The month before the London 2012 Olympics, another event will take place which will deal with more urgent issues, concerning the present and the future of the Earth. Unfortunately, this event has been by-passed by the information super highway.

Artisans in the building industry last week in Lagos, called on the Federal and State Governments, corporate organisations and individuals to desist from hiring the services of foreign artisans to work on construction projects in the country.

The Lagos State Government has unveiled plans to issue new Certificates of Occupancy, Cs of O to title holders in the state. Governor Babatunde Fashola who disclosed this at a press briefing to mark his 1,800 days in office, said the new Cs of O would be a more secure document, said the transition from the old certificate to the new one, would be seamless.

The greatest challenge for the management of Lagos and similar cities is how to make its running costs affordable and compatible with the earning capacity of its citizens.

A one-day National conference on sustainable alternative material to road construction will hold in Lagos on Thursday. The conference is being organised by the Cement Manufacturers Association of Nigeria CMAN in partnership with Business Day Media Limited, publishers of Business Day Newspapers, and Prize Communications Limited.

Top estate surveyors and valuers, private property developers and mortgage operators have decried the absence of a virile mortgage finance system which has led to the “cash and carry” syndrome in housing transactions in the country.

Since the current Minister of Environment, Hajia Hadiza Ibrahim Mailafia was appointed, she has demonstrated her passion to further the course of Environmental Governance especially at the federal level.

The Quantity Surveyor Registration Board of Nigeria, QSRBN, has called on the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC, and the Independent Corrupt practices and other related offences Commission, ICPC, to urgently set up Project Cost Auditing and Monitoring departments in order to curb corrupt practices in the award of government projects.

Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat last week, unveiled plans to construct seven pedestrian bridges in different parts of the state. The Commissioner also debunked allegations that the road construction and development agenda of the Fashola administration favours some localities over others in the state.

To ensure speedy provision of basic engineering infrastructure to the Federal Capital Territory, the FCT Administration has formalised a new policy called “land for infrastructure swap model”.

A lot of words have been spoken by the Federal Government over its commitment to tackle the challenges of Climate Change in Nigeria. The challenges are no longer in the realm of will-be. They are here in Nigeria and they are taking tolls on the country increasingly.