By Maduka Nweke
Stakeholders from all over the world that assembled recently at the 2024 BuildExpo in Lagos have appealed to the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to do anything possible to
salvage the manufacturing companies in the country.
The manufacturers bemoaned the lesser affair attitude of successive governments in the country which they say is killing industries and forcing many of them to relocate to nearby countries. They blame the skyrocketing price of property and building materials in the country to the fact that most of the products used in building are imported from abroad.
Explaining points to the Press at the Build Expo, Mr. Jude Chime, CEO Elan Exhibition West Africa Limited and the organizer of the Build Expo said, in our last edition, we talked about building collapse,
which generated heated discussions among stakeholders. He said the
most important submission was that there is the need to collaborate
and not work in silos. Until we begin to do this, we may have a lot of
problems in the industry on a daily basis, he noted.
“For instance, an engineer wants to do the job of architect, builder,
structural engineer and surveyor at the same time. This won’t help the
industry. We must go back to the specifics and allow individual
experts to do their jobs. There are policies to guide against such
practices but the problem is its adherence and implementation.
Nigerians must also be aware that when they want to start their
building projects, they must consult the professionals and carry out
due diligence.
“The government also needs to do more, especially the town planning
departments. For example, a lot of people don’t understand what a
three metres setback is all about, and they just build. A lot of
reorientation needs to be done in the society to safeguard the
citizens and investments.
“I have always been advocating that the government stabilise the
naira. If you are trying to convince an investor to come to Nigeria, a
critical factor to be examined is the stability of the naira. If the
currency is unstable, on what basis is the investor going to plan and
make a forecast for business growth? If an investor is not able to do
a forecast for at least five years, it becomes challenging to become
part of the business community.
“Price is also one of the main issues to consider in the panel section
because it is critical to the construction and housing sector. The
cost of rent and cement prices keep increasing and that affects the
citizens directly. The issue of building collapse looms large now with
the skyrocketing prices of building materials, which is above 65 per
cent. Don’t be surprised that the developers may want to consider
cheaper means of providing homes and in the process may compromise
standards. We need technologies that will make our building and
construction industry cheaper and adhere to standards. This is why
there is a need for research and development. Building a sustainable
future, empowering the construction industry is crucial for economic
growth and the naira needs to be stabilised to mitigate further
building collapse.
In his contribution, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ove Arup &
Partners Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Kunle Adebajo, called for the enactment and
enforcement of stringent building codes to mandate the construction of
safe and fit -for-purpose buildings. He said this would also promote
the use of sustainable alternatives where applicable, as the industry
must drive home the importance of these codes.
Adebaio made this call at the 8th International Construction, Building
Materials and Technology Expo held in Lagos, and organised by Elan
Expo. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Building the Sustainable Future:
Empowering Nigeria’s Construction Industry. He stated that the
National Building Code is long overdue for a complete update and
overhaul. His words: “The ideal approach would involve a comprehensive
revamping exercise, enabling state and local development control
authorities to drive sustainable development more effectively.
However, the reality of building practices within the country often
shows a disregard for these existing codes. “Policies can also mandate
the use of high-quality, locally sourced materials, which not only
supports local economies but also reduces transportation costs and
environmental impact by reducing carbon emissions.
«Government and the Industry’s governing bodies play a crucial role in
shaping the regulatory framework, incentivizing practices that can
ensure the industry’s sustained relevance and capacity to withstand
future challenges. This includes fostering green designs, sustainable
building practices, certification programmes and prohibiting the use
of non-environmentally friendly designs and substances.”
In her comments, Mrs. Amaka Onyiuke, Head Architect Department, West
African Ceramics Limited said the Company is here to display Royal
Ceramics produced by the company. We bring the company’s products to
market them to the wider world.
According to her, Nigeria should stop importing some of the building
materials produced locally because such practices will not support
local content. “If we keep importing from abroad, we keep supporting
foreign economy to grow at the expense of our own economy. We will
keep using foreign currency, we keep destroying our own products even
as we know that those foreign products passed the stage we think is
poor. Although, the ease of doing business in the country is not all
that conducted because the infrastructure, the electricity that
supplies the power to generate the machines, the insecurity plus
double taxation are all killing the companies in the country. The high
cost of production in the country is highly affecting manufacturing
companies here.
“We have been here for over three decades and you can see we are still
powering. Because our products are 100 percent local content, we don’t
have any alternative than to keep on doing our best to provide the
populace with the tiles to save them the stress of going abroad to
import what we can create and manufacture here in the country. Another
thing that keeps us in business is affordability. Our products are
affordable because all the materials that go into the production are
locally sourced. Again the fluctuation of the dollar ought not to
affect our production, but those we engage to do one or two things
will have to go to the market to buy things like the other people so
when petroleum products rise it will rise for everyone.
Speaking at the Build Expo, Mr. Victor Okafor Admin Manager, Dofas
Nigeria Limited said that gathering is an opportunity to showcase the
products and market them to the willing clients. He said, “We have
been in business in Nigeria for more than 30 years but doing business
in Nigeria has not been very conducive. The dollarization of the
nation’s economy, electricity supply that has not been very appealing
to businesses and security challenges are the factors stopping our
company from establishing a factory in Nigeria.
“All our products are manufactured in Germany and they are of the same
high quality. Our products, sanitary wares are produced from one spot
so the quality is always assured. The administration of President Bola
Ahmed Tinubu in terms of advantages to our business can only come
after the man has stayed at least two years and some months. It is too
early to judge the President because the country before him has
already been rotten. Everybody can see how the problems he met
accumulated from the past however, I can say he is doing well now but
he needs everybody’s support to be able to wriggle out of the
problems. It will take some time to correct the bad in the system,” he
said.