Ocean surge: Expert charges V.I residents on safety

In the wake of the ocean surge that recently ravaged the coastline of Lagos State, landlords and residents of Victoria Island have been urged to take more responsibility in ensuring the safety of the highbrow island.

A renowned realtor, Mr. Bode Adediji, gave the charge in a recent exclusive interview with Vanguard. He noted that by virtue of their status in society, they can form a pressure group that cannot be ignored by government.

“I will like to lay some measure of blame at the doorstep of property owners in that particular environment. For upwards of 40 years now, this is one region that has set the pace continually in property value appreciation, capital value, and rent generation capacity, much more than most other premium locations in cities like Abuja and Port Harcourt.

“Until the late Mrs. Oye Williams set up the VI and Ikoyi Residents Association (VIRA), no single concerted effort could be traced to any person or companies to salvage VI. Landlords and tenants in VI, who by virtue of what they do look like even who is who in Nigeria, should do more to work as a pressure group  and join hands with both the Lagos State and Federal governments in finding a permanent solution to the effect of the ocean surge on the VI environment and property,” he asserted.

Prompted on what government can do to arrest the situation, Adediji who is also the immediate past President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV), said government should roll out the required engineering solution which involves a lot of investment. In so doing, he noted, “can transform a larger expanse of that environment into a first class real estate asset arena and through which the funding for that engineering investment can be recouped.”

On the safety of Victoria Island in the face of the ocean surge, the chairman of Bode Adediji Partnership remarked that VI is relatively safe. “In terms of my knowledge regarding the cycle of ocean surge in VI in the last 31 yrs, I will say that VI is relatively safe to a large extent.

Also, as an international real estate practitioner, who has had the privilege of visiting other countries with similar experiences and exposures, I will certainly say that VI is safe but with a big caveat that in all those other countries where the certainty of the coast line is stronger and safer, they have not done those things that should have been left undone, and they have not left undone those things that ought to have been done.

“Where you see a serious minded country, any time a particularly strategic environment show some vulnerability concerning the issue of mother nature, proactive man-made efforts  usually provide assurances and safety nets, all of which are unfortunately lacking in our clime. I can expatiate further that the fury of ocean world-wide is known and predictable.

Source:Vanguard