PROPERTY TRANSACTION GUIDE

'Alternative Technologies Will Ensure Affordable Housing'
By Michael Simire ,Houses & Homes Editor

Independent, Monday, 11th May 2009

The Federal Government will encourage the use of alternative building technology, other than conventional building system, to ensure affordable mass housing for the citizenry.

Minister of State for Works, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Grace Ekpiwhre, who made this disclosure during a recent inspection of the Public Private Partnership Housing Scheme with Sanderton Ventures Limited at the Games Village in Surulere and Alausa in Ikeja both in Lagos, pointed out that government had thought it fit that the private sector should actively participate with government at all tiers, for the development of the nation.

She said, "We, in the Federal Government in the Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development, and the housing sub-sector have decided to embrace this new phenomenon of partnership with the private sector. And, actually, it is covering a lot of gap and yielding results by the demonstration of what we are seeing today on site. We are calling on private investors to bring their expertise, to bring their finances, and to join hands with Government to ensure we deliver decent houses to our people."

The minister stated that her visit to the site was to promote the new building technology for other developers, and show to the rest of Nigeria the availability of this new method that delivers fast, durable and cost effective houses.

She went further, "The most important thing is the fast delivery. The issue of maintenance is reduced, because you don't need to paint. Any time it rains, it washes off. Anytime it stains you can just wipe. These are the things that we want to make sure other developers are aware of."

The use of private developers, she said, "is the trend globally, and it has been realised that government's fund alone cannot take care of all the infrastructure development and socio-economic development that it (government) needs to do."

She pledged the provision of affordable and decent houses that low income earners could afford, saying, "While some developers go for properties that probably low income earners cannot afford, there are other developers that are concentrating on houses that are affordable to low income earners. But, you know that from all brackets everybody depends on mortgage. We are trying to ensure we strengthen and reposition the mortgage institutions so that they can provide mortgage for all brackets."

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer, Sanderton Ventures Limited, Mr. Olu Fagbemi, represented by the Executive Director, Mr. Muyiwa Fagbemi, said the new building technology called Royal Canadian Sanderton Building System that utilises poly vinyl chloride (PVC) or plastic material with infill concrete re-enforcement in the hollow of the plastic frames.

He added that its raw material entails gas bye-products from the petro-chemical industry, and that it is waterproof, proven to be bulletproof, and earthquakes resistant. When it rains, the house looks new, he pointed out, adding that it takes a shorter time to build tha houses compared with the conventional homes.

Another new building technology inspected was quality and affordable residential estates and light commercial building using Light Gauge Steel Framing Technology.

President/Chief Executive Officer of Diplomat Property Company Limited, Mr. Emmanuel N. Iwuoha, explained to the minister that the manufacturing facility has a capacity to produce in excess of 2,000 single family detached homes per year. This product, he said, also provides builders with a superior solution to traditional building materials, with features including resistance to mold and mildew, high strength to weight ratio, speed of installation and reduced cycle time in construction.