Residential Property Mortgage Delinquency in Anambra State: A Case Study of Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc.

Residential property development as well as other housing projects involves a huge sum of money which a developer may not be able to provide with his equity capital. Financial institutions help to provide capital to finance real property development and this is mainly through the granting of loans. But in practice it is seen that some people borrow from these institutions without repayment. So, this research work aims at finding out the causes of mortgage defaults, its effects on the socio-economic structure of the state as well as suggesting possible measures needed to curtail the incidence of mortgage delinquency in Anambra State. During the course of the research work, several methods will be adopted in the collection of data, which includes the distribution of questionnaires, use of oral interview, and visual observation as well as the secondary source. The data(s) so collected are to be presented using tables, and analyzed in percentages. The use of Chi-square test is adopted in Analysis testing. Conclusively, mortgage delinquency cannot be completely avoided but can be minimized through proper adherence to the recommendations that will be made by the researcher in which one of them is proper monitoring and supervision of the project by the staffs of the lending in institution to prevent wasteful expenditure or diversion of funds

Investigating the Problem of Real Estate Financing in Nigeria: A Study of United Bank of Africa, Awka

This study investigated the problem of real estate financing in Nigeria, using the United Bank of Africa, Awka as a case study. The study adopted the questionnaire survey and interview methods in obtaining data from the bank. The findings of the results of the analysis carried out showed that Commercial   Banks    are   not   an   ideal   or   suitable medium for financing real estate development because whereas Commercial Banks deposits are short term in nature, real estate is for long term which is usually vulnerable to vagaries in the economy like: changes    in    economic    variables, interest    rates, exchange rates and the rate of inflation; Commercial Banks are constrained in lending for real estate development because of several problems they encounter, like: high risks associated with real estate lending, the long-term tenor of real estate loan in relation to commercial  banks  short term short  term deposits, the inability of  potential  real   estate  investors  to meet commercial banks lending requirement, non repayment of loans by borrowers and fraudulent / dishonesty   in   information   provided   by potential borrowers. In the light of the foregoing, the following recommendations were put forth: 1. Government should establish a specialized bank to be known as 'Real Estate Development Bank' (REDB) like the Bank of Industry (BOI) whose function will be the sourcing of funds and on-lending such funds to real estate investors who must be registered with the National Association of Real Estate Developers, 2.  Government should encourage the establishment of micro credit financial institutions for mobilizing of funds and lending to small-time real estate developers, and 3. Government should provide Commercial Banks guarantee for loans obtained by real estate developers who are duly registered and approved by the National Association of Real Estate Developers and the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers'. This way Commercial Banks will be encouraged to lend to the real estate sector

Analysis of Tenement Rating Administration in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State

This research dealt with the analysis of tenement rating particularly, it dealt with the problems encountered in the administration of tenement rating in Awka South Local Government Area of Anambra State. The following are involved: tenement assessment, publication of valuation list, issuing of demand notice, levying of tax, billing and collection for an effective administration of tenement rating; these activities must be carried out adequately, but the reverse has been the case. In the course of this project, relevant literature were reviewed. Data were collected through the use of interview questionnaires and the result was subjected to different statistical techniques and presented in tables, bars and percentages. The findings of this study are that inadequate training is given to the staffs in the valuation unit of the government secretariat which makes them unqualified and incompetent to carry out tenement rating. Rate collection drive requires good transportation facilities for mobility but it is hampered due to inadequate provision of transportation facilities. As a result, some suggestions were made that tenement rating administration requires qualified and competent management as such the staff should be properly trained on rating valuation principles. Estate surveyors and valuers as professionals and experts should be left to handle tenement rating since they are the only one that can handle it properly. In conclusion, it abounds in tenement rating administration. However, if adequate caution is made, it would be properly arranged

Effects of Land Price Inflation in Management of Slums and Housing Provision in Onitsha, Anambra State

Sequel to the need to tackle the problem of inadequacy in housing provision and the accompanying problems of slum growth, this study analyzed the effects of land price inflation in management of slums and housing provision in Onitsha, Anambra State, with a view of coming up with better solution to the challenges of slum creation and housing provision. The study adopted a survey design/method, having as instruments of data collection; field observation, questionnaires and interviews. A total of 300 copies of the questionnaire was administered randomly in three strata each stratum having about 100 persons being sampled as randomly selected. While stratum 1is the inhabitants of the slum, stratum 2 comprises of the professionals in general environmental  sciences (enlisting environmental managers, estate managers, builders, architects, urban and regional planners, etc) gotten from academic institutions of higher learning and secretariats of professional bodies around the study area. To achieve the aim of this study the following hypothesis was formulated and tested using chi-square as a statistical tool; H0: the inflation of land Prices does not significantly affect Housing Provision and Slum generation. From the result of the test of hypothesis and field survey, the study concludes that the inflation of land Prices significantly affects Housing Provision and Slum generation therefore needs to be addressed. The study thus recommends that: there should be a reclamation campaign for the slums in Onitsha which will start by education and conscientization of the inhabitants to open their eyes on the benefits of living in a more decent, hygienic and safe environment; the government should make policies which will encourage property owners to develop their properties to standards and rent them out to individuals or cooperate bodies to arrest a situation whereby these undeveloped (uncompleted) structures/buildings serve as hideouts for hoodlums; numerous stringent protocols to land acquisition should be scaled down; creation of gainful employment for the poor masses in the study area and Provision of alternative housing to accommodate or relocation of the inhabitants of these slums.

Analyses of Land and Housing Price Inflation in Nigeria, A Study of Federal Capital Territory Abuja from 1999 to 2009

The aim of this study is to critically considered inflation in the prices of land and housing in the Abuja property market from 1999 to 2009, and it is limited to residential property in the phase one of the Abuja property market. This research work was carried out to determine if actually there has been a persistence increase in the prices of residential accommodation in the study area, and also to determine the factors responsible for such increase. Data for the study were collected through observations, personal interviews, and library studies. The data so collected were analyzed using measures of central tendency, graphs and simple percentage table. The result of the study shows that there is inflation in the Abuja property market within the period under investigation. It also shows that the prices of land and housing are increasing at an average inflation rate of 50.1% for lease property and 39.3% for sale property. The work thus recommended the following: that the Government should provide mortgage insurance to first time home buyers who do not have credit history and to low-to middle income families  in  order  to  achieve  our  aim  of  providing affordable housing; the Federal government should de-centralize government offices from the city centre to other parts of the state to help reduce the demand of land and housing in the study area, in effect reducing the continuous-increase in the prices of land and housing, as people will have to shift to take abode in residential properties close to their offices; the government should go into mass housing development and also corporate with private developers in a bid to make different types of residential housing units available, thereby increasing the supply of the housing unit to meet demand for them. This will help reduce the continuous increase in the housing prices. Keywords: Land, Housing and Price Inflation

Development of Improved Dual-Purpose Fitness Bike for Electricity Generation

This research work is on development of dual purpose fitness bike for electricity. It is aimed at improving electricity generated during cycling exercise and reducing the dependence on fossil fuels and its attendant emissions of green house gases especially carbon dioxide, this can eventually lead to reduction in the risk of global warming. In recent times, attempts have been made to harvest energy generated from human powered fitness bicycles and convert it to electricity. The existing fitness bicycle designs were unable to generate feasible electricity that can compensate for the considered financial investment. Therefore, the existing fitness bicycle designs were analyzed and improvements needed in the area of energy conversion were noted and carried out. With this improved dual-purpose fitness bike, the electrical power output of an average adult at an average speed of 60 rpm of cycling is about 3, 500 watts in one hour, as against 150W – 250W reported in the literature. This is an equivalent of 1.3 MW of electricity in one year which equals about 307,442 litres of carbon dioxide emission cut back in one year. This is considered a substantial improvement of electricity generation over the electricity generated by retrofitted fitness bicycles design already in existence. Keywords: Electricity generation; Fitness bicycle; Fossil fuels; Global warming; Green house gases

Facility Management in Educational Institutions: A Study of Nnamdi Azkiwe University Awka

This study evaluated the facilities available at Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka with a view to making recommendations for effective management and efficient service through: identifying the facilities available in the school,  measuring their efficiency and effective management of these facilities through data collection from the inhabitants, analyzing the data so obtained and drawing inference from them. The Facilities investigated includes: Electricity Supply Facilities, Water Supply Facilities, Hostels and Library. The study adopted a questionnaire survey method to sample the opinion of students inhabiting the school hostels. It was found that although some facilities were provided, the quantity provided is adequate and mostly ill maintained for two possible reasons; acute growth in population and lack of funds. The conditions of the available facilities are below standard and even were up to standard, they were considerably below the required capacity. It was also discovered that on individual opinion for each facility analyzed, the number of respondents who think that the facilities management operations need to be improved are a lot higher than those who do not. The study thus recommended that for the empowerment of facilities management in the university and the country as a whole; Formal training in facilities management should in incorporated in various tertiary institutions with necessary inputs from key staff organizations that have applied facilities management principles and theories; as funds are set aside for procurement of facilities, provision also be made for the efficient management of the facilities; better planning techniques should be adopted by the facilities managers, with this misappropriation of funds made available for facilities development and management will be avoided

Agro-waste: a potential fermentation substrate for Penicillium chrysogenum

Common agro-wastes found in Lagos, Nigeria (cassava shavings, corncob, sawdust, and sugarcane pulp) were compared with glucose and lactose as fermentation substrates for Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501. Cassava shavings significantly (P<0.001) produced the highest amount of mycelia weight (0.43 ± 0.02 mg/ml) than all the other substrates. This was followed by corncob with peak mycelia weight of 0.33 ± 0.02 mg/ml. Peak mycelia weight of 0.27 ± 0.01 mg/ml was equally obtained with glucose and sugarcane pulp whereas lactose gave a slightly lower peak of 0.25 ± 0.01 mg/ml. Sawdust gave the least mycelia weight of 0.13 ± 0.01 mg/ml. Total sugar content of all the culture media steadily decreased as fungal growth progressed indicating that the organism utilized carbohydrates for growth and mycelia formation. Cultures containing cassava shavings and sawdust gave high protein peaks of 0.84 ± 0.05 and 0.65 ± 0.03 mg/ml respectively. Cultures containing corncob, glucose, lactose and sugarcane pulp yielded lower protein peaks of 0.37 ± 0.02, 0.30 ± 0.02, 0.24 ± 0.02 and 0.18 ± 0.01 mg/ml respectively. The results suggest that cassava shavings, corncob and sugarcane pulp could serve as cheap fermentation substrates for the growth of the fungus. Of all the substrates investigated, cassava shavings have the best potential to serve as substrate for fermentation by Penicillium chrysogenum PCL501. © 2009 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved