Kingsley U.N Chikwendu
In a launch of its Membership Seals and Magazine today in Abuja, the country’s capital, President of the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria [REDAN], Alhaji Aliyu Oroji Wamakko said the essence of the Seal which is to be affixed to Members’ document is to advance the business practices of the association as the Magazine will boost public knowledge of estate development activities which he said will match best international standards.
“The use of REDAN Seal, which in part of our Self Regulating mechanism, will give more credibility to businesses of our members and recognition to the association’s documentation processes, said Wamakko.
The Seals which he said are in three categories, include Seal to be used by all accredited members, Seal to be used by members whose estates have been endorsed and Seal to be used by companies whose products have been endorsed.
“Members’ estates nationwide shall ultimately be endorsed to ensure standardization, value and confidence to homebuyers, Wamakko continued.
“The introduction of these REDAN Seals is also meant to serve as mark of credence and to distinguish accredited real estate developers from others who are mostly land racketeers posing to be developers and members of REDAN, using the social media, flyers with attractive offers and other medium to ostensibly entice and convince prospective home-seekers and the public of the genuineness of their activities”.
On the launch of the association’s REDAN Magazine which has a wide range of distribution that include Ministries, Departments and Agencies, the National Assembly, Embassies, Airports, Banks, professionals in the built industry, Wamakko said “the bi-monthly Magazine dwells on real estate policy framework, educating the public on Mortgages, the National Housing Fund [NHF] scheme, Mortgage Foreclusure, Real Estate Health and Safety issues, real estate markets, interior designs and other relevant information”.
Representing the Managing Director of the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria [FMBN], Arch. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, Mrs. Zubaidu Umar, the Zonal Cordinator, FCT, noted that the Seal is to strengthen the integrity of REDAN as a body and added that it will serve as a mark of authenticity in the activities of the association. She described the introduction of the Seal as “long overdue” and further expressed that it will aid in curtailing quackery amongst practitioners in the country’s housing sector.
She commended the leadership of REDAN for its commitment, tenacity and sense of purpose for deeming it fit to institute the publication of REDAN Magazine which she said is to serve for proper information dissemination in relation to the public.
“As the umbrella body of REDAN, the introduction of the Seal to further strengthen the integrity of the Association as a body and its members is long overdue”, Zubaidu stated.
“The REDAN Seal will not only confer a mark of authenticity in whatever comes from the Association but, help greatly in reducing quackery and misconduct among practitioners in the real estate sector.
“It is also worthy of commendation that the Association has deemed it necessary to institute the publication of a Magazine for proper information dissemination and management, not only within its fold but, in its relationship with the public.
“This publication is already making waves and I have no doubt that it will go a long way in bridging the information gap existing within the ranks of its members and contribute significantly to the impact being made by the few publications currently existing in the nation’s housing space”.
Zubaidu also lauded the partnership existing between REDAN and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria [FMBN] in enhancing homeownership among Nigerians. “It is one that we cherish and work hard to sustain, she said.
“In FMBN, our focus is to deepen the housing finance and mortgage sector to improve its contribution to the GDP, enhance homeownership among Nigerians for wealth creation and economic prosperity and drastically reduce the housing deficit”, she concluded.
In his contribution, Barr. Festus Adebayo, the Convener and Founder of Abuja International Housing Show and Housing Tv Africa, urged the media to aid in enlightening the public on the activities of REDAN. The former banker while appreciating the inputs and efforts of the Publicity Secretary of REDAN, Malam Ahmed Abubakar Goringo in the production of the Magazine, further encouraged the media to sensitize the public on dealing with Developers who have the Seal of REDAN. This he said is to prevent criminal activities in the housing sector.
Malam Goringo while expressing his vote of thanks, added that the REDAN Seal will check unprofessional and ethical practices in the real estate sector, as it will aid the public in differentiating developers who are members of REDAN from those who are not.
Present at the launch of the Seal and Magazine were representatives from the Special Control Unit on Money Laundering, Abuja Newspaper Distributors Association, amongst others in the housing industry, including members of the press.
