Vitapur Nigeria Limited, the promoter of a
new building technology, is a subsidiary of
Vitafoam plc, a household name in Nigeria
reputed for its quality and durable bed
mattresses used in many homes.
Vitapur’s Green Homes (prefab) initiative is
one opportunity thrown up by the challenges
in the housing market which is not only
eco-friendly, but also fast and relatively
cheap.
The initiative, which has capacity to deliver
a two-bedroom bungalow in just 15 days,
raises hope of homeownership for low-
income earners, especially first-time home
buyers, as that house-type goes for as ‘low’
as N3.6 million as against what the market
presently offers.


Vitapur, according to Toyin Bankole, the
managing director, was born out of
Vitafoam’s diversification strategy aimed at
increasing their market share and enhancing
the income stream of the group.
“The prefabrication method of building is
not a new technology,” Bankole said in an
interview with BusinessDay in Lagos,
adding, “but with our Green Home Prefab,
we are doing it differently with some
advantages which distinguish us from
others; one major advantage we have is that
we can produce as many units as possible
within a short space of time”.
Continuing, he said, “our materials are fire-
resistant; we use galvanised and pre-
painted steel in our construction and have
properties that insulate and control
temperature such that, no matter the degree
of hotness outside, our rooms remain cool.
Insulation property is the major advantage
we have over other materials. Our materials
are also sound-proof and are
environmentally friendly”, he assured.
Bankole said that, in terms of price, their
building is about 35 percent lower or
cheaper than a conventional building,
disclosing that given the way their system is
structured, the higher the number, the lower
the price.


“Again, depending on the number, we can
produce a house in 15 days. We design and
do costing based on the client’s brief. So,
for a studio house of say, two-bedroom
bungalow with two toilets, the cost is as low
as N3.65 million,” he said.
The managing director disclosed that
because their products are oil-oriented, the
local content in what they offer is as high as
80 percent, adding that with these products,
they have done pretty good jobs for a good
number of clients including Sheraton Hotel
in Ikeja, Lagos.
In IIelsa, Osun State, he said, the state
government has given them a big project
involving the construction of some
classroom and administrative buildings in
one of the schools in the state.


“The Satellite Town Development Authority
(STDA) in Abuja is asking us to come over
and do something similar for them. Ekiti
State government is also asking us to build
about 100 units of housing for them. So, we
have numerous demands and enquiries,” he
enthused, hoping that in the next five years,
prefabrication would be the way to go, “and
we are building public confidence in the
product.”