The Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has restated his commitment towards reducing the housing deficit in the state following the inauguration of his administration’s 16th housing project.
The project – Channel Point Apartments, was jointly developed by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation and a private real estate firm, Brook Assets and Resources Limited.
Channel Point consists of twin blocks of 38-units of two- and three-bedroom flats on a land size of 2,832 square metres.
Speaking during the inauguration, the Lagos governor said his administration would continue to partner the private sector to provide affordable housing for Lagos residents.
He said, “I congratulate LSDPC and Asset Brooks and Resources Limited on the successful completion of this edifice. Progress is indeed achievable when the public and private sector enterprise come together, bringing their core strengths to the table for the good of the society.
“This positive outcome is yet another testimony to the effective collaboration between government and the private sector in the implementation of our agenda to provide affordable and decent housing for our people.
“I am impressed by the quality of work done by the contractor, which reflects the quality of monitoring and supervision by the LSDPC, which has sustained the high standards set long before now.
“We shall continue to pursue and implement this tried-and-tested model of public-private collaboration, as it has proven to be a potent strategy for keeping up with the rate of demand for housing by our rapidly increasing population.”
The LSDPC Managing Director, Ayodeji Joseph, said the project was another milestone recorded by the Sanwo-Olu administration in addressing the housing deficit in Lagos.
According to him, the development of the Channel Point Apartments was conceptualised during Sanwo-Olu’s tenure as the Chief Executive Officer of LSDPC.
Also, the Managing Director of Brook Assets and Resources Limited, Lanre Sola, said, “Despite the challenges we encountered in the course of the development, including the paucity of funds occasioned by the outbreak of COVID-19, we were resilient and showed great commitment to deliver the project.”
In the same vein, in furtherance to its move to domesticate the National Building Code, the Lagos State Government has constituted sub-committees for the delivery of what will be known as the “Lagos Building Code.”
Speaking at a meeting with sub-committee members in Alausa, the Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Idris Salako, stated that the sub-committees would be made up of representatives of relevant agencies and the seven professional bodies working in the built environment.
The sub-committees are grouped into four namely, pre-design, design, construction and post construction.
Salako urged the professionals to work painstakingly through the various sub-committees by giving adequate technical contributions to ensure that the final outcome of the process was in tune with current realities.
He said, “In this connection, we have started an inclusive process in which all relevant professionals in the built environment are able to work with us to develop and own a Lagos Building Code that we can rely upon for the regulation of the physical environment.”
He explained that part of the responsibilities before the sub-committee members was to pay particular attention to standards of material, energy efficiency and environment friendly measures in the sector in line with the peculiarities of Lagos State.
According to him, challenges militating against a sustainable environment in the state would also be considered.
He added that drawing up an acceptable building code for Lagos State would have enormous advantages to the environment, the state and the people, particularly in the areas of health and safety, security and environment as well as combating the menace of building collapse.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Abiola Kosegbe, called for the cooperation of members with their respective sub-committees towards delivering a reliable Lagos State Building Code.
“I am certain that beginning from here, you will all work towards advocating this important initiative and thereby create the needed environment for the idea to thrive in your respective spheres of influence,” she said.
Punch
