With the poor recovery levels of property tax in the Lagos metropolis, university teachers have proposed that the state government adopt greater tax equity and efficiency.
They argued that the government should exercise caution and avoid hasty actions, which could result into errors that can literally stump the real estate sector resulting into a situation akin to killing the goose that lays the golden egg. Making their submission at a oneday round table on the Lagos State Land Use Charge Law, 2018: Towards Sustainable Administration and Best Practice organised by the Department of Estate Management, University of Lagos, the dons said that the State Government is in a dilemma as revenue from Land Use charges will be boosted better by increasing the tax base.
In a joint address, the Head, Department of Estate Management and Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, Prof. Modupe Omirin and Prof. Mike Adebamowo respectively, pointed out that “rather than over burdening existing property owners and occupiers this can be achieved by creating more hereditaments through land use intensification or densification particularly in prime areas where land is presently underused.” While offering technical assistance to the government to boost revenue generation for the sustained development and provision / maintenance of critical infrastructure for a strong fiscal base and resilient economy, they called for the reconsideration of the key issues underlying the law to ensure sustainable administration such as acceptability, enforceability, affordability, legality or legitimacy and transparency.
Setting the tune for the discussion, the duo commended the Lagos State Government for being at the forefront of property tax reform in Nigeria and recent efforts to review some aspects of the LUC in response to the reactions of stakeholders across board.
Engineers want integrity test for buildings
To ensure stability of buildings, engineers under the aegis of the Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) has called for a policy that will ensure that integrity tests are carried out on buildings above ten years. President of NIStructE, Edward Atumonyogo, shortly after the institution’s visit to Planet Project, said: “Generally, we have some designs to last for 50 years but it does not mean, they will collapse after 50 years. But what we are saying is that there is need to ensure that the structural components are well maintained so that they can last for 50 years and beyond.
According to him, carrying out structural test on such buildings is very important because in advanced countries, Structural engineers are commissioned to do structural test after 10 years, especially on buildings that are showing some signs of distress.“ So it is an ongoing thing that structures be checked after 10 years to make sure that they are still in a very good condition.
“Already, we have recommended to Lagos state government that they need to be doing structural integrity test even though , they want to do it every year but that was not what we recommended”, he added. The NIStructE president also recommended that engineers and structural engineers should be commissioned to carry out proper checks in buildings after 10 years to make sure that the buildings are in top shape especially buildings that show signs of distress.
Earlier, the managing Director of Planet Projects Limited, Abiodun Otunola,,an engineer, urged Nigerians to make themselves more relevant by learning how to communicate more in the society in terms of finance and economics.
He said the three -multi level bus terminal was conceived to address the intractable transport problem in Lagos as well as to be a land mark project aimed at changing the narratives that Nigerians can do things for ourselves, when given the opportunity.
NIESV faults non-appointment of members as land directors, deed registrars
The President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), Rowland Enyinna Abonta, has kicked against the appointment of non-members of the association as directors of land and deed registrars in some states. Abonta, who spoke in Abuja recently at the 2nd Conference of Directors of Land in federal, state ministries, departments and agencies, said the act was against all extant laws and approved scheme of service in Nigeria.
The NIESV president, however, called on all the erring states and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to urgently correct, what he called “this error”. Similarly, he called on all the federal and state MDAs to appoint estate surveyors and valuers as head of estate and housing divisions/departments for professional efficiency.
He said: “As a professional body, we condemn in totality the appointment of nonEstate Surveyors and Valuers as directors of land and deed registrars in some states against the all extant laws and approved scheme of service in Nigeria.
“We call on such states and the Federal Capital Territory Administration to urgently correct this error which has persisted for a long time now in obedience to laws of the lands. “We also call on all federal and state MDAs to appoint Estate Surveyors and Valuers to head their Estate and Housing divisions/departments for professional efficiency in the service delivery”.
