PROPERTY ARTICLES

In its determination to contribute meaningfully to the Nigerian housing industry, a leading roofing products manufacturer, Nigerite Limited, is currently perfecting work on its research effort that promises to revolutionise building construction in the country.

The company, according to its Marketing Director, Mr. Toyin Gbede, has done extensive work on the "Building System Home," a panelised system of building affordable houses within two weeks.

He said that the system would be introduced once the company was satisfied with the series of testing currently going on, noting that the BSH would revolutionise the industry because it would cut down on wastages and give low income earners an opportunity to build quality houses.

Gbede explained that the reason why Nigerians had not embraced other systems of building methodologies introduced into the country was because they were more expensive than conventional ones because the components were largely imported.

He said that the BSH would essentially use Nigerite‘s products, which were largely locally sourced.

On the preference of Nigerians to build bogus houses, he said that what a typically young and single man needed as accommodation were a sitting room, bedroom, toilet and kitchen; which he could build with the BSH within two weeks, and add other rooms and facilities to the building as the size of his family increased.

Gbede said, "Nigerite is driven by its vision, which is to consistently transform the real estate landscape, leveraging on her global network to provide world-class, innovative and technology-driven building components solution, supported with exceptional customer service delivery, hence, have over the years, deployed necessary strategies and tactics to sustain her mission.

"The company has continually engaged in research and development, and in no distant future, shall be introducing some products that will greatly revolutionise building process and reduce construction time by 75 per cent, especially in the areas of affordable housing.

"She is also in the process of introducing other world-class roofing and ceiling solutions, complimentary roofing products and accessories, which will be mind-boggling. Nigerite shall soon achieve her objectives of becoming a one-stop building component company.'

In line with its continuous development, Gbede said that the company would soon be introducing the Superlightweight, SuperSeven and Litespan fibre cement roofing sheets, which hitherto had come in standard natural grey colour, in three new attractive colours in an effort to add colour to the Nigerian landscape.

He said that the company was the only Nigerian building manufacturing firm that offered full complimentary installation and maintenance services, including roof installation and PVC floor tile laying services to customers at competitive rates.

On the roof maintenance service, he said that the company was assisting customers to resuscitate their old and ageing roofs, noting that the roof, being the most exposed part of the building, was subject to severe weather conditions such as solar radiation, acid rain, humid air, dust, deposit of debris from polluted air, which eventually generate organic growth on roof surfaces.

Nigerite, according to the marketing director, has been heavily involved in corporate social responsibility ventures by undertaking the provision and replacement of traditional rulers‘ palaces, historic buildings, town halls and schools in towns and villages throughout the country.

The company is also funding the training and re-training of over 8,000 carpenters annually through seminars, which take place weekly. This, Gbede explained, was not limited to Nigerite‘s products, but meant to help the country solve the dearth of competent artisans in the country and improve their entrepreneurial skills.

He disclosed that the company‘s products met all international quality standards and were environmentally friendly with the NIS ISO 9001:2008, 14001:2004 and NIS BIS 18001:2007 certifications, and were being exported to Ghana, Republic of Benin, Togo and Liberia.