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Plateau opts for PPP to rebuild Jos market

From Hir Joseph, Jos

Fourteen years after the fire disaster that gutted the Jos Terminus Market, the Plateau State government has approved Public Private Partnership (PPP) to reconstruct the market reputed as North-central’s largest commercial centre. The plan to rebuild the structure along Murtala Mohammed Way in the commercial area of the state capital will come into effect by the end of this year, according to Ezekiel Gomos, a financial consultant, who is also the chairman of the project implementation unit.

He told newsmen at the weekend that a Transaction Adviser was selected by the implementation unit, to take the process further by way of advising the implementation of the PPP, including selecting the private partner, guide the drawing up of the technical and financial proposal, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the partners, the scope of the project, finances and completion period.

The transaction advising firm, which emerged after a bid involving 12 firms in all, will be made public soon, according to Gomos, who said the firm will have till about the end of the year to submit the proposed PPP arrangement.

He said the state decided on the PPP as an option because of dwindling revenue in the face of rising financial commitment, stressing that the alternative route was taken in line with the guidelines of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC).

ICRC was established to regulate PPP activities in Nigeria to address physical infrastructure deficit which hampers economic development.

Gomos said with the proposed reconstruction, government has found the solution to the problem of congestion within the metropolis of the state capital, arising from street trading.

1. The burnt and abandoned Jos Main Market otherwise called Terminus Market along Murtala Mohammed Way.

Fake building materials: Govt urged to tighten border Security

By Usman A. Bello

The President Nigeria Institute of Building (NIOB), Bldr. Tijani Shuibu has called on the federal government to tighten security at the nation’s borders to stop the influx of fake and substandard building materials into the country.

Shuibu who stated this last Wednesday in an exclusive interview with Daily Trust said it became necessary because fake and substandard materials also contribute to the incessant building collapse incidents in the country.

According to him, disallowing fake and substandard materials from entering into the country would help the government check building collapse as well as loss of lives.

“Fake and substandard materials are all over the country. They enter into the country through the borders before finding their way to the market and eventually construction sites.

“If these materials cannot come in through the borders, they can’t entered the market for developers to buy, and if they’re not in the market, every developer will have no option but to buy and use the quality materials,” he noted.

Shuibu explained that NIOB and other professional bodies in built environment are sponsoring a bill in the National Assembly that will empower the use of professionals in accordance with specialty and duty and also enable the bodies to enforce building rules in accordance with building code.

While appealing to the National Assembly for the passage of the bill, he called on the federal government to support the bill as it will sanitize the built environment.

Soldiers fighting Boko Haram assured of houses

From Tony Adibe, Enugu

Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai has said that the army has a housing scheme for its officers and men, including those fighting Boko Haram war in the North-East zone of Nigeria.

He assured that as soon as those soldiers disengage from service, they will occupy their own houses.

Lt Gen Buratai who said this in Enugu while answering questions from journalists during his one-day familiarization tour of the 82 Division of Nigerian Army, Enugu said that beside their various insurance entitlements, the soldiers are also entitled to loan from the federal government loan board through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN).

“So that as soon as they are retiring, they will be occupying their own houses,” he emphasized.

He said, “Also, in the army, we have quite a number of housing projects which the Post-Housing Development Directorate of the army is working on; officers and soldiers subscribe to such schemes where they will choose anywhere they want to settle after retirement to get houses built for them.

“And they contribute through their salaries; even when they retire, if they’ve not completed it, they will be taking just a little.”

Abuja Property: Senator wants Appeal Court to dismiss case

By Adelanwa Bamgboye

A former Senator has asked the Court of Appeal to dismiss an appeal which has been pending in the court for seven years without being heard.

Senator Alex Kadiri in a motion filed by his lawyer Isaac Okpanachi said the appellant has made it a practice of removing the case from the cause list.

He added that Navy Capt. MD Yakusat (appellant’s lawyer) frequently absents himself from court without explanation.

It was gathered that sometime in 1996, the Senator applied to Societe General Bank Nig. for an overdraft facility of N5 million to purchase a duplex at Plot 2617, Maitama, Abuja.

When he was unable to repay the debt, he handed over the Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) to the bank to look for a purchaser to buy wing 8A duplex.

The case was taken to court when he learnt that the “A wing” was sold for N18 million whereas he was paid only N14 million.

The FCT High Court, Abuja had delivered judgment on 18 November 2005 in favour of Senator Kadiri against the then Societe General Bank Nig. and the appellant (buyer).

The court, in its judgment rescinded the sale of Wing 8A of a duplex at Plot 2617, Maitama, Abuja by the bank to the appellant because of fraud, misrepresentation and breach of agreement to sell and ordered Senator Kadiri to take immediate possession.

Dissatisfied with the decision, the appellant went to the Court of Appeal, Abuja where he lost but has filed another appeal which has been pending for seven years without being heard while the appellant continues to occupy the house.

Made in Nigeria PoP cement launched in Abuja

By Ben Atonko

A made in Nigeria Plaster of Paris (PoP) cement was presented to the public in Abuja on recently.

The cement known among construction workers as Gypsum Plaster is 100 percent gypsum.

The product produced by El-Yotek Nigeria Limited comes in 40kg bags.

Producers said their product is decorative and zero percent heat conductivity. It is manufactured in Kaduna.

The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) minister, Muhammad Bello who was represented by Senior Vice President, Business Development, Abuja Investment Company Limited, Sani Yakubu gave pass mark on the product saying FCT administration encourages and supports small businesses.

He said although Abuja was not intended to be a manufacturing centre, “the growth of the city has led to industrialization”.

The Managing Director of the Economic and Political Science Centre Limited, consultant to El-Yotek Nigeria Limited, Musbau Abdulazeez said the product is first to be locally produced, describing it as “the darling brand”.

He said through research, his company has been able “to discover areas where Nigeria enjoys comparative advantage and is working to ensure that Nigerian businesses exploit those opportunities as a mechanism for creating jobs in the country”.

Highpoint was brandishing of the product to the admiration of guests.

CAP says its Monarch Gold paint is for beautify

From Mohammed Shosanya, Lagos

Stakeholders and customers in the building and construction value chain in Nigeria have been urged to experiment with Monarch Gold colour in combination with any of the over 12,000 Dulux colours to beautify their homes and offices.

This call came as Chemical and Allied Products (CAP) Plc named Monarch Gold as the 2016 Dulux Colour of the Year.

In his presentation during the special briefing of professional bodies on the 2016 Dulux Colour of the Year (2016), the Marketing Manager, CAP Plc, Mr Dominic Oladeji advised customers to visit the numerous Dulux Colour Centers (DCCs) and Dulux Colour Shops (DCSs) to meet with the company’s well-trained colour experts to help them in the makeover of their homes and properties.

“The 2016 Dulux Colour of the Year is an exciting Colour, it radiates desire for luxury, it is very instructive especially at the moment of seemingly economic downturn, the colour will inspire hope and positivity that at the end of the darkest part of the night comes light,” he said.

He disclosed that the Dulux Colour of the Year is chosen based on a constant monitoring of emerging social, economic and design trends around the world where a panel of independent design experts from different fields of architecture, design and fashion come together to determine key colour trends which would fit the pattern each year.

Earlier in her address, Managing Director, CAP Plc, Mrs Omolara Elemide explained that naming Monarch Gold as the Dulux 2016 Colour of the Year is in line with the AkzoNobel global tradition and Dulux brand leadership positioning in colour mastery.

She emphasized her company’s responsibility of communicating the annual global colour trend to Nigerians which has over the years been tagged the Dulux Colour of the Year.