Mortgage institutions and other domestic development financial institutions (DFIs) in Nigeria set up specifically for purposes such as mortgage/housing finance, trade finance, etc., have under-performed.

AS the spate of building collapse continues in Lagos State, it has become a source of worry not only to the government but also residents.

A former President of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners, NITP, Mr..Moses Olubunmi Ajayi has faulted the design of some Nigerian cities without taking the culture of the people into cognisance. He particularly faulted the design of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja, saying that it didn’t take public transportation into consideration.

The 1978 Land Use Act which seeks to regulate land ownership, is unarguably one of the most contentious legislations in Nigeria today. The law, the brainchild of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo when he first presided over Nigeria as a military dictator, was “smuggled” into the 1979 Constitution by the then Supreme Military Council.

MR. Bode Adediji is the immediate past President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers. NIESV. In this interview, the alumnus of University of Ife, (now Obafemi Awolowo University) proffered solutions to the incessant collapse of buildings in the country. Excerpts:

…•As LASEMA accuses NEMA of usurping responsibility…
AS cases of collapsed buildings, and fire in high- rise buildings escalate in Lagos, the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency LASEMA, has accused the National Emergency Management Agency NEMA, of an attempt to usurp its responsibility of managing emergencies within the state, and cautioned the agency to respect existing emergency command structure. LASEMA, in its argument reiterated that it is unlawful for NEMA to interfere with its responsibility.

The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, FMBN has reiterated its commitment to providing loans to contributors of the National Housing Fund to enable them purchase their individual houses without encountering any difficulty.

Propertygate Development & Investment Plc, last week, celebrated the fifth anniversary of its successful foray into the property industry with a pledge to churn out products and services that will address the value and functional needs of its teeming customers.

In the quest to provide affordable housing for Nigerians, a call has to government to formulate policies that will ensure that resources are deployed to provide the highest number of houses to the highest number of people.

* Traders face tough time returning
Eight months after the popular Breadfruit market, Lagos Island Local Government, was gutted by fire, it has been reopened for trading but the traders are finding it increasingly difficult to resume at their former stalls.