The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • Six mistakes to avoid when buying properties

    PROPERTY World African Network Group (PWAN) Chief Executive Officer,  Marc Austine, has advised Nigerians to be weary of six common mistakes when buying landed properties.

    Austine listed them to include not conducting a proper search on a property before making payment for it. He warned prospective property buyers not to be influenced by the market offerings  to avoid jumping at any offer on the table.

    Other mistakes to avoid, according to him, include buyers to stick to their budget by being sure of their yearly or monthly earnings. Importantly, he cautioned that before making a commitment to a property, it is good to determine how much you earn and know how much you can pay back in a month.

    “Land is not all about the price, location first before the price. Not having the right property clause. Not going for inspection. Why would you just stay in your house and make payment without inspection?” Austine queried.

    The PWAN boss urged Nigerians to be careful when buying landed properties so as not to buy from unregistered organisation. Nigerians between 25 and 55, who are not taking advantage of the real estate, he said, were mising their investment opportunities. “Real estate business has been a hot cake in Nigeria; it is capable of turning one into a millionaire,” Austin said.

    He said through his firm’s initiative, the Home Ownership Made Easy Scheme (HOMES), a lot of Nigerians have been helped to acquire genuine properties, real estate buying and selling and making their home ownership dream a reality. “We are the first company to start real estate network marketing,” he said.

  • LASBCA tightens noose on illegal bonded terminals

    LAGOS State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has clamped down on buildings in Apapa illegally converted to bonded terminal from residential apartment without appropriate building plan approval and regularisation from the state.

    Its General Manager, Lekan Shodeinde, who was represented by the Agency Secretary, Mr. Tayo Fakolujo, spoke on the sideline during sealing by the agency in Ajeromi-Ifelodun/Apapa local government areas and its environ. He revealed that the government, in its quest to put the state on other smart cities’ pedestal in the world, is making Lagos a well-planned and structured society where buildings are constructed according to building plan approval granted by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA). During the exercise, Queena Bonded Terminal, Don Climax Bonded Terminal, Godday Cinema  and other buildings and terminals were sealed by the agency.

    Shodeinde, who said it would be a continuous exercise, argued that the genesis of Apapa gridlock is as a result of indiscriminate citing of tank farms and bonded terminals in the areas without requisite approval from the state government.

    He is confident that with the new monitoring and auditing of building exercise in the state, operators of a terminal or owner, who converted residential buildings to commercial use without proper regularisation, building engineering appraisal and recourse to the Master Plan of the area, would be prosecuted.

    A resident of Dada Onijomo Street, Awodi-Ora in Ajegunle, Mrs. Taiwo Aina, regreted that since the siting of bonded terminal in the area, the community had not known peace as a result of indiscriminate parking of trailers on the street.

    Also, another resident of Osho Drive, Kirikiri road, Olodi-Apapa, agreed that bonded terminals in the area have contributed hugely to traffic hold up around the area, adding that the area has lost her glory as trailers and motorists have turned the area into dumping ground for containers.

    Shodeinde, however, appealed to  Lagosians to comply with the building laws and seize the opportunity of the six months amnesty to regularise and perfect their building documentations to avoid any form of embarrassment from Law Enforcement Officers.

    He said  government officials of the new reformed and restructured LASBCA officials aimed at working together with the people for their own safety and for a safer and a well-planned smart- city.

     

  • Firm holds safety awareness

    Experts have revealed that the ratio of serious accidents to near misses in the work environment is estimated at one to 300 at-risk behaviours.

    They spoke at the recently- concluded workshop on health, safety and environment organised by Oil Servicing firm, Eunisell Limited, at its Lagos Office,

    At-risk behaviour, according to them, are activities or work-related environmental issues that fail to meet or bypass best practices, safety programmes and training procedures.

    EuniselL Group Managing Director, Mr. Chika Ikenga, said: “At Eunisell, safety and the environment are our primary concerns, thus we take the well being of our team, customers and vendors very seriously. While working on projects, we are duty-bound and committed to implementing our Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) policy as well as meeting the rigorous standards set by our customers.”

    “We want our business and operations to be as risk-free as much as possible and our impact on the environment to be minimal. Our approach is proactive and this is why our Health, Safety and Environment policy evolves and is adaptive to meet the unique needs of each project without comprise,” he added.

  • ‘Nigerian engineers are competent, but…’

    Commendations for indigenous engineers do not come so often. ITB Nigeria Limited Managing Director Ramzi Chidiac says though many indigenous engineers lack the theoretical, academic and management skills, a good number have distinguished themselves, professionally. Chidiac, whose firm is using technology to up the ante in the local construction industry, tells MUYIWA LUCAS that he remains committed to a clean and green environment in line with the climate change campaign.

    WHAT is your assessment of the construction industry’s viability for foreign investors?

    The construction industry is open to foreign investors as there is no risk inherent in doing business here with regards to security, especially in Lagos. The only risk involved is the market and currency, which are not peculiar to the construction industry alone. The high level of infrastructural deficit everywhere is an indication that Nigeria has the potential for construction opportunities that foreign investors can tap into.

    How would you rate the level of civil engineering expertise in Nigeria?

    In my opinion, the average Nigerian engineer is good, but we have more engineers, who lack the necessary theoretical, academic and management skills. I, therefore, think that the Nigerian government through its Ministry of Education and perhaps the National Universities Commission (NUC) should as a matter of urgency review and enhance the current Engineering curricular to enhance the quality of Engineers being churned out from the universities.

    Your firm is building the first steel and concrete structure in the country. What is the history behind your firm?

    ITB Nigeria Limited was established in 1995 to address the growing demand for innovation and improved engineering expertise in Nigeria. With over two decades of experience in the construction industry, we have executed various landmark projects in the country among which are the National Assembly Complex Abuja; the Eko Hotel Expo Centre Lagos; the Intercontinental Hotel; the Heritage Place, among others. Our in-house divisions include Concrete Division, Design Department, Formwork division, Aluminum factory, Pre-cast division, Post tension Division, MEP Division, ITB Joinery, which cater for all furniture needs of our clients; ITB Hollow Core Factory- producing pre-stressed hollow core slabs and elements all to deliver speed of execution. We have also ventured into cost reduction for one of our clients with our recent foray into Steel Structure installation at Azure Peninsula.

    How does ITB integrate environmentally sustainable practices into its operations and projects?

    ITB is fully committed to a clean and green environment. We are the contractor of choice for such practices. This is the reason we were selected to build the First Green Building in Nigeria-The Heritage Project, Ikoyi. Our Health, Safety and Environment policy and practice are second to none with verifiable results. We also tend to reduce material wastes by using alternate materials, as exemplified by our steel works at Azuri Peninsula, Eko Atlantic City.

    Looking at trends in the construction industry, particularly with the advancements in technology, what plans do you have for the future?

    Indeed, technology is a game changer in the construction industry. ITB is always excited about the possibilities that technology makes possible. We have been pioneers of several technologies and we are consistently investing in research and development to improve our methods and deliver value to our esteemed clients. We have made studies and inroads into Acoustic readings and systems, in-depth researches in temperatures of concrete, admixtures and we have a multi-million dollar laboratory dedicated for purposes such as these.  Therefore, our plan for the future is to not relent in embracing all forms of construction technology as that is the future of construction.

    What cutting-edge services keeps you ahead of competition?

    Our foremost differentiating factor is “Value Engineering.” This is an organised method or effort directed at reviewing and analysing designed building features, systems, materials selection and equipment with a view to reducing costs, consistent with required performance, increased and improved functionality, quality, reliability and safety. In addition, our firm has a functional quality management system, which harnesses all of the engineering processes to consistently meet and exceed our clients’ expectations and requirements.  We are also the only construction company in Nigeria with the capability and functionality of an in-house mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services division. This division can effortlessly deliver and provide comprehensive MEP, contracting services for all-scale projects. The quality of our workforce also makes us stand out from others.

    What are the major challenges you encounter as a businessman in the environment?

    I do not really see major challenges doing business in Nigeria; however, the economy is not very favourable and this has led to an increase in the cost of managing overheads for a company of our magnitude.

  • LASBCA tightens noose on illegal bonded terminals

    LAGOS State Building Control Agency (LASBCA) has clamped down on buildings in Apapa illegally converted to bonded terminal from residential apartment without appropriate building plan approval and regularisation from the state.

    Its General Manager, Lekan Shodeinde, who was represented by the Agency Secretary, Mr. Tayo Fakolujo, spoke on the sideline during sealing by the agency in Ajeromi-Ifelodun/Apapa local government areas and its environ. He revealed that the government, in its quest to put the state on other smart cities’ pedestal in the world, is making Lagos a well-planned and structured society where buildings are constructed according to building plan approval granted by the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA). During the exercise, Queena Bonded Terminal, Don Climax Bonded Terminal, Godday Cinema  and other buildings and terminals were sealed by the agency.

    Shodeinde, who said it would be a continuous exercise, argued that the genesis of Apapa gridlock is as a result of indiscriminate citing of tank farms and bonded terminals in the areas without requisite approval from the state government.

    He is confident that with the new monitoring and auditing of building exercise in the state, operators of a terminal or owner, who converted residential buildings to commercial use without proper regularisation, building engineering appraisal and recourse to the Master Plan of the area, would be prosecuted.

    A resident of Dada Onijomo Street, Awodi-Ora in Ajegunle, Mrs. Taiwo Aina, regreted that since the siting of bonded terminal in the area, the community had not known peace as a result of indiscriminate parking of trailers on the street.

    Also, another resident of Osho Drive, Kirikiri road, Olodi-Apapa, agreed that bonded terminals in the area have contributed hugely to traffic hold up around the area, adding that the area has lost her glory as trailers and motorists have turned the area into dumping ground for containers.

    Shodeinde, however, appealed to  Lagosians to comply with the building laws and seize the opportunity of the six months amnesty to regularise and perfect their building documentations to avoid any form of embarrassment from Law Enforcement Officers.

    He said  government officials of the new reformed and restructured LASBCA officials aimed at working together with the people for their own safety and for a safer and a well-planned smart- city.

  • Nigeria’s first steel, concrete building ready soon

    A Building construction firm, ITB Nigeria Limited, has said it is set to complete its first steel and concrete building project, the Azuri Peninsula, in the Eko Atlantic City, Lagos State.

    The Azuri Peninsula project, which began in early 2015, is a unique steel and concrete residential building project, consisting three sets of over 30 floors.

    Steel and concrete structures involve a mix of steel and concrete to form a single element. The advantage of using this technology gives rise to benefits like speed, performance and value. Additionally, concrete encasement protects the steel from buckling, corrosion and fire. The building offers a collection of four-bedroom luxury and super luxury apartments; two and four-bedroom town houses, known as ‘Marina,’ as well as six-bedroom penthouses.

    ITB Nigeria Quality Assurance / Quality Control Co-ordinator,  Emmanuel Adeyemi, expressed satisfaction with the project, which he said is the very first of such by his firm. For him, the project is a testimony to the quality of work being undertaken by the firm “We are excited about this project because it’s our first composite structure created by a combination of steel and concrete to form a single element. This helps to deliver performance that is more effective than when individual components are used together but not unified,” he said.

    He added that the firm is fully focused on understanding its clients needs and delivering on its promises, regardless of the scale or complexity of the challenge at hand.

    Adeyemi explained that the uniqueness of composite structures is that it enhances construction time, performance and value. This is because steel framing for a structure can be erected quickly and the pre-fabricated steel floor decks can be put in place immediately. When cured, he further revealed, the concrete provides additional stiffness to the structure, making the structure one that can stand the test of time.

    ITB Nigeria is the major building civil engineering contracting firm handling some of the infrastructural projects being carried out in Eko Atlantic city.

  • Council stresses importance of tree planting

    I Gando-Ikotun Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Chairman Chief Morenike Adeshina-Wiliams has emphasised the importance of tree planting to living.

    She spoke at this year’s Tree Planting Day held in Igando, Lagos. She said because trees help to fend off bad winds, it was important that Nigerians planted trees to be safe.

    Represented by Mopelola, the chairman urged the people embrace the culture of tree planting.

    Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment Mr Babatunde Durosimi-Etti, represented by the Council Manager Alhaji Olanrewaju Olaleye, also harped on the importance of tree planting. He said the ‘’Plant a Tree Initiative’’ that took place in the state recently was part of government’s plan to replace trees cut down for infrastructural development.

    He praised Lagosians and organisations for assisting the government in creating awareness on tree planting. ‘’Residents now beautify the frontage of their apartments without being forced to do so… It is gratifying and heartwarming to note that we are all committed to bequeath a better environment for the generation yet unborn,’’ he said.

    Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency (LASPARK) General Manager Mrs Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola said the government ‘s target to plant 10 million trees by 2020 was on course, adding that so far, it has planted 7,539,221.

    She warned against tree cutting, adding: ‘’The risks to our health and well-being from removing tree from the environment are far higher. The benefits that urban trees bring cannot be quantified.’’

    She added that the state greening programme was being embraced by Anambra, Edo, Ogun and Abia states just as it has received global recognition from the Climate Reality Project, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) chaired by former United States vice president Al-Gore.

  • NOSDRA to SNEPCo: obey court order on Bonga oil spill

    The National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) has urged Shell Nigeria Exploration and Petroleum Company Limited (SNEPCo) to pay the $3.6 billion fine slammed on it by Lagos Federal High Court.

    The compensation is for the settlement of 350 communities in the Niger Delta region who were affected by the spill.

    NOSDRA Chairman, Senator Ayo Akinyelure, who spoke in Abuja, said the oil spillage which occurred December 20, 2011 due to exploration within Oil Mining Lease (OML) 118 severely desecrated the oil rich communities, thereby affecting the rural dwellers.

    The incident caused about 40, 000 barrels of crude oil which equals to 6,400,000 litres of crude oil discharged into the seas.

    According to Akinyelure, the  incident led NOSDRA to levy  SNEPCo $1.8 billion as compensation for damaging the environment, the affected communities with another $1.8 billion as ‘punitive damages’.

    According to the chairman, “SNEPCo in the process instituted a suit against the agency, challenging NOSDRA’s Act and its enforcement functions as contravening the constitution of Nigeria (as amended).”

    However, the court, he stated, dismissed the suit and that issues raised by the plaintiff (SNEPCo) were  resolved in favour of the defendant (NOSDRA) and an order dismissing the suit was clearly made by the presiding judge.

    “We cannot remain in court in perpetuity, when our people in the Niger Delta region are dying of hunger on daily basis over the years since the occurrence of Bonga oil spillage.

  • Lafarge rewards loyal customers

    Building solutions provider, Lafarge Africa, has rewarded its loyal customers and key distributors for excellent performance in the year.

    The event held at the Lagos Sheraton Hotels, Ikeja.

    Lafarge Africa Managing Director, Mr. Michel Puchercos, expressed appreciation to the distributors for their performance and contributions to the company.

    “As our customers, you are at the heart of our very existence. If you do well, we do well; if you don’t do well, we don’t do well. Such is our symbiotic relationship. So we have also chosen this time to appreciate your performance so far this year. It is also an opportunity to get direct feedback from you all on how to serve you better,” he said.

    A customer Alhaji Oshuntola, praised Lafarge Africa for the recognition and encouragement the company accords it distributors and customers. “On behalf of my colleagues, who have received an all-expense paid trip to Dubai, I want to say a big thank you to Lafarge Africa.

  • How to preserve Lagos, by experts

    Climate change is a global threat. Lagos State, with its peculiar topography, has become the focus of attention. Environmental experts have warned that the Centre of Excellence risks being submerged, if steps are not taken, MUYIWA LUCAS reports.

    Environmentalists have warned that Lagos, like cities threatened by climate change, may be wiped out by 2050.

    By 2030, the state might be under water, if urgent steps were not taken by  the government to arrest the situation.

    The environmentalists, who met in Lagos, under the aegis of the Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF), a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), based their submission on their studies.

    Using illustrations and images, the experts explained that the precarious situation was not unconnected with the effect of waves from the Atlantic Ocean, which they said was growing rapidly, eating the shorelines of Lagos oceans and coastlines.

    Since this encroachment of the ocean effect started in the 1960s, they said, about 1.5 kilometres of the Lagos shoreline had been washed away.

    Its Technical Programme Director, Dr Joseph Onoja, painted  a lurid picture of the development, further lending credence to the environmental danger ahead.

    Onoja explained that the safety felt in the early years of this millennium, when coastal communities such as Igbo-Efon, Okun-Ajah, Okun-Alfa and Lafiaji, stood at about 13,000 metres from the Kuramo beach waters, had disappeared, hence making the fear of coastal erosion real.

    For instance, he said in a survey on Okun-Alfa community, the distance between a particular house, a road and the shoreline was about 109 metres as at May 2000. Regrettably, Onoja said, by May 2013, the road had been washed away, while between December 2015 and April 2016, the distance between the community and the shoreline had shortened from 47 to 33 metres.

    The group’s Chairman, Ede Dafinone, who led the campaign for coastal communities along the Lekki axis, said beach erosion began with the construction of the Apapa Port.

    According to him,  while the construction of the Eko Atlantic City (EAC) helped to save the Bar Beach and parts of Victoria Island from the ravaging effect of erosion, the movement of the ocean wave eastwards has not helped matters.

    By implication, this means that the effect of the ocean control of the Bar Beach with the EAC might have further influenced the erosion in other parts of the states, and even beyond.

    Dafinone said  the NCF has raised its concerns with the state government, adding that the  state needed the support of the Federal Government to protect it and the  country’s shoreline.

    He warned that failure to assist the state government to protect the shorelines would lead to unpalatable effect, which will resonate in other other parts of the country.

    The NCF helmsman regretted that while the state government has constructed 15 groins, covering up to 14 kilometres of the coastline, it has had to put the project on hold due to paucity of funds. The Nation learnt that it cost about N1 billion to construct a groin.

    Way forward

    To avoid a spillover effect of shoreline erosion, the NCF suggested that the groins should be constructed up to Escravos, in Warri, Delta State, while there should be basic law enforcement on sand mining.

    According to NCF Director-General, Muhtari Aminu-Kano, there was need to construct the groins to Escravos because waves from the Niger Delta had started moving westwards as those from Lagos were moving eastwards.

    “We need a proper and comprehensive assessment of our marine environment to show how far we need to take the groins,” he said.

    Aminu-Kano charged the managers of Ecological Fund to look at the issues critically to solve the problem, while advocating that the society should go green by planting trees.

    Dafinone further warned that the situation portends a potential disaster, which the government  could avert.

    According to him, if 10 metres of the shoreline have been lost in six months, then it tells of what the future holds because nature is not predictable. For now, he said the only potential solution remains  constructing groins.

    Onoja shared Dafinone’s position. He said the situation required the urgent attention and partnership of the Federal Government to intervene through the construction of groins.

    “The Federal Government needs to rise to this challenge. The speed of the wave is alarming and we are talking of waves capable of wiping out communities in a matter of hours. Not only that, our groundwater, humans and the biodiversity will be affected,” he said.

    Lending his voice to the call for Federal Government’s support,  Lekki Urban Forest and Animal Sanctuary Initiative Chairman, Mr. Desmond Majekodunmi, called for a restart of groin construction.

    “We cannot be sitting down and waiting for the worse to happen. Once we have the groins, Lagos can have lovely beaches that can attract tourism,” the environmentalist said.