Moulding blocks For fortune

By Tunde Opalana

A set of blocks. Photo: Tunde BabajideIN 2004, segun was relieved of his job at a textile mill in Lagos and he searched effortlessly for job for two years before he decided to face the reality by bracing up to do something to make ends meet.

While gainfully employed, Segun bought two plots of land at the Egbeda outskirts of the city which was lying fallow.

he sold a plot, invested the proceeds in block moulding equipment and started the business on a small scale note on the other plot of land. Today, Segun has expanded his business by having two other block moulding outlets in Ifako and Orile.

Block moulding business, findings have revealed, is an ever growing one in every part of the country especially in newly developing areas because of the demand for blocks by people who are building new houses.

Like every other auxillary business in the built industry such as carpentry, welding, painting, bricklaying and electrical works, block moulding outlets cannot be missing in developing sites.

Aside generating income for owners, block moulding business is a veritable source of employment of labour as it employs, at least, three people at a time: an operator, a mixer and a carrier.

According to block moulders, among the things that are core to the business leased is the operating space, which can be bought or leased, without this, one cannot commence the business.

Costs of renting or leasing a piece of land for the buisness, according to Mr. Olanrewaju Olayiwola, depends on the area of operation.He said one might be asked to pay between N2,000 and N3,000 as rent on a plot of land in a month.

In his own case, Mr. Moshood Eniola had to enter an agreement with his sibblings on how much he would be remitting monthly on a family piece of land which he uses for his business.

Another person, Moses Adebolu of Most High Blocks, who, like Segun, was forced to embark on block moulding by retrenchment, said he had to divide a plot of land he owned into two, converting one to block moulding site and the other to build an partment for his family.

While one has the option of operating in an open space, Olayiwola, Chief Executive Officer of Motolani Concrete Blocks, said it was dignifying to erect a shed which could serve as an office and store for equipment and bags of cement. He said it would cost between N50,000 and N70,000 to build a standard shed.

The second most important soul of the business, which is operational equipment, is the availablity of machine, engine and pallet while the third is availability of operational vehicle.

Owning a vehicle, according to Olayiwola, is good for the business, stressing that without it,“ it is like working for other people.” To own one’s vehicle, he added, makes transportation of blocks to end users easier, while the owner makes extra income from it.

Eniola of Enny Concrete Ltd, said though it was good to own transportation vehicle, its unavailiability would not grind the business to a halt.

Other logistics necessary for the business include a water well or water twarf or container to provide for water use; adequate supply of quality sand, cement and stone dust.

While it may be too expensive to dig a borehole to cater for water use, Adelabu said he sank a borehole not out of frugality, but for a business purpose.

According to him, while the borehole serves his block moulding bsuiness, he also sells potable water to neighbours, thereby increasing his income base.

“Before committing much money into sinking the borehole, I had the thinking that well might run dry during dry season and this may affect the business coupled with the fact that I will be reaping money from selling water from the borehole to people,” he said.

Prompt securing of labourers, at times, might make or mar the business according to Olayiwola who said operations might be grounded by unavailablity of operator, mixer and carrier.

Scarcity of these labourers, it was gathered, is as a result of competition for their services by people that mould blocks directly for their construction work.

Mr. Francis Ayerin, a director in a developing firm, said because of the extent of work site, a fairly large site needed a minimum of nine workers to produce blocks needed a site.

Apart from construction companies, there are other people constructing personal buildings that do mould needed blocks on their own.

This development, said Eniola, at times, prompted the available labourers to charge exorbitant fee. “Some of them will be demanding more than N500 per day which is the standard price,” he stressed.

The moulders are all of the opinion that running a successful business depends on the quality of blocks produced which also depends solely on the quality of material (sand, cement and stone dust) used.