‘How land grabbers hinder building development in Lagos’

The issue of collapse building especially in cities like Lagos and Abuja have been a recurring issue, what do think is the cause and how can it be solved? Whenever a building collapsed, there must be a failure somewhere, I mean a structural deficiency brings down a building, it is either substandard materials or human […]

The issue of collapse building especially in cities like Lagos and Abuja have been a recurring issue, what do think is the cause and how can it be solved?
Whenever a building collapsed, there must be a failure somewhere, I mean a structural deficiency brings down a building, it is either substandard materials or human factors are responsible for the collapse of a building. If an architect put up a drawing, it is the duty of the civil engineer to ensure that every detail is not compromised, whenever such occurs, it means the details are compromised. In our own case, we have our consultants that work hard to ensure that we deliver quality buildings.
 
How can the government solve this problem?
The government of the day has started to embrace local materials and production for building which is a welcome idea. I believe it is better to encourage the local production of raw materials for our building so that it can stand the test of time.

How do you think the country can tackle housing deficit ?
As I have said, if government can go into local production by using local raw materials for construction. It will address the problem of housing deficiency. The government needs to encourage estate developers so that they can build more low cost housing estates for the low income earners.  In developed countries, there are different types of properties, according to citizens class and needs.
The class structure in Nigeria need to be addressed, if one is entitled to two or three bedrooms, it should be given to the person, not giving  a duplex to a small family.

The issues of land grabbers (Omo onile) is a problem to land development in Lagos, what is your view and how do you think the law against the act which was recently signed by the state government can be effective?
We have been victim of land grabbers and I can explain how they operate, the real estate is very juicy in Lagos state, where all investors are coming into. So, we thank the Lagos state government for enacting  such a law, because the hindrance behind development is the land grabbers. So, this law is an ease to every investors that will come to establish because land is the resource the state rely so much on. So, I believe with the law against their evil activities, we are going to move ahead.

How has the economic crises affected your sector?
Over the time, we have been investing on lands, building and properties that are rented by our tenants with fees and remuneration. Apart from that, if one invests on building with local materials, you can accrue your profits through the means of minimizing your cost as a result of using local materials. So, in my own view,  the word `recession` did not affect the sector because we build low cost houses using local materials to meet the housing need of low income earners.

Your organization recently bagged  an award by African Quality Achievement, what gave your firm the edge to have received such award ?
For over a decade, we have been  making sure that our constructions meet up with required  standard.