This may indeed be described as the best of times for civil servants in Benue State as the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) commissions’ 100 housing units financed by the bank to deliver affordable housing. STEPHEN UBIMAGO reports

WHILE many Nigerians are grinding under the heavy burden of ever increasing rent imposed by Shylock landlords in different parts of the country, especially in places like Lagos, Abuja or even Port Harcourt, some state governments have tended to respond to the menace by way of legislation. This has largely consisted in the promulgation of sundry rent control laws.

RONALD Chagoury, a management official of South Energy Nigeria Limited, has assured residents of Lagos State and environ that the power and possible violence of the Atlantic Ocean is being tamed by a new offshore wall.

AS part of  moves to reposition and be a major player in real estate financingm, Consolidated Estates Building Society Limited, TMC Savings & loans Limited and Mutual Alliance Savings are working on a merger of the two institutions.

Public and private stakeholders are expected to converge on the Valley View Auditorium, Oke-Igbein, Abeokuta, Ogun State on 26 March for the first Gateway Lands Forum, a national conference where experts will brainstorm to evolve strategies for optimal development of the land resources in the state.

As businesses prepare to compete and grow in a new millennium, many are searching for new ways to address their equipment financing challenge. The old ways will not meet today’s and tomorrow’s needs. The choice for many businesses is clear: equipment leasing.

United States (US) Equipment Leasing and Financing Association (ELFA) research shows that eight out of 10 U.S. companies lease some or all of their equipment. And, nine out of 10 say that they will use equipment leasing again.  Of all the ways to acquire equipment, leasing is the method most frequently used for all equipment types. In fact, almost any type of equipment can be leased - from fax machines and printing presses, to trucks and bulldozers.

Even though leasing offers a considerable advantage to most businesses, there are times when purchases may be the best option and leasing is made unattractive.

BusinessWorld advices that any lessor may be able to demonstrate compelling advantages to leasing, even under unattractive circumstances.

In its bid to expose the rapidly increasing number of leasing professionals in Nigeria to the various issues involved in setting up and managing a successful leasing practice, the Equipment Leasing Association of Nigeria (ELAN) has planned  a  two day  practical and interactive training programme to cover the core aspects of leasing.

Mr. Akinde Obatuyi,  the programme coordinator, said   in a statement that in Nigeria, leasing is fast growing and gaining recognition as recent statistics indicate an outstanding lease volume of over N250 billion  while generating around $760 billion in new leases globally each year.