VP Osinbajo's Gate House to cost N250million - Dino Malaye reveals

Revelation or Sensation ?

By: Clem Beetseh

This writer like most people saw this news strap on National TV and was left mouth agape. N250m? Gate house ? In a recession ? under a " change " gov't? Osinbajo too?

Wait !

The devil they say, is always in the details .Who is afraid of DETAILS ?

This "revelation " may not be as celestial as intended until we examine some of these posers .

1. What is the scope and nature of the work?

A gate house can cost 10 times more than a duplex depending on the foundation type , walls type (in this case they may be anti-ballistic walls ) , complexity of security and survillance equipment installed ( one JVC IP camera can cost as much as 2 million naira) and of course the finishings amongst other items.

By design, a Gate house would usually be the hub(Control location) or viewing station for CCTV installations, communication systems , electronic fence and intruder alert systems,access control systems and so on . If these items are captured in the Gate houses' Bills of Quantities then there is certainly more to our little "Gate house" than just being a shelter for the security guard to catch a nap when nature calls.

The perimeter of the VPs fence , the number of surveillance cameras installed along the external perimeter of the entire building and phone exchange points,alternative power systems, maybe contributing indices to the overall cost of the said "Gate house".

Does the "Gate house " come with ancillary or support structures/ facilities such as a waiting/ clearance room, lodging facilities for resident security operatives ? is it possible that the term "Gate house " is a generic name for several elaborate spaces and other buildings captured as one bill ?

The bottom line ... Somebody here needs to be more specific.

2. Who is doing the Job ?

A project of this kind (involving national security interest ) would usually require a certain level of discreetness and oftentimes patented technology and specialist input from its design to construction.

The contractors here are usually nominated or at best selected from a thin list and negotiated with . This kind of contract is also usually costlier in terms of price than where the jobs are openly competed for.

Bottom line....It depends on what was negotiated .

3. How much does it cost to build in 2017

A bag of cement that would cost N1500 barely a year ago now sells at N2500 . A 12meter long iron rod of 16mm diameter that cost N2100 about this time last year now sells for over N4000 .

N250m may sound gargantuan until you pay a visit to the Dei Dei construction merchandise market and you are sure to become the mythical Gulliver in his travels to lilliput, only this time in reverse.

Bottom line...Food is not the only expensive thing in our markets these days.

The devil they say, is always in the details .Who is afraid of DETAILS ?

The Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors, here is a case for you .

Please, Senator Malaye , give us details as there seems to be a fine line between a revelation and merely creating a sensation.