Daily Independent (Lagos)
Dada Jackson
6 July 2009
interview
Lagos — Moshood Adegoke Salvador is the Managing Director of Dock Management Nigeria Limited (DMNL), owners of Salvador Towers (formerly Eric Moore Towers).He is also a council member of the University of Abuja. In this interview with SENIOR CORRESPONDENT Dada Jackson, he bares his mind on the incessant collapse of buildings, Land Use Act, mass housing, among other topical issues.
Excerpts:
As a renowned developer, what is your take on the incessant collapse of buildings not just in Lagos State but all over the country and what is the way out of this seemingly recurring decimal?
Thank you very much for this question. To be honest with you, the incidence of collapsed buildings whether in Lagos or any other place for that matter, is gradually becoming a national embarrassment. I must say without mincing words, that the issue of collapsed buildings is something that needs an urgent attention from every stakeholder in the built environment and even beyond the construction industry. Against the backdrop of the collapse that happened last Sunday at Iddo,I think it is high time the state government or the agency responsible for physical control in the state took the bull by the horns.
I mean government should put in place serious mechanism that would ensure that those responsible for any collapse should be liable by way of sanctions. As a developer or somebody who is into real estate business, the tendency for buildings to collapse often times is predicated on the use of sub-standard building materials, though at times, one could not rule out natural factors but these are few. The most painful aspect of building collapsing is that lives are usually involved in addition to the loss of properties. The absence or the inadequate monitoring of development could also be attributed to the reasons why buildings collapse. As for the way out.Simple, the regulatory authority, in this case, I mean the planning office should ensure that any on-going development is adequately monitored. Any approval that is given by the planning office for as particular structure should be enforced to the letter. The idea of converting from the original approval to other specification by the developer should be resisted strongly because this is one of the major causes of building collapse in the country. In addition, the use of standard and genuine building materials should be encouraged.
The mandate by the president that one million houses should be provided by the Federal Ministry of Works, Housing and Urban Development before the end of his tenure is a lofty one but how feasible is this?
Well, I have heard of this presidential mandate. I think that it is feasible if the political will is there and I believe that going by the seriousness of the president, it can be achieved. If you divide one million by 36, you have about 28,000 units which can be built within two years. The only thing government should do is to involve private developers in the initiative. What I mean by this is that enough contractors should be mobllised to undertake the project and before you know it, one million housing units would be ready. But for any meaningful housing units to be provided by any developer, government should create an enabling environment for them to thrive. Some of the tings needed for it to succeed include the provision of basic infrastructure like roads, electricity, and water and also subsidise the cost of the building materials that would be used for the project. By and large, the mandate is feasible.
What is your position on the bill sent by the president to the National Assembly on the Land Use Act, should it be amended or abrogated?
Let me be frank with you. I don't subscribe to the amendment of the act but honestly, I would suggest that it should be completely overhauled. Those contentious areas like the governor's assent should be reviewed and areas like issuance of title should also be amended. But for these two important areas, I think the act has its own advantages just like any other document.
So, what is the latest on Salvador Towers, have you sold out or are you still selling?
Let me correct one impression. We are not selling any of our units in Salvador Towers; rather, what we are doing is renting the flats out. As for the latest on Salvador Towers, most of the facilities we promised our tenants have been delivered. We have a standby generator that can carry all our flats; there is a water treatment plant, a lawn tennis court (which is world class), a CCTV, a satellite dish for all the flats among other facilities. Let me say without mincing words that Salvador Towers ranks among the best in the whole of the mainland. What we have on ground is comparable to what obtains in Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki.
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