A real estate firm in Lagos, REfin Homes, on Wednesday, said it was stepping up its climate change advocacy with the creation of green locations within its estates across Nigeria.
REfin Homes, during a tree planting exercise and groundbreaking of a 10-floor apartment project, called the Begonia, in Ikoyi, Lagos said the firm offered Nigerians housing finance to bridge the shelter gap.
A Managing Partner, Mr Kazeem Owolabi, said the greening of estates was to bring fusion between nature and urban development, to enable people to live healthy in their environment while mitigating climate change.
According to him, tree planting is an environmental-friendly initiative to advocate the importance of a green environment in enhancing climate change and urban development.
Owolabi said trees were planted to combine a smart and greening environment into their building development, adding that the method was proactive and futuristic.
He said the company, which was green certified, had another ongoing project at Omole and upon completion would be the first green estate in Lagos.
Addressing newsmen during the tree planting and groundbreaking, he said Begonia has 18 months completion period and was one of the firm’s green building projects spurred by luxury demands in Ikoyi.
“All our building projects are in line with climate change to ensure that people live well and healthy in their environment,” he said.
Owolabi said the firm also gave intending homeowners access to finance while building to clients’ specifications and capacity so that issues of “overprice, underprice or building challenges would not surface”.
He said the company’s policies were geared towards addressing the shelter gap while building according to people’s specifications.
He said the opportunities were available for all classes and income levels and expressed hope for increased partnership with governments towards addressing the housing deficit.
“We are the first indigenous ISO-certified real estate company in Nigeria.
“The whole idea is for us to match international standards from the onset, in order to attract people from diaspora so that when they come in, there won’t be much of a difference in what is obtainable here and abroad,” he added.
Earlier, another Managing Partner, Mr Olatunde Macaulay, explained that the current estate was named after a plant called Begonia.
He said this was to show the significance between nature and urban development.
Macaulay noted that asides from naming the estate after a plant, all estates built by the firm were well adorned with trees to promote a greening environment.
He explained that the colours of the plants, yellow and black, symbolised the happiness clients would feel on getting home, as well as the boldness and uniqueness.
