Disturbed by the men-ace of open defecation in the country, environment stakeholders last week in Lagos inaugurated National Mirror Committee on Sustainable Non-sewered Sanitation System known as ISO/PC 305 and Community Scale Resource-oriented Sanitation Treatment System known as ISO/PC318, to provide a standard solution to the issue of a sustainable and affordable sanitation that will alleviate the problem of open defecation in Nigeria.

The need to involve Lagos residents at the grassroots in the campaign against building collapse, was stressed at the weekend by the Coordinator, Building Collapse and Prevention Guild, BCPG, Ikeja Cell, Mrs. Iyabode Bolarinwa who is a former vice- chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria, CORBON, the regulatory body of the Nigerian Institute of Building, NIOB.

Following global and local market dynamics, rents are expected to remain at their current levels as companies strive to secure a firm growth trend. It is also anticipated that there will be more relocations to newly built, and better managed facilities, as the general business environment improves.

Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Works, Akparawa Ephraim Inyang-Eyen in this interview explains some issues surrounding the activities of the state government in the past few years with regard to why  the state government is patronising local contractors in road construction and elimination of  middlemen in the payment of compensation to property owners, among others. Excerpts.

Zvecan Consulting and Engineering Limited, a Nigerian firm, has entered into a partnership deal with the Federal Government and a Chinese firm, Wengfu Company Limited, to build 5,000 housing units  under the Federal Integrated Staff Housing, FISH, programme.

 The study of architecture in Nigerian universities received a boost last week as the National Universities Commission, NUC, approved the request by the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, ARCON, to upgrade study of architecture from departmental to faculty level.

The controversies surrounding the concept of affordable housing may be laid to rest after the formal launch of a book entitled Affordable today at Four Points by Sheraton, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Subscribers to Royal Residence Estate, a residential estate being developed by Messrs Obika Realtors Ltd in the Lekki – Epe corridor have been assured of good returns on their investment with appreciable returns within the next 24 months.

Against the backdrop of complaints from Lagos residents over heaps of refuse that have taken over the entire Lagos streets, the state government weekend called for renewed cooperation of the residents with the government, waste collection operators and Visionscape, to hasten the disappearance of refuse dumps from the streets.

Built environment professionals comprising builders, developers, engineers, architects and others who gathered  at the grand opening of Royal Ceramics’ Centre called “Royal Experience Centre” in Lekki, Lagos last week, have renewed call for affordable housing with the use of local building materials, taking into consideration abundant natural resources of the country