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By Zika Bobby
The menace of building collapse would continue unless government puts drastic measures in place.
Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Lashone Group, Dr. Lanre Shonekan said this at the 13th annual stakeholders conference themed: ‘Business Globalisation Exceptionalism’, in Lagos.
He expressed sadness that housing deficit and building collapse have remain issues yet to get the necessary government attention.
“As one who operates internationally, I think I am well schooled on this matter and I understand the market very well. As a member of the Chartered Institute of Housing in London, I will start with our policies. We need to make a lot of changes starting with the land acquisition process. That is where the problem starts from. We are still living on the 1978 Acts which says that all lands belong to the government. That the government is the custodian of the land. In as much as that continues, it will continue to dictate the play. Also, it’s not that easy in getting proper documentation when it comes to acquiring land in Nigeria. Moving on to development, we see a lot of incompetence. We have engineers we know nothing about and who know nothing about buildings. Deficiency in human capacity. How effective is the Standard Organisation of Nigeria? Cement ratio mixture, the type of iron rods used, and so on. There are so many things that are not right and as far as these remain unchecked, buildings will continue to collapse. Don’t forget that a lot of people cut corners when building, there is corruption in the system. To begin to solve this problem, the government should make lands available, subsidise building materials, there should be easy mortgage payment, and proper training of professionals,” he said.
Shonekan, who is also a pastor said Nigerians must begin to look for solutions in problems in order to tackle unemployment which has remain a major challenge in the country, stressing that Lashone Group which started as a company, came into existence out of the desire to build a business capable of providing jobs for others and to raise young entrepreneurs who will help reduce the problem of unemployment across the country.
“It started as a real estate firm and a business school. The school was to train people for free. I partnered with Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) to send about 200 people there every year, including the ministry of youths and sports, ministry of women affairs and poverty alleviation. We are strengthening the economy through youth empowerment and job provisions. This is one of the ways we give back to society,” he said.
Sharing the progress the group has made since inception, Shonekan said it has expanded to many countries such as the United Kingdom, Ghana, South Africa and the United States.
After a raffle draw, two winners emerged land owners with over 50 participants going home with various food items.
