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He said the NIESV had sent out proposals to the Federal Government to look at housing as a total programme beyond the input of the private sector.

“The government must be involved in two key areas: social and investment housing that will incorporate everyone,” the NIESV president said.

“The Nigerian government should take a cue from Singapore; there should be a scheme to produce flats on a continuous basis yearly,” he added.

According to him, once the government begins massive construction of houses, jobs will also be created for the youth.

Patunola-Ajayi said that the institution aimed to take proactive steps on building membership, improving professional practice and public perception of the profession, and building on international affiliations in the next two years.

He said, “Membership of the institution is just about 5,000 compared to the population of the country; so, we are looking at creating awareness for members to register and come in to practise.

“We are also setting a higher standard to ensure quality; so, members will go through a modern technology-based procedure. We also want to intensify disciplinary measures so as to protect the profession’s image.”

He also said that the institution planned to train more real estate agents under the auspices of the Association of Estate Agents in Nigeria, which the NIESV created about two years ago to check quackery.

“The AEAN is one of the best things to have happened to estate agency and we are working in phases to improve their activities. Presently, we are doing prequalification of members,” Patunola-Ajayi said.

PUNCH.

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According to the association, the rate of socio-economic advancement of the country has been held down as a result of the attitude displayed towards physical planning by policymakers.

The outgoing President of ATOPCON, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, who spoke on the sidelines of the association’s annual general meeting, noted that the country had failed to appreciate the symbiotic relationship existing between economic planning and physical planning.

He said, “It has been shown at the global level that countries, which hinged their development strategies on sound physical planning principles, tend to have faster economic growth than those that did not. Now is the time for governments in Nigeria to review their efforts and concerns for physical planning.

“For instance, if a state government has about 10 towns, it could say it wants to start with two in the first year. It is not about putting figures; it is first of all accepting the value of development plan and knowing what these development plans will cost and do what we call a rolling plan. When you do physical development plans, there are also micro development plans. For instance, in Lagos, if you do a broad plan for Ikeja, you can do a plan for the central business district but it is better to start with a district or town plan or a master plan.”

He added that any government that resolved to do a development plan and follow it would benefit immensely from it.

“Our cities have been growing without any guide and that is why Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, will go to Kaduna and demolish. If there is a place earmarked for schools, you don’t go there and build residences.

“When investors come in, we should be able to say, ‘this is the development plan’. If you plan to have an airport in a place, for instance, you just move in and start the project,” he said.

Ogunleye noted that the high incidence of crime, homelessness, chaotic traffic and abuse of natural resources such as surface water, wetland and forest in towns and cities had been traced to poor or weak planning.

He added, “There is a need for effective funding of physical planning matters by all tiers of government. Besides, physical planning should be strengthened at the local government level, with some functions devolved to the local government areas.

“As the nearest form of government to the grass roots or communities, the councils ought to be able to carry out so much in physical planning. The various aspects of the 1992 Urban and Regional Planning Law with regard to the functions of the LGA should be implemented by all concerned.”

He said local governments had a role to play at some level, but lamented that they were not doing anything.

“Some of them don’t know the responsibility that rests on them; so, we are challenging them to look at the various laws. Let every city manager be convinced that they need to do development plans. If there are no development plans, we have not started; when there is a plan, the government is taken more seriously,” he said.

The President, Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, Mr. Femi Olomola, said the institute planned to pass down the culture of planning to the coming generation.

According to him, professionals are doing everything possible to advance the practice of town planning as well as create awareness about its importance in national and economic development.

He said, “The mission statement of the present council of the NITP is that between us and the next generation, there is a contract. We owe it to the next generation to create an environment that will make the young ones believe that once they register and practise, they do not only have a good living but also access to fortunes.”

Olomola said that based on this, the council aimed to create about five million units of jobs in consulting in the next few years.

The President, Town Planners Registration Council, Prof. Layi Egunjobi, noted that there was a need for town planning professionals to adopt the three ‘Ls’ (learning, leadership and law-abiding).

Egunjobi said these qualities would help to advance the practice of physical planning in the country as well as improve the level of professionalism in the industry.

“Professionals should see themselves as leaders that require patience, integrity and peaceful co-existence; no one should feel they know it all. We should continue to adapt to development in the world at large and the profession in particular,” he said.

According to Ogunleye, the association has reached out to state governments and some government agencies at the federal level to expose them to the values of planning.

“People travel abroad and see the layout of their cities; we can convince government that instead of allocating billions of naira to projects, they should first accept that they need to do a plan. The cities are growing without plans,” he said.

PUNCH.

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How has it been doing business in Nigeria?

For me, Nigeria is what I know, Nigeria is what I love; I love doing business in Nigeria. I was born in Nigeria; I grew up here and my entire career, apart from the time I worked in America, has been in Nigeria. I love it here so much that I spend a lot of time away from my family in the United Kingdom. I love the business, I love the people and I love the opportunity, and I want Emel to make a difference in the kind of products and services we provide in the country and the way we treat people, both directly and indirectly.

Having spent some time in Nigeria, I am sure you are aware of the problems the construction industry is facing with regard to artisans. What is your view about this?

I think that it is all about neglected careers and a neglected category of people; they haven’t really been able to get training; they are treated as mere workers and that is one of the problems we are trying to address, especially when it comes to roofing.

We have brought in the world leading expert in roofing by the name of Robb, who has been to Nigeria three times and he is going to be coming every two to three months. He is training artisans on technical installation and what happens when you install wrongly. It is not only about correct installation; it is about what is important and what impact it will have when you do things correctly or wrongly, and it is a combination of giving them technical skills and also a sense of pride.

We are working on making them take pride in what they do; if artisans are confident, the work they do can make a difference whether now or in two years or 50 years without a leak; and beyond your job, this is very important. From our level, we are working on recognising the importance of the artisans and helping to train them and instil a sense of pride and importance in them both physically and emotionally.

How do you think the government and other stakeholders in the private sector can come in to help too?

I will like to see everyone do the same thing that we are doing; it is a combination of making people feel important about their jobs and making them feel a sense of pride in their jobs, and it is about training them and giving them the right skills.

This is something that every stakeholder in the private sector should be doing with the people they work with on construction, roofing, plumbing or masonry projects. Whatever it is, we should all engage them. We also look forward to the government guiding us; you know it is easier for people to do things when they have some indication from the government as to why they should do it.

We are creating employment, which is a big message for today’s government to create more employment for the skills set and the government should also look for ways to support us and how they can encourage us to do this more often. I think the government should engage in talks with the private sector on what they want done and how they can help. There is a need for exchange of ideas and roundtable discussions.

Considering the kind of weather in Nigeria, how well do you think imported roofing sheets such as Tilcor that you distribute can work here?

Our roofing tiles are made to withstand all kinds of weather conditions, be it extreme heat, humidity, wind or snow, it is the same thing. For us, we have extreme heat, heavy rains and sometimes we have strong winds just like it is in Lagos. When properly installed, these stone-coated steel roofing sheets can last for 50 years.

Our product has maybe two or three years warrantee like others in its class but we have durability and the protection will last longer whether in rain or heat; it is protected from extreme conditions. Aesthetically, it also looks fairly attractive than some other kinds of roofing.

Tilcor is from New Zealand and New Zealand also has extreme heat and rains; so, they actually test their products themselves and that is why theirs is one of the best stone-coated roofing tiles in the world. They conduct over 15 tests, including freezing and extreme heat, for example. So, these tests are done to see that the product can last and it can certainly withstand the heat of Nigeria and the occasional storms that we have. It is also made from strong raw materials.

So, what kind of roofing do you consider appropriate for Nigeria?

There is nothing like inappropriate roofing at the end of the day; there are different levels of durability and weather protectiveness. Stone-coated is among the highest. Of course, there are many other roofing sheets, which can be more economical depending on people’s budget. It is not a one size fits everybody; it depends on your pocket and how much durability and protection you want.

There are many options available in the market but it also depends on what you are building. If it is a house, stone-coated is the best option, but if you are building a warehouse for instance, you probably need aluminium sheets for that.

Does poor roofing play any role in building collapse?

I don’t think so; I am not an expert but by my knowledge, roofing cannot lead to a building collapse. Building collapse has to do with poor foundation but what poor roof installation does is that it leads to leakages during the life cycle of the property, which can lead to damage and maybe people suffering within their homes.

The importance of the roof is also like the ‘gele,’ so, it is important to put a good one in place because if there are issues with your roof, it is very inconvenient to reroof while you are inside the building. It means that you have to leave the house while the roof is done again; that is why it is important to go for durable products that can last for 50 years at least.

You are going to pass your roof to your next generation and it is always good to pass a good legacy. The roof may not lead to building collapse but it is an extremely important element when you are building your house to get a properly installed roof so that your family is also protected.

The number of local manufacturers of roofing tiles in the country is growing and so is the clamour for incentives to boost the local industry. As an importer, how do you cope with competition, especially now that some stone-coated roofing tiles are already very popular in the country?

To the best of my knowledge, local manufacturers are making long-span roofing sheets and not stone-coated; I am not 100 per cent sure but I think all the stone-coated roofs in the country are being imported. But we are setting up a factory in Nigeria; we are just waiting to see what policies the new government is coming up with to protect industries and the structures that will be put in place. We are happy to set up an industry provided that it is not in a way that people can replicate the products and sell; it doesn’t make sense.

In our current scenario, the raw materials that we are sourcing are very high quality and we also have to see how our partners can provide the same high quality to the Nigerian market. For instance, steel coils, which form the base of the tiles and the natural stones that we coat the tiles with are 100 per cent natural stones. Those are sourced from New Zealand and we have to see how we can source them locally before we begin manufacturing so that the raw materials are not compromised simply because we are manufacturing locally.

Currently, we are importing but we are also contributing to local content development through the training of the artisans to make them knowledgeable about the product and install according to world standard. We are raising their skills set to compare with roofers in any other part of the world. We have trained over 600 artisans; so, we are contributing to local content and local content development in the country.

How do you get the artisans to train?

We have an open training where all the people interested can come in. Our plan is to have Tilcor-trained artisans but not employed by us; they are freelancers. We are open to train as many as come forward and there are no requirements, you just have to be someone interested in developing yourself and take pride in what you are going to learn. We are also open to working with the government.

What is your assessment of the roofing industry in the country?

I think with the amount of construction that is happening and is going to happen in Nigeria, there are huge opportunities for all the roofing companies; there is a market for many kinds of roofing, a wonderful huge market opportunity for everyone. All I will just say to everyone is to get their products and installation right. It is an important job, make sure that your products and installation are of high quality.

PUNCH.

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He stated that this would protect and preserve the environment and make it more conducive for habitation for human beings and other creatures.

He spoke during ANAP’s summit in Ilorin on Saturday.

Idowu said, “I will support 100 per cent the adoption of green architecture in Federal Government housing schemes and indeed, all projects that have to do with building.

“Members of the profession should support that 100 per cent too; in fact, the profession is not just to support, it should encourage and advocate that green architecture should be the in thing.”

He stated that like in some other professions, there is the challenge of quackery in the architectural profession in the country.

According to him, many people have not seen their practice as a way of engendering professionalism; some view it as a way of grabbing as much as they can.

He also said that architects should not be held responsible for building collapse in the country.

He stated that the structural stability of a building is the responsibility of the structural engineer.

“However, there is also what we call architectural failure in which case a building or structure will be standing but not functioning the way it should function. It may be standing offensively to the eye. Such building may eventually lead to structural failure and affect the wall.

“If some architectural failures are not addressed, they can lead progressively to building collapse,” Idowu said

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She stated that this would fast-track timely and cost-efficient housing delivery in the country.

Olatunji said, “‘The real estate sector needs a one-stop shop in order to remove ambiguity, overlapping or contradicting laws and functions, and to take into consideration the pressing development needs of a fast urbanising nation.

“It is imperative, therefore, that the federal and state building laws are consolidated in a simpler format and streamlined according to the current needs and trends.”

She also canvassed the resolution of the perennial conflicts among inter-governmental agencies over which of them had the supreme authority on the approval of procedures and perfection of titles.

The Grenadines Homes’ boss added that the multiplicity of regulatory bodies was a major hindrance to business and that the situation was creating room for corruption.

Olatunji said undue bureaucracy usually encountered in the course of seeking approval was the bane of the country’s real estate sector.

According to her, the condition under which players and investors in the real estate sector operate currently is unfriendly, cumbersome, anti-business and generally very ambiguous.

She said, “Rules and processes are in place for the protection of the real estate sector, but what we actually want is for somebody to give us timely updates on the approval process. We want to know if the title applications are being processed or if there are issues.

“We want to know if the designs meet the specifications; we want to know if everything is okay. What we don’t want is to go half way down the development journey only to find out that there are issues.”

She also noted that the non-delegation of authority and the consequent needless long wait because of the absence of some officials in charge of approvals was a setback in the running of government business.

Olatunji added, “They will tell you the governor has sent the engineer somewhere; so, this week, nothing is happening and these are the things that really do frustrate us. When we are being stalled by government processes, it becomes integrity issue for us because we keep giving clients one excuse or the other, because of the engineer who has personalised the office.

“The solution to dealing with this thorny issue is to make the processes very clear from the outset. What the sector really needs are concise guidelines on what we have to do, how much it will cost and how long it will take. If we have that, then we are on a good starting point and this will prevent unscrupulous people from defrauding the system.”

She said parameters for measurement, which should allow for effective planning, should be set up, adding that the industry would be better served when those responsible for processing applications were held up to a high standard where they could state periodically how many applications they received, how many had been processed and how many were pending; and the time to process them.

“That is when the sector can be taken seriously,” she concluded.

PUNCH.

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