Real estate expert calls for e-CofO, smart affordable homes at RECRA conference

Emmanuel Thomas l Monday, May 15, 2023

 

VICTORIA ISLAND, Lagos – An expert in real estate development has called for a revolution in the housing sector that would speed up access to Certificates of Occupancy (CofO)and creation of smart homes, using locally produced materials so as the meet the housing needs of Nigerians.

General Manager, Greenpasture and Dynamic Homes, Mr. Muyiwa Olaiya made the call while speaking at the Real Estate Conference and Recognition Award, RECRA held at the Civic Centre, put together by Prestige Online in association with real estate practitioners.

Olaiya said the world is moving away from the use of papers into an era of paperless office and wonders why it is still a Herculean task for those building to obtain the needed CofO. He said there is nothing wrong if those building or intends to build would easily have access to downloadable e-CofO after making the necessary financial commitment so as to ease the process of building.

He attributed the current high cost of putting up a structure to the current rate at which the Naira exchanges to the US Dollar. He said that when materials that are deployed in the building process are imported into the country, the cost of the final outcome would definitely be out of the reach of many Nigerians.

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For a change, he called for delibrate effort by builders to make use of locally produced materials like tiles, ceramics, doors, roofing sheets and other materials that are usually deployed in the building process to build smart homes so that the final output will become affordable to Nigerians and by extension meeting the housing needs of the country.

Olaiya who called for invitation of government officials in charge of approvals for an interface with real estate practitioners in the future decried a situation where officials would mobilise bulldozers to pull down a building that has gone up to the level of a penthouse when government officials live in the same environment, describing the development as function of those saddled with responsibilities not doing their job.

Several awards were giving to encourage real estate practitioners at the event. Winners include Adron Homes; Greenpasture and Dynamic Homes among others.

Among those at the event are former President, Association of Movie Producers, AMP, Mr. Paul Obazele and the veteran comic actor, Mr. Ajirebi Kayode Olaseinde, known as PA James in the hilarious television series, Papa Ajasco.