Aggressive Work on Road Projects to Resume as 2021/2022 SUKUK Fund is set to be released The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN has assured Nigerians that work on road projects being funded through the SUKUK would soon witness an increase in pace as government is set to release the SUKUK fund for 2021 and 2022. Fashola gave the assurance, Thursday, January 27th, 2022, while speaking to journalists after inspecting the ongoing Dualization of the Kano - Katsina Road Phases I and II in Kano and Kaduna States in response to a question on the funding challenges faced by the contractors handling such projects. The Minister said, "The Minister of Finance has told us that very soon SUKUK Fund for 2021 and 2022 will be ready for release and that will be in a couple of weeks from now, so that all of the backlog of funding on Works and certificates that have accrued will be paid and work can continue.” The Minister expressed satisfaction on the progress of the project which was a single carriageway before the decision of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to expand it to a dual carriageway thereby making it more efficient for the increased volume of traffic in that area. On the Issue of compensation for the people affected by the project, Fashola said, " That is essentially a state government responsibility because of the power granted to the state under the constitution with respect to land control and what we need really is the right of way, this is the cooperation needed from the states." He however expressed confidence that the challenge of compensation will soon be over with the assurance given by the Kano State Government that steps were being taken to settle it and hoped that the Katsina State Government would do the same. He explained that the reason why some Sections of the roads were skipped was because of the pending issues of compensation, adding that as soon as they were settled, the contractors will return to those portions to do their work. The Minister described the road as strategic because it is serving the biggest grain market in the country from where goods are moved to as far as Libya. On the economic and social significance of the roads to the people, Fashola said when contractors get money they pay their own suppliers like those who supplied asphalt, crush stones, sand and so on thereby redistributing the wealth of the nation around the economy and creating employment in the process. Fashola said when the President said he was going to take one hundred million people out of poverty, he was referring to the employment that would be generated through investment in infrastructure development among others. He stated that with the support of the President his Ministry will continue to implement programmes that will engender the distribution of the wealth of the country to people at the lowest bottom of the pyramid.   " These were the things the President referred to when he said he wants to remove 100 million people out of poverty," he said. "As you build efficiency, you are building prosperity. Even though the President cannot reach physically everyone individually, he is having a handshake with the people through infrastructural development." Earlier, the Federal Controller of Works in Kano State, Engineer Yahaya Baba Ali informed the Minister and his entourage that the dualization of the 73 kilometres Kano - Katsina Road Phase I begins from Dawanau roundabout in Kano and terminates at the Katsina border. The road, he said serves the biggest grain market in the country which is located at Dawanau in Kano State. Engineer Ali also informed the Minister that the contractor had completed work on the construction of additional carriageway, while the reconstruction of the old carriageway had reached 30 percent. The representative of the CCECC, the construction company handling the project, Mr Ren Shaoshuri gave the assurance that the project which had reached 83 percent will be completed on target if funding is provided. Engineer Goni Tahir, Federal Controller of Works in Katsina State also assured the Minister that the contractor was ready to deliver the Phase II of the project with improved funding.     ...

President Buhari's Infrastructure Drive Legitimately Enhancing Economic Growth, Prosperity Among Nigerians - Fashola Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN has said that the APC government under President Muhammadu Buhari is leading millions of Nigerians to prosperity through the massive infrastructure it is providing across the country. Fashola stated this in Kano as a Guest Speaker at Special Ministerial Conversational Series with the theme, " Progressive Mission: The Road to our Future" organised by the Progressive Youth Wing of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Thursday, January 27th, 2022. The Minister explained that the Progressive government of President Buhari has 941 road and bridge as well as other infrastructure projects across the states of the federation thereby impacting positively on the lives of the people in many more ways through the various construction works. According to Fashola, the many infrastructure projects across the country are: ongoing highway and bridges projects, tertiary institutions internal roads rehabilitation, construction of new Federal Secretariats in six states and rehabilitation of 24 Federal Secretariats across the country. Other areas are; construction of housing estates under the National Housing Programme in 34 states, rehabilitation of 34 bridges across the nation and scheduled maintenance of roads. Listing the economic benefits of road construction to the people, Fashola said a lot of jobs have been created for suppliers of sand and building materials, artisans, labourers, farmers and even food vendors who make their daily earnings from the construction sides. Confirming the different experiences of people as regards to how the roads construction impacted positively on the lives of Nigerians, the Minister quoted what Nigerians across the social strata said about the roads that were recently commissioned in their respective areas. " President Buhari is legitimately distributing wealth through investment in road infrastructure and the 100 million Nigerians he said would take out of poverty in decade would be achieved," he said. Justifying the need to consistently focus on providing infrastructure, Fashola explained that the growing population oftentimes necessitated growing the country's infrastructure to meet up with the increasing needs of the populace. He explained that all over the world, it would difficult to find the inaugural address of Presidents and Governors that would not contain a commitment to the development of the infrastructure of their society. " What really distinguishes this Progressive government under President Muhammadu Buhari is the focus and change it brought in governance. Infrastructure is one area that we are not only different but better,” he said.     ...

FG Undertaking 21 Road Projects In Kano - Fashola ... "Mr President is making Kano the commercial nerve centre of some West African countries” _ Ganduje. The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola , SAN has disclosed that the All Progressive Congress, (APC ), led administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is undertaking 21 road projects in addition to housing projects that have reached the third Phase in Kano State. The Minister made this disclosure when he paid a courtesy call on the Governor of the State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the Kano State Government House on Wednesday 26th January, 2022. Fashola said, " At the moment we are undertaking 21 roads projects at the Federal Government level in and around Kano State totalling about 960 kilometres and some of the more famous ones are: Kano - Abuja Highway, Kano - Katsina, Kano - Maiduguri and a host of others." The Minister also revealed that his Ministry has completed Phases 1 and 2 of the National Housing Programme in Kano State and had proceeded to Phase 3. He added that President Muhammadu Buhari had given the approval for the handing over of the houses to members of the public and the exercise will be conducted by the Minsters from the various states on behalf of the President. While expressing deep appreciation for the cooperation given to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing by the Kano State Government, he called on the members of the State Cabinet to encourage the indigenes and residents of Kano State to subscribe to the housing units through the portal that had been opened for interested home applicants saying that the Federal Government expected that  Kano people would be the heaviest subscribers to the houses in the State. The Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje who was visibly pleased by the visit of Mr. Fashola, acknowledged the massive Infrastructural development undertaken by the Federal Government in the State in the road, housing, railway and aviation sectors. The Governor listed the railway network connecting Lagos - Ibadan - Kaduna - Kano, the ones between Kano Jibia and Maradi, Kano - Dutse and the substation at Kazaure in addition to the road projects executed as well as the work on the international wing of the Aminu Kano international airport which he described as comparable to those in world capitals as some of the ways in which the Buhari administration had impacted positively on Kano state. Ganduje said, " Mr. President is making Kano not only the commercial nerve centre of the northern part of the country, but the commercial nerve centre of some West African Countries." He hinted that the State Government would soon introduce a mass transit system and requested the Federal Government for  lay byes  and bus stops along some major roads in the State. The Governor also disclosed that the State Government had earmarked the sum of 2 billion naira for the establishment of weigh bridges in the three main entrances to the State in order to protect the roads within the metropolitan city of Kano and therefore sought the approval from the Federal Government to execute the project. The Deputy Governor of the State, Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and commissioners were among those that received the Minister. On the Minister's entourage were Directors of the Ministry, Special Assiatants to the Minister and Federal Controllers of Works and Housing in Kano state.   ...