Architects flay 30year life span for buildings
any transaction, imposes 15 per cent fees on any sale or purchase of land or building where two or more agents are retained by the owner/vendor. Every tenancy agreement will also attract 12.5 per cent legal fees.
As an indication for its preparedness, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Housing, Mr. Toke BensonAwoyinka told media personnel last week that the new platform for the transactions will be launched in January with assistance of some private sector entities.
“Our vision is to provide an enabling environment and transparent real estate sector conforming with international best practices, while safeguarding the interests of all stake holders, our mission, however is the creation of an innovative and sustainable environment to promote Lagos as a real estate Investment destination in Africa and the World, ” she said.
Benson-awoyinka, explained that the increasing modern technology, frauds and outcry in the state necessitated the scheme. “The 21st Century smart city of Lagos requires that virtually all real estate stakeholders and transactions be known and captured electronically with access to data by the citizens in real time, as real estate to Lagos is as oil to Nigeria.”
According to her, there is the need to provide, develop and continuously capture and update a unified central database of real estate activities within the State while making it accessible for objectives of planning and policy decisions.
Benson-awoyinka stated that the development and growth of the real estate industry depend on how to foster enduring client relationships and building trust.
“It is however, the responsibility of government to partner with relevant professional bodies in the
Housing sector to eliminate impostors, fraudsters, charlatans and sharp practices associated with members who claims to be accredited building or housing sectors practitioners, but whose sole objective is to defraud unsuspecting members of the public who engage their services in renting, leasing, buying, selling and property development.
“The ultimate aim is to eliminate the bad eggs in the industry and punish in accordance with relevant provisions of the State Law, thereby restoring the integrity of the profession within the State and Nigeria as a whole,” the special adviser said.
THE Nigeria Institute of Architects (NIA) has frowned at the low life span and quality of buildings across the country, which in most cases last between 20 to 30 years.
The new president of the institute, Sunny Echono who stated this at the weekend noted that a building that is designed and constructed with good materials should last for 100years. Echono, lamented that Nigeria can’t keep replacing buildings every 30years, adding that the country have not been able to judiciously utilise its own land resources.
He pledged that the institute would adjust to the changing needs of the younger generation by deploying technology for training of members. He promised to project the important role that Architects play in every society, galvanize and activate all resources within the economy and channel them properly towards national development. .
He said: “Architect are the ones that provides the infrastructure like the hotel’s, hospitals, schools and offices which we work, any program aimed at sustainable development we will be at the cutting edge, we will lead that program because we are not talking about energy efficiency only, we are taking about local contents, use of local materials, sustainable materials.”