Lagos, Singapore partner in Public Housing

Housing

Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal presenting a gift to Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of Trade and Industry, Ministry of National Development when the Singapore delegates visited on Monday.

Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal presenting a gift to Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of Trade and Industry, Ministry of National Development when the Singapore delegates visited on Monday.

By Kazeem Ugbodaga

The Lagos State Government is partnering with the Singapore Government in public housing development in a bid to bridge the housing deficit in the state which stood at three million.

Officials from the Singapore Government, led by Dr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of Trade and Industry, Ministry of National Development, paid a visit to the Lagos Commissioner for Housing, Prince Gbolahan Lawal on Monday to mull possible areas of collaboration.

According to Koon, Singapore could partner with Lagos in the area of public housing development as the nation had comparative advantage in that area.

He said there was no way any government who wanted to invest in Nigeria would not think of Lagos as a choice destination because of its burgeoning population which a wise investor could capitalize on.

Koon added that despite the fact the housing model between Lagos and Singapore were different, they could learn from each other and benefit symbiotically.

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Speaking, Lawal said Lagos would want to partner with the Singapore Housing Development Board for capacity building and exchange programme for the benefit of the two entities.

The commissioner stated that Lagos would want to partner with Singapore on housing improvement, saying that Singapore is building a more friendly eco-housing system with natural heating and solar power system which the state could tap from.

Lawal also said the state government would want to partner Singapore in its home ownership scheme, saying that in Singapore, about 85 percent of the populace live in public houses, owned mostly by the residents.

He added that Lagos could partner with Singapore in the area of prefabricated housing building technology, stressing that “Lagos can partner to provide land partial funding through strategic agreements while Singapore provides major funding and technology for large scale housing of 30-50 storey building using prefabricated technology that can accelerate mass housing development.”

The commissioner further said he would like to see Lagos and Singapore partner in the area of building and urban development research institute, saying that a partnership to visit the institute to learn and develop working relationship be requested to start housing development partnership and technology transfer.

He said Singapore was probably the best place to learn from on how to develop and run public housing scheme in the world because “they have the best and make it work more than any other place.”

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