General News
FG Advocates Smart Technology for Efficient Housing
Senator Gbenga Ashafa, the Managing Director/Chief Executive of Federal Housing Authority, FHA, has called on stakeholders in the housing sector to embrace smart technology for efficient housing delivery in Nigeria.
Ashafa said this at the Real Estate Discussions and Awards Ceremony organised by Thinkmint Nigeria, sponsored by Octo5 Holdings, Federal Housing Authority Mortgage Bank, Homework Development and Properties, Urban Shelter and Purple in Lagos.
The event, tagged “Real Estate Markets Signals in Africa: Trends and Opportunities”, brought together real estate experts, government representatives, international institutions and investors in the real estate sector.
He said that current technology is predominantly “brick and mortar” and that there is an urgent need to look to more viable alternatives to reduce costs while enhancing efficiency and minimising environmental impact.
Ashafa said the world is fast embracing “smart” technology and Africa cannot afford to be left behind.
The presence of technology will influence business and building processes as well as consumer behaviour.
He noted that Housing, though one of the basic needs of man, is, however, not only shelter.
“It also facilitates holistic development within a planned economy. Safe, efficient, secure and affordable housing leads to a better quality of life for citizens.
“Real estate investment is the pedestal for economic growth and development. It is the bedrock upon which many countries have attained a vibrant economy,” Ashafa said.
Ashafa further stressed that more than ever before, the real estate sector remains the asset of choice for investment.
A boost in growth is expected despite COVID-19 headwinds which will provide opportunities in the various subsectors.
Although he noted that the major challenge will be the third wave of COVID-19, he added that “We trust, however, that human resilience will ultimately triumph.”
He went further to encourage investors deciding to invest in Africa’s real estate market to explore the potential for local partnerships.
“It is important that investors explore the potential for local partnerships. Not only may this be required by legislation, but such a partnership could also bring local expertise to help identify and overcome difficulties in doing business in the local environment.
“Partners can also help to spot potential changes in policy, shifts in trends, allowing foreign investors with a limited local presence to make informed decisions on future real estate investments.
“Real estate markets work best when authorities take the right policy decisions, the other stakeholders/players play their role and there is good interaction between the two sides.”
In his presentation, Oumar Sylla, the Director, Regional Office for Africa, United Nations Human Settlements Programme, said that various towns in Africa faces pronounced urban planning and management capacity challenges which may also constrain COVID-19 responses.
He said the need for a new polices around local COVID-19 and urban health management communication strategies, multi-stakeholder community engagement, map and update data on vulnerable groups to ensure evidence-based support and integrated urban and local area data management systems is imperative.
“We need policies that will target informal settlements through tailored measures, provide COVID 19 tailored health care services to informal settlements, establish participatory data collection systems in informal settlements, study the gender and urban poor profiles in slums and informal settlements and design recovery and development responses, including women and girls, migrants, people with disability.
“Through participatory planning approach, design basic street layout to improve the connectivity within neighborhoods.
“Develop informal settlement regeneration and restructuration plans to be integrated into national priorities and strategies to address root causes of vulnerability,” he said.
Also speaking at the event, Imelda Usoro-Olaoye, Managing Partner of Thinkmint Nigeria, organisers of Real Estate Discussions and Awards (REDA) said that the programme is a celebration of innovation, Leadership, and Growth of the Real Estate and Property Industry.
“The award is set to honour real estate game changers, companies, products, and personalities that have made contributions to the development of the sector,” she said.
Among the awardees at the event were Lifetime Achievement Award to the growth of the Nigerian Real Estate industry, won by the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola;
Real Estate Woman of the Year, Chief Executive Officer, Urban Shelter, Saadiya Aliyu; Special Recognition Award for the Growth & Development of Nigeria Real Estate industry, Chief Executive Officer, The Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), Kehinde Ogundinmu, and Luxury Project of the year, Azuri Towers by Eko Atlantic, among others.
Chinonso Akujobi, former staff of Access Bank in Lagos, has been remanded in Ikoyi prison after she was arraigned on a five-count charge bordering on stealing to the tune of N294.5m.
Akujobi who is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was arraigned before Justice I.O. Ijelu of the State High Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos.
EFCC alleged that Akujobi stole the money between January and December 2025 while under the employment of Access Bank Plc.
As stated in one the charges, the defendant stole the money through unauthorized payments from the general ledger of Access Bank to her account number 0036668871 with the name Chinonso A., Uchechi A. and Florence A., thereby committing an offence of stealing, contrary to Section 280 and punishable under Section 287 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2015.
The defendant pleaded “not guilty“ to the charges when they were read to her.
In view of this, S.M.Yabo, prosecution counsel, asked the court for a trial date and also prayed for the remand of the defendant in a Correctional centre.
Justice Ijelu, thereafter, adjourned the case till October 8, 2026, for the hearing of the bail application and the commencement of trial.
The Judge also ordered that the defendant be remanded in the Ikoyi correctional Centre.
The Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) says the flight captain of the VMO Aero aircraft that landed on a roadway near Asaba Airport in Delta State told investigators that the observer pilot mistakenly identified the paved road as the runway before touchdown.
The bureau disclosed this in a preliminary report released on Thursday on the June 10 incident, which prompted the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) to ground the private jet.
The aircraft had seven people on board, including the pilot-in-command (PIC), second-in-command (SIC), an observer pilot, a cabin crew member and three passengers.
According to the report, the aircraft was cleared by Air Traffic Control (ATC) to approach Runway 11 at Asaba Airport after the crew requested a right orbit.
The crew initially discontinued the approach, executed a missed approach and repositioned for a second landing attempt.
NSIB said the crew reported that the aircraft’s navigation systems indicated it was correctly established on the published RNAV Runway 11 approach.
“The PIC and SIC reported that the observer pilot identified the paved surface ahead as the runway,” the report stated.
However, the observer pilot gave investigators a different version of events.
According to NSIB, he said the aircraft remained inside cloud until late in the approach and that the Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS) repeatedly issued “TERRAIN, TERRAIN, PULL UP” alerts.
He also said he observed a telecommunications mast directly ahead and instructed the flight captain to abandon the approach and climb immediately.
The bureau further disclosed that a cabin crew member reported that one of the passengers became concerned after overhearing discussions among the pilots and asked whether one of them was undergoing training. The passenger was reportedly reassured that all three pilots on board were experienced captains.
NSIB said no abnormal events were reported in the cabin before touchdown.
The aircraft eventually landed at about 8:57 a.m. on an under-construction paved roadway near Asaba Airport instead of the designated runway.
The bureau said its investigation into the incident is ongoing, while the preliminary report highlights conflicting accounts among the cockpit crew over the circumstances that led to the erroneous landing.
European Union has warned Meta Platforms Inc. that it could face a significant financial penalty unless it changes what regulators describe as the “addictive design” features of Facebook and Instagram.
The European Commission issued the warning in preliminary findings released on Friday, saying Meta had failed to sufficiently address risks posed by its platforms, particularly to children and vulnerable users.
The Commission said features such as infinite scrolling, personalised content recommendations and automatic video playback were designed in ways that encouraged excessive engagement with the platforms.
EU Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, said protecting the physical and mental well-being of European citizens should be a priority for social media companies.
The Commission said Meta should consider introducing design changes, including disabling autoplay and infinite scrolling by default, providing effective screen-time reminders and adjusting recommendation systems to reduce the focus on maximising user engagement.
The findings were issued under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), which sets obligations for major online platforms to address risks associated with their services.
Meta, however, rejected the Commission’s conclusions, saying it disagreed with the findings but would continue engaging with European regulators.
The company said it had already implemented measures aimed at protecting younger users, including Teen Accounts that allow parents to manage screen time limits and restrict access during night hours.
The EU said its investigation, which began in 2024, found that existing time-management tools on Facebook and Instagram could easily be bypassed, while parental controls required technical knowledge that limited their effectiveness.
Regulators also expressed concerns over children’s nighttime use of the platforms and the possibility that features such as Reels and Stories could encourage compulsive behaviour.
If the Commission’s preliminary findings are confirmed, Meta could face a fine of up to six per cent of its annual global revenue under the DSA.
The warning comes as the EU steps up efforts to strengthen online safety measures for children, with an expert panel established by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to present recommendations on protecting minors online.
Several EU member states, including France, have also supported discussions on restricting social media access for children, following Australia’s decision to ban users under 16 from accessing social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the Commission is continuing a separate investigation into whether Meta’s recommendation algorithms create “rabbit hole” effects by directing users towards increasingly extreme content.
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