Nigeria: Towards an End to Property Demolition

The demolition of a housing estate in Abuja last year has remained a sore point for estate developers in the territory. While the affected developers are still trying to recover from the loss, stakeholders in the sector are of the opinion that more investment could be lost if conscious efforts are not put in place to checkmate these activities. Even though some stakeholder consider the destruction of such building as unnecessary since the country is faced with an alarming housing deficit, others are of the view that the government needs to put in place the right policies so that housing will be available for everyone. Evelyn Okoruwa writes Billions of money invested in property has been lost of recent to the demolition of such properties, often termed illegal by the authorities.

According to stakeholders in the housing sector, the ripple negative effect demolition of property has on the economy cannot be over emphasised as it cripples economic activities.
One of such negative effects is the resultant unemployment as workers employed in these demolished sites have been out of work.

The build industry employs labourers such plumbers, carpenters, iron benders, brick layers, masons, painters and professionals like architects, surveyors, engineers and other relevant professions.
Apart from that the transport sector has been greatly affected since people hardly move building materials from one point to another, this has invariable affected both the building materials sellers and the transporters. While in the mining sector only few aggregates are being bought, in addition to that, the developers themselves have lost the money invested in developing such sites.

An independent developer who craved anonymity told LEADERSHIP that he lost over N20 million during the demolition exercise and is yet to receive any compensation from the government.
He disclosed that he took ill when his site was demolished and is still yet to recover from the shock due to the money he lost, emphasizing that the money was borrowed and he is still trying to service the loan he took to develop the site.
Speaking on the issue, the President Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Chief Olabode Afolayan, noted it is really difficult to quantify the loss as millions of money have been lost in the whole demolition exercise.He disclosed that the exercise ha not only affected the housing sector but all other sectors that depend on it to strive.

"For a couple of months, Dangote Cement had to close its factory in Benue State because of drought. You can begin to itemise it that way. So the loss is really much. It is unquantifiable. I can authoritatively say that it has affected the GDP of the country by the time things are being put together at the end of the year."

However, the government has promised to forestall any future demolition. REDAN's Executive Secretary, Mr. Goke Odunlami, disclosed that members affected in the Lugbe demolition has agreed to take the advice of the chairman, Senate committee on the FCT, Senator Smart Adeyemi, to go into negotiation with the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, instead of pursuing the court case.

He further disclosed that most of the affected members have agreed to opt out of court and negotiate with the minister, while reaffirming that the Lugbe crisis will soon be over. Rrecall that over 1,004 houses were demolished in Lugbe, Abuja, between August and October last year and it was estimated that property owners may have lost over N37 billion to the demolition of illegal structures.

While stakeholders continue to groan over their loss, they lament the unseriousness of the government to provide housing for Nigerians considering the huge housing deficit which is widely acclaimed to be between 16 to 18 million. While noting that the housing deficit is much more than the estimated number, they lamented that rather than encourage developers, the government is making it difficult for them to help ease the deficit.
As part of the Federal Government's transformation agenda, it had on many occasions promised to deliver affordable housing to Nigerians.

However developers have argued that the federal government is not ready to provide housing and have implored Nigerians to know that their future is in their own hands in terms of housing delivery.
They urged Nigerians not to rely solely on the government but contribute their own quota, stressing that the implication of the government's laid back attitude to the housing sector is that for there to be adequate housing in Nigeria, the sector must be 99.9 per cent private sector driven but however urged the government to bring the right policies into play in order to move the sector forward. Stressing the importance of the right policies, the National Secretary General, Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Mr. Akinpelu Adewumi, noted that any government policy that is not implementable, measurable or sustainable will not give any result.

He disclosed that if government is serious about mass housing, it must be seen to be driving the policy. He opined that one way the government can drive it is to provide infrastructure, noting that if developers are allowed to provide infrastructure for buildings, such houses will not be affordable.
Adewumi urged the government to provide infrastructure first and then see how to incorporate local materials into the production and as such the cost would be brought down drastically.
By encouraging our local goods, he said more jobs would be created in the process while building cost would also be reduced.

Intellectual Property Marketplace Analysis

As the areas of trademarks and patent continue to expand, there is increasing demand from stakeholders for firmer intellectual property protection. Counterfeiting remains a problematic issue, and lawyers are relentlessly arguing for improved regulation of IP protection and enforcement. Such reforms would reassure international corporations of the opportunities for growth that exist in the region. Our research recognises 19 practitioners who are leaders in their field.

Jackson Etti & Edu provides a wide range of services in the area, and sees three of its lawyers listed in this chapter. Uwa Ohiku leads the intellectual property department and is a “renowned specialist” in the field. Her expertise covers trademarks in particular, and clients include prominent blue chip international organisations based in the US and the UK. Lookman Durosinmi-Etti, a senior partner at the firm, comes widely recommended for his “wealth of experience” in the sector and continues to act as a valued consultant to UN development projects on IP in the region. The “superb” Koye Edu has a multifaceted practice and provides “expert advice” on intellectual property protection.

Three practitioners from Abdulai Taiwo & Co are selected for inclusion. Ladi Taiwo is an “outstanding innovator” in the field and clients benefit from his “in-depth knowledge” of the discipline. Ayo Kusamotu is recognised by peers for his “unique expertise” in intellectual property and the internet, whilst Abdul-Rasheed Sadiq has a practice which offers “real value” to clients.

Allan & Ogunkeye is represented by two lawyers in this section. Obatosin Ogunkeye receives widespread acclaim from peers in the field, and his abilities as a litigator in trademarks, industrial designs and patent matters are “hugely respected”. Marlies Allan is recommended as a “first-rate” IP practitioner and is currently the president of the Nigerian group of the International Association for the Protection of Industrial Property.

Mark Mordi of Aluko & Oyebode is an “excellent negotiator”, having developed a successful practice brokering out of court settlements in IP enforcement matters. In the same area, he is a “formidable litigator”, and has successfully represented an array of clients including multinational pharmaceutical companies. Joining him is Uche Nwokocha, a “vital member” of the firm’s IP team who is recognised by clients as a “foremost authority on various intellectual property issues”, ranging from patents and designs to technology transfer agreements.

Chief GO Sodipo & Co’s managing partner Bankole Sodipo is highly rated in our research, which reflects his status as a “true authority on Nigerian intellectual property law”. Sodipo is president of the Intellectual Property Law Association of Nigeria, which collaborates with the government and private sector in lobbying for reform of IP rights.

Olugboyega Kayode at David Garrick Kayode & Co is “vastly experienced” in Nigerian intellectual property law, having advised both local and international corporations on the protection, licensing and enforcement of their IP rights.

Lara Kayode is the founding partner of O Kayode & Co, and is well known for her “forensic attention to detail” in relation to IP disputes. She has a practice that covers all aspects of intellectual property law, with particular emphasis on industrial property, IP protection and mediation.

At AELEX, Theophilus I Emuwa is praised for “delivering commercially-focused solutions” to clients in the realm of IP law matters, and has a “dynamic” practice that includes advising multinational entities on IP enforcement in the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

Mena Ajakpovi handles the intellectual property portfolio at Abraham & Co and is an “esteemed practitioner” in the field. Ajakpovi has a “stellar skillset” which covers IP registration and enforcement and he sits on a sub-committee on trademarks and trade names at the International Trademark Association.

Managing partner at Stillwaters Law Firm, Afam Nwokedi stands out for his “high-profile work” in the patent and design, trade marks and copyright sectors.

At Chuma Anosike & Co, principal partner Chuma Anosike possesses “industry-leading” expertise in the area of pharmaceutical intellectual property, and displays “admirable adaptability” in representing globally placed clients from multiple industries.

Adepetun Caxton-Martins Agbor & Segun’s Afolabi Caxton-Martins is recommended “without question” and is a “go-to name” for legal consultation on trademarks disputes.

Sam Okagbue of George Ikoli & Okagbue merits inclusion for his “steadfast commitment” to meeting clients’ needs in the areas of patents and trademarks.

Source

LCCI requires Lagos Government to review plan on usage of 200cc motorbikes

The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has called on the Lagos State Government to review its policy stipulating that courier companies and dispatch riders in Lagos State must use motorcycles of at the least 200cc convenience of their operations.

LCCI said the policy “is posing a major threat to the businesses of courier companies and other stakeholders in Lagos state. “Many companies that engage in-house dispatch riders for prompt delivery of sensitive documents and servicing of customer outlets

are now in a dilemma. Many courier firms and other corporate bodies in their state are now actually delivering mails on foot,” said a statement signed by Muda Yusuf, the Chamber's director-general.

“200 cc capacity motorcycles are generally unavailable in the country since they are in the number of power bikes, not commonly useful for mail delivery and other commercial purposes. This scarcity has established room for several types of malpractices, including falsification and relabelling of lower capacity motorbikes as 200cc and above.”

In accordance with LCCI, the cost of a motorcycle of 200cc capacity and above, where available, is in the region of N500, 000 to N1 million, depending on the brand, which suggests that for a firm that requires to displace 10 of the motorcycles, at the least N5 million to N10million will soon be required.

“Many courier companies have up to 50 motorcycles. For all of the small players in that sector, this may be the finish of the trail because of their enterprises. Commitment of such resources to the purchase of 200cc motorcycles is just a big drain on the resources of courier companies which will be itself a low margin business,” Yusuf said.

The Chamber argued further that: “Electronic payment companies count on the usage of motorcycles for prompt servicing and maintenance of the various electronic payment platforms including the POS terminals situated in various locations in the metropolis. The response time of the providers is currently at the cheapest ebb.

“We submit that the usage of 200cc (and above) motor bikes wouldn't add any value to the realisation of the goal of the traffic law, especially in the light of the intense traffic congestion on Lagos roads. If anything, smaller capacity motorbikes tend to be more flexible and better suited for a higher traffic environment.

The business of courier is just a pick–up and delivery service, often over short distances. Using a 200 cc motorcycle for such service is obviously inappropriate.”

It further added that the grueling bureaucracy of certification and registration of the 200cc motorbikes have created avenues for several types of malpractices, including touting and that service delivery quality of courier companies has dropped drastically considering that the enactment of the policy which will be going for a toll on other sectors in the state.

“We appreciate, and indeed share the concern of government on the security implications of a liberal motorcycle policy, but there should be a definite distinction involving the commercial motorcyclists and corporate organisations providing services for the smooth running of the economy of the state.

Nigeria: EFCC Detains Party Chairman Over Alleged N66 Million Property Scam

Abuja — Two-time presidential candidate of the Hope Democratic Party, HDP, Chief Ambrose Owuru, has been detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, for alleged property scam worth N66 million.
Owuru, who is also the National Chairman of the party, was arrested and taken into custody on Wednesday over alleged involvement in the scam.
Acting Media Head of the EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, confirmed the arrest of Owuru in a statement made available to Vanguard in Abuja, yesterday.
The commission explained that Owuru, a lawyer, was arrested for obtaining the said amount from one Ikechukwu Eze under false pretence.
The complainant alleged that he paid the sum of N60 million through Skye Bank, Olu Obansanjo Road branch, Port Harcourt, to Barrister Owuru for a property located on Nzimiro Street, Amadi flat, Port Harcourt.
The complainant in a petition to the commission alleged that in the process of taking possession of the property, he discovered that a portion of the said property had been sold to another person.
Owuru is reported to have demanded additional N6 million from Eze to settle the other buyer, one Chief Austin Omire, which Eze promptly paid, bringing the total amount to N66 million.
The commission said however, that its investigations revealed that since the payment of the amount to Owuru, Eze had not been allowed to gain access to the property and his money not refunded to him.
The commission said: "Upon receipt of the petition and commencement of investigation, the EFCC invited the suspect severally but he refused to honour the invitations, prompting us to arrest him" .
He is to appear in court soon, Vanguard learnt.
Owuru has contested as the Presidential candidate of the HDP twice without winning even a local government in the country but that has not deterred him from contesting.
It is not clear if the arrest would stop him from contesting in 2015.

Amcon of Nigeria Reaches Debt Accord With Ecobank Chairman

The Asset Management Corp. of Nigeria, created by the government to get lenders'bad loans, said it reached an agreement with Ecobank Transnational Inc. (ETI) Chairman Kolapo Lawson over outstanding debts.

Lawson is in “good standing” with the Asset Management Corp., known as Amcon, spokesman Kayode Lambo said by telephone from Lagos, Nigeria, today. Amcon “will require other measures” should Lawson not honor the deal's terms, he said, declining to give further details.

Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission will meet with the board of Ecobank, based in the united kingdom of Togo, on Aug. 5 to go over governance, Obi Adindu, a spokesman for the SEC, said by telephone from Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Lawson owes Amcon 1.2 billion naira ($7.5 million), the Financial Times said last month, citing unidentified people acquainted with the matter. Agbara Estate, a Nigerian property company chaired by Lawson, has “long outstanding” debts of 1.6 billion naira to Ecobank's Nigerian unit, the newspaper said.

Amcon was create in 2010 after a debt crisis threatened the country's banking industry. It owns 10.7 percent of Ecobank's unit in Nigeria, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

Founded in 1985, Ecobank has expanded into France and 34 African countries. It's representative offices in Beijing, Dubai, Johannesburg, London and Luanda, Angola. The bank's assets were $21 billion at the conclusion of June.

Ecobank's shares rose around 1 percent in Lagos before closing unchanged at 14.6 naira. They increased 29 percent this season, in contrast to a 22 percent gain for the 10-member Nigerian Stock Exchange Banking 10 Index.

After a long wait, land reform gets N45.5bn attention

While we wait for the finance minister’s 2009 budget breakdown, it is important we bring to the fore the provision of N91.8 billion for Land Reform and Food Security as, announced by the president. If our calculations are right, about N45 billion of the figure would be allocated to the former. This is important lest the minister forgets to interpret the provision of such bogus amount for land reform.
However, experts postulate that government may organise conferences to examine the Land Use Act as it affects development purposes in various parts of the country. But this is just conjectural.

Again, the explanation of the huge allocation for the land reform becomes crucial in the face of the president’s declaration that the government will seek to be more efficient in the use of public resources by eliminating or rationalising areas of waste and focusing on the critical sectors that would propel the growth of our economy and help us realise the objectives of the Seven-Point Agenda.
In 1978, precisely on the 29th of March of that year, the then federal military government of Nigeria promulgated the Land Use Decree. The law was maintained by the succeeding civilian administrations and the Decree was changed to act.

The act, as reported by Biodun Aluko and Abdul Aminu, purports to take over the ownership and control of land in the country thereby providing a uniform legal basis for a comprehensive national land tenure system. It was enacted to deal with problem of uncontrolled speculations in urban lands, make land easily access to every Nigerian irrespective of gender, unify tenure system in the country ensure equity and justice in land allocation and distribution and, amongst others, prevent fragmentation of rural lands arising from the application of the traditional principle of inheritance.

According to the experts who quoted other reports, the Land Use Act approaches the control of land through three strategies: the investment of proprietary rights in land in the state; the granting of user rights in land to individuals; and the use of an administrative system rather than the market system in the allocation of right, in land.
Primarily, therefore, the act vested the ownership of land rights in the state.
Under the act as outlined at FAO.org, control and management of land in urban areas becomes the responsibility of the state governor, while all other land (rural, public, etc.) is the responsibility of the local government of the area. It is noted that state governors are empowered to designate certain areas as urban land and to grant statutory rights of occupancy of fixed periods and rights of access to any person, subject to rental arrangements fixed by and payable to the state. The local government can grant a customary right of occupancy to land in the local government area (LGA) to any person or organization for agriculture, grazing, residential or other purposes. Land so granted should not exceed 200 hectares for agricultural purposes, or 2000 hectares for grazing purposes, for any single customary grant.

Certificates of occupancy are to be issued in respect of both types of grant.
The decree which turned into act in the democratic setting, has received criticism since its promulgation with experts stating that the Act is an urban legislation which only superficially touches the tenure problems in the rural areas in the country.

Without doubt, then, the granting of rights of occupancy under the Land Use Act has radically modified previously existing notions of ownership, control and other interests in land. This is particularly manifest in the granting of land rights to wealthy individuals, corporate bodies and cooperatives in the name of public purposes for development. Lasun Mykail Olayiwola and Olufemi Adeleye in their piece Land Reform: Experience from Nigeria, noted that the objectives of the land use act have remained largely unfulfilled 30 years after its enactment and title to land appears to be more insecure now than it ever was. According to them, the deficiencies of the land use act were aptly summarized by Justice Augustine Nnamani who, as Attorney General was responsible for drafting of the act and its incorporation into constitution. He said in the course of these years, it has become clear that due to its implementation, not its structure or intent, the objectives for which the land use act was promulgated have largely remained unfulfilled; indeed, they have been distorted, abused and seriously undermined.

They argued that the position today is that land is less available to the ordinary Nigerian than it was before the Land Use Act, thus holding most of the citizens to inevitable state of perpetual tenancy.
It is also noted by the authors that the allocations policy of various governments particularly during the civilian era has been scandalous. The land use and allocation committees, which are no more than appendages of the governors merely, endorsed lists approved by them. Sometimes, as observed by the duo writers, the civilian governor, who has vowed to repeal the act before entering into office, grabs it with both hands on getting into power. The result to be expected were allocations of land mostly to friends, relatives and party faithful; land become indeed an item of patronage. Worse still the patronage was withdrawn as one government succeeded the other.
Land is usually taken to include not only the physical soil, but also everything beneath it (minerals and water) and everything extending up to the sky above it. The 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes and stipulates that all interests in mineral resources belong to the owner of the land and water resources containing them.
The allocation of land was hardly made to the low-income earners as Lasun Mykail Olayiwola and Olufemi Adeleye further noted. No government has yet earmarked a percentage of land available for allocation to this category of Nigerians as a deliberate policy. Nor has there been allocation of a percentage of land available forallocation to the community or family that previously owned the land now acquired by government.
On compensation to those whose lands were taken for development activities, Olayiwola and Adeleye said it seems that no amount of compensation can assuage the feelings of an average Nigerian to whom land has profound cultural and social-political values and spiritual aspects. To the subsistence farmer, land is the basis of his survival; it is to him life given. Thus to take land away from him for a public purpose, with which he cannot identify, without prompt payment of adequate compensation or resettlement, is to ask for trouble.
They say besides, the title is a misnomer; it should have appropriately been titled Land Allocation Act.
The act, according to them, has not eliminated speculation in land; it has only driven it underground or fueled it and it concentrates both economic and political powers in the hands of governors, military elites and rubber barons’ who use it to dispossess their political opponents and/or peasant farmers through large-scale acquisition of land for commercial agriculture, paying only for unexhausted improvement, stipulated by the act.
It is further said that it has not succeeded in removing the uncertainties in title to land. Instead, it seems to accentuate it. For example, a certificate of occupancy can be revoked for public purpose or a contravention of the act.
With all these contradictions against the Land Use Act, what does government intend to do with the budgeted amount. We wait for explanations from the budget breakdown.
On reform, what would happen then? Uwakonye, and Gbolahan S. Osho, say land reform is concerned with changing the institutional structure governing men’s relationship with the land, involving intervention in the prevailing pattern of land ownership, control and usage in order to change the structure of holdings, improve land productivity and broaden the distribution of benefits.

According to them, land reform is an aggregate of ideas and courses of action designed to resolve tenure problems. Nigeria is an agrarian nation with over 56.8 percent of her working force engaged in farming.
Doner and Kanel emphasize the significant contribution of the agricultural sector towards the overall economic development of underdeveloped countries, such as Nigeria where more than 50percent of the working population is engaged in farming. Agricultural reform has the advantage of provision of more employment, more equitable income distribution, a wider relevant structure for the growing manufacturing sector, a better base for farm financed welfare, and more rational investment policies in both the agricultural and non-agricultural sectors of the economy.

In order to consolidate this gain and to make the operation and implementation of the Act achieve the objectives for which it was promulgated, Olayiwola and Adeleye suggestion that the act be removed from the constitution is subject to the cumbersome provision of amending so that amendments to it can be effected.

Since the Act Constitution under section 5 of the constitution, no meaningful amendment can be carried out to it in a civilian democracy. Because the Act has become in incident of political power, the threat of abrogation which necessitated its entrenchment in 1979 is no longer present.

Nigeria: Where Are the Seized Assets?

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission should account for, and dispose of seized assets
The House of Representatives last week directed its Committee on Drugs, Narcotics and Financial Crimes to initiate a probe of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) with a view to accounting for all the assets the commission has seized from suspects it investigated since its inception in 2004.

The decision of the House followed a motion sponsored by Hon. Toby Okechukwu and 15 others who expressed the need for proper management of the seized assets. Okechukwu told the House that the EFCC had between 2004 and 2010 confiscated over 200 mansions through 46 forfeiture by court orders. The seized items include landed property, business concerns, billions of Naira in bank accounts, shares in blue chip companies, exotic vehicles, fuel stations, hotels, warehouses, shopping malls, schools, bakeries, estates, telecommunication companies, and radio stations, in and outside Nigeria.

The House move is indeed a welcome development in view of the unusual secrecy that has enveloped seized assets of accused and convicted persons in custody of the EFCC from its inception to date. In the United States of America where "confiscation" or "forfeiture" of assets was first adopted as part of the government's war against drug barons, property and bank accounts of suspected narcotics lords can be frozen or seized without a court judgment. All that was required is a "reasonable ground" to prove that the assets in question are indeed traceable to the drug baron. In fact this method of fighting crime has become popular in many countries including Britain, Italy and South Africa.

That explains why when the EFCC adopted the asset seizure at its inception about a decade ago it was hailed as one sure way of fighting sleaze. Consequently the commission has over the years seized countless number of real estate property, vehicles as well as physical cash. Unfortunately in typical Nigeria fashion, after the initial public show, nothing more is heard of the confiscated assets.

Whether under its pioneer Chairman Mallam Nuhu Ribadu or his successor, Mrs. Farida Waziri, the EFCC is known to have seized huge amount of assets from politicians, drug barons, bank chief executives and other suspects and convicts over the years. But the commission has so far failed to account for the whereabouts of these confiscated assets. And as presently alleged on the floor of the House, over $170 million proceeds from seized assets was allegedly transferred to an unidentified account, while 200 mansions, countless landed properties and exotic cars were left to rot away or vandalised. According to House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal "these landed property, monies, and business concerns were estimated to be worth in excess of two trillion Naira."

It is therefore only proper that the EFCC should be held to account for the properties it had confiscated from all the people it had investigated from its inception to date. There is also the urgent need to locate the whereabouts of the $170 million allegedly transferred to an unnamed account after it had been traced to the office of the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF).

Unfortunately, the two individuals who at one time or the other headed the anti-corruption agency failed to honour the House Committee's invitation to appear before it and help with the search for the confiscated assets. While we consider that to be rather unfortunate, the House should not despair in its determined efforts to ensure that the seized assets were accounted for by the EFCC.

Such assets were meant to be auctioned in a transparent bid and the proceeds deposited with the Central Bank or the money returned to the government agency or private organisation from where it was looted. For an organisation set up to fight corruption, EFCC should be transparent in its dealings

Nigeria: Heirs Holdings, Lsdpc to Turn Falomo Buying Complicated In to World Type Mall

Heirs Holdings, a pan-African investment company, chaired by Mr. Tony Elumelu, Tuesday signed an agreement with the Lagos State Development Property Corporation (LSDPC), for the redevelopment of the iconic Falomo Shopping Mall located in Ikoyi, Lagos State.  The mall will undoubtedly be redeveloped in to a shopping mall, a company complex and top notch residential apartments that will serve the requirements of the burgeoning populace in Lagos State and beyond.

Speaking at the website tour, the Managing Director of LSDPC, Mr. Biodun Oki, said: "The Falomo Shopping Mall's redevelopment is long overdue. Our partnership with Heirs Holdings is consistent with their state government's urban redevelopment project and it bodes well for their state, the united states and for the citizens.

"Once this project is completed, we can all look forward to a fresh and improved landscape that will stimulate business activity in this area and beyond.

"Relating to the private sector within our redevelopment agenda could be the model for all future projects."

Speaking on the program to remodel the shopping complex, the chairman of Heirs Holdings said: "Redeveloping among the country's most iconic malls is part of our commitment to drive development and move Nigeria forward through our business activities.

"As well as financial services, oil and gas, and power, real estate and hospitality is another of our core sectors since it plays a vital role in a nation's development. Specifically, real estate development contributes not merely visually but economically to the country's progress.

"We've other development projects in the offing. This include the Transcorp Hotels in Ikoyi, Lagos and Port Harcourt, that'll commence this quarter now that people have secured the land.

"We are also expanding our existing property in Abuja and that is just the start of the mega plans we have to transform the Nigerian skyline."

The Falomo Shopping Mall redevelopment project is really a private-public sector agreement between Heirs Real Estate Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Heirs Holdings, and the Lagos State Development Property Corporation (LSDPC).

Heirs Holdings is really a pan-African proprietary investment company that deploys capital in projects that will yield value on the long term.

Lagos House Plans Emergency Telephone Numbers

LAGOS - The Lagos State House of Assembly has held a public hearing over the proposed Emergency Command and Control Centre.

Commenting on the bill, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Security, and Publicity, Hon Segun Olulade, explained that the purpose of the centre is to provide emergency telephone numbers for members of the public in times of emergency. He listed the numbers as 676,112.

He added that the centre is to facilitate quick and efficient response to accidents, emergencies and disasters.

Continue..

Nigeria: Dubai Property Deal Turns Sour As Marketing Company Drags Businessman to Court

An attempt by a Nigerian businessman, Mr. Washington Umweni to own one of the luxury apartments in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, has resulted in a legal tussle between him and the companies marketing the apartments in Nigeria.

In a suit filed at the Lagos High Court Sigma 111 Limited, TFG Real Estate Limited and four others plaintiffs have dragged one of their investors, Umweni and his lawyer, Mr. Tunde Abioje to court asking the court to compel Umweni to pay his overdue instalments for the purchase of Unit 2212 TFG Marina, a high luxury apartment hotel situate in Dubai Media City.

They are also asking for the payment of N170 million as damages arising from Umweni's refusal to continue to pay the instalments. They claimed that the refusal of Umweni to fulfil his obligations under the contract he executed with them constituted a breach of contract.

In his response to the suit, Umweni stated that it was The First Group who was in breach of their contract hence it made three separate proposals to make a refund and noted that there would not have been any problem if the company had refunded him his contributions.

He said: "I am amazed by their action. They earlier claimed in one of their numerous letters to me that no Nigerian court can delve into this matter and that I should go to Dubai and sue them there, now, they have gone to a Nigerian court in Lagos. This shows that they are beginning to come to terms with reality. I will get justice no matter how long it takes. The First Group cannot take my money for nothing."
In his statement of defence, Umweni said he was no longer interested in the TFG Marina Project and wanted his contribution which stood at N9.7 million refunded to him.

He stated that the project was a mere paper work and that the suit by the defendants was a cover up to tie down his money. In an affidavit he deposed and attached to the statement of defence, Umweni said that at all material time, he was made to believe he was dealing with The First Group (TFG) and not with the two companies that filed the action against him.

Source

Nigeria: FG Urges Nigerians in Diaspora to Invest in Centenary City

Senate President David Mark's quest for a vast land where he is said to be planning a university in his native Otukpo, Benue State, has pitted him against peasant farmers in Asa III, who claim that the retired military officer-turned- politician wants to deprive them of their farm land, their only means of livelihood.
The move was said to have started in the first quarter of the year when a delegation of the nation's number three citizen, led by one Chief Obogo Alapa, met some Asa III elders to inform them of the proposed university which, it stressed, would bring development to the area.

It was learnt that the villagers told the delegation that they welcomed the development, but that they needed to know the exact size of land and in which area of the village before they could give their terms.
Consequently, it was agreed that the delegation should take representatives of the villagers to the area and show them the location and size.

This was later undertaken, with a bulldozer setting out what represented the area of interest for the proposed institution. The said land, according Mr. Sam Obochi, measures about "4 x 4" km, covering the farmlands of many families. The area demarcated alegedly extended from Asa III to their boundary with Akpegede village on the one hand, and their boundary with Otobi on the other.
However, trouble started when the villagers discovered that bulldozers were sent in to clear the vast farmland without any further discussions with them. "The Alapa delegation that went to show the villagers the area to be taken by the university project did not return to give the villagers any feedback", the villagers claimed.
Some of the villagers went to their farms and asked the bulldozer operators to stop work on the grounds that the said land belonged to their families and that at no time did they hand over the land to anybody for any project.
As learnt, the workers ignored the villagers which led to protests during which the villagers blocked the main road that passes through Asa III in their efforts to attract public attention to their plight.
Attacks
If the villagers expected any form of sympathy, what they allegedly got was a rude shock as, rather than coming for negotiations, those taking their land were said to have mobilized persons from Igbanomaje, Otukpo, to attack them. The assailants were said to have invaded Asa III and shot six of the villagers, burnt down houses of those considered as the arrowheads of the alleged land-grab opposition, and looted every store in sight.
The villagers ran into the bush and kept away from their homes for four days. Those who ventured into the village were said to have been arrested by gun- wielding vigilante and policemen brought in from Otukpo. 18 persons were allegedly arrested including three minors. 15 were detained in Makurdi Police Station while the minors were detained in the Juvenile Detention Center, Gboko.
As learnt, six men were shot by the attackers and had to be rushed to the General Hospital Otukpo. But even at the hospital, the police went after them and attempted to arrest them. It took the resistance of the hospital staff to stop further action against the villagers who then sneaked out of the hospital that night to secret locations outside Otukpo to seek medical help.
Two weeks after the attack, leaders of the village, it was learnt, sent an emissary to Alapa, the alleged leader of Mark's representatives, to express their disappointment over the attack on Asa III.
A peace meeting was reportedly held with the Alapa group on June 21. The Chairman of Otukpo Local Government Council, Dr. Innocent Onuh, was one of the leaders that attended the meeting. That meeting was held at the palace of the Ad' Alekwu of Asa III, Mr. Inalegwu Onche, where the villagers claimed to have told Mark's representatives that due process should be followed if the Senate President wanted to acquire land for his university project.
Killing
The following day, the villagers said policemen from Otukpo Divisional Police Headquarters invaded the village at about 5.30 am to arrest some youths.
Those who noticed the arrival of the policemen were said to have alerted others by phone. Those who could not get the information on time were arrested while those who escaped arrest had their Okadas (motorcycles) taken away. The villagers then mobilized and insisted that every villager must be taken to the police station. Overwhelmed, Sunday Vanguard was told, the police started firing into the air to disperse the crowd. In the process, one of the police constables was shot due to accidental discharge by a fellow police man.
This was said to have infuriated the policemen the more as they insisted on arresting as many of the villagers as they could. But the policeman behind the shooting allegedly reported himself to the police authorities in Otukpo. He was said to have declared that he could not bring himself to accuse the villagers of a crime they did not commit.
The policeman was arrested and detained, then transferred to the Benue State Police Command headquarters in Makurdi where he was detained, pending his orderly room trial. In spite of truth about who shot the deceased policeman, the team that left the village only reinforced with more officers, soldiers and armed vigilante, and stormed the village later that day. The raid was unprecedented, according to the villagers, as they could not resist the large armed team that stormed their little village. Several villagers were arrested with others running into the forests. At the end of the day, many houses were allegedly burnt down and shops looted, creating a scenario of a village at war.
Strangers
After the raid, Mr. Obochi, a senior civil servant in Makurdi, but whose family land is part of the parcel in dispute, decided to meet the Senate President's representatives in Otukpo. He was arrested and detained for one week, in Makurdi, along with those earlier arrested.
Obochi told Sunday Vanguard, in an interview in Makurdi, that what was happening in Asa III since the beginning of the year was a clear case of intimidation of the peasant farmers.
He said he was arrested in the process of trying to resolve the issue between the Mark group and his brothers and sisters in his village. According to him, "my offence was that I bailed those who were arrested by a combined team of policemen, soldiers and vigilante".
Narrating the situation, Obochi said, "The Mark group claims that the villagers are strangers and as such will not receive any compensation for the land and their crops. Rather, they said that compensation will be paid to Otukpo indigenous people. Their informants misled them. They told them that those farming on the land in question are 'Aalala'".
Those referred to as 'Aalala' are those from south of Idomaland, especially Ogbadibo and Okpokwu Local Government Areas.
Obochi insisted that those who own the land and even currently own farms on the land in question are aboriginal Otukpo people.
He added that most of the houses destroyed and the looted shops belonged to indigenes of Asa III and not strangers which made it difficult for any reasonable member of the society to comprehend.
Obochi said the villagers had no intention of fighting Mark but that they won't allow anyone to forcefully take away the land which they inherited from their ancestors.
Effort to see Mark
Asked if the aggrieved villagers made any effort to meet the Senate President in person, he said, "I met Adakole Elijah ( an aide of the Senate President) and requested to see Sen. Mark. He promised to facilitate my meeting him. That was before the arrest and that was the last time I saw the man. I also had a chance meeting with one Onyilokwu Ekwo (said to be very close to the Senate President) and I told him that we don't want bloodshed in our village and that he should arrange a meeting for us to meet Mark. There was no response and I cannot just walk to Senator David Mark's house".
Demand
According to Obochi, the demand of the owners of the farm land is, "the Senate President should follow due process by coming to the owners of the land. If a dirty man has something which you need, the person cannot look dirty to you.

"He should come to us and make a request, then we will decide whether to give him the land or not; or give him part of the land; but certainly not the whole land as demarcated. We don't have any personal problem with Mark He chose the wrong process. Those he is working with are not representatives of the farmers who own the land. He should stop further work on the land in question until the issue is resolved".
Neither the Senate President's media team nor his family members responded to inquiries by Sunday Vanguard, in spite of repeated calls and text messages.
Source

Dubai Property Deal Turns Sour As Marketing Company Drags Businessman to Court

An attempt by a Nigerian businessman, Mr. Washington Umweni to own one of the luxury apartments in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, has resulted in a legal tussle between him and the companies marketing the apartments in Nigeria.  In a suit filed at the Lagos High Court Sigma 111 Limited, TFG Real Estate Limited and four others plaintiffs have dragged one of their investors, Umweni and his lawyer, Mr. Tunde Abioje to court asking the court to compel Umweni to pay his overdue instalments for the purchase of Unit 2212 TFG Marina, a high luxury apartment hotel situate in Dubai Media City.

They are also asking for the payment of N170 million as damages arising from Umweni’s refusal to continue to pay the instalments.  They claimed that the refusal of Umweni to fulfil his obligations under the contract he executed with them constituted a breach of contract.

In his response to the suit, Umweni stated that it was The First Group who was in breach of their contract hence it made three separate proposals to make a refund and noted that there would not have been any problem if the company had refunded him his contributions.

He said: “I am amazed by their action. They earlier claimed in one of their numerous letters to me that no Nigerian court can delve into this matter and that I should go to Dubai and sue them there, now, they have gone to a Nigerian court in Lagos. This shows that they are beginning to come to terms with reality. I will get justice no matter how long it takes. The First Group cannot take my money for nothing.”

In his statement of defence, Umweni said he was no longer interested in the TFG Marina Project and wanted his contribution which stood at N9.7 million refunded to him.

He stated that the project was a mere paper work and that the suit by the defendants was a cover up to tie down his money.
In an affidavit he deposed and attached to the statement of defence, Umweni said that at all material time, he was made to believe he was dealing with The First Group (TFG) and not with the two companies that filed the action against him.

Nigeria: Widow, 80, Drags Nephew to Court Over Property

Kaduna — A'isha Abdullahi, an 80-year old widow of Anguwar Dosa, Kaduna, has dragged her nephew, Abdulrahman Mohammed, to Magajin Gari Sharia Court for allegedly claiming her inherited property.
Abdullahi told the court: "Our late father left the house to us. I left the house to his (Abdullahi's) mother to take care of, I don't have a child.

"I took three of her children and at that time I resided at Warri, Delta state, with my husband."
The complainant added that she returned to Kaduna after the death of her husband.
"For almost 13 years they asked me to go to the house, I them told I can't stay with her husband and children using one toilet and bathroom. So I rented a single room," Abdullahi said.
She said that she never collected rent from them, but asked her sister to use the money generated from the house for her upkeep.

According to her, Mohammed claimed that he bought the house from her after the death of his mother at the cost of N250, 000.
The accused, however, denied the allegation.
Mohammed told the court that the house in dispute was "inherited by my mother and when her (A'isha) husband died she came back to Kaduna, but she refused to stay in the house for no reason.
"She has nobody than we because she brought us up; right from childhood I grew up with her in Warri."
He recalled that one day some community elders came to the house to say that the complainant wanted her share of house to be sold.

"They asked me if I am interested, which I said 'yes' and I gave them first N140,000 and later I paid N110,000, making N250,000 all in all," he said.

He said "the elders were there, we all sang and she sang, but she later took me to Kawo Upper Area Court on same matter which the judgment was in my favour."
The presiding officer, Khadi Ibrahim Mohammed, asked the accused to produce a copy of the judgment of the Upper Area Court on the matter before the court.
Mohammed adjourned the case to Aug. 6 for hearing and continuation. NAN

Nigeria: Aggrieved Client Slams First City Group

Abuja based businessman Mr. Washington Agbons Umweni, who allegedly went into business with Dubai property marketing company, The First City Group, has accused the company of defrauding him of the sum of N9.8 million.

This is even as The First City Group Through its lawyer, Mr. Ismail Muftau, has insisted that the relationship between The First Group and Umweni is founded on a contract which is governed by a Sales Purchase Agreement (SPA), signed by both parties and that the said sales purchase agreement shall only be governed and or construed by, in accordance with the Federal Laws of the United Arab Emirate and that it is only the courts of Dubai that shall have absolute jurisdiction to entertain any dispute or issues arising from that contract.
 Continue...

Local News: Landlord Abandons Home For Land Grabbers

A landlord in Ikeshin Village, Ota, Ogun State, Alhaji Nojeem Obileye, has abandoned his home after some land grabbers in the area allegedly threatened to deal with him for accusing them of causing the mayhem that led to the death of one Alhaji Idowu Arinadeagbo.

Obileye said since he spoke in June about the incident, known and unknown people had threatened to take his life for saying the truth.

He said, “I am surprised they have targeted me because it is a known fact that many of the land grabbers use thugs to seize portions of land. I am not the only one in the village privy to this.”

The landlord added that one Kunle Matanmi, a nephew to the a traditional ruler in Ogun State, Oba Fatai Matanmi, had called him on the telephone to register his displeasure for saying Matanmi gave backing to some of the land speculators when he spoke to reporters.


Although the monarch denied the allegation when our correspondent spoke with him in June, Obileye said Kunle was not satisfied and had promised to deal with him for “soiling the monarch’s name.”

He said, “Kunle Matanmi has called me twice on the telephone to threaten me. “Apart from mentioning his name, a discreet investigation revealed that the number that called my line was Kunle’s telephone number. So, I am taking the threat serious.”

Obileye said Kunle had also visited his house in company with some people, adding that the development made him and his family members to flee his residence.

Obileye’s lawyer declined to reveal his name for fear of reprisal. He said, “I have been going to the police on behalf of Obileye. The police said since Obileye could narrate so much to the media, he must know a lot about the murder. They said the thugs who killed Arinadegbo parked their vehicle in Obileye’s factory. However, I told them that Obileye was just a witness, not the criminal.”

However, when our correspondent called Kunle on the telephone, he said there was nothing like that.

“That is not true; I swear that I did not threaten him. Please don’t mind Alhaji Obileye,” he said.

But other residents of the area said they had been bearing the brunt of daring to speak against the land grabbers.

The Public Relations Officer of the state police command, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the police were working towards bringing peace back to the area.

Stakeholders Brain Storm on Promoting Growth in Real Estate

Stakeholders in the Real estate sector are set for another brain storming session, at the 2nd edition of ‘Real estate Unite’ summit billed for October 17-18.

The stakeholders comprising of developers, builder, investors and policymakers and lawyers will gather at the Civic Centre, Lagos, to rub minds together on many posers as regarding how to advance the real estate for economic growth.

Put together by 3Invest Limited, Real estate Unite will also serve as Africa’s largest congregation of real estate professionals as Real Estate Unite Conference, Exhibition and Awards

Speaking on the essence of this year’s summit, Chief Executive Officer of 3Invest Limited, Ruth Obih, stated that in order to help unlock Nigeria’s real estate potential for economic prosperity, her firm is set to focus more on infrastructure, noting that the potential of real estate, especially commercial, hospitality and residential cannot be harnessed without it.

Innovative Finacing in Land Ownership for Small Holders - Lessons From Shonga Farms

Press Release

Being a Paper presented by His Excellency, Senator (Dr.) Abubakar Bukola Saraki(CON) at the occasion of 6th Africa Agriculture Science Week and FARA General Assembly, Accra Ghana on the 19th of July 2013.
INTRODUCTION:
Small holder farmers are among the poorest and most food insecure people around the world (Nigeria inclusive), they reside in the most ecologically and climatically vulnerable regions and must draw their livelihood from these same conditions. With all these challenges, it is these small-scale farmers who feed the majority of the world, producing food for about 70% of the world population (FAO2009). For many of these farmers, scarcity scenarios of so many things are nothing new.

In Nigeria, because of the neglect of agricultural development over past decades, secure land tenure and access to safe water has remained out of reach for many people, while national agricultural sector have suffered structural deficits and low productivity.

According to (FAO right to food, 2008) "Equitable access to land and natural resources is an essential element of the right to food for rural population in general and for vulnerable and marginalized groups in particular" All these emerging scarcity scenarios have helped push agriculture to the top of the global policy agenda forcing most forward looking governments and responsible international institutions to rethink the ways in which agriculture is practiced (i.e the way food is produced and distributed).

This effect is resulting in a renewed emphasis on the potential of agriculture, and government in recent years have intensified efforts to commercialize their agricultural sectors, thereby indirectly strengthening the small holders through an effective technological transfer from the developed commercial farming ventures.

LAND TENURE/OWNERSHIP
Land Ownership /Tenure are important issue for farmers as it affects fundamental factors of investment security and the consequent ability to be able to repay and also, the issue of using such security as collateral.
It is a common fact that in Africa, private ownership of land is not real. It is rare for a small holder to be able to lay claim to title to his or her land and dispose same freely. The current land tenure system as it is being operates does not guarantee or provide necessary security. This is impossible due to some social pressure as land tenure is being deemed as prerogative of authorities concerned. It is equally known that even where land tenure operates, land registration are not available and where it does, it is not perfect.

The rights, responsibilities and or obligation of smallholder farmer vary according to religion, region, ethnic group, age, social status, education and economic power. It must be noted here that women in particular often do not have their right asserted through land registration system where it exists.

It has been posited in several forum that freehold or long leases could provide basis to encourage productive term investments and to permit col-lateralization of land. Therefore, it is believed that creating a legal framework to support traditional ownership of land maybe the best method. Another school of thought are of the opinion that, registration of the security for use is the key rather than registration as ownership of land.
Therefore, from the perspective of financial institutions or donor agencies, to be able to lend will depend on the level of information available to evaluate the capacity and or capability of the lender to repay as at when due and utilize such fund wisely.

FACTORS MILITATING AGAINST FINANCING LAND OWNERSHIP FOR SMALLHOLDER
Uncertainties regarding land tenure system (insecurity of land tenure)
Inadequate and unequal access to land
Lack of mechanism to transfer rights and considerate plots
Overly subdivision of land into small and uneconomic units
Food insecurity - low productivity
Improper management of land (land degredation, erosion and loss of fertility).
Lack of collateral and or credit facility - farmers relies on many informal lenders.
High interest rates- this is one of the major challenges to smallholder productivity
Lack of influence on agricultural policies and budget-(smallholders are not part of policy making, as a result, their interest are not captured).
Poor quality of land
Reliance on basic farming equipment
Poor access to local market and extensive services
Generally, lack of capital and access to affordable credit by smallholders has been the factor behind low agricultural productivity. Most farmers could not be assisted by commercial and micro-credit banks, thereby, commercial banks support towards agriculture has been very low compared to manufacturing, trade and other sectors of the economy where they can recover their interest on time. Budgeting allocating by most African government are very low. Most government have not been implementing the Maputo declaration which is 10 percent of their yearly budget allocation.

INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ADDRESS THE FINANCING LAND OWNERSHIP FOR SMALLHOLDER
African countries should go the way of South Africa's standard Bank which signed a million dollars deal with Alliance for a green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) in March 2000.
- Objectives - To provide financing to small holder farmers and agric business where certain percentage default guarantee are provided by the state on the loans to be given for a certain period of years
- Standard Bank identified and factored in most risk assessed and problems, for example, reduce risk on farming inputs, mitigate losses on drought-prone areas, reduce transaction costs and abolish collateral requirement and instead, mobilize large cooperatives to commit to buy the upcoming crops.
Expansion of saving groups and use of remittances to fund profitable agricultural sub-sectors.
Private sector participation, for example providing transport, logistics, credit, warehousing services, leveraging on technology to bring down cost.

Facilitating of projects that can help farmers to make money through better linkages to value chain actors.
Producer organizations - cooperatives and farmers Associations to offer support to small holders through collective action to secure land rights and better market opportunities.
Government to subsidize credit scheme (providing loan guarantee to private banks who are willing to support smallholders).

Exploration of government and donor backed schemes to increase provision of rural credit to small holders. For example, providing subsidies to credit scheme or loan guarantees to banks.
Pre-financing of agricultural initiatives-tractorisation scheme in Nigeria.
Business groups to ensure that credit offers made available are appropriate for smallholders operating within supply chains.

Government to re-commit to allocating 10% of their national budget to agriculture- e.g Nigeria.
KWARA STATE INNOVATION AND LESSONS FROM SHONGA FARMS
In Kwara State, some of the above initiatives can already be observed where the shonga farms and their various partner cooperate with farmers, the local communities and the government in the areas of agriculture, rural development and food security.

In this regard, Kwara State government adopted initiatives to accelerate agricultural growth through both the commercialization of small holders and promotion of large-scale corporate farming, all through the Shonga Farms Holdings Nigeria Limited.
As these laudable initiatives gather pace, the situation of the small holders producers improves considerably through the constant transfer of knowledge among them other benefit

SHONGA FARMS
To effectively deal with low productivity and increase access to modern method of agricultural production, kwara State government set out early in 2004/2005 at promoting agricultural modernization through the commercialization of agriculture at Shonga, building its foundation on existence of vast land areas and numerous small holders farming families already in existence in the area.

A new emphasis on large-scale, commercial agriculture with these small holders also emerged, with the government providing a conducive, and an enabling environment taking the communities into confidence so as to attract these foreign joint investment in agriculture as witnessed with the Shonga farming ventures.
With this bold initiatives by the state government and having built sustainable confidence with the local communities, the most difficult aspect of land acquisition became surmontable as "easy access to land with smooth facilitation process" was achieved after series of various levels of consultation was arranged between the government, local communities, small holder formers and the investing commercial farmers on the other hand between 2004-2006.

The state government engage the service of 13No. Zimbabwe farmers who were established around Shonga Emirate in what is now known as Shonga's farms (Holding). Each of these 13 farmers were allocated 1000 hectares of land to engage in various forms of agricultural ventures. (Mixed croppers, Poultry groups and dairy groups).

In between these 13 settled commercial farmers, 200 hectares of land were earmarked and reserved for the local farmers. These initiatives became necessary because about 90% of the work forces of these commercial farmers are from the local communities who are expected to be empowered for the sustainability of the whole concept.

Each of these local farmers are then allocated with 2-5 hectares of land within this reserved 200 hectares in between the commercial farmers. The essence of this is to enable these local farmers benefit from the inflow of inputs, information, plants and machinery, off taking of proceeds and all other forms of technological transfer from the commercial farmers. It is envisaged that at the end of the day all these local farmers would have benefited immensely and became empowered to transform to commercial farmers, after which, is our intention to move them to a different location in form of Shonga Farms Holdings phase II in conjunction with grandaunts from Integrated youth farm institute in Kwara state.

Kwara state integrated youth farms was actually established to breed new generation of successive farmers, as they are adequately exposed during their training to both theoretical and practical aspects of modern agriculture.

Our intention therefore, is to bring some of these grandaunts and the local farmers that have benefited from the empowerment from the commercial farmers to work together prior to their movement to phase II. It is this particular concept which is novel that has caught the attention the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Bank of Agriculture, for financial support especially in the area of cassava production.
Against this backdrop, the experiences of Shonga farms Holdings show that with adequate support, small holder agriculture has commercial potentials that goes beyond increasing food availability in local, state, national, or even international markets.

This farms holding is a deliberate strategy designed to empower both small holders and large-scale farmers to make a commercial success of farming through partnership that works and sustainable, with governments, local communities and various business concerns.

Over time, this laudable initiative is likely to have a significant impact on small holder farmers as commercial enterprises look to invest in the state. Ensuring that those farmers have secure tenure as is done here is an important step in strengthening their position in future.

CONCLUSION
It is a fact that adopting a financing structure from one country to another maybe difficult to implement. It is suggested that a financing arrangement that can work well in peculiar cases should be designed to encourage other countries. The most important consideration here is to ensure that such structure provides practical solutions to the financing needs of smallholders.

There is also the need for African countries to contribute enough budgetary allocation to agriculture and support farming. Along this initiative, government must ensure improvement on land tenure security. This will increase food security as farmers are encouraged to invest more in their land and enable access to services as finance and prevent farmers for being displaced from their lands.

Furthermore to the above, laws that promote secure land tenure for all should be enshrined in most countries legal system. Smallholders need innovative financial services to support and encourage them in prioritizing sustainable management. The economies of African countries are developing and it is high time we brace up to the challenges of how to ensure innovative financing methods for purpose of food security.
Africa, it is time for action and enough of rhetorics, seminars and workshops. What we need now is action and commitment to eradicate hunger and poverty in the continent.

3invest set for Real Estate Unite

The Chief Executive Officer, 3invest Limited, Ms. Ruth Obih, has disclosed the firm’s readiness to unite professionals in the built environment at this year’s edition of Real Estate Unite, an annual event aimed at redefining business and investment in the Nigerian real estate sector.

Obih said this year’s edition, which is the second in the series, would seek to answer questions on land use; how to advance real estate for economic growth in the country; the state of airports and railways as well as facility maintenance and the place of tourism and hospitality in the country’s real estate sector.

She said, “Having highlighted the major issues barring our nation’s real estate from reaching its economic potential, we realised that infrastructure and urbanisation is a major driver of emerging markets. Reformation of our laws is the key to unlocking our housing finance sector.

“In order to develop strategies to tackle these issues, we have lined up speakers from key sectors, who are key decision makers and leading opinion shapers.

“We have chosen infrastructure because the potential of real estate, especially commercial hospitality and residential, cannot be harnessed without it.”

According to Obih, the theme of the event holding between October 17 and 18, ‘Advancing Nigeria’s real estate for economic growth’, is designed to expose the prospects of the country’s real estate sector.

She said the award segment of the programme was conceived to elevate standards; while the conference would offer practical solutions through experience speakers; and the international perspective would be projected through the exhibition.

“Last year, we highlighted some major issues at our conference, and our research shows increased activities in the real estate industry since the inception of Real Estate Unite in 2012.

“It may sound coincidental, but the government is recognising and putting real estate at the forefront of the nation’s activities and recognising that unlocking potential in the real estate industry is integral to economic development of the country,” Obih said.

A representative of Diamond Bank Plc, Mr. Anya Duroha, said the bank was focused on mortgage financing in the real estate sector, hence the need to partner with 3invest on the forthcoming conference and exhibition.

“We realised that people need long term financing for housing and we are incorporating that. Our core competence is retail banking and we focus on mortgage with a tenure range of about 20 to 25 years,” he said.

Source