₦airaland Forum

A mistress:
Charlotte was not a jealous woman, but she had to make sure that her husband was always happy with her, and if he wasn’t anymore, then he must at least have the courage to come and talk to her in all honesty.
John would often disappear without saying anything and he would sometimes go out to dinner with a pretty woman, but he would also say that it was for his work. Charlotte sometimes doubted that he had fallen in love with her. One day, when she was tired of this hidden life of John, she even followed him to see if his hypothesis was true, but she couldn’t find anything conclusive.

Secret drawer:
Also, John had a drawer in his bedroom that Charlotte was never allowed to look into. She had tried looking for the key once when he was gone for a few days, but that too had failed.
In the end, she had given up on seeking confirmation and blamed herself for her suspicions. She told herself that she was too jealous and that she already had everything she dreamed of having with John, a house, children, a beautiful and happy family. She had realized that there was no point looking for anything, because everything seemed to indicate that she was not going to find anything, no matter how hard she tried.

No life without him:
Despite the fact that Charlotte often had doubts about his honesty, she loved him unconditionally. She just couldn’t live without him and would never leave him, even if he was unfaithful.
Everyone has faults and she had sworn in front of the hotel that she would stay with John until she died. If the couple were to go their separate ways, it certainly wouldn’t be her fault, as she would love him until death did part them. But sadly, it seemed more and more that her fear of losing him was going to become a reality. Despite the ups and downs, she proved to be the best of wives.

Health problems:
John never mistreated his wife, he loved her deeply, even though he had things to hide. However, he insisted on shedding that weight when he passed away. He did not take his secrets with him to his grave.
Sadly, John was diagnosed with a rare disease. He had had health problems for a long time but was still too stubborn to go to the doctor or the hospital. He refused to rely on medicine for a cure, he firmly believed that he would get better naturally. When at one point it really couldn’t go on like this anymore, he finally went to the doctor and heard the bad news.

Incurable disease:
After his first visit to the doctor, he was unable to diagnose what he had. The symptoms were unknown to doctors and he was perhaps right in believing that modern medicine could do nothing for him.
Little was known about his condition and until today, doctors had not been able to find a solution to this problem or the origin of his illness. One thing the doctor was sure, however, was that he didn’t have much longer to live and that there was nothing they could do for him. Doctors advised him to take advantage of the last few days, as they weren’t sure how much time he had left.

Call 911
….. to be continue

This incredible story is that of Charlotte and John, a couple who have been married for over 50 years and who have lived happy, but sober lives. Sadly, John suffered from an incurable disease and spent the last days of his life in a hospital bed.

In his last breath, he told Charlotte that she needed to take a closer look at the painting he made for her a few months after their wedding.
She went to a conservatory and immediately after the latter removed the coat of varnish from the top of the painting, she found out that her husband had kept a huge secret for all these years.

This is Charlotte:
Charlotte was a widower and retired and had worked as a nurse all her life. She was married to her husband John and had three children. Their awe-inspiring story began a long time ago when Charlotte went out with her friends and had no idea this evening was going to change her life.
Charlotte wasn’t the type to go out often and she had no intention of going out on the night she had met her husband John. Her friends always insisted that she go out for a bit and meet new people, but it wasn’t really her cup of tea. Fortunately, this time, she had let herself be tempted by a little evening with friends, just to get out of the routine.

The two lovebirds:

When Charlotte and John met over 50 years ago at a local bar, it was love at first sight. Both were very shy, and it took John’s courage to take the first step.
Charlotte could clearly see that John was uncomfortable because it was not his habit to take the first step. Usually, his friends helped him approach a girl, but this one was too special for him to pass up a chance. A simple smile was enough for him to immediately fall in love with each other, they quickly became attached to each other and the two lovebirds quickly became inseparable.

A happy life, but sober:
Even though John was often away, he always took good care of his wife and their children. John was a devoted man to his wife and family and he always made sure they didn’t miss anything.
They had never had enough money, but that was not a problem since they had met and were made for each other. That hasn’t stopped the couple from living a fulfilling life. Together with their two adorable boys, the four of them have lived happy, but modest lives all these years. However, it turned out that John had not told Charlotte the truth about him.

Mistrustful:
Even though Charlotte was happy with him, she was sometimes suspicious of him. He was often away and when she asked him exactly what he had done, he always reacted a little with suspicion. He said it was for work and he didn’t want to talk to her about it.
John had always seemed to have secrets and he had kept them very well. This did not prevent Charlotte from loving him with all her heart and she did not doubt his love for her and her children. Charlotte knew he was hiding something, but could never find out what, and although she had tried to unravel its mysteries, she could never find anything. She tried so hard that she finally gave up and accepted that John would never tell her some part of his life.

A mistress:
…….to be continue

AdeniyiA:
Fortunately for the other worlds, brilliant and intelligent leaders govern them...

Like Joe Biden?

Americans are regretting their gang up against Trump now

I only hope you guys will not eat your words after 2023

Michael390:
.Are you in America

Canada

Have you seen this cat?

Life has returned to normalcy in Madagascar. No lockdown! No forced holidays!

People are going about their business. Reports say on March 23rd they had 9 confirmed coronavirus cases, and in one month precisely on April 25, they had 122 cases.

When coronavirus was first detected in the country, WHO predictated that they were at the verge of unmitigated disaster.

In general, as at today 25th April, Magadascar has no coronavirus cases and 100% recoveries , with NO SINGLE DEATH--ZERO DEATH.

WHY? HOW DID IT HAPPEN? The young President looked inwards.

I have been condemning "copy and paste", stlye of leadership of African leaders. A few who decide to look inwards have had better results.

Madagascar's President Andry Rajoelina believes that Madagascar could possess a remedy to coronavirus, and manufactured a local herb, which the country is using to treat patients.

WHO got mad!!! World Health Organization condemned his medicine because it was made in Africa, not in US, Europe, Asia or Australia.

WHO didn't try to investigate the 100% success story of the concoction and see if it could be adopted or modified. They condemned it, against its 100% EXCELLENT RESULTS.... Please who does that kind of thing? This is why l will continue to question WHO's integrity in this whole horrible pandemic.

The Magadascar medicine is called “Covid Organic” or “CVO”. The President has made it compulsory for the citizens. He drank it on National television, live. Most vulnerable citizens and school children are given the medicine free of charge.

World Health Organization should know that facts and results don't lie. And there is nothing they can do against it.

Oh, how we need the young President of Magadascar with brain, to lead real African revolution against the slavery of China and the rest of neocolonial masters.

#Copied#

Adelani Adepegba, Abuja

The United States has asked medical professionals seeking to work in America to apply for a work visa at the nearest US Embassy as part of measures to strengthen the health system to contain the coronavirus pandemic in the country.

The government in a statement published on www.travel.state.gov on Friday, advised foreign medical professionals already in the US to consult with their sponsors to extend their programmes.



According to World Health Organisation statistics as of 12:00 pm on Friday, 63,570 people have been infected with the virus and nearly 884 have died in the US which is quickly becoming the new epicenter of the outbreak.

The statement read, “We encourage medical professionals seeking to work in the United States on a work or exchange visitor, particularly those working to treat or mitigate the effects of COVID-19, to reach out to the nearest embassy or consulate to request a visa appointment.


“For those foreign medical professionals already in the United States:

J-1 Alien Physicians (medical residents) may consult with their programme sponsor, ECFMG, to extend their programmes in the United States. Generally, a J-1 program for a foreign medical resident can be extended one year at a time for up to seven years.”

It noted that the expiration date on a US visa did not determine how long one can be in the United States.

https://punchng.com/covid-19-us-asks-doctors-nurses-around-the-world-to-apply-for-visas/

Coming here with your N20 million depends on your answer to this questions: Are you coming with an immigrant visa, Study Permit or Visitors visa? If it's immigrant visa, yes - you are good to go. Study Permit? Apply first, but I doubt you'll get it with only N20 million in your account, cause this cannot take care of your education and I doubt if the vo will issues you a study permit. If it's visitors visa, forget it my brother. No matter how much you bring here, without SSN or someone to help you, you'll struggle

A Nigerian man based in Canada has reportedly been assassinated in Lagos State a few days after returning to the country.

According to reports, the yet-to-be-identified-man who has been based in overseas for a long time returned to Nigeria recently and asked his brother whom he has been sending money to build a house for him to take him to the site.

He was said to be on the site at the Ikorodu area of Lagos to inspect the supposed building project when some daredevil assassins shot him dead inside his car.

The assailants are yet to be found, according to reports.

The social media user who shared photos from the scene of assassination wrote:

“He came from Toronto, Canada after nine years to see the building he has been sending money to his brother to erect for him in Ikorodu, Lagos.

“He was shot the moment he got to the site.”

Source: http://community.thenationonlineng.net/forum/canada-returnee-shot-dead-while-inspecting-project-site-in-ikorod

Take time and ponder on this;

1. In the South west, it is only Lagos State that pays minimum wage N35000.
2. In the South East, no state pays new minimum wage.
3. In the South South (with oil money) no single state pays
4. In the North Central none.
5. In the North East Adamawa pays N32.000 new minimum wage, Bauchi N30000
6. In the North West Kano N30,600... Jigawa N30000... Kaduna N30000....Katsina N30000 and Kebbi N30000
NOTE
1. Out of 7 states currently paying the New Minimum wage, 6 are core North Muslim states.
2. No single Christian state is paying. Lagos is a mixed state.
3. None of The 4 Core oil producing states of Bayelsa, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Rivers is paying.
4. The 4 oil states of the South have more allocations than the 19 States of the north combined yet 6 States in the North are able pay the new Minimum wage and no state in the South is.
The 6 states paying new minimum wage are all core North....
In summary, Buhari is not our problem...! The citizen of these states criticize, and lambasted the government when the negotiations were on going,...some called it a big shame.
Now, they are not shouting at their state governments....the greatest noise came from the south east and south-south...., now with all the derivatives and allocations....they still cannot pay..!

PMB released the minimum wages to the Christians dominated states and South South governors to pays their workers but yet their Governors keep mute...they'll still tell there followers that PMB wanted to islamized Nigeria or they're marginalized by PMB and North

My Questions is that who is fooling who?

Is this true? Shame on South South political elites!
I wonder where the greater evil resides.

##Copied##

seyewest:
I see no issue with you changing your travel plan especially if the plan is to spend time with your family explain why you decided to change your plans truthfully to the CBP officer.

Planning your trip should be straightforward because JFK(New York) is like an hour drive to New Jersey so no need to fly from JFK to New york and also I will prefer if you fly to New york which I believe is cheaper because no CBP officer will raise any issue on you landing in JFK instead of New jersey.
I'm not too sure if $8000 will be enough for 3 weeks except if you plan to rent an apartment for 3 weeks which will be cheaper than hotel.
Enjoy your holiday.

Thanks @ Seyewest, we will not be lodging in a hotel or apartment as my in-law will accommodate us, I have confirm our flight with Qatar Air to JFK as its far more cheaper than Ethiopian Airways

Hi all & @ Seyewest & other contributors good job

I have few questions please:

* Got our (Me, Spouse & 3 children) B1/B2 last month, going for family vacation in New Jersey and 5 days 16 years wedding Anniversary in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada after which we will return back to New Jersey to complete our family vacation before our return flight back home.

* Before our interview I fill 1 week stay in US while my family fill 3 weeks as I intended going back to Nigeria from Manitoba due to work load and my wife was to fly back to New Jersey and come back with the Children later, But now, we have change of plan, I intend going back with her to New Jersey so we all come back together after three weeks of entering US, will this be an issue at the POE? Note: My return ticket is in three weeks like that of my family

* I booked (On hold) Ethiopian Airlines with 11hours 30 Minutes ( 8:30pm to 9:00 am next day) stopover at Addis Ababa, will we be offered hotel accommodation for the night or are we sleeping at the airport all night? Need answer please if you have had a night stop over at Addis Ababa

*I also have a cheaper option of flying through JFK from Lagos with a stopover at Doha (Qatar Airways) but like I said, my final destination is Newark NJ, wil it cause us so much inconveniences? Mind you Ethipian Airlines is direct from base (Enugu) while Qatar Air we have to travel to Lagos from Enugu, and also connect another flight from JFK to Newark NJ. The difference is about N600,000.

*Finally will $8000 PTA raise red flag at POE for a 3 weeks stay? taking into consideration the size of my family, my in-law will accommodate us during our stay

Thanks all, will sure share my POE Experience

Please house I need help, someone here advise me on what to do

I visited USA January 2011, when my visa expire, I went for renewal June 2011, then renewal was not through dropbox. During the interview I was asked what i bought there, and I told the consular officer it was construction equipment and tools for my work.i was ask to show the shipping document but i was not with it there as it was direct purchase while in the US .I later went again in 2012 with the shipping documents of the cars that i bought,though the shipment was not directly on my name I was denied the second time.

I went back again yesterday, attached is the paper they gave me. I do not have any bill of Landing.But I have direct purchasing reciept, what should I do? Please I need advice.

Siena:
[color=Blue]I've heard the compressor from a Massey Ferguson bulldozer works best. It usually pumps hydraulic on a bulldozer, and is pretty indestructible.[/color]

@ Siena, where can I get this compressor?

My compressor is not cooling again and my air condition mechanic advise that I change to a New Peugeot Compressor for my 2005 Toyota Corolla. Please advise, which one should I choose, New Peugeot Compressor or Tokunbo Corolla Compressor for my car, is there anyone here with experience of using any? Which one worked very well after the change?
Thanks

Hello house, please can someone (who have checked his/her) send/post the nysc link to check the verified senate list for 2016 Batch A.

I am experiencing difficulties making online payment of $518 via mastercard.
Please what other means can i use to pay for my UK Visa fees?

@Justwise, please help

justwise: That person is not a real lawyer, probably visa agent, you are not entitled to an appeal.
First you need to confirm from the hotel that your reservation is still valid because many hotels do cancel reservations even without informing you, so do that and use the evidence to reapply.

@ Justwise, the reservation is still valid. Thanks.

Vicjustice: You did not state the visa category that you applied for nor did you give adequate information to work with.
However, I do not recommend you waste your money to a lawyer because, I am not sure that the application is one that requires a lawyer's service.
Please, provide more information and I'm sure you can get free help here rather than paying away N50k (for something that you can do for free)

@ Vicjustice General Visitor Visa

Imeobong: Hello house, Please I need advice, we (Myself & Family) applied for a UK Visa, (already we have a 2 years US visa). My bank account balance is in 8 figures and my monthly earning is in 7 figures and we were denied because according to them they could not confirm our hotel reservations in UK. But this is not true as the reservations we made through booking.com is still valid.
Now a lawyer advise that I should not allow my money (N285,000) go down the drain, that we should appeal. Her fee is N50,000. Please what should I do? Should I appeal or reapplied? Thanks.

House, Vicjustice & Justwise please advise, I need to reapply immediately or appeal. Thanks

Hello house, Please I need advice, we (Myself & Family) applied for a UK Visa, (already we have a 2 years US visa). My bank account balance is in 8 figures and my monthly earning is in 7 figures and we were denied because according to them they could not confirm our hotel reservations in UK. But this is not true as the reservations we made through booking.com is still valid.
Now a lawyer advise that I should not allow my money (N285,000) go down the drain, that we should appeal. Her fee is N50,000. Please what should I do? Should I appeal or reapplied? Thanks.

Source: http://www.punchng.com/business/homes-property/with-n3m-you-can-build-your-own-house/

Despite the huge amount that Nigerians spend on constructing their houses and the 16 million unit housing deficit, experts have demonstrated that affordable homeownership is possible. MAUREEN AZUH writes on the choices that are available to the people

Owning a home is perhaps the most important achievement in life. The journey towards that can be daunting, especially in a growing economy where individuals are responsible for their own welfare.

For those who depend on the federal and state governments’ minimum wage, and even those who earn less than N3m per annum, building a house or accessing mortgages to buy into the various private housing projects is a near impossibility.

Experts in the built environment, however, say that building a house to suit one’s pocket and needs, is not rocket science but an achievable dream.

According to experts, an individual who wishes to build a personal house for a budget of between N2.5m and N3m must first consider the location they can acquire land cheaply, which in most cases will be on the outskirt of cities.

A piece of land in the heart of any major town will require the entire money and more.

“If you must build a house with between N2.5m and N3m, you must know that you can’t acquire land in the city. You have to go to the outskirts where you can get a plot of land or half for N300, 000 to N500, 000. That is the first step,” the Managing Director, Bolyn Construction Company, Elder Rufus Akinrolabu, says.

Akinrolabu adds that care must also be taken not to invest in a marshy or swampy area as sand filling and piling may be as expensive as building a house itself.

According to him, to be able to do a good job of managing the money, there must be an estimate for the builder and the owner on the quantity and quality of materials required.

“There will be a need to examine all the items for construction one after the other without leaving any. A material specification is essential as there are different types of items that can be used for the same purpose,” he states.

Location of the building also plays an important role, according to a quantity surveyor and Managing Partner, JIMS Partnership, Mr. Jide Oke.

“A building in Lekki area will cost more than a building in Ibafo, for instance, because of the soil condition. We also have to look at the specifications or the choices available to the owner. That will depend on the kind of materials to be used; if you are using granite, marble or some expensive tiles in the sitting room, you know you have to spend more than someone using PVC tiles or something cheaper,” he explains.

But for someone who wants to live in an affordable place, on a farm or dry land, the odds are that N2.5m can build a standard and comfortable two-bedroom bungalow with quality but affordable materials.

Oke says, “Your roof may not be so expensive; you may be looking at using a typical 0.55 gauge of long span aluminium instead of 0.7, which is more expensive.

“If you are looking at what you can do with a half or even a quarter plot of land, you can look at a two-bedroom of about five metres by 13 metres, which is barely less than 70 square metres. By the time you provide a frontage and a parking lot for one or two cars, you may be having around 150 square metres that is like quarter of a plot because a plot of land is about 600 square metres.

“If one quarters of a plot is maximised, it will build a standard family-sized house that is not opulent but has minimum level of comfort.”

The immediate past President, Nigerian Institute of Building, Mr. Chucks Omeife, says direct labour procurement method, where an individual buys his own materials and engages the services of a builder to manage the construction process, is another way of saving cost.

“Once the substructure is well constructed, the building would have met with good quality standard and reduce to the barest minimum the problem of maintenance,” he explains.

According to him, this method saves cost by between 20 and 25 per cent.

For a two-bedroom flat consisting a sitting room, dining room, kitchen, store, toilet and bathroom, Akinrolabu estimates that the foundation will require about 40 bags of cement, four loads of granite, three loads of sharp sand and about 420 pieces of nine-inch sandcrete blocks at a cost of about N400,000.

For labour, he says clearing of the site, digging of foundation trench, concreting, laying of block walls and filling, and back filling will cost about N110, 000, with a sub total of N450, 000 for the foundation work.

The brick wall to roof level will require about 5,160 blocks, 101 pieces of half-inch rods, 31 quarter-inch rods, binding wire, one load of gravel, three loads of sharp sand, 25 bags of cement, planks and nails at the cost of about N720,000, including labour.

Roofing and ceiling, ground floor and screeding work are estimated at N490, 000 and N173, respectively.

“A unit of two-bedroom house, including preliminary work, foundation up to DPC, walling above DPC, lintel, beams and columns, doors, windows and lock fixing, plastering, painting, electrical works, plumbing and sanitary wares will cost about N2.8m,” Akinrolabu says.

Building a three-bedroom flat with the same materials, on the other hand, will cost an estimated N3.4m.

The Marketing Director, Nigerite Limited, manufacturers of roofing products and accessories, Mr. Toyin Gbede, says the foundation to ceiling level of an affordable two-bedroom building should not be more than N1.1m assuming that the land is already available.

According to him, the problem is with the finishing, which takes up between 40 and 50 per cent of the total cost of the building.

For this, he suggests starting little and working with the budget until the job is done. For the roofing, he suggests the use of fibre cement, which according to him, is not expensive but can give the desired result.

Gbede adds that if the building is about 80 square metres, and the fibre cement costs N1,200, and the ceiling, N800 to N900 per square metre respectively, that will give approximately N168 ,000 to N170,000.

For the windows and floor, he suggests the use of conventional louvers and normal floor rendering.

He says, “The beauty of finishing is that you can start little, if you are really desperate to get your own house. You have to look at your needs and not what the society dictates.

“As your income grows, you can change some of those things to suit your needs and new status as long as the super structure is already there.”

Source: The Punch Newspaper

A low income earner can also take the route of using alternative building technology, which building experts have been clamouring for, for a long time.

According to experts, one can save up to 40 or 50 per cent of the cost of the building, transportation and labour if one adopts this method that utilises materials that can be found around the site of the project. Such a technology will also provide a steady income stream after the construction of a house as others will come and hire it for their own projects.

One of the most popular locally available materials, which can be made with simple technology, is the laterite or ‘red sand’ in local parlance.

Laterite is the residual soil formed by the leaching or discharge of silica and is said to be enriched with aluminium and iron oxides, especially in humid climates.

An official of the Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Ota, Ogun State, says the use of laterite will be a wise choice for low income earners as it is readily available, cheap and durable. The soil is available in dry areas and can be sourced by digging wells or soak away pits.

According to the NIBRI official, who chose not to have his name mentioned, all that is needed is for the user to stabilise the laterite with five per cent cement and minimal water to make it moist enough before it is fed into the brick making machine.

“Laterite is about N12, 000 for a truck load, which can make enough bricks to build a mini flat. About four moulds from the laterite will make a nine-inch brick. Although when you decide to use laterite to construct your house, you may require lots of it, but it is also available. Anywhere you dig, you will find laterite,” he notes.

Unlike cement blocks that have voids and holes, bricks made from laterite are solid and can be made within a few minutes. In addition, houses made from bricks, according to experts are cooler because bricks are heat resistant.

Houses constructed from bricks made from laterite may also not need painting, as the raw material comes in an attractive colour.

“We are used to cement-based materials and lots of imported building materials that add cost to our building construction; and so, have refused to develop the use of our own God-given materials that are abundant for housing,” Akinrolabu states.

He says the cost of procuring a brick-making machine, employing labour and putting finishing touches to a house made with bricks from laterite is far lesser than the house made with cement blocks and imported materials.

Apart from the use of laterite, which is similar to the conventional building method, architects who spoke with our correspondent, say the dry construction method can never go wrong.

A former Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Architects, Lagos State chapter, Mrs. Abimbola Ajayi, says building materials are expensive and the way to go is to start thinking of the dry construction method.

“Cement is expensive, sand is expensive and even when those things don’t cost so much, transportation takes a lot of resources. Dry solution is more affordable and should be made more popular here because that is what most people in other countries are building with,” she says.

Dry construction is a method of building that utilises light and dry materials, including boards, wood, frames and cement fibre box panels made by allowing bubbles into the cement mixtures.

The dry construction method is used in construction of floors, ceilings and fences consisting of semi-finished products and assembled on-site into complete integral structures.

According to Ajayi, the dry construction method means that apart from the foundation, which will use concrete, the building itself will come in a frame structure, either wooden or in container form, but panelled to keep heat away in a tropical region such as Nigeria.

The dry methods are specialised solutions to buildings,which reduces construction time and labour by as much as 20 per cent at the end of the day.

Ajayi says, “You don’t have to pay so much for labour. We Nigerians like to shy away from what needs to be done; with the way things are today, nobody can build a proper house for N2.5m; it is not possible even with N3m, when one bag of cement is about N2,000 and reinforcement rod costs about N160, 000 per trailer load. The sand is there and gravel or granite, you can’t even use gravel because they will mix it with mud and you won’t know.

“If granite for instance is N3,000 per tonne, gravel will be like N1,500 per tonne; meanwhile, it may be mixed with mud and the trailer will take up to N90,000 for transportation.

“Many of us are saying we should go the dry construction way, a lot of people now resort to the dry construction method as a housing solution. People may think you are building a cardboard house but it is not; such houses last longer.”

She explains that once there is a plan, the builder will bring the containers for instance, together and make the panel.

“You can stack them on top of each other like you have in housing estates in Alausa and Maryland. When you bring the shell together, you roof it. It is cheaper abroad, but here it may not be cheaper in terms of naira and kobo, but it’s cheaper than using cement and sand.”

Gbede shares Ajayi’s sentiment, he says the advantage of such a method is that the waste in the conventional building method is eliminated completely.

“When you mix cement, some will remain on the ground and you can’t do anything about it. Even when you use wood, you cut off the bad part and it wastes. If you put the waste together, it may amount to about 15 to 20 per cent of the total cost of construction,” he notes.

Gbede says the way to start is to have an organic design for the house with an elaborate foundation. Organic design, he says aids dry construction and encourages anyone who wishes to build a house to do it in stages.

He says, “A young man working in a bank, for instance, gets a N3.5m loan to build a house. Does he really need a three-bedroom house at this stage? He doesn’t need more than a sitting room, bedroom, kitchen and toilet.

“All he needs is an organic design for a start; and as his family grows, the building grows too. You can have a bigger picture by making an elaborate foundation for expansion. The only thing with this design is that you have to see the future from the beginning.”

A professor of Architecture at the University of Lagos, Olumide Olusanya, advocates alternative building technology, albeit a different method.

He is of the opinion that the idea of everyone trying to build his own house is primitive and wasteful.

“Only very rich people should be building their own houses because they can afford the money. For everyone else, the sanest method is through mass development and a pulling together of resources to get optimal result and distribution of wealth,” he says.

To him, when people come together, building becomes easier and affordable as no technology can crash the cost of building for an individual.

He advocates a system called ‘sustainable system’s building’, which is a situation where all the materials used for a particular construction project are locally sourced and can be taken to another site.

According to him, building with bricks saves money, but admits that despite its beauty and durability, the material can only be used for a storey building.

Olusanya says, “People think bungalows are the way out, but they are eyesores in the city centres; they are most often built on the outskirts where there are no infrastructure.

“I feel there should be a law banning bungalows in the cities. I believe that every use of land must justify the infrastructure that has been put in place.”

His opinion is that people who intend to own their homes should come together in thrift societies and build high-rise structures.

This, he says, will involve the fabrication of equipment that are low cost but of high performance, which can be from old tins and used metals.

“We can build high and still retain the ambience of the street depending on the technology that we deploy. The solution to the housing needs must be in the marriage of the architectural design and the building technology for actualising it. I call it the marriage of product and process,” he explains.

Building with about N2.5m or N3m, according to Olusanya, is possible through collective efforts, adding, “Once it is through collective work combined with technology, it makes it easier. People should begin to form strong cooperative societies.”

Why alternative technology is not popular

According to Olusanya, a country suffers a problem of underdevelopment where the people cannot solve their own problems but wait for government’s intervention.

“A country cannot move forward when there is a critical lack of mass of idea. I have been talking about this alternative method of home ownership for several years now. People should take their destinies in their hands,” he says.

Ironically, when our correspondent spoke with people on alternative building technology, most of them say they are not aware of its existence in the country.

“If building with mud is what you call alternative technology, I’m sorry; I can’t build my house with that. That ‘technology’ is out of fashion,” says Samuel Mba.

Mba says he can think of using baked bricks but definitely not mud, because “that will make people begin to look at me as if I’m poor,” he says.

For Akinrolabu, the alternative building method, either with laterite or other materials, needs more awareness.

“It is only when people are aware of the options available to them that they can begin to apply them,” he says.

Another respondent, Akin Akinwale, a civil servant, says he will most likely try the dry method when he is ready to build his own house but definitely not laterite.

He, however, feels that the government should intervene and build houses for the masses, as this will be cheaper and more affordable for everyone.

But Ajayi disagrees. She says there is nowhere in the world that the government puts money down for housing, but rather creates an environment that is conducive for investors.

She says, “Government cannot provide mass housing, what the government can do is to provide an enabling environment for these technologies to thrive; an environment whereby investment will not be a problem. Right now the problem of approval alone takes up to one year and more; then land is expensive. If the government can allocate land, it will go a long way.

“Take Ikoyi, for instance, a plot of land is about N1.2bn before you even think of what to build on it. In Lagos, can you get a plot of land that is less than N2m? In fact if you see cheap land, be sure you are going to fall into the hands of Omoniles; that is why housing cannot be cheap.”

For Gbede, the only way out of the housing crisis in the country is creativity.

“We need to use our home grown solutions because even when the money is available, it will be an enormous task to build 16 million houses,” he says.

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