Operators seek govt’s intervention at building summit

By Maduka Nweke

 

Building experts at the 2024 BuildExpo in Lagos have appealed to the Federal Government to do tread all legitimate paths to develop and salvage real estate in the country.

The experts who spoke to Daily Sun bemoaned the laissez-faire attitude of successive governments in the country which they say was killing industries including manufacturers of building materials and forcing many of them to relocate to nearby countries.

They blamed the skyrocketing price of property and building materials in the country to the fact that most of the products used in building are imported.

In his remarks, Mr.  Jude Chime, CEO Elan Exhibition West Africa Limited and the organizer of the 8th International Construction, Building Materials and Technology Expo Build Expo said, “we talked about building collapse, which generated heated discussions among stakeholders”. He said the most important submission was that there was the need to collaborate and not work in silos.

“Until we begin to do this, we may have a lot of problems in the industry on a daily basis.

“For instance, an engineer wants to do the job of architect, builder, structural engineer and surveyor at the same time. This won’t help the industry. We must go back to the specifics and allow individual experts to do their jobs. There are policies to guide against such practices but the problem is its adherence and implementation.

“Nigerians must also be aware that when they want to start their building projects, they must consult the professionals and carry out due diligence.

“The government also needs to do more, especially the town planning departments. For example, a lot of people don’t understand what a three metres setback is all about, and they just build. A lot of reorientation needs to be done in the society to safeguard the citizens and investments,” he said.

He further said, “I have always been advocating that the government stabilise the naira. If you are trying to convince an investor to come to Nigeria, a critical factor to be examined is the stability of the naira. If the currency is unstable, on what basis is the investor going to plan and make a forecast for business growth? If an investor is not able to do a forecast for at least five years, it becomes challenging to become part of the business community.

In his contribution, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ove Arup & Partners Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Kunle Adebajo, called for the enactment and enforcement of stringent building codes to mandate the construction of safe and fit -for-purpose buildings. He said this would also promote the use of sustainable alternatives where applicable, as the industry must drive home the importance of these codes.

Adebajo stated that the National Building Code is long overdue for a complete update and overhaul. He noted that the ideal approach would involve a comprehensive revamping exercise, enabling state and local development control authorities to drive sustainable development more effectively.

He, however, noted that the reality of building practices within the country often shows a disregard for these existing codes. “Policies can also mandate the use of high-quality, locally sourced materials, which not only supports local economies but also reduces transportation costs and environmental impact by reducing carbon emissions.

«Government and the Industry’s governing bodies play a crucial role in shaping the regulatory framework, incentivizing practices that can ensure the industry’s sustained relevance and capacity to withstand future challenges. This includes fostering green designs, sustainable building practices, certification programmes and prohibiting the use of non-environmentally friendly designs and substances,” he concluded.

In her comments, Mrs. Amaka Onyiuke, Head Architect Department, West African Ceramics Limited said the Company is here to display Royal Ceramics produced by the company. We bring the company’s products to market them to the wider world.

According to her, Nigeria should stop importing some of the building materials produced locally because such practices will not support local content. “If we keep importing from abroad, we keep supporting foreign economy to grow at the expense of our own economy. We will keep using foreign currency, we keep destroying our own products even as we know that those foreign products passed the stage we think is poor.  Although, the ease of doing business in the country is not all that conducive because the infrastructure, the electricity that supplies the power to generate the machines, the insecurity plus double taxation are all killing the companies in the country. The high cost of production in the country is highly affecting manufacturing companies here.

“We have been here for over three decades and you can see we are still powering. Because our products are 100 percent local content, we don’t have any alternative than to keep on doing our best to provide the populace with the tiles to save them the stress of going abroad to import what we can create and manufacture here in the country. Another thing that keeps us in business is affordability. Our products are affordable because all the materials that go into the production are locally sourced. Again the fluctuation of the dollar ought not to affect our production, but those we engage to do one or two things will have to go to the market to buy things like the other people so when petroleum products rise it will rise for everyone.

Speaking at the Build Expo, Mr. Victor Okafor Admin Manager, Dofas Nigeria Limited said that gathering is an opportunity to showcase the products and market them to the willing clients.  He said, “We have been in business in Nigeria for more than 30 years but doing business in Nigeria has not been very conducive. The dollarization of the nation’s economy, electricity supply that has not been very appealing to businesses and security challenges are the factors stopping our company from establishing a factory in Nigeria.

“All our products are manufactured in Germany and they are of the same high quality. Our products, sanitary wares are produced from one spot so the quality is always assured. The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in terms of advantages to our business can only come after the man has stayed at least two years and some months. It is too early to judge the President because the country before him has already been rotten. Everybody can see how the problems he met accumulated from the past however, I can say he is doing well now but he needs everybody’s support to be able to wriggle out of the problems. It will take some times to correct the bad in the system,” he said.