Organisers of the annual Lagos Housing Fair say this year’s edition of the event is aimed at focusing the attention of stakeholders on the role of indigenous technology in housing delivery.

Chairman of the Fair Committee, Mr. Moses Ogunleye, declared that this year’s event is expected to direct the attention of stakeholders to the need to promote home-made technologies and promote the utilisation of natural resources that are available in the country for housing development.

The 12th edition of the fair, which is organised annually by Radio Lagos/Eko FM and Beachland Resources Limited, will hold between April 30 and May 5, 2012 in Lagos, with the theme: “Indigenous Technology and Housing Delivery.”

Ogunleye noted that the theme is borne out of the need to highlight critical issues affecting the Nigerian housing sector and beam the nation’s searchlight on the use of local technologies in housing development. “It is our belief that Nigeria as a country should look inwards and take advantage of the natural resources available in the country.

Besides, the theme is meant to allow stakeholders take stock of all issues of housing development and relate them to indigenous technology. Such issues include building design, materials usage, construction methodology, capacity development as well as research and development,” he stated.

Ogunleye expressed concern over the emergence of a large number of uncertified real estate developers who are involved in housing construction. “The downturn in the economy has also affected our ability to have well trained artisans.

The number of artisans has continued to dwindle leading to increase in wages charged by various tradesmen. Hence, the increase in the number of substandard buildings,” he said, noting that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) will be a key player at the fair.

He said the fair organisers are concerned about the high volume of substandard building products in the market, stressing that there was an urgent need to get rid of such products. He acknowledged the efforts of SON at curbing sharp practices in the building materials market, noting however, that the agency needs the cooperation of everybody to provide information with which to work.

He remarked that the objective of the fair is to, among others, allow manufacturers and marketers of building materials exhibit, promote and sell their products; allow providers of services in building design, construction, maintenance, renovation and others promote their expertise.

Other objectives, according to him, include providing a forum for major stakeholders in building/construction industry to interact and exchange ideas; promoting locally manufactured materials and the encouragement and facilitation of research in the development of materials and services for the industry.

Ogunleye regretted that despite the country’s efforts at ensuring that appropriate technologies were adopted in the various sectors of the economy, the result has not been satisfactory.

He noted that the National Construction Policy of 1991, which goal was to ensure that locally sourced materials are used in all construction works, does not seem to have changed anything, twenty-one years after.

“We are of the view that the goal has not been pursued with the necessary vigour. If this has been done, the benefits to the country would have been legion. For example, construction cost would have been reduced, while substantial foreign exchange would have been conserved through reduction of importation of materials. In addition, our local capacity would also have been better developed,” he said.