The Nation Newspaper

Category: Building & Properties

  • COP23 ends in Bonn

    The 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has ended in Bonn, Germany without resolving the issues on the agenda.

    The Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), the United States  team had been stationed in Bonn during the conference to follow the negotiations. It ensured that the conference’s results were neither ‘further’, nor ‘faster’, and certainly not ‘together’.

    An analysis of the results by CSE, says: “The US’ strong and obstructionist attitude in the COP process ensured that progress was extremely slow and hampered on several occasions and the old divide between developed and developing nations remained.’’

    Ahead of the COP, the US had signalled that it would engage in the negotiations process to secure its interests and had talked of a possible re-negotiation of the Paris Agreement to enable it to rejoin the Agreement.

    As per the provisions of the Paris Agreement, the US withdrawal will only take effect in late 2020.

    “Instead of working together and standing united against the US intransigence, the old bickering between developed and developing nations continued at Bonn,” Chandra Bhushan, deputy director-general, CSE, said.

  • $68m Novare Mall begins operation in Abuja

    $68m Novare Mall begins operation in Abuja

    Nigeria’s mall segment of the real estate sector has continued to thrive, notwithstanding the supposed downturn in the industry. This position is further buttressed with the investment of $68 million in the development of Novare Gateway Mall in Abuja.

    The mall, from the stable of Novare Real Estate Africa, which is being inaugurated today, is the third of such retail and commercial development in the country, and it is the firm’s largest in Abuja.

    Other malls in Abuja owned by Novare Real Estate Africa include the 8, 267 square metre Novare Apo Mall, located about 18km from Novare Gateway to the southeast of Abuja. Similarly, in Abuja Novare is developing a 12,508-square metre Novare Central Office park- a mix-use centre consisting retail space and A-grade offices.

    Described as a “modern lifestyle centre offering an enticing combination of shops, restaurants and entertainment,” the Novare Gateway Mall sits on 15,000 square metres of space, accommodating 60 stores, and with the capacity to park over 600 cars. There is also provision for a second phase development, which will see another 10,000 square metres added to accommodate 33 more shops.

    Located on main 10-lane highway between the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, and the Central Business District (CBD),  Novare Gateway can be said to be perfectly situated to meet the needs of the growing Abuja community.

    With Shoprite as the anchor, the mall’s tenant mix includes international and local brands, covering fashion and accessories, restaurants, electronics, health and beauty, furniture, home improvement, telecommunication, entertainment, cinemas, as well as banks and ATMs.

    Novare Real Estate Africa Chairman Prof Fabian Ajogwu (SAN), in a chat with The Nation prior to today’s inauguration, said the Novare Gateway Mall “transcends the over $68 million of foreign direct investments and will create over 5,000 jobs through direct and indirect employment from the development stage to completion and commencement of operation.”

    He explained that the investment has shown the firm’s belief in the economy. For him, it is a wise investor that prepares ahead of the market, which he said is exactly what his Group is doing in the Nigerian economy.

    Ajogwu said the inauguration of its third mall in Abuja is a strategic marketing decision considering that some “areas have too many malls servicing them at the expense of some other areas.”

    This strategic marketing positioning of its malls, Ajogwu further revealed, accounted for why its numerous clients go with them wherever they locate their facility. “Our clients (tenants) know we cannot be wrong in our choice of location. They know that we would have done thorough market research before we site our mall anywhere, which they know also translates to good market for their business; this is one reason why they go with us anywhere we go,” he said.

    Novare Real Estate Africa Managing Director, Mr. Jan van Zyl, thanked the firm’s partners and associates in the country for  making the development a reality. Novare, he explained, has built a team with unrivalled expertise in investment management, property development and facility management.

    “Our ability to successfully develop and manage modern retail and commercial facilities is based on a hands-on approach and on-the-ground presence that ensures that we deliver for tenants and investors,” van Zyl said.

    Novare Equity Partners Chief Executive, Mr. Derrick Roper, in a similar vein, expressed satisfaction with the project completion and inauguration. “We’re very proud to have completed Novare Gateway. This is our largest project so far in Abuja, contributing to infrastructure development, sustainable job creation, trade and consumer demand for a modern shopping experience,” he remarked.

    In Lagos, the group developed the 22, 000 square metre Novare Lekki Mall, which commenced trading in August 2016. Novare Lekki was awarded Real Estate Deal of the Year by the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) at its 2016 commerce and industry awards last July.

    Novare Equity Partners is the sub-advisor to the group, tasked with sourcing and presenting new development opportunities to the management of the Novare Africa Property Funds. With a strong on-the-ground presence in all countries, where the funds invest, it has managed to source some of the most exciting new development opportunities across the sub-continent.

    Novare Fund Manager is a private equity fund manager, managing investments in the real estate sector, both retail and commercial, exclusively in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa. It manages the Novare Africa Property Fund I and II, domiciled in Mauritius and funded predominantly by South African pension funds. The group has a seven-year track record of successful real estate development in retail and commercial property in sub-Saharan Africa outside of South Africa.

  • Lagos advocates sustainable sanitation practice

    Lagos advocates sustainable sanitation practice

    The Lagos State Government has joined the rest of the world to mark the World Toilet Day – a day set aside to promote healthy sanitation practices.

    At the celebration, which held at the Ojodu/Berger Bus Terminus, in the Ikeja Local Government Area, last week, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said the day brought to the front burner germane issues, such as water, sanitation and hygiene, affecting the people. He noted that the proper handling of these critical issues would help reduce government’s expenditure on the treatment of diseases, and make more money available for other facilities for public use.

    Adejare said by the United Nations’ estimate, 2.5 per cent of the world’s seven billion people, mostly in rural areas, do not have proper sanitation while 1.1 billion people still defecate in the open.

    “This has significant impacts on human health, dignity and security as well as the environment, social and economic development. The countries where open defecation is most widely practiced are the same countries with the highest mortality rate of children under five, high levels of under nutrition and poverty as well as large wealth disparities,” he said.

    This staggering statistics, the Commissioner said, calls for urgent action among all stakeholders to prioritise toilet and sanitation issues, enhance access to water and sanitation facilities as well as spread awareness of the ills of undesirable sanitation practices. He agreed that sanitation and toilet issues required urgent actions to stem the tide of diseases and bring about healthy citizenry.

    Adejare said the current administration was making concerted efforts to eradicate the menace of open defecation and urination through the provision of public toilets and upgrading of already existing facilities across the state.

    “All public institutions in the state such as petrol stations, eateries and shopping malls are mandated to maintain clean toilets and give access to members of the public. We have also ensured that non-compliance attracts appropriate sanctions,” he disclosed.

    He said the Lagos State government’s commitment to attaining the smart-city status for the state could not be sacrificed at the altar of poor sanitation and inefficient solid waste management, stressing that the environment remained the state’s priority as it was important for maintaining a secure and more prosperous state.

    The commissioner, therefore, enjoined Lagosians to join in the crusade of attaining a cleaner, healthier, functional and sustainable environment, capable of promoting economic growth and well-being of the citizenry.

  • The Oceanna: redefining Nigeria’s skyline

    The Oceanna: redefining Nigeria’s skyline

    Each country’s skyline is defined by her most iconic structures, be they natural or constructed. This is part of what determines the volume and quality of tourists that visit country, constantly.

    Tourists visit some countries just to see iconic projects, or monuments. The Flames of Azerbaijan and Burj Khalifa, Dubai are two iconic projects that define the skylines of and confer dignity on their host nations – Azerbaijan and Dubai.

    While some countries are famous for their religious/cultural landmarks, others are known for their man-made icons, such as the Statue of Liberty, New York, United States, the Eiffel Tower, Paris, and the Little Mermaid, Copenhagen, Denmark, to mention a few examples.

    Nigeria’s efforts at scripting her name and skyline in the roll of international landmarks is traceable to 1997 with the famous national theatre, purposely built for the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC). Hosting the world was always going to be a big issue and Nigeria had to show her might on this occasion after Senegal (Dakar) hosted the maiden edition in 1966. An event where over 16,000 people were expected to participate, gave Nigeria a befitting national theatre and an housing estate.

    Forty years down the line, it has taken a private initiative to attempt redefining, or improving on the Lagos skyline and the Nigerian national identity. The Oceanna – born of the Ocean, is springing up at the Atlantic Oceanside on Victoria Island,  Lagos, it is an ambitious project aimed at redefining luxury, being championed by the Grenadines Homes, a member of the Palton Morgan Holdings.

    Adeyinka Adesope, group man director, Palton Morgan Holdings, shares the vision behind The Oceanna. “We looked at Nigeria in the comity of nations and asked, ‘how do we make our little contribution to dignifying her and contributing to the economy from our segment?’ The dream is to hoist the green-white-green proudly high among other national iconic projects that distinguish their host countries.”

    Armed with this dream, Grenadines Homes’ management had to study the Nigerian estate industry in comparison with what shaped other countries’ image profiles via the skyline and opted to trust the Nigerian dream to globally proven professionals and consultants.

    Adesope said: “Having grown up knowing the national theatre as Nigeria’s landmark identity and watching it lose flavour to quality management, got us thinking about how to deliver a befitting landmark development, to fuel national pride, aspiration and help discerning people find their place in history. That’s what gave birth to The Oceanna.”

    This idea, already entrusted to leading and proven professionals and consultants across the world has come with its little pleasant surprises.

  • Yuletide: LASPARK canvasses partners for decoration

    Lagos State Parks and Gardens Agency, (LASPARK) General Manager Mrs. Bilikiss Adebiyi-Abiola has called on the Green Partners of the state to support the government’s Christmas decoration by beautifying and lighting up the sites adopted by their organisations.

    Acknowledging the contributions of some of its partners who had embraced the Christmas lighting and decoration project of the state government, Adebiyi-Abiola, appealed to others to key into the project as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and tp add glamour to the Yuletide festivities.

    She acknowledged the roles of all the environmentally friendly organisations towards the sustainability of the greening programme in the state and noted that more efforts were needed.

    ‘One mitigating measure against the adverse effect of climate change and global warming is to increase the green cover immensely and this can only be achieved through conscious, intensive and aggressive landscaping, beautification and tree planting activities which our partners have keyed into’, Adebiyi-Abiola said.

    The GM, who spoke at a meeting with the agency’s stakeholders in her office, revealed that the meeting afforded her the opportunity to understand some of the challenges faced by partners and assured them that she would look into the identified challenges and see how best to collaborate to continuously improve the living environment and wellbeing of Lagosians through landscaping, beautification and tree planting.

    “Your immeasurable financial and material contributions in nurturing and keeping the adopted sites green and clean cannot be overemphasised. I enjoin you to do more so that we can bequeath an enviable environment to the generation yet unborn,” she said.

    Present at the meeting were representatives of Zenith Bank, Fidelity Bank, Sterling Bank, Kiosque Vegetal, Shodex Gardens, F-Plus, Chevron Nigeria, Nigerian Bottling Company, among others.

  • Investor holds Topping Out for Cornerstone Towers

    Investor holds Topping Out for Cornerstone Towers

    Cap Phoenix Cornerstone, a joint venture between African Capital Alliance and Cornerstone Insurance Plc, last week, held a topping out to celebrate the completion of Cornerstone Tower, a 12-floor office project, adjacent to the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel in Oniru, Lagos. With this, the Cornerstone Tower has now reached its full height and is scheduled to open for business in the second quarter of next year.

    With lettable space of 12,040 square metres, once completed, this Grade A, ultra-modern office building will boast of eight floors of flexible office space and meeting rooms; four floors of multi-level parking; a reception area and a ground floor café. Besides, the building, which has been certified as a “Green Building,” will rank as one of the country’s real estate developments to be proud of, considering its high technical specifications for installed building services, security and state-of-the-art finishes.

    Capital Alliance Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Obi Nwogugu, revealed that the office spaces are designed with high efficiency and flexibility, and are built with raised floors and suspended ceilings with impressive natural lighting and ventilated spaces, allowing for modular spaces ranging from 200 square meters up to 1,400 square meters on each floor. Besides, he noted that the building’s central location on Victoria Island will provide convenient private and public transport access with direct links to Lekki, Ikoyi and the Lagos Mainland.

    Describing the building’s features further, the Project Consultant, Mr. Roti Delano, said it boasts of secure parking for over 203 cars across the four multi level floors; this is aside the surface parking space, while drivers room is also provided for on every floor.

    Other features of the building, he noted, include two 1000 KVA and one 600 KVA Cummins diesel engine generators; 81 solar panels of 250 W each; two 1000 kva 11/0.415kv 3-phase indoor dry type cast resin step-down transformer with off-load automatic tap changer; energy efficient pumps; sensor motion  lights; four passengers Lifts; 14 passengers high speed elevators; including fire lift. The structure is also equipped with fire fighting systems like sprinklers, wet riser, fire hose reels; fire extinguishers; FM-200, and smoke detectors, among others.

    Also, Cornerstone Towers is fitted with modern security systems, which include 24/7 control centers; IP Closed Circuit Television System (IP CCTV); IP Access Control System and Building Management System (BMS).

    Similarly, in terms of information technology, the building is not lacking. For instance, BCL Construction and Civil Engineering Managing Director, Mr. Roda Fadlallah, explained that to service its telecommunications facility, a well structured cabling system is provided with general services network, including connectivity to the building services like IP CCTV, IP Access control, and Voice communication, Roof Aerial. The IT facilities, he noted, include fiber optic cable for fiber backbone across the various office spaces.

  • Ogun earmarks N73.5 billion for rural infrastructural devt

    Ogun earmarks N73.5 billion for rural infrastructural devt

    Ogun State government has said 21.3 per cent or N73.5 billion of its N345.42 billion 2018 budget is for rural and infrastructural development/employment generation, and to facilitate new infrastructural projects and fast-track the completion of ongoing ones.

    The Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, disclosed this while presenting the 2018 Appropriation Bill entitled: ‘’Budget of Accelerated Development’’on the floor of the state House of Assembly recently.

    Amosun, who restated his administration’s readiness to construct more urban, semi-urban and rural roads to ensure, listed some would-be beneficiaries of the allocation to include the 26-kilometre Sagamu-Ogijo Road; 28-Km Ikangba-Ilese-Itele Road and 26-km Ilisan-Ago-Iwoye Road.

    Others are the 36-km Abeokuta – Sagamu interchange road; 24-km Atan-Agbara rRoad; 42-km Sango-Ojodu Road; 5.5-km Enugada-Adatan Road; 3.5-km Itoku-Ajitadun-Iberekodo Road and 10-km Adatan-Alabata-Camp Junction.

    Amosun, who was quoted in a statement by the head of media, Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ayokunle Ewuoso, also noted that 171 rural roads and 25 semi-urban roads have been earmarked for construction while three bridges at Ilaro, Oju Ore in Ota and Lusada Junction, in Ado/Odo Ota Local Government Area, would be constructed.

    “The provision of adequate infrastructure will always be a critical part of this government’s drive for development of its people. As the Gateway state we will use all the resources at our disposal to ensure that our business, people and residents alike enjoy continuous improved mobility in and around our state,’’ he said.

    Amosun assured that government will not relent in its efforts at ensuring the development of the Olokola Deep Sea Port and the Olokola Free Trade Zone, urging well meaning investors to partner government in its bid to developing the state’s free trade zone in Tongeji Island, in Ogun West Senatorial district.

    The governor disclosed that with the commencement of work by the Federal Government on the Lagos -Ibadan rail line, the state is set to benefit as the project would create several stations in the state as well as a rolling stock yard in Kajola in Ifo  Local Government Areas.

    “In addition the Federal Government has located a new dry port in Papalanto, in Ifo local government area, aside from the main station in Abeokuta. This development will enhance our position as the Gateway state as it will enhance the trade opportunities, reduce cost of doing business and make Ogun State even more attractive destination for residents and businesses,” Amosun remarked.

  • Group trains artisans in plumbing

    The Building Collapse Prevention Guild (BCPG) Amuwo Odofin Cell, last week, held a one-day seminar to educate artisans on the role of qualitative plumbing works in structural integrity.

    It was themed: “Preventing building collapse through qualitative and sustainable plumbing”.

    In his paper, its President, Mr. Akinola George, noted that poor plumbing work can cause a building to collapse, describing plumbing as “an engineering work in a branch of mechanical engineering.’.

    He advised plumbers to be abreast of new technology and modern ways of doing plumbing work, urging them to go for more training to update their skills and knowledge regularly. “If you are doing plumbing the way it was done several years ago, then you have to learn new skills, otherwise, you will be outdated because computer has taken over,” George said.

    Also, Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Lagos State chapter, Mr. Segun Fadeyi, advised plumbers to always put a man-hole in strategic positions while working, and identify same so that when repairs will be carried out there will be no need to break the wall.

    The Lagos State Association of Professional Plumbers of Nigeria Chairman, Mr. Adesina Ogunkoya, praised the organisers for the knowledge impartation,adding that his members use quality materials and do not cut-corners while executing their jobs.

    Adesina revealed that the association has a task force team, which goes around to check the activities of plumbers, especially quacks,  in a bid to bring sanity to the profession. He further said his association relate with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and any products that are not certified by SON are not used by its members.

    Similarly, the association deputy chairman, Mr. Lanre Adeleke, said the seminar will yield positive results and that government should find a way of curbing the activities of foreign artisans in the country, advising the stoppage of patronage of such artisans. He called on the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) to help check the influx of foreign artisans into the country.

    Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area Chairman, Mr. Valentine Buraimo, admonished all professional bodies and the organiser of the seminar to continue sensitising government on the menace of collapse building in our society. “We will always be prepared to prosecute all unscrupulous elements that are involved in these activities,” he assured.

  • ‘Mortgage critical to realistic housing policy’

    ‘Mortgage critical to realistic housing policy’

    Nigeria’s mortgage system currently cannot support a housing policy that will deliver affordable houses to Nigerians. This was the submission of a speaker at the recently concluded 2017 National Built Environment Conference (NABECON), which held at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State. The theme of the conference was Positioning the Construction Industry in Nigeria for National Economic Growth.

    While delivering his lecture titled Housing for all Nigerians: The Big Vision Test, at the conference, the Managing Partner, Costec Consultants, Mr. John Agele Alufohai, making reference to researches conducted by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), noted that high mortgage rates, which is usually given at short tenures; a difficult business environment, high inflation, and unstable policies, all combine to hampered the growth of the housing sector in the country. This, he further explained, is why there is an estimated deficit of 18 million housing units in the country. The research also revealed that the country needs to build 720, 000 housing units per annum at an annual cost of N56 trillion to bridge this gap.

    Explaining the link between what he called a “transformational” housing policy and the economy, Alufohai noted that a housing policy that works for all Nigerians – the rich, the poor, civil servants, small business people, artisans, informal sector workers and entrepreneurs, young graduates, young people with limited formal education, banks, construction companies etc. – will boost construction activities and make a significant contribution to economic development.

    He, therefore, suggested that the country should adopt the mortgage system of other countries that have delivered housing for both the rich and poor.

    “The most efficient focus of housing policy is for the government to assist millions of Nigerians obtain lower-interest mortgages; this is how most citizens are helped to acquire houses in many countries with successful housing policy such as Singapore, South Africa and Malaysia,”  Alufohai argued.

    Alufohai, a former president of the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors (NIQS) also noted that because a house is the single biggest investment for an overwhelming majority of people, an efficient mortgage system is critical to providing accommodation for most Nigerians. He revealed that less than three percent of Nigerians acquire their homes through mortgages, just as many others invest in building houses of different costs and quality without any help whatsoever from the government.

    He, therefore, proposed a modeling of Nigeria’s mortgage system after that of Singapore, whose citizens obtain 20 to 30-year low interest mortgages through a pool of funds into which all workers must contribute 20 percent of their salary to acquire houses

    Said he: “The clear solution to me is the Singapore model – creating a pool of funds into which everybody contributes monthly and from which everybody borrows to buy a flat or house. The Federal Government ‘tops up’ contributions into this remodeled National Housing Fund (NHF) with at least N10 billion every year and it’s perfectly alright if it spends every kobo on its intervention in housing on this”.

    Singapore, he further revealed, was once a once poor island in Southeast Asia, which evolved from a third to first world economy between 1965 (when it gained independence from the British) and 2000. Under Lee Kuan Yew, the country’s first Prime Minister, the government transformed huge swathes of urban sprawls and slums into well-planned cities that spurred economic dynamism and growth.

    He said although the country’s NHF attempted the Singapore model, but it failed. “One of the key reasons for the failure is contributors couldn’t access the loans because they couldn’t afford the deposit for the houses,” said Alufohai, adding that the NHF also failed because of the high interest rates charged on mortgage loans. He noted that a non-inflationary fiscal policy, flexible, sustainable exchange rates and hence, low interest rates are important to attaining a mortgage system that will also attract foreign investment into mortgage market.

    On the role of government in the remodeled system he said, “it could provide a subsidy on the interest on mortgage loans by investing or contributing funds into this pool of ‘forced savings’ – this would have been an excellent use of the petrol subsidy.”

    The chairman of the organising committee, Prof Ikem Mbamali, said the conference brought together scholars, industry professionals/practitioners and senior public service officials/administrators, exploring current developments and advances in the re-organisation of the construction industry for effective contribution to national economic growth.

  • Vestergaard’s Lifestraw debuts in Nigeria

    With an estimated 124,000 children under the age of five dying annually as a result of diarrhoea, caused mainly by  consumption of unsafe water, sanitation and hygiene, an indigenous firm, EnvironFocus Limited, has signed an agreement with Vestergaard, a global health company dedicated to improving the health of vulnerable people in developing countries, to distribute LifeStraw.

    LifeStraw products are instant microbial water purifiers, an innovative safe drinking water solution, developed with Nigeria and other developing countries in mind. It is approved by the UN Foundation; certified by the World Health Organisation and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) drinking water standards.

    With this technology, the lack of adequate safe water and sanitation, which are also major causes of other diseases, including respiratory infection and under-nutrition, for about 70 million people, out of a population of 171 million that lacks access to safe drinking water, according to the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), will soon be a thing of the past.

    Speaking at the unveiling of LifeStraw to the Nigerian public in Lagos, Country Director-Vestergaard Africa Limited, Steve Otieno, noted that at least 1.9 billion people are reported to rely on either unimproved  sources or improved sources that are faecally contaminated. It is in these settings  that household  water treatment  (HWT) and safe  storage can serve  as an important interim measure to make drinking water safer as provided by LifeStraw. He said the products created by Vestergaard, a Swiss company, has the advantage of preventing  waterborne diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid, cholera, worms, and cryptosporidiosis.

    “They remove 99.9999 percent of bacteria; 99.99 percent of protozoan cysts and 99.999 percent of viruses. They are affordable, durable, easy to install, use and maintain. There are different models that will provide individuals,  schools, businesses, families, churches and communities with instant access to safe clean drinking water on the go and in a location. Water used can be from any source – river, lake, well, stream, tap etc”, he added.

    Also,  Otieno  said  heath gains from HWT and safe storage can only be achieved when  treatment  products are effective in removing pathogens  from drinking water and are used correctly and consistently.