AGainst the backdrop of last week’s threat by a coalition of civil society groups and professional bodies in the construction industry to press for the standardization of cement production and importation because many cement companies allegedly produce the inferior 32,5 grade, built environment experts have called for the enforcement of the use of cement in the right mix to ensure that the rising occurrence of collapsed buildings is stemmed.

IN a bid to stem the housing deficit in Lagos, the State government last week, formally launched the Lagos State Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, HOMS with the allotment of 200 housing units of one and two-bedroom types to applicants. The number will increase to 300 and beyond per month as the number of completed homes increase and sustainability guaranteed

WOrried by the growing rate of homelessness in the country, the managing director of Highpoint Global Reality, Mrs. Imaobong Usoroh, has called on the Federal Government to create a special housing intervention for mortgage banks to provide low interest facilities to property developers and individuals wishing to own properties

THE World Trade Centre in the Federal capital city, Abuja, is unique in many respects. It is the first 25-storey building in the city and located at the Central Business Area, dwarfing all other structures in the city. In this interview the property consultant, Mr. Kenneth Njoku explains the concept behind the complex and what the nation’s economy stands to gain from the Centre.

Against the backdrop of the proposed phase out of non-degradable plastics in the country, the Association of Table Water Producers, ATWAP has called on the Federal government to establish a dump site where the waste could be processed and recycled.

ROCK of Ages Properties Limited, a subsidiary of Chicason Group, in collaboration with Trade Union Congress, (the umbrella body for senior public and private sector workers in the country), will on Thursday in Abuja, flag off the construction of 20,000 housing units under the United Workers Housing Scheme. The scheme is targeted at building 100,000 units of affordable housing in all the 36 states and Abuja.

A 200-member Stakeholders’ Forum to review the 53 year-old master plan of Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU, Ile-Ife in Osun State, was last week, inaugurated by the authorities of the university. The forum has the mandate to expose the extent of existing development and also assess the adequacy and physical condition of residential, academic, commercial and recreational environment.

THE Association of Aluminum Roofers and Fabricators of Nigeria, AAROFAN, will soon enact a law that would regulates the activities of roofing and fabricating industry in Nigeria. The National President of the Association, Comrade Adeyemi Lukman disclosed this during the inauguration of the national executives of the association in Sapele, Delta State.

AS Lagos residents await the commencement of allocation of housing units under the Lagos Home Ownership Mortgage Scheme, Lagos HOMS, Governor Babatunde Fashola has said tax card and the temporary resident’s registration card are some of the criteria that would be used for allotment of houses under the Scheme.

CONSTRUCTION experts who gathered in Lagos last week, have decried the excessive cost of construction in the country. Apart from the high cost of construction, the experts lamented that Nigeria’s construction sector is characterised by prolonged delay in project delivery and poor quality of construction works.

POOr maintenance culture has often be adduced as the major reason for the collapse of Nigeria’s 195,400 kilometers of roads infrastructure. Against this backdrop, construction experts and cement manufacturers who brainstormed on “Exploring cement based option for sustainable road construction in Nigeria,” about a year ago, canvassed the use of concrete in road pavements in view of its durability and cost-effectiveness.

The Lagos State Government has approved over N200 million to resettle the former occupants of the site acquired for the construction of 1008 units of flats at Ijora Badia. Governor Babatunde Fashola who disclosed this when he visited the illegal dump site being regenerated by his government promised to resettle the displaced inhabitants of the area.

THe Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA recently celebrated 17 of its staff members who distinguished themselves in the course of duty. The assessment leading to the awards were made between 2011 and 2013, with awardees cutting across all grade levels and cadre.

FOREMOST real estate development company, Messrs UACN Property Development Company Plc, has unveiled plans to boost its rich portfolio of real estate development with six new projects commencing simultaneously in five cities across Nigeria this year. The upcoming housing projects include, Olive Court in Agodi G. R. A. Ibadan, Oyo State, The Pinnacle located in Maitama area of F. C. T., Abuja, James Pinnock Place located in Lekki Phase Three, Lagos, The Residences located in Festac, Lagos, Pineville Estate in G. R. A. Asaba, Delta State and Golf Estate, Calabar, Cross River State.

FOR Lagos State Public Works Corporation, LSPWC to realise its vision of becoming the “foremost road maintenance and rehabilitation Agency in Africa”, the Corporation has set new targets aimed at raising the bar of progression in performance for 2014.