The Nation Newspaper

Tag: houses

  • NIPC, investors to build affordable houses for poor

    NIPC, investors to build affordable houses for poor

    Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) is partnering foreign investors to build affordable houses for the poor, its Executive Director, Mrs. Uju Baba, said yesterday.

    Mrs. Baba, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, noted that there was a huge gap in the country’s housing sector.

    She added that the NIPC partnership was with investors from Brazil and Turkey.

    The commission’s executive director explained that it was the commission’s pet project to bring in foreign investors into the country, noting that “I am hopeful that by the end of this year, the companies will be in the country”.

    The NIPC boss said the companies were willing to build certain category of houses using a new system that would be affordabile for the poor.

  • Suspected cultists set house, cars ablaze in Lagos

    Suspected cultists on Sunday set ablaze a building and two vehicles at Ogijo, Ikorodu, a Lagos suburb.
    The arsonists were said to attacked the properties belonging to the father of a leader in a rival cult group, located beside Omoleye hospital in Ogijo.
    It was learnt that the groups have had several clashes in the neighbourhood, destroying properties and valuables.
    The Nation gathered that the attacks have forced residents to flee their homes for fear of being hurt by the cultists.
    It was learnt that before the hoodlums set the house ablaze, they damaged two vehicles parked in the compound.
    They were said to have poured petrol on the building and lit it, keeping watch to ensure it was completely razed.
    But an eyewitness was said to have informed firemen at Ikorodu, who got to the scene on time to quench the fire.
    However, they were obstructed by the cultists, who threatened to burn the firemen and their truck if they do not vacate the premises.
    Confirming the development, the state fire service director, Rasaq Fadipe said the arson was reported at about 10:26am.
    “Someone ran to the station to report the outbreak and firemen moved to the site to contain it.
    “But some boys came around and halted firemen from quenching the fire. They threatened to burn the men and the truck if they don’t leave the site.
    “I do not know why they set the building ablaze but I learnt it belonged to the father of a rival cult member.”
    Fadipe also admitted that the fire service attended to a distress call at the Pan African University.
    According to him, the call was received at about 3:40pm, adding that the inferno started at the school’s diesel tank that supplies its generator.
    He said the fire destroyed the tank, the generator, as well as a PHCN cable.

  • 47 princes from four ruling houses in race for Ooni

    •11 make Giesi ruling house’s shortlist

    No fewer than 47 aspirants have indicated interest in the contest for Ooni of Ife’s throne, it was learnt at the weekend.

    The late Ooni, Oba Okunade Sijuwade, passed away on July 28. He was 85.

    The mourning of the monarch ended last weekend, clearing the way for aspirants to register their intention officially.

    From across the four ruling houses, over 47 princes have signified their intention to succeed Sijuwade.

    The four ruling houses are Lafogido, Giesi, Ogboru and Osinkola.

    Of the lot, 35 princes have submitted intention letters from the Giesi ruling house alone.

    The ruling house is expected to produce the next Ooni, according to a government gazette.

    But 11 princes from the ruling house have been shortlisted  from the 35 pushing for the stool.

    Among those shortlisted  are Princes Aderemi Adeniran, Alani Adelowo, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Taye Ogunleye, Adegboyega Ologbenla and Gbadegesin Ologbenla.

    Others are Princes Adetunji Adeyemi Ogunwusi, Bankola Ojulalayo Adediwura, Adegboyega Adediran, Olajide Adejoba, and Adetona Sikiru Ayedun.

    However, names of the proprietor of the Oduduwa University, Prince Rahman Adedoyin, and the Director-General of the Osun State Broadcasting Corporation, Prince Soji Fadehan are not listed.

    It was gathered that 35 princes from the ruling house initially showed interest in contesting the stool.

    But to increase the chances of the ruling house, a committee was set up to work on the list of contestants.

    It was learnt that the ruling house held a meeting at the weekend at the family’s compound on Agbedede lane in Ile-Ife to screen the contestants.

    After the meeting  yesterday, the report of the Selection Screening Committee was submitted to Prince Modupe Fadehan, the family head of Giesi.

    A source at the meeting said the screening was fair.

    Preferring not to be named, the source said: “Well, that is a good development for us and we are sure that a good man will be picked as the Ooni. This is the normal process and we know it won’t cause any disaffection.

    “The normal thing is that the ruling house will send names of qualified candidates to the kingmakers. For instance, the Ogboru family sent 14 names out of which the late Oba Sijuwade emerged.”

    It was not clear if the kingmakers had narrowed the contest down to only the Giesi Ruling House, which last produced an Ooni over a century ago, when Derin Ologbenla ruled the town.

    In the Lafogido ruling house, no fewer than 10 princes are interested in the stool with at least one each from Osinkola and Ogboru ruling houses.

    Another source from Lafogido ruling house, who preferred anonymity, said that the ruling house had not adopted any aspirant.

    According to him, a meeting of the committee of the entire ruling house, which comprises eight royal families, is slated for today where aspirants are also expected to appear.

    Intention forms have been designed and some aspirants have picked the forms.

    Sources in Ile Oodua, the Ooni’s palace, said letters requesting submission of names of qualified candidates from the kingmakers may be sent out to ruling houses this week.

  • Firm set to deliver 500 houses in Abuja

    As part of Federal Government’s efforts to bridge the housing gap, a private firm, B.A.M. Projects & Properties, has promised to build and deliver 500 affordable housing units in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The Communications Officer of the firm, Kelvin God’swill Musa, said the project located at BELHAM Estate in Karsana District near Gwarimpa Housing Estate, is being developed on a 45-hectare of land. The units are: two-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom town houses, three-bedroom luxurious apartments, four-bedroom detached bungalows and five-bedroom villas.

    The Director, B.A.M Projects and Properties, Mr Abba Bello Mohammed, told reporters, shortly after the just-concluded Ninth Abuja Housing Development Exhibition which was held at the International Conference Centre (ICC) that his company had since three years ago embarked on the project having successfully completed all necessary building processes. An approval by the FCTA for a development lease was thereafter issued to the company under the mass housing scheme of the FCDA.

    He disclosed that his company is an emerging mass housing developer to watch in the FCT armed with the endorsement and recognition of the FCTA to participate in the scheme based on its cognate experience, expertise and full compliance with the laid-down procedures of the government.

    According to him, his company gained official recognition after it completed all the necessary procedures for registration such as payment of compensation to original settlers, approval of the engineering design and a certified development planning design.

    On why information about the project had been delayed until now, Mohammed explained that the company chose to utilise the opportunity of the exhibition to showcase itself to the housing and property market. He said that his team wanted to be sure that the project had taken off as proof to the public of its seriousness about the project. He expressed delight that public response to the range and quality of the houses so far has been impressive and encouraging.

    “With B.A.M Projects & Properties, you can be sure of our sense of quality and care as they blend with our reputation. It is only when you enter the houses that you get a true idea of how much thought and care that went into each property. We have taken every opportunity to blend comfort with contemporary style with insistence on the very best fixtures and fittings. This is only good for our esteemed clients”, he said.

    He said BELHAM Estate which is about 10 minutes drive from the Central Business District of the Capital City represents the climax of his company’s over six years’ arrival into the nation’s housing industry, adding that the company is founded  on the philosophy of “just do it well, the patronage will surely come”.

    “Our passion for craftsmanship, exploring  architectural heritage and for interior design has led to BAM’s projects being garlanded many times over in the industry and the media. By consistently maintaining standards and implementing a progressive programme of innovation, we have successfully participated in some of the best high profile schemes in the housing industry”he said

  • Flood destroys 418 houses in Bauchi

    Four hundred and eighteen houses have been destroyed by flood in Misau, Darazo and Tafawa Balewa local government areas of Bauchi State, the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has said.

    The flood also damaged belongings worth N70 million.

    The Secretary of the Humanitarian Coordination team of SEMA, Alhaji Abubakar Umar, who confirmed this to our correspondent in Bauchi, said: “There were no casualties.”

    He said: “Eighty homes were destroyed in Misau Local Government, with 197 farms submerged. Rice, guinea corn, maize, groundnut and millet were affected.

    “In Darazo Council, 338 homes were washed away.”

    Umar said over 13 communities in Tafawa Balewa Local Government were affected by the flood.

    According to him, the crops washed away in the council included sweet potato, rice, guinea corn, corn, millet, groundnut, pepper and others.

    He said SEMA, in collaboration with other stakeholders, was working to ensure that relief materials were given to the victims.

    The secretary, who said most of the victims were taking refuge in the homes of their relatives, advised people not to build houses on water ways.

    The Disaster Management Coordinator of the Nigeria Red Cross Society, Mr. Yahaya Inuwa Bello, said the organisation had carried out sensitisation campaigns through its divisional offices in Itas- Gadau, Zaki and Gamawa local governments, as part of efforts to reduce the level of damage caused by flood.

     

     

  • Flood destroys 148 houses in Sokoto

    One hundred and forty-eight houses were destroyed by flood, which ravaged parts of Gwadabawa Local Government Area of Sokoto State last Saturday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the disaster struck the headquarters of the local government and Galadunchin-tsauri, Gidan-Dogaza, as well as ‘Yar-Gada villages.

    The Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the council, Alhaji Aminu Aya, told reporters that nobody died.

    He said most of the victims were squatting with relatives and neighbours, pending the rehabilitation of their houses.

    “Farm produce stored in silos and farmlands have been washed away. The extent of damage caused by the disaster has been conservatively put at millions of naira,” Aya added.

    He said the council had set up a seven-man committee, which had assessed the extent of damage.

    “We have reported the disaster to the government through the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA).

    “We are, therefore, appealing to the state and Federal Government to help the victims, as they have lost everything.

    “We have earmarked N820,000 for the purchase of relief materials to be donated to the victims.

    “They include food, blankets, rubber mats and others to help in providing succour to them,” Aya said.

    One of the victims, Buhari Alhassan, said he was happy that nobody died. He appealed to the state and Federal Government, as well as donor agencies to assist them.

    “We have lost our belongings and food to the disaster. We are surviving through the mercies of God, relatives and well-wishers.”

     

  • ‘Low-income Nigerians can own houses’

    ‘Low-income Nigerians can own houses’

    Mr. Babajide Alade, an architect is the MD/CEO of Structuracasa, a construction company focused on large mass housing development projects.  He speaks with HANNAH OJO on how technology can be deployed to meet housing demands in the country 

    What is your take on recent developments in the housing industry in Nigeria?

    Nigeria has a population that is almost approaching 190 million people, the same size as the United States of America that has a land area that is obviously much bigger. The housing sector is still standing by government policy but the government is trying. I think people are shining their spotlight in the housing area.  The Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company, a new entity is basically starting a secondary market for mortgage finance.  There are not so many banks that can just give out a 100 billion in mortgages so the Mortgage Refinance Company is now buying those mortgages off the banks and structuring them into instruments to sell to investors. That way, the banks have constant capital to be creating mortgages. I think that is one key thing that I see as a policy and a government intervention to help spark housing finance industry in Nigeria.  I am really looking forward to the time we would have a viable industry in Nigeria.

    You accumulated experience practising in real estate development in the United States, what are the things Nigeria can learn when it comes to developing mass housing projects?

    I made a tour of Mexico while I was doing my MBA at the Marshal School of Business in the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. Mexico is somewhat similar socio-economically to Nigeria whereby the population breakdown has some few wealthy people at the top although in Mexico they have a decent middle class and then they have a large population of low wage earners. One of the policy trust of President Vicente Fox then was housing. They were basically giving the challenge to the people in the industry to figure out the best way to create mass housing. That involved both the architects and the builders, but more importantly it involved the financial system. They had some policy changes regarding mortgage finance, land laws and land tenure systems. Some of the issues that we are having in Nigeria currently is related to land use but they were able to put things together in a way that allowed large scale housing development. The big engine that was pulling that is housing finance with the most important being mortgage finance.  The fact that they were able to have a successful mortgage finance system enabled low earners who were participating in the society to buy houses that were equivalent at the time of 20-30 dollars. We are talking about 4/5 million equivalent in naira with the ability to pay over 20-30 years whereby they are using only about 25 to 35 percent of their household income.

    How possible is it to repeat this feat in Nigeria where middle income earners find it difficult to own houses?

    I believe this is possible in Nigeria.  Those are the things that drove me into returning after practising in the US.  I felt with my understanding of Nigeria since I grew up here and lived my early life in Nigeria; I could see the difference between Nigeria and some of these countries. In the US, consumer spending is about  70 percent of the economy. There is a big industry related to things that has to do with housing just because housing growth was robust, you have that creating a lot of jobs and that helping to sustain the economy. That is missing completely in Nigeria. That is one opportunity I believe is available for Nigeria. We haven’t task it yet, though we are beginning to try.  The other thing I noticed about Nigeria especially in the mid 2000-2005 when democracy got truly entrenched in 1999 is that a lot of my friends and colleagues in the UK and the United States were coming back to Nigeria. There was a repatriation of experts and we noticed a significant improvement and forward thinking modern ideas in various sectors of the economy.

    Basically, the whole economy is modernising and of the pieces that hasn’t really been touched except in the very highbrow areas in Nigeria like Lagos, Port-Harcourt and Abuja is housing estates.  What is occurring in a large part of the country is that people build incrementally whereby they want to build something bigger but they start small and start adding to it overtime. It’s similar to what you have in agriculture where you have subsistence farming versus mechanized industrial farming. You can translate that into the housing industry. Where there is an opportunity to be able to build large scale housing estate that could afford several things; you can put in infrastructure so everybody is not just building where there is no roads and drainages and gradually it becomes a slum. The problem with housing as it is also with agriculture is land tenure and finance.  Again, there is a huge population of able bodied people who need housing.  A lot of people in middle management find it very difficult to be able to have their own house but in other developing societies like Mexico and Brazil, they can.  So those are the things that I saw that encouraged me to make a plunge back to Nigeria. I felt government was instituting some business regulations that are encouraging the development of job, creating industries and allowing the middle class to grow. That really is a direction that would continue in Nigeria even though there would be hiccups.

    Having identified the issue, what innovation is your company bringing to solve the housing challenge in Nigeria?

    Structuracasa was registered in 2010 but we began operation in 2011 with a small prototype. The main focus of our company is the democratisation of home ownership in Nigeria and across West Africa.  We are currently participating in the construction of housing and we are deploying a technology that we introduced into the country which is called the Aluma Easyset. We are the pioneer and we hold the right to deploy that system of construction in Nigeria. We did get approvals from the various state planning authorities which are the bodies that supervise housing constructions.  We have been working to make whatever local content element we need to test it and to ensure that what we are preparing to deliver enmass to the public is well suited and well-grounded for Nigeria.    We have worked in Legacy estate Ibadan in Oyo State and Abeokuta in Ogun State. We are having discussions with people in Lagos and definitely we will like to work with the government on the benefit of using this novel system of construction to achieve their housing goals. The technology allows us to build much faster than the conventional construction and with better quality and actually at a lower cost especially when you have economics of scale, when you are building a 100 or more units of the same type. How can this technology work in Nigeria putting into consideration our socio-cultural peculiarities?

    We have done a lot of research. We are familiar with concrete in Nigeria. I studied and built in America.  I didn’t build with concrete in America, we were building with gypsum, drywall and wood studs, aluminium but in Nigeria nobody wants to hear what is going on in the next room. Those are some of the cultural things that we feel would ensure our own longevity. It happened in Mexico, there is no reason why it shouldn’t happen in Nigeria. You have a lot of people who want to buy houses and they are not ready to wait, they just want to buy. With the demand that comes with mortgage financing being readily available, there is going to be need for fast, good quality construction and at a lower cost construction. A lot of developers and banks are now going to be looking for solutions; we are already on ground in Nigeria. We are building up slowly and steadily and we have a track record.  The good thing about our system is that we don’t necessarily have to be the developer. We can sell or lease our system to developers or work with government for them to use this system of construction to build the carcass.

    Overcrowding has been a challenger whereby there is a huge population but there is no purchasing power, so how do you intend to get the houses across to people?

    That is a social engineering question. I have my own perception which can be policy ideas but in different countries, you look at the strata of your population and you put so many things in place to help the population. Job creation is important so that people can be gainfully employed and have some money. In some other countries, they provide subsidies for people who want to rent houses. When people cannot afford to own a house and they still need a place to live then the government gets involved somehow by building decent houses which people can rent, they don’t have to own it. The asset is an asset that is owned either by a cooperative or a government or non-profit organisation. Big cooperations can set aside their income and get tax benefits for providing low income housing. Our system of construction can also work in that way because when we are building large scale, we can actually build at a lower cost than the conventional construction. Ours will just be one little element out of a switch of things that can be done to help address housing at the very lowest rung. By building large estates, you can put some infrastructure in place so that people are not living in slum conditions.

    How do you tackle mass production in respect to climate change?

    With respect to climate change, the big area in which we are involved is the reduction in the use of timber which leads to the question of reducing some of the causative effects of deforestation. It is not easy to reforest. In the US and Canada where they have softwoods, they grow in 10-15 years. You can harvest and then constantly replant but that is difficult for us here. If you go to a typical construction site, they are using planks. Apart from the roof whereby the woods stay over the life of the building, all the other woods go to waste.   The rest are going to be burnt somewhere and then you release a lot of emissions. But we use  this aluminium panels, yes they are things and processes that cause carbon footprints while you are using them but these things can be used for over 500 times and after that they can be meted and recycled. That is a big area that we’ll say our own system of construction helps to reduce carbon emissions and carbon footprints.

  • Nigeria needs 12.8m houses in six years, says CMD chief

    • Centre, Western Atlantic partner on training

    Nigeria needs 12.8milion houses in six years to fix its housing problem, Centre for Management Development (CMD), Director-General,Dr. Kabir Usman.

    He spoke at the unveiling of an institute  – the Mortgage and Real Estate Academy (MOREACA DEMY) – in Lagos.

    He said the Federal Government, through the CMD and  a firm, Western Atlantic Corporation Limited (WACL), established the industry.

    Under the initiative, a public-private partnership, training would be held in Lagos and Abuja.

    “We need to build 2.8 million houses annually over the next six years to enable us bridge the housing deficit gap in the country,” Usman said, adding that mortgage facilities were out of the reach of several Nigerians; hence, the need to build capacity.

    He said the training had become essential to fill the gap in a country with a growing population and huge housing needs. The academy is a pilot scheme and would be replicated in other sectors, he added.

    Coordinator, MOREACA DEMY, who is also the Managing Director of WACL, Prince Ade Akinfolurin,Prince Dapo Adelegan, said the institution would offer compulsory training and certification to mortgage and real estate practitioners.

    He reiterated that it  was imperative for operators to participate in the course to keep them abreast of many innovations that would keep them competitive and sharpen their skill in the provision of affordable houses and mortgages, adding that ultimately, only professionals could render mortgage and real estate services.

    “By implication,” he noted, “all mortgage service providers, including relevant staff of government housing corporations and those responsible for provision of affordable housing, including mortgage bankers are required to register with MOREACADEMY for the annual, certification course.  He said professionalism would eradicate fraud.

    “For instance,” he pointed out, “when a property is transferred from one hand to the other, there is a tax that sellers and buyers are supposed to pay to government; such revenue has eluded the government over the years; the courses we offer at MOREACADEMY shall correct all the irregularities nationwide. Eventually, anyone, who does not have the sort of certification we offer, will not be licensed to practise Real Estate or Mortgage in the country.

    “What we offer is value added. This is on-the-job training; what is needed to develop the act of professionalism in our people, not people taking up a job and at the end of the day what they think they have is not what is applicable. What we are offering is what is applicable on the job for both mortgage and real Estate professionals. That is why we are the only agency, for now, that is registered in the country to offer the professional courses. Those who wanted to take this course in the past had had to travel outside the country.”

    According to Akinfolurin, for  years, the nation has suffered material, human and economic losses, arising from the fact that the real estate sector has been left in the hands of quacks.

    He said professionals in the sector  were less than 50 per cent, noting that this had led to the fraudulent practices in the industry.

    “Every economy is measured by the number and sophistication of real properties that adorn the landscape of a nation as well as quality of properties churned to its citizenry, be it commercial or residential. Without a properly planned and professionally managed housing system, citizens would be struggling. That is why in Nigeria, you see people working in Abuja but have to commute daily all the way from Kaduna. And lots of people have to live in Mowe or Ibafo or even close to Abeokuta, from where they go to work in Lagos. If they all have opportunities of living in Lagos, they will not live elsewhere,” Akinfolurin said.

    The trend, he further noted, could only be reversed by a veritable institution that would guarantee necessary capacity building programmes capable of taking the real and mortgage industry to an international height.

    “This is what MOREACADEMY sets out to achieve by instilling  professionalism,” he added.

    MOREACADEMY will offer courses in the real estate and mortgage education for mortgage loan originators, mortgage loan processors, underwriters, mortgage brokers, mortgage lenders, real estate brokers/agents, property managers, appraisers/valuers, and real estate inspectors/developers.

  • Association chief flays state of slaughter houses

    The President, Association of Small Business Owners of Nigeria (ASBON), Dr Femi Egbesola, has warned that poor slaughter houses across the country was putting public health at risk.

    Speaking with The Nation, Egbesola said there were no official controls to ensure meat safety and maintain consumer confidence.

    He warned of potential risks of  food borne diseases, adding that this can be minimised with stringent animal health control measures.

    Given the state of the abattoirs, he said consumers may eat meat containing contaminants.

    At some of the abattoirs, residents have complained  about bad odours from bloody fleeces loaded from the abattoirs. He said animals intended for human consumption and admitted to the slaughterhouses for slaughtering and dressing should be subject to inspections. Before animals are slaughtered, he said they should be inspected by qualified officials.

    He advised that animals arriving at the abattoir to be slaughtered should be inspected for signs of illness before they enter the premises.

    Throughout the slaughter process, Egbesola emphasised that meat inspection procedures should be carried out by trained personnel to identify signs of disease in the carcass.

    He stressed that a situation where quality control is compromised may lead to “dead and sick animals being slaughtered and sold.

    He called for proper audits of slaughterhouses to ensure that consumers are eating meat free from diseases and contaminants.

    He urged the government to involve more in the audit of meat production.

  • Why we burgle houses, by suspects

    Why we burgle houses, by suspects

    The Ondo State Police Command has arrested two footballers, Adeosun Ayodeji and Joshua Adegoke and their partner, Christopher Damilola over alleged burglary case.

    The suspects were paraded at the State Police Headquarter in Akure, the state capital, alongside 29 other suspected criminals for different offences.

    Adegoke, aged 22, who confessed to have participated in the crime, claimed that he was a member of a football team called Rising Star Football Club in the state, while his colleague, Ayodeji, 25, claimed to be a member of a football club in Ghana.

    According to Joshua, he was lured into stealing in order to raise money to enable him to travel abroad and continue his football career.

    ‘‘I was approached by a football agent, who was impressed about my soccer display during one of our training sessions. He promised to take me to Qatar if I could raise some money.

    ‘‘Since I don’t have any other means to raise the fund, I discussed with Deji, who is also playing in Ghana and we, together with Christopher, took to stealing,” he said.

    The State Commissioner of Police, Isaac Eke said luck ran out of them when they burgled houses at Araromi Street in Akure whose owners reported the incident to the police.

    Eke said his men recovered from the suspects handsets, laptops and flat screen televisions, among other items.

    The police boss also paraded four suspected rapists, six for robbery, four kidnappers, 14 secret cult members and one fraudster.

    Eke praised residents of the state for supporting the police with useful information; adding that the command is determined to make the state crime-free.