FG Inaugurates the Sector Skills Council on Construction The Federal Government has inaugurated the Sector Skills Council on Construction with the core mandate of tackling the skills and productive needs of the construction industry.  While delivering his speech at the occasion, the Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing Engineer Abubakar D. Aliyu, (FNSE), who performed the inauguration pointed out that the establishment of the Sector Skills Council is a deliberate decision of the Federal Government to address the challenges of skills gap, skills supply, skills quality and skills demand of the building sector in the construction Industry. The Minister spelt out the scope of their mandate as follows: Establishment and maintenance of strategy for the coordination and incorporation of emerging trends in skills development, Development of competency standards and qualifications, Developing a sector skill development plan and maintenance of skill inventory, influence how training is delivered in Nigeria, productivity improvement and consistency in reducing skills gaps and shortages. The Council is also expected to inherit the National Occupational Standards in some critical trades, a labour market information system and a secretariat with modest personnel from the Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), he added. The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Babangida Husseini enjoined members of the newly inaugurated Council to justify the confidence reposed on them by their appointment while urging them to think out ways that the sector can reduce  the problem of youth unemployment. He commended the Honourable Minister Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN and the Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing for the various intervention programmes they have introduced toward the attainment of the Ministry’s mandate. In his welcome address, the Chairman Inauguration Committee of the Sector Skills Council on Construction, Dr. Samson Ameh Opaluwa disclosed that the National Board for Technical Education had obtained an approval of Government through the Federal Ministry of Education to implement and regulate the National Skills qualification Framework (NSQF) in Nigeria in 2014. He revealed that in constituting the Sector Skill Council, deliberate efforts were made to ensure the representation of a broad spectrum of the stakeholders in the construction industry in Nigeria adding that it was expected to be a stakeholder and private sector –led as two third of the nominees were representatives of the Private Sector while one third  was made up of relevant government regulatory bodies and actors in the construction and housing sector. Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Engineer Gianfranco Albertazzi who is also  joint Managing Director Borini Prono & Co Nig Ltd  pledged that the council will do Nigeria proud by  qualifying and equipping  a very large  number of citizens to contribute more consciously to the county’s development as well as create an informed middle class, trained in the art of building. He called for the support of stakeholders both from the government and private sector to achieve their mandate. Members of the Sector Skills Council include: Federation of the construction Industry (FOCI), representatives of Artisans, Indigenous Contractors, one from each geo-political zone, Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Representatives of Awarding Bodies (NIOB), Representatives of training providers, one from each geo- political zone, Facilities Management Consultants, Builders Structure Consultants and Service Consultants. Others are National Board for Technical Education, (NBTE), Director of building services, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Standard Organisation of Nigeia (SON), Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Family Homes Funds Ltd (FHFL), Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria (CORBON), Architects Registration Council (ARCON), Quantity Surveyors Registration Board of Nigeria (QSRBN) and Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBONI).   ...

FG Reaffirms Commitment to Completing Lagos-Ibadan Expressway .... As works on the 127 kilometre road progresses appreciably The ongoing rehabilitation, reconstruction and expansion of Lagos -Ibadan dual carriage way has reached an appreciable level of completion and the Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to completing it on schedule. This was disclosed by Engr. Funsho Adebiyi, the Director Highways Construction and Rehabilitation of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing during the on-going visit to the project site over the weekend to assess the progress of work done. On the quality of work on the project, the Director said, "We are satisfied with the quality of work going on and we are working to increase the pace of the work. You can see that work is going on simultaneously on all sections of the dual carriage 127 km Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. " Adebiyi explained that the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is one of the busiest roads in Nigeria and pointed out that it is a trunk A road located in the South-West region of Nigeria. Adebiyi further explained that because of the strategic importance of the road which connects the Northern,  Southern and Eastern parts of Nigeria, the Federal government would do all that is necessary to see that the project is completed on time. "The project is a strategic infrastructure development of Mr. President in bridging the Infrastructure gap of the nation and this demonstrated that the present administration is poised to developing our highways," he said. Speaking on the traffic gridlock that occurred in the early hours of Saturday, the Director explained that it was caused by break down of vehicle and not by the ongoing construction work. He therefore appealed to drivers to be patient and to ensure that their vehicles are in good condition before they make use of the road. On the level of work done so far, the Director of Highways South-West, Engr. Kuti Adedamola said: "We have made a lot of progress. You can see that works on the two sections are going on simultaneously, 35km of the 47km of Section l has been covered giving us about 49.6 percent completion level,  while 55.39 kilometers of the 84km of Section II has been covered as well giving us  about 56.8 percent completion level." On the quality of work, Engr. Kuti said, “I am impressed with the level of work going on.  You can see progress made when compared to the last time we visited.  Work has been progressed in the two sections of the expressway. " He further explained that Federal Government was committed to deliver the project on time for the benefit of road users. Speaking on the scope of work, Ogun State Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Umar Bakare stated that the scope involved rehabilitation and widening of the existing expressway, drainage works and provision of expansion joints, hand rails on bridges. He added that the scope will cover repairs of existing bridges and construction of new ones as well as building of toll plaza and installation of street lights. ...

New Works and Housing Permanent Secretary Resumes The newly redeployed Permanent Secretary to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Alhaji Babangida Hussaini has resumed office. Alhaji Babangida Hussaini was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence before his redeployment to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to take over from Mr. Ernest Umakhihe who was moved to Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. At a brief handing and taking over ceremony at the headquarters of the Ministry in Mabushi, Abuja, the new Permanent Secretary assured management and staff that his leadership will encourage team work anchored on mutual respect. He said "We all come from different backgrounds with different experiences and perceptions but the objective is one; service delivery anchored around serving the people to achieve the agenda of the government." Hussaini, who was the Director Special Projects Unit in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing before his appointment as Permanent Secretary, recalled that he had worked assiduously with the staff of the Ministry under the able leadership of the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing,Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN. He said that he would build on the successes, integrity and transparency entrenched in the ministry by his predecessor, Mr.Ernest Umakhihe, as no one was an island of knowledge in service to our father land. Hussaini  described his predecessor, Mr. Earnest Umakhihe as a friend, a brother and an adviser and assured all that he would add value to the achievements already recorded by him. He further assured Umakhihe of continued cooperation and support. "We will be working together  for the good of our nation because no man is an island,  we must interrelate and interdepend on each other." Earlier in his remarks the outgoing Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr. Earnest Umakhihe described his tenure in the Ministry as short and worthwhile. He said, "its being a short but worthwhile journey.  I have learnt a lot from the crop of professionals we have here." Umakhihe urged the staff to accord the incoming Permanent Secretary the cooperation that was given to him. While wishing the incoming Permanent Secretary success,  he assured him of his support, adding that they are pursuing the same purpose of achieving Mr. President's mandate for the country . In a vote of thanks on behalf of the management, the Director Human Resources Management of the Ministry, Mr. Abdullahi Umar Utono assured the new Permanent Secretary of the cooperation and support of staff while wishing the former Permanent Secretary success in his new office. Alhaji Babangida Hussaini, a seasoned administrator and technocrat attended the Nigeria Defence Academy (NDA), Ahmadu Belio University, ABU Zaria and Federal College of Arts Suleija. He served the nation in different capacities  including working with international donor agencies. He hailed from Kazaure in Jigawa State. ...