Nigeria To Meet International Standards And Best Practices- Fashola The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has said that the theme of the 23rd Meeting of the National Council on Works seeks to raise the level and quality of Nigerian transport infrastructure to globally acceptable standards. Fashola stated this in a paper delivered at the 23rd Meeting of the National Council on Works held at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Conference Centre, Abuja with a theme:  “Adequate Traffic Signage- An Essential Key for Highways Infrastructure, Safety and Comfort” The Minister opined that as human beings, mobility is inevitable because development, prosperity and sometimes survival of human beings are tied to mobility as well as productivity, social and cultural interactions. He said that Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari has played a critical and positive role in developing a common African position since 2016. According to him, Nigeria has helped to shape the Global Urban Agenda which was adopted in Quito, Ecuador, this year, to guide global development up till 2036, but the missing link is to start implementing its component parts for the benefits of Nigerians. The Minister said some of these benefits would be best appreciated when the highways, roads and bridges are adorned with road signs, adding that this will inform road users on how far their journey is, how far they have progressed, how much is left to travel and how far away they are from one village, city, local government, or from critical services like hospitals, fuel stations and hotels or motels, thereby easing the stress associated with long distance travels. Fashola disclosed that what will make the travellers enjoy their travel time is the provision of adequate road signs. “This is the best way to facilitate mobility and implement the local components of the Global Urban Agenda for the benefit of Nigerians” he stated that having the road signs erected in any place or anyhow is not enough, but must be in accordance with specifications and quality of materials, it must also be in tandem with minimum standards to ensure their durability to serve the people. The Minister said aside the benefits of helping commuters to navigate the journey through the provision of road signs on Nigerian roads, it also have direct economic benefits to the people who will benefit from contract jobs that will attract financial rewards as a result of producing the signs, fabricating the steel, printing the signs and the direct labour needed to erect/mount the signs.  Fashola expressed his gratitude to the Minster of the FCT, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello for hosting the 23rd Meeting of the National Council on Works in Abuja. The Minister also appreciated the Minister of State, Honourable Mustapha Baba Shehuri, the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Bukar and staff of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (Works sector) for their hard work in developing very high standards and specific road signs that will stand the test of time. Earlier in his welcome address, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello, represented by the Executive Secretary, FCDA, Engr. U. G. Jibril, expressed his profound gratitude to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, the Minister of State, Honourable Mustapha Baba Shehuri, the Permanent Secretary, Alhaji Mohammed Bukar for successfully hosting this year’s Meeting of the National Council on Works in Abuja. Mallam Bello said the theme of this year’s Meeting, “Adequate Traffic Signage-An Essential Key for Highways Infrastructure, Safety and Comfort” is very important to the residents of the Federal Capital Territory, due to daily increase in the number of motorists plying our highways. He opined that the outcome of the Council’s deliberations will provide the much needed inputs for policy making to address the problem of inadequate and improper signage on some of the highways. The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Works, Hon. Tobi Okechukwu, in his goodwill message at the occasion, congratulated the Council for this year’s Meeting and applauded the organisers for the excellent theme of this year. He said the National Assembly is ready to partner and support the Executive Arm of government on any initiative that is people oriented. The Chairman, Federal Character Commission, Alhaji Bukar Abba Shetima, while congratulating the Council, also used the occasion to reiterate on the Commission’s mandate and called on the Ministry to adhere to equitable distribution of wealth in line with the mandate of the Commission. The Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, while giving a Vote of Thanks, congratulated the Minister for the successful hosting as well as for the efficient delivery of the 23rd Meeting of the National Council on Works. He also expressed his appreciation to all the stakeholders who have contributed in one way or the other to the success of the Meeting. Amongst the dignitaries at the event were, the Permanent Secretaries, Federal Ministry of Power, Works Housing, Works and Housing sector and his counterpart from Power, Louise Edozein, Commissioners and Permanent Secretaries of Works from 36 States of the Federation, the Surveyor General of the Federation, Surveyor Ebisintei Awudu, Assistant Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Kayode Olagunju, Directors and Federal Controllers of Works from the 36 States of the Federation. ...

Fashola Charged Stakeholders To Complement Government’s Effort In Housing Delivery The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has charged stakeholders in the housing sector to focus more on how to solve the problem of housing deficits in the country rather than magnify the problem. He said inspite of the housing challenges; Nigeria will over time come out if consistent right policies are put in place. Fashola stated this at the opening ceremony of the 11th Abuja International Housing Show with the theme, Solving Nigeria’s Housing Challenges through Innovative Finance and Infrastructure Solution. The Minister noted that financing is not only the problem in the housing industry but also the issue of affordability and acceptability, adding that it is important to build to the satisfaction of the off - takers. He said that the Ministry is currently building in 33 States of the federation to respond to the climatic and cultural demands of the people under the National Housing Programme, adding that this will be used as a pilot to interface with the private sector. While commending the vision and tenacity of Fesadeb Communication Ltd, the organiser, the Minister said that it is important to have a housing economy, an economy that delivers on a value chain that will impact on people’s economic lives like the artisans, mason, plumbers, welders and food vendors. Earlier in his address, the Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Chairman of the Abuja International Housing Show, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, noted that the choice of the theme for this year’s event is not only apt but appropriate. Oyegun stated that the Buhari administration promised to provide decent and affordable housing to Nigerians through the establishment of the National Housing Programme with a target of raising enough finance to build 1 million housing estates annually within the next decades. He said that the APC-led government is also committed to bridge the gap of housing deficits by providing affordable housing for low income earners who are the most marginalised due to access to finance. He added that a new housing social project has been included in the economic recovery plan recently launched by the federal government with the objective to reduce the housing deficits and stimulate economic growth of the country. The Abuja International Housing Show over the years has proved to be a veritable platform that brings stakeholders’ in the built industry together to chat a way forward in solving housing problem in Nigeria. ...

Fashola Advocates A Housing Economy For Rebuilding Economy, Country *      Minister commends private sector participants in the Housing Sector at the 11th Abuja International Housing Show in the FCT *      Says FG is now building models that respond to nation’s cultural and climatic diversities in 33 states “as a pilot to then interface with the Private Sector” *      We remain committed and we will deliver and improve what we met, he declares The 11th Abuja International Housing Show kicked off in the Federal Capital Territory Monday with the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, advocating a Housing Economy as a viable means of rebuilding the nation and its economy. In a keynote address at the International Conference Centre venue of the three-day event, Fashola, who explained the concept of Housing Economy to mean “an economy that delivers on a continuous basis at every spectrum of the value chain”, starting from the construction sites. He said such continuous construction would impact mostly on the lives of artisans, labourers, builders and others at the construction sites, whom he described as “the most vulnerable members of the society”. Stressing that the society has a duty to support such people, the Minister pointed out that the construction site has provided a major source of income for, not only construction workers such as plumbers, welders, bricklayers, retailers, but also suppliers of building materials and food vendors, adding, “It is the place where we can impact most on peoples’ lives”. “Those are the most vulnerable members of our society that we must continue to support”, he said adding that the kind of response that could be received from creating a sustainable housing construction through building on a continuous basis would be “almost unbelievable”. Recalling his inspection of Housing sites in Taraba, Gombe, Ekiti, Oyo and other states across the country earlier in the year, Fashola declared, “the story I can tell you is that plumbers, welders, bricklayers, food vendors, all say,  ‘Thank Buhari for us because we are back to work’. And that is the story; that is where it starts”.  Particularly recalling his visit to the Oyo State site where he met a couple working at the site with the husband as a mason and bricklayer while the wife sold food to workers, the Minister, who noted that the couple relocated from Lagos to the site on learning of the project, added, “Let us just continue to build because the opportunities that it provides for rebuilding the economy and for rebuilding our country are simply prolific”. On plans to include members of the informal sector in the Housing programme, Fashola said his Ministry was currently working on how to expand and register cooperatives and assist people to key into the programme adding that work in that regard has almost been concluded. The Minister said the plan had become necessary because within the financing sector it had become important to ensure that those who have legitimate assets and income but were not in the formal recorded form could still be assisted to participate in home ownership. Using the level 07 or 08 Civil Servant, who earns N50,000, as example, the Minister said although the amount may not be enough, he may have other assets like a farm or his wife’s business that they could put together adding that the plan was to expand the frontiers of how to determine what was affordable and the kind of income that could come into the programme. “What we are currently working on now is how to expand and register cooperatives and assist people; because we have seen that the formal sector has its own structured organization where they contribute money, they help each other to build it. How can we use that to help them to build for themselves? We are almost completing work in that regard”, he said. Fashola, who acknowledged that there is a challenge in the nation’s Housing sector, however, said the way to solve it was not to look at the size but to focus on how to solve it urging that the size of the problem should not dampen the enthusiasm to seek for solutions. Debunking the estimated size of the nation’s housing deficit as not based on any audit or accurate census, the Minister, who stated that life without problems was unimaginable, added, “I always say that it is because there are problems that opportunities also arise, whether in public or the private sector”. “I think the most important thing I want to say here is that the size of the problem should not dampen our enthusiasm to find solutions. Let us focus more on what we can contribute, what we can do rather than how big the problem is”, he said adding, “I will say this in the context of every time I hear 17 million Housing deficit; who did the census; who did the audit?” The Minister recalled that barely 15 years ago Nigerians needed to get international direct dialling to be able to call somebody outside the country adding that although it was a big problem, the country just focussed on how to find a solution and, indeed, found a solution with many Nigerians now owning phones. According to him, although not everybody in Nigeria today has a telephone, “But inch by inch, step by step, village by village, community by community we are connecting”, adding, “That must be the same attitude here”. Still emphasizing the need to focus on solutions, Fashola, who recalled the time in the country when the only television station available was the Nigerian Television Authority, stated that Nigerians now have more channels than they could watch, adding that Nigerians must adopt the attitude that having overcome many problems in the past, the housing problem could be overcome. The Minister commended Nigerians for their innovativeness pointing out that the  banner, depicting the many brands of exhibitors at the Housing Show was a demonstration that Nigerians were not idle. He declared, “Look at all of those brands, it means that Nigerians are doing something. So we are not idle, we are not inactive and step by step we will get to our destination”. On the theme of the Show, “Solving Nigeria’s Housing Challenges Through Innovative Finance and Infrastructure Solutions”, Fashola, who said the financing problem would remain for as long as humanity, explained that the growth of global population was not proportionate with the increase in availability of funds. The Minister explained further, “The public Housing programme in the United Kingdom started since 1918. Next year it will be 100 years old. And, you know what, not everybody in the UK owns a house. There are people who still sleep on the streets. They have only managed to achieve about 65 per cent home ownership”. “And it varies depending on the economy because even home owners also lose their homes. They have reduced rental and increased ownership; but from 1918 till now, not everybody owns a home and that is just about 65million or 70million people”, he said. Also, according to the Minister, Singapore, with barely five million people, started her Housing programme in 1962 and has achieved a home ownership of 80 per cent of their population after about 60 years while in Hong Kong, one of the biggest financial centres in the world, people live in cages; in flats cut into pieces “because the average cost of a house is 19 times higher than the average wage”. “And this is the context in which I said the issue of financing will remain for a long time. But within that we can improve the quality of our lives if we focus on what we can do, if we focus on major progress, if we understand that housing delivery is a long time commitment”, he said. Expressing the commitment of the Federal Government to deliver on its promises of affordable housing for Nigerians, Fashola declared, “We remain committed and we will deliver and improve what we met”, adding that in discussing financing it should also be understood that there are many other problems such as issues of affordability and issues of acceptability. The Minister declared, “We have empty houses in many states of the Federation. Why are they not occupied? Can people afford them? Where they can afford them, do they like the way they are built?” adding that these were the problems that must be addressed in order to build for the choice and demand of the off taker. Fashola commended his team in the Ministry for the work they have done in the last one year during which, according to him, “they have designed a National Housing model that responds to the cultural and climatic diversities of Nigeria”, adding that the Ministry was now building in 33 states of the Federation “as a pilot to then interface with the Private Sector”. Also present at the Opening Ceremony of the Housing Show which is featuring hundreds of exhibitors and stakeholders in the Housing Sector, include, the Minister of State in the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri, Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie Oyegun, who was Chairman of the Opening Ceremony, Minister of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Chris Ngige, Legislators, Governors, Traditional Rulers and other stakeholders in both Public and Private Sectors.   ...