala said the theme of the congress was informed by the recurring menace of building and structural collape.

    The CORBON’s awards of excellence was conferred on some personalities, including the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola;  Minister of State Suleiman Hassan Zarma; Aboloma and Falana.

    Others were Prof. Olumide Olasanya of Julius Berger  Nigeria Plc and Director-General, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Prof. Danladi Matawal.

  • Lagos warns residents against soil pollution

    THE Lagos State Government has urged residents to stop soil pollution.

    Commissioner for the Environment Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti gave the advice at the World Soil Day in Alausa, Ikeja.

    The theme of the celebration was: “Be the solution to soil pollution.”

    Durosinmi-Etti urged the citizens to protect the environment, adding that soil pollution does no one any good.

    In a statement, the ministry’s Assistant Director, Public Affairs, Mr. Mukaila Sanusi, explained that the theme of the event was aimed at raising awareness on the  sustainability of an healthy ecosystem by addressing the  challenges of soil management.

    He said the event was also aimed at encouraging organisations, communities and individuals to pay attention to soil issues.

    Durosinmi-Etti, according to the statement, urged  communities to pay attention to sources of soil pollution, such as agrochemicals, petroleum-derived products, chemicals used in or produced as by-products of industrial activities, and domestic, livestock and municipal wastes, and wastewater.

    “These chemicals are released to the environment accidentally through oil spills or leachate from landfills. They are sometimes released intentionally as is the case with the use of fertilisers and pesticides, irrigation with untreated waste water, or land application of sewage sludge. Soil pollution also results from mining, transportation, poor waste disposal, flood and erosion, among other activities impacting negatively on soils”, he said.

    Durosinmi-Etti said soil pollution was dangerous to the climate, nutrient cycling, food production, water purification, food quality and habitat for organisms.

    “Soil pollutants harm soil microorganisms and larger soil-dwelling organisms, thereby affecting soil biodiversity and the services provided by the affected organisms,” he added.

    Pollution, he continued, has impact on health through contamination from heavy metals, such as arsenic, lead and cadmium, and  food security would be compromised as crops produced from polluted soils are unsafe for human and animal consumption.

    To protect the soil, the commissioner urged rsidents to desist from indiscriminate disposal of used oil, uncontrolled use of agrochemicals and improper disposal of urban and industrial wastes.

  • Reps mediate in UNILAG, Iwaya land dispute

    The House of Representatives has intervened in the lingering land dispute between the University of Lagos (UNILAG) and Iwaya-Abete community.

    The Chairman House Committee on Legislative  Compliance, Abiodun Olasupo at a meeting with the parties, said it was to ensure peace and compliance with the agreement in the 1962 gazette of the acquired land.

    UNILAG was represented by its Vice Chancellor,  Prof Oluwatoyin Ogundipe and the Iwaya-Abete community was represented by the Delfino Anthonio Da-Meranda family.

    The meeting, which was in response to the petition from the Delfino family to the House Committee on Public Petition, was to review the  land coordinates and address issues on compensation.

    “We are here to ensure compliance with the resolution of the House arising from the boundary dispute between the University  of Lagos  and it’s adjoining communities.  The resolution of the House  says that the University  should not exceed  the limit of the line as stated in the 1962 gazette  that was given after the acquisition of the land. Therefore, our job here is to look at the existing lines, the coordinates as contained in the gazette and ensure that what is on ground is the same. We will rely on the outcomes of the surveyors from the Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing that came with us.  This is a matter of law. The University  is a creation of the law and the law acquired some lands for it. Let us bring conclusion to this matter so that everybody can move on,” Olasupo explained.

    On the issue of compensation, he explained that the House of Representatives would play its part to ensure adequate compensation is made to the affected families.

    He said he was aware that some families had not been paid compensation.

    Olasupo assured that the Federal Ministry of Works,  Power and Housing  would value  the acquired property and take the necessary action, assuring that the House would ensure that adequate compensation was captured in the budget.

    Responding, Ogundipe noted that the University had met with the affected families and also paid compensation in 2013. “I don’t see any problem with this. We have been relating well.  If there is need to pay these families, it is very simple,” he added.

    A member of the  family, Stephen Jagun, said the family was in support of the committee to end the land tussle.

  • Firm deploys technology to deliver houses in 14 days

    A property firm, EchoStone Nigeria Limited, has introduced a technology that will facilitate the delivery of houses in the country.

    Through this technology, the firm hopes to deliver four units of two-bedroom flats in 14 days.   Echostone officials said it would help in reducing the three million housing deficit in Lagos State, and the over 17 million deficit across the country.

    The firm said the  technology, which allows for rapid construction, will be deployed in the state beginning with 250 units of two-bedroom detached bungalows in Idale  Housing Scheme in Badagry Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    A unit in the estate, which will have state-of-the-art facilities, will cost N9 million. The firm plans to construct 2,000 housing units in three LGAs, including Ayobo in Alimosho and Imota in Ikorodu.

    The ground-breaking event for the Idale Housing Scheme, known as Peridot Parkland, Idale, Badagry, was held at the Lagos State Vocational Education Centre premises at Agidingbi, Ikeja.

    EchoStone’s Global Chief Executive Officer/co-founder, Mr. Anthony Recchia, stressed the need for industrialisation of housing. He said rapid urbanisation and population explosion in Lagos required radical construction technology to bridge the housing deficit of over three million in the state.

    According to Reccia, since construction has not evolved in the last 50 years, industrialisation would bridge huge housing demand gap, while the mortgage institutions could effectively drive the supply.

    “What we really need is the industrialisation of labour, along with the technology to create the asset, which then produces the mortgages,’’ Recchia said.

    On the scope of work to expect, he said four housing units would be finished on the Badagry site every two weeks, noting that the  project on the 10 hectares would be completed within three months.

    Recchia said training of local artisans had started to ensure skill transfer to residents, saying that the project was also creating jobs.

    “Mostly, what I see on the job side is that it is gender neutral; of men and women working together with women running the machines and helping with the form-works,’’ he said.

    EchoStone co-founder/President, Business Development, Mr. Ander Lindquist, explained that the form works to be used on the project would eliminate time wastage and could construct a minimum of eight homes daily.

    According to him, Echostone presents a paradigm shift in technology construction and showcases the missing link between housing deficit and demand. He said some housing solutions were slow, unable to scale effectively and most times incapable of working in traditionally challenging geographic environments.

    The Echostone boss  added that the carbon footprint caused by traditional construction technologies is largely unsustainable in the long run as seen in its short life cycles, while the houses being built for low income communities require significant continuous maintenance.

    Lindquist said the technology also provided 7.5 percent lower temperature in the homes, thereby reducing the need for air conditioners. He said electrical and plumbing fittings alongside other accessories, were done simultaneously with the construction, thereby ensuring durability of the facilities for over 50 years without maintenance.

    Peridot Parkland, Lindquist further said, would also have facilities like green areas, power supply, street lights, sewage reticulation, carparks, among others.

    Indeed, the Echostone project is seen as a further complement of the  government’s plan to construct 20,000 houses in the state in four years.

    Other developers are expected to complete the 20,000 housing units target within this period.

    Echostone has started work in Badagry using the technology,  believed to reduce the carbon footprint by 40 per cent.

    The Executive Secretary, Lagos State Technical and Vocational Education Board (LASTVEB), Mrs Omolara Erogbogbo, praised the firm for choosing to construct a prototype in the school. She explained that the skill transfer to the students of the centre is an invaluable knowledge which remains very important in driving change in construction methods in the country.

    A representative of Homebase Mortgage Bank, one of the mortgage banks providing support for purchase of the 64 square meters two-bedroom detached bungalow, Mr. Derin Adediran, said the mortgage institution has in place the financial capabilities to help residents finance their dream of owning their own homes.

    The project is in partnership with the state government.

  • NMRC gets new Chairman, MD

    The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company Plc (NMRC) has appointed Mr. Adeyemi Candide-Johnson as its Chairman and Mr. Kehinde Ogundimu as the  Managing Director (MD).

    The appointments took effect from last Saturday.

    Candide-Johnson, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) replaces Dr. Charles Okeahalam, who retired from Board last Friday. He served  as the company’s first chairman.

    Also, the NMRC announced the retirement of its pioneer Executive Director, Policy, Strategy and Partnerships, Dr. Chika Akporji. It added that Dr. Anino Emuwa, a Non-Executive Director, had resigned.

    In a statement, Candide-Johnson  said the retired staff members contributed to NMRC’s growth and development.

    He thanked them for their service to NMRC and the housing finance industry.

  • UAC appoints Odunsi Director

    UAC of Nigeria Plc (UAC) has announced the appointment of Mr Bolaji Odunsi as a Non-Executive Director of the company.

    Mr Odunsi replaces Mrs Olufunke Ighodaro who recently resigned from the Board to take up an executive role in South Africa.

    Mr Odunsi, a financier, has over 25 years of international investment experience in a variety of industry sectors, including manufacturing, security, oil and gas and distribution.  He has significant board level experience in Europe and the US, with focus on implementing transformational change encompassing systems and controls, team enhancement, financial and regulatory reporting and business analysis to drive value creation.

    He was a co-founder of Stirling Square Capital Partners, a leading mid-market European private equity firm and a partner in Compass Partners and BC Partners.  Before joining BC Partners, he worked as a member of the M&A team at Enskilda Securities in London.  His prior experiences include stints at Touche Ross & Co and the engineering consultancy firm of Mott, Hay & Anderson.

    Mr Odunsi is a Chartered Accountant and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering and a diploma in Philosophy from the University of London.

  • Bio-insecticides alternative to ‘sniper’, says Biotech agency

    Poisonous chemicals will no longer be used for the preservation of food, particularly seedlings, with the development of bio-insecticides, the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) has said.

    This revelation was made at the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NABDA and BioCrops in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    Bio-insecticides are organic substances, harmless to man and the environment, regarded by scientists as safe alternatives to snipper as crop insecticide.

    They are being produced by an indigenous firm, BioCrops Biotechnology Company Ltd and the substances are set to replace harmful chemicals like sniper.

    “Biotechnology is a valuable tool for addressing the several challenges of Nigeria in terms of food production, genetic improvement of living systems, health management, environmental sustainability and industrial growth,” said Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Mr. Bitrus Bako Nabasu, at the signing ceremony.

    He continued:“NABDA and BioCrops have today reached a historic landmark in their relationship by signing this MOU, which will ultimately lead to immediate production of Nigerian developed and manufactured biotechnology products, such as biofertilisers, biopesticides, technology seeds and elite seedlings, including elite Yam varieties promoted by IITA and YIISWA programme, which are grown in the Air. This is in line with the Economic Diversification Agenda of the present administration.

    “BioCrops today has brought synergies between farmers, top notch research institutions within the country, digital finance experts, novel market ready products and indeed, game changers in the agricultural space.”

    He said the feat by both organisations has shown the seriousness with which the government of the day regarded agriculture.

    “Nigeria today has signified its readiness to promote and compete in the global village. This collaboration has attracted an initial funding of about N3.2 billion in its phased implementation and will produce close to 10,000 jobs that did not hitherto exist in this county.

    “NABDA, through the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, has found a worthy partner that is research rich and product ready and that demonstrates the efficacy of Public Private Partnership when harnessed effectively,” he said.

    Nabasu described the partnership as “the beginning of good things to happen to bring back the lost glory of Nigeria’s economy”.

    He added:“We sincerely welcome and acknowledge this memorandum as a significant forward in the quest of the administration of President Mohammadu Buhari at making Agriculture a main contributor to the Nigerian economy.

    “Globally, science and technology are shaping development and the way people think and act. Government has demonstrated in time past its determination to make science and technology the hub on which the wheel of development revolves. Premised on this, the President has promised to make science and technology the country’s mainstay, and not allow any research result go to waste ever in this country.”

    He said the Ministry of Science and Technology through its Agencies, as a matter of policy, has been forging and supporting collaborations among public and private institutions/organisations to facilitate development, equity investment in projects and access to new revenue and capacity to service delivery for the fulfillment of the visions and aspirations of the national science and technology.

    NABDA, an agency under the Ministry of Science and Technology, is a public institution, which has the mandate to acquire, domesticate, deploy, carry out research, co-ordinate, facilitate and promote biotechnology activities in Nigeria. BioCrops, a private biotechnology firm, is an ERGP Laboratory Incubatee of the Ministry of Budget and National Planning with a focus on peri-urban agriculture and novel products.

  • N830m road contract: Edo community cries out over ‘abandonment’ by Setraco

    When the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its meeting on May 2, 2018, approved the rehabilitation of the failed portion of the single lane road from Asaba to Illa-Ebu,  Edo State border with Delta State, the joy of the affected communities knew no bounds. This is because the road has not been motorable for over two years.

    The file for the contract, which was forwarded to the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing’s legal department on May 25, 2018, for contract preparation agreement, was obviously speedily processed and work commenced in earnest on the 34-kilometer road. But the N830, 300, 356:76k road rehabilitation project, awarded to Setraco Nigeria Limited, is now a source of concern for the Ebu Community, which is at the tail end of where the contract should terminate.

    Narrating the pains of the community to The Nation in a telephone interview, its traditional ruler, the Onu of Ebu, HRH Paul Odilile Opile, explained that the road project, which has moved from Asaba to Ungbolu, has reached Illa before the stoppage.

    According to the royal father, he has sent emissaries to the Federal Controller of Works, Moshood Jimoh, an engineer, in Asaba, to know why the work stopped at Illa, when the contract destination specified Ebu.

    “To my chagrin, the explanation offered was not satisfactory. The Controller told them that the contractor said he would not be able to complete the road to Ebu. They asked him if it was the contractor that would determine where the road will stop or the scope of the work as contained in the contract he got,” he explained.

    Not satisfied with explanations brought by his chiefs, the mornarch summoned the Head of Estate Department in his local government to ask questions. The local government officer eventually met Jimoh in Asaba for explanation.

    He further said upon return, it was another set of information they got. “The Controller told the Head of Estate in the local government that they (Ministry) want to seek for monetary approval to build a better road,” he said, adding: “But my position is that since money has been approved for the road, why not conclude it first, at least, to make the place motorable, before fighting for better road.”

    The royal father blamed the deplorable state of the road on the movement of Dangote trucks from Obajana, in Kogi State, en route Asaba and Onitsha markets, saying it is the fastest route for the drivers.

    He further said the economic importance of the road is not only for his community, but the country, adding that the road leads to Uromi and Abuja. “Travelling this road to Abuja if in good condition reduces the journey by two hours. My people are farmers and it has become impossible to move our produce out to town and people now hardly come to our market, meaning bad economy for us. The continuous bad state of the road is affecting our economy,” Opile lamented.

    He, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to order the contractor, Setraco, back to site to complete the road rehabilitation to Ebu as specified in the terms of contract instead of stopping at Illa. This, he explained, is because the contract was awarded to get to Ebu and had been paid for. From Illa to Ebu is about 10 kilometers.

    Efforts to get the contractor to speak proved abortive. Several calls made to the mobile phone number of the firm’s Head of Operations on the project, simply identified as Mr. Mitchell, were unanswered.

    However, Jimoh, in a telephone interview with The Nation, explained that the initiative to rehabilitate the road was started by a former Director in the Ministry, called Ofuase, an engineer.

    He explained that what has been done was a palliative measure for the road, which was funded from the Ecological fund. This, he further explained, is why the contract is divided into sections such that as more money is available, other sections will get attention.

    For instance, he revealed that the work, which started from Asaba has got to Illa, which is about 25 kilometres. He noted that even at that, not the entire stretch of the 25 kilometres was fixed except the very bad portions.

    “From Asaba to Illa is about 25 kilometers and we have been fixing the very bad portion.  The project is funded from Ecological fund, not in the ministry’s budget. That is why the contract is broken into sections.  The contract to Setraco was for Section 1, meaning it is not the end of the project. FERMA has been working on it, but it couldn’t cope so it had to be contracted out. The amount for the contract is not even enough to fix the road, that is why the contract is rehabilitation of major failed portions of the road. If we are to fix the entire 34 kilometer road, then the amount cannot even cover more than eight kilometres of the length. The road originally had a laterite base, now we are thinking of building a stone base road if we get approval for the new proposal,” Jimoh explained.