THlSD1\Y, Vol. 16. No. 602l, Page 45
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Propert~'N EWS is tu rb.!d by loads of Wible slli! had ereratcd
D
over t~ we;;:~ Mr.;.. Chinyere Ugochukwu
l'orbught ngo brought them
out ill dusk. AI her Ooawe ~I\.>et ren ted apartment in Idisllli. the middle-aged
woman set the waste ablaze and the entire ::.tMi. engulfed in smokes. But sad o!r'IDltgh, no
rl'sidenl isl the an>a chalIengcd her or ~rted hl>r anti-flilture illbon to the appmpri.lle bodies. Aft,!f a r.hon wh.ile, howev<':1;. TI-IISDAY inquines 1\.'\'ic'aI.!o.1lhal alnlffitalIOoawe resid .."ts ~a re actually not aWiIIl! ol UIl' danger of indiscriminate buming of wltiles"'. Uk<.'wise, Olinyen' was al50 as ignorant as other residents o1boullhe impao.."t of her action on ozone layer;.. w hiln if d~-oo. acron:iing to ti le scit>ntiilS, would expose tile human lao! to Wldue sun as weU as l"'-'o1vier rolinfdlk But 1...1soo State f.,·linisuy of Environment has been creating aWiUl!OeS'i to prevent all farms 0( human action and inaction th.al GIll endanger human rare. 11'&! ministry is' not c n:a ting the awareness alClflll II tl not doing it wi th support o f the N igerian C~rvat ion
Fo unClation (No:) Uuoogh Ihe Walk foe NatUN,. an iUUlwl a Warene!iI!i GIlllp.1ign dtsigned 10 instill the
rulture of p reserving
nature. On Satunlay. Illmdrods ol ~ nSdents including secon;hry school stuCients tn:lOped out 10 step up campai$I' against abuSe:'. '..ISle of_ enVlrot"Ul1o..Ylt and nature. not just in Lagos. bu t al;;o beyond 'Il1l.' State Commissioner £oc Ellvi ronn"li!ll~ Mr.. Tun;; Bello Ieo..I the OlardUng tlU"OJlg of about fiv'e hundre..i friends of nature., who lvalb!d front lho..Lagos House to tilt! t!I"ld of ~g06
MarinaStr~
After the particip.1nts n.--turned 10 the Stile House in Marina from tlli! street walk tl lal1tilo!d IWO h OllIS or lhereabout,
the
ronunissioner
echo..""-d tI~ rn6liiO."o( ewironlTIl'IlW abuse. which he said,. "n.' mains an lulllispuh_'Ci fact over
the
years""'. BeUo b:p\ained thai man ~has reguIMv abused his envin:.nment \1.;:1: regards to nalure witll the negative c:onsequo:nces now bokIly staring US in the fOlQ!~.
He also cited some coostant human activit;esand practices, which he said, continue to
pose daunting threal 10 the stale and ils resid2nts. Such itCIivities include tile indisa\mirule feUing of tn:.oes, emission of carbon.dioxide InlO the alino!,-phere from indllStne" \.~ motonydes and gener.uing sets indudins:, tI"te use of lireivond, aU of \ V\Ud1 Ihe . mnmlisoiioner said, COf\tribut...'Cl to global warming. Uena fwU-.er harped on tile n-ality of climate dlilflge, ",hidl he said; inconllstab1c evilknrei "abound loatle5t to. 11le human acts have triggered global Wolffiling, tI"II!I"C'by ronfribuling a dt'Stabillsing for.:e 10 gktOOl w..."Uler patt.'m . ......'ha t we now know as n:lIUI"ilI disastet" are sim ply disil:iIerS manifcslcd by nalul\', bu t till! lIulh is that hmnilll adh';~ are latgcIy rcspollsi... bI~ frx trisgcri"9 than". l 11e comnussiOfWr tlulS Ciluru for con rerted effClt at pnscrvillg nalure at al! levels,
""""""' 1""mo..>tropOlis. """'''" specof Lagos lk.>llo
Climate Change: Walking to Preserve Nature Incrensing enses of indiscriminnte felling of /Tees nllli elllission of indIJstrlj-g fll ernted cnrboll-dioxide illto tile nhllosphere among others, "ave pllt th e IIII1Ilflll race ill timlger. COll se'l l/eully, Lngos State C('11lJll issiol le1Jor the Ellv irolllllent, Mr. TlllIji Bello IIrged the slnte residents to desist from allY practice IIml C/lIl tlueaten Imlllall
lives nlld properties. Gboyego Akinsanoll writes. easilv affected countries ol the W04'-:1. "A~I
Ulilt Afrkan COUI .... tnes contribute k'$ to the l1t!Vasta Ling scoUl};e of climate ~ th,,), .. arebiUed IOsuffer m (bL De\'cioped coun tries hal'~ wilJ"le5Soi.'d thcdire runsequcnas of climate d\iUlge in monumcS\tal proportion, but they have also responduJ 0\...... atively the Wily ~ him~ not.
n.."",,~ . o/_ around the gJote has been iraeasing in an unp~l
ed mallner. '11is now time for us 10 rise as individuals, and a nation to fight and restore nature ~gh ~. as wcll ~ preserve our erwllllrunent Ul on.ier 10 pre1-ent further dLsa!itas. Rco:iI"Il.Iy. lagos Stale hosted . Amcan Mayoral Conference on Climate Olilflge_.. lhis iii part of the glob.lfefforts lOavail AJiic.uls. partia llarly West A&ica the opportunity of coming up with pelky po!!ilion that would be sustrunable to romoo.t tI"IC menace of climate change a;l/J also to articulate a standpoint to be pwsued at the upa:!l)ling uNFcc CDr17 Iilll!r this )'eiJ! in Durban. SCIotil Africa. BeUo stata:l In his keynote address whidi Bello Jcl.ivered, 1...1gos State Governor Baootunde Raji Fashoia (SAN ) emphasiced the need to do more 10 pteserve nature "50 Um we can all li vesafeand in peare~ and thai il was impcHt3Il1 10 walk for fliItllre because WN-n we \...uk fOl" nature, we get closer to nalure. \\\! reduce emissions, \I'him mnlribute 10 global wanning.
keeps
\ IS
Aside,
walking
fit and menially
olert".
FaJ-.oIa ciled Lagos State Govemrnen(s determina tion in .xIdreosing the issue> of tI-.e awtl\lnmml as die masttI for partneriflg with nart-gQI'Cm-
. of lands, Housing and Urban Development, Ms.
~
I PeppIe.I~
gavc kud os to UACN Property Ot>velopment Company (UI'rX:) PIc for their d rive in romploementing go."emlnen( s efforl in ti le 1'10~~quality housing £or
~lC salJ govemment wwld berounlingon UPOC's ~, in EStale dc\'clop;nel1l lo cfeli\'ef a mastl....-pieI:e I.'StiIIC in their pn!SCI1t eroeav(J.lf" towoll"Ch II'&! reduction of till! 16 miUk.l housing dclidt in till! CUUllt l)~ TIlt' Minislt:r saki tllis in Abu;'l al tile flag off ceremony
of tile Metro 0 1)' eslate h..ing IAwl by l..II"IX 10 ApQ. Dutse Diitrici of Ahuja. witll 36 montl l8 completion period. She ildded that go\·t'mment would CUltinuc t.> su pport the
org.anised private sector 10 build a miJfIOfl housil18 units
hnther explained that climate
ilIlI"lUill1y. She said tlll' tlJEeI: is bom2 ou t (If Prt'Sidenl Goodl\lck JOllathan's transfo mtalion agenda to redure Iht.. 16 million housing deficit lhe munby is preiefJtll' a>ntending
~is
iJen.> with us and
inrontestabl"
evidlmCeS
abound. 't he faster we ~i\lise this and IIcl; l1li" ""tlcr fOC" us. Nigeria, )"lay. African 1l..1tions. are in the n.'gion of U'" most
19Sil1O ]>1eit.'fW fliIluO! an..1 Us
"""'''''' He said the 11aS fW" long realised the dangerous state
Iong-tt!JUl effect of climate d lilllgC. We have continued to ha.yjle is6t1i.'S of the environnlIrl witl\ zest and cournge
because olthe belief that envirorunent is the SU~lJ rc 011 which thc SWVIval of other st!CInrs rest. Th~ our annual
lIre-planw'.S programme and our sanit.1001\ iUv:l. anti-pol lutio.:.\ strategies arc vigorously pur.;ued~.
Thto:
~r
added tlllIl
tI"IC s tate governmenl "has planted throe million tf\.'E!S isl the last [our years while our bcautit'ialtion and Operation
class bir..1 wa tclung; leam about h.1l>itilts; understand the lnatl.lgeJl'll'lll efforts Il&'ded 10 dev{'iop IUld disrover more aboJt nalure_.. ~ And most importantly. h'alklnJt also keeps us fits and meniallY alert to beablc Ioronq uer lIatUle sucttSSfully. Nature must be guided witll ~bccauseoI~fulureof
ourchildren. \~no-ed 10 recog-
nise
out ~ity
in pr0-
moting; a he;uthy envuonment for p:!Sterity. Out administration has Cl:!llted many walk ways as pnrts of our contributions 10 encourage in order to stem the d imaie c:han~ d"lo1l1engr,." ' Il'Slid. Also speaking at the e\'ent. NO: President,. Mt tzioma Philip Asiodu (OON) commend,_.,,,, tile ulU\!lenting clfurts
of the s tate governmenl ill makil1~ the hlille dl.'all and hcdltl uer; des pite its moml-
n"lo..">fltal envilllnmentaJ and s-lI litltX:on dullenges. He also taskai t,'\Jve!l unen ts al local level to institulc commwulydriven initiati\'eon WdSre managt=en t as a measure iar mitigating lhe risks of fbxi On the rela tionship betw<.'ell thcenvirorunettl iUtd" rorpomre busins&. AsioJu urged c0rporate bodies al"ll.1 business giants 10 take Ule 65ueof tlle elwiltln -
n ot'lll mol\~ seriously Has it is vel)' vital to their finandal Ir?'vth~ . l lesaiJ deveklpmellt is actually the pr.nss that ellSUJiS tllill we n1eo.::t the net!d of the pre;cnl witrout (OliPromi.o.ing tlle ability of tulUle gatcra tions 10 meet their own
""""'".
An enviJ\ll1IJlefJt ambas6.ld )1", Erell! Abida DJsJ.Ullu ,w p.:u1icipated al tilt' two-t1lJl..Jr \l'alk. Uc&lf"OlnU lOOgraluLlI ed the r... l. aistr _· Of th E.,win:lIlITlCnt a..~: e "cr- fo
~=~~t~·: ~~~:s;
and enj.>i;"II.'(1 other,. ,.1iS and o ganis.ltions 10 take ~ from l lgos Stall! Go...emm, '. A nu~r of COl Ul"ate o.~lions · indl ·Iing (fiewon ~ lim.:c.J. A Iu~ &:
" ~IAEI6]{
I\ igeria P upi! rty
imited, UAC IJevclopmen' PI c. Nigedd
CXllpalll'
l3.xtlmg Company PIc. "igerite N igcna Umiloo. RJd ilr IJanl:: FlC. UAC n0J.5. 7up Bottling Company Pt£ anJ many bU51l"lf:SS capla _It,. \0.\ p;u11Cip.1ta.1 in tho.! 2l'll editiYnof waU, fotnatllJ\!.
Gncm pro;xts anlOOS odos are predicted 00 tlli§ environ-mentll fact our administration realised tile r!eed 10 act as r~ as~andare ..
"",tiIym~
,""'" by ling climate issues t.li.Jt an! germane and peculiar 10 uS as
Nf~~Wledged the en0r-
mity of Uti! d1illlenQt5 and that the sol ution
~requtreS
a"lDrdi-
nati."d dfot1s. \\lha t keeps us ahead of otI-.eno are passion, a:rnmitmen~ dedication. disapline and ~ vision suJ"'POl1o-"'d by a strong belief that Lagos must playa leading role in ensuring ihiit OW" eIlvtI"Onmmt i;o made not. only for Nigeria. but for Africa. V'k needed to preserve na~ so that we can live in peace.. '·\Vhy lihould we walk for nature? I must 5la1e that die reasons are aU around us. \vr...., we walk foc fliIture we get daler to nature.. \\\! reduce veh icular eml5si~ whidl contribute 10 $kflal lVarrnh~ As more \oehi:Ies stay off Ule road:>. we expericr.ce world-
' 1.-11: Direttor, Nigtrin COlulno/jol. FOUlldMio11INCFJ, Mr. Dumond iJiajeto:iul/llli,iAr:os Slutt CommlssiOller for the £111'/. """,.,,1, M,. TII,JjI BlIllo olld Boord M t l<'Iu, lYeI-: PrillU Gub Ad~",iluyj. 1l1 Ih l Ammal Walk/ur NallJn. by Lot os SIMt Miulstry 0/ II~ Em i'DIIIHfml, ill ,uarilllJ Lugos _.. r«llllly I"HOlO; KGb ~
FG Comlnends UPDC Housing Quality
Ira
dunge
menial o tg<Utisations such as NCF ilnd Friend.:;; of Ihe EswilOOlllO!l1t and mmmcl\doo ~ NCF for II!, efforts sine::
From Dele OgbO/fo •..., Ecllezolfflcllll1.:-cull Nd/loll/ ll i.lobuJ~ wiU\. While berating some mnllacIors and develop!!lS for erecting substandard stmclwei, she said: "Having seen some of the properties tlllIl UAC properties nave buil~ I IliI\'e no doubt thai this one will be an e;taie of "'-"'I")' high quality. "'Since 1 be<--ame Minislcr I have seen houses tl1il1 are of very low q Uillily but I know that UrDC"is diH~t and we are glling 10 !llIve ~iece c;;tat~ al -this site and I iool (orlvaro \i) seeing wher-. it is comrk-">(a-e ' VhiIC ~luLlling .... rom"""y 00 " " good jOO. she s.-ud: I do !tope tI~t you will ~~te lhis in otho..... parts Of t1 ~ "..do.:ratKn ~ Pepple SJ.id ,~ l\';lh state gQI'cmment has reached ad\'JroO!d stage and optimistic
that otI'lL""'f cb'elopo..--rs will f0llow suite la replic.lte the effort 0(t1le rotnpmy in what tl,?: are doing in Abuja..Slle said: ' I know that whm \ve provide
till! hc:a1Se5 tI-.e (O:5t o f tI"Il' h0uses lvill be lower; 1 have been stnzling soda! m.t>ilJ.g and building for U'&! infonnal sector; J do not know wheUIl'f I'm
..,.,. to ...for ""'" """""'" froml..JPI::R: the~ that I cillcd my people which are till!yeoP1c tN.tl want 10 fo..-u; ~
Undo:.-rscorlng d'&! import of dea!n t housing to the nation's eronomk development, she Slid; "You will notice thaI when JX'OPIc are O\'Clt.TO\V\lcd and poorly housed it is then thai diseases ou~ is comno\. Sheadded furthL'I"added tlliltsnewouJd rot rcL...YlI in the Minhtry's present d rive to provide houses for a majoritY. 01 tile populace. She said "\\ ... woultf do evuylhing Uul is po;itii~ to PfO\-il! ~ aJyj affortlabk acconmmation for tI~ citizc~ &TOSS
Ihe fliI tion.~ Conm..erw:ling tile (I..~t she st r~'d. haven srelOg !ilJIlle of tile propc-nies e:>tates U\at UACN have buil~ she said slle has flO doubt thai the p~lt IJIlJjed: of 2-12 housing P~"l.1 t l(!y;ll\! ~lbarkiJlg on
will bi;of nigl l quality. 111 ;"1 I\'nw.rk, tlll' Ma.naging Diro..1or of Uroc. ).,It.
Hakeem ~uran. Slid tllolt il in ·furthefance of lJ}'ing 10 make its Pl"l5l!J'l(E illAbuja and also to romeleOlen\ of 8O\'a llment that UlC C\Jmpany procw-ed tile 11 .17 00::tru-0.'5 fOC" lis Mt'tru Gly estate in Abuja. He said: ~Mctro Gly in Ahuja is th., fourth site \VIIOn' uPl:X: has mmmenced work tl1i5 year and it is Iazucst lesidential pro;ed to be aOlle by it till date." ACCOrding 10 him. tile esta te will COI"lSi5t of 242 housing, unils witl l the following \'aniIIlls o f 5 bedfOCnl:i 10 1 and 3 • bedroom flats. Ogunniran SIlk!
the! 1"1011"(> alliMat.!d the aitkal of tile hou~:.ing al5I as till! hO\l~ will be brou)(hl to pri,:es rel!ntably affardaLlo.! to wide r--..ngl: ,\Ce\I of the:iOciety: Howewr; Ogunniran said
e!ii rlllJlI
w!.m a d ~clOper pun:ha5e 1M j fran-, tile opro. market. he
pn.vides ti le pnmary and .5I!C-
Offil<l<:y inlrbiructure. and you
go duo\l.sh tI-.e pemliltiJlg PllJ;"I'S'i or lICI:)ulring tile docu-
nX·,lI and IIII{' p.1peN- He stn.-».:!d tllllt in othi;r part of tlli! \\"(',1d. g.l\~rnrnem create a 5pI=.-iaI window tlUllUgh ~ nu uir4; iUld·appro\·a.1 (orsodill
al l them.l5e5llavedesi~ to
1'oOlISiS wl'.id\ iedu..'"lS lhe cost.
~"""''''''_~n_
tiff.:! and tilt! burd.."rI on tile d.::\ eIuper. i>l il 101: bs.. He said: "And 1 Ihink tllilI is what I Ihink 1I"1t Ule government w.u.ki du in t~ part of tl \e
suit budgC15 fo,' tI-.e difia\!ll\ sodo lX\XlOOUC cI.:1S6tS dCMSS tile row\U)~ 1·1e .Jdd._"CI that tI-.e delivery ol tile 1\Ol\S('S will re
tor tltI! wholC: estllle isall...
lie s.ili std."'-I hOllsing can ollly ~ ad! ic\ d th rough a
(Umbin.... ti,m of ~\-CraI npen-
lors working
t~ethfr
like the
!;O\-emment. the pri'"iltc and ihe finance 9Xt.:.r ill a kind of Public Private P.u1nership seiling. According I\J Ilinl,. goven ....
men\ has tl I.1t ~.lSwmt}' 10 II~ land i:liC:rui~bIe whid l i:> till! priz f"llll)' infuostnlClUIC and government docs tI\ilt tl ten
OJlhllly."