Fashola Charge Estate Valuers On Ease Of Doing Business In Nigeria The Minister of Power, Works & Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has challenged the newly reconstituted board of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria (ESVARBON) to come up with harmonized code of charge that will promote ‘’real estate’’ as this will impact on the ease of doing business in Nigeria. He stated this at the inauguration ceremony of the new board at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja. The Minister charged them to develop an open and nation-wide valuation of real estate database across the nation in order to greatly improve and grow the nation’s economy. Fashola congratulated the chairman and members of the Board and expressed confident in the broad mix of experience and values the Board is bringing to the nation. The Minister added that ‘’these are people, whose professional mandate is really putting value to light in the area of over seeing how land is turned from dormant into a valuable asset’’. In his remarks, the Chairman of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria, Esv. Olayinka Sonaike, on behalf of the 21 newly inaugurated board members expressed appreciation to be called upon to serve in a rather different capacity of regulating the practise of the profession. Sonaike stated that the profession is willing to collaborate with the Ministry in the on-going construction of Housing Units across the nation under the National Housing Programme of the Buhari’s administration. He urged that the board be given necessary support to play its regulatory role as expected. The Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria among other responsibilities is charged with registering persons who are fit and qualify to serve and practice as Estate Surveyors and Valuers; and also regulate the knowledge and the general practice of the profession in the country. ...

Grow What You Eat; And Produce What You Use – Osinbajo The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN has called on Nigerians to “Grow what they eat and Produce what they use” day to day. He made this call during an Interactive session he held with Public Servants on salary Grade levels 8-14 at the International Conference Centre Abuja. He added that the future of Nigeria is in the hands of Civil and Public servants, because they are the engine room that provides and prepares for every sitting administration; noting that it is only the Public Servants that determine if jobs can be created; bearing in mind if resources are available to accommodate the new hands and this can be determined through the taxes and revenues generated. Osinbajo stated that Nigerians need to promote economic diversification and boost the non-oil sector in the face of the current global economic realities; therefore “Made-in-Nigeria” initiative is committed to increase the production of locally manufactured goods and services. The acting President called on Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government to grant preference to locally manufactured goods and services, adding that such support for local content in Public Procurement will strengthen the Naira, expand the country’s entrepreneurial capacity and thus lead to greater competition thereby improving the quality of goods and services. The acting president said the Federal Government is counting on the support of the Public servants to drive the initiative because Information about government’s requirement for products and services will be easily accessible by the general public in order to improve the Nigerian business environment. Earlier in her welcome address, the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, thanked the acting President because it is the first of its kind in the history of the Nation that Officers within these grade levels (8-14) will be meeting with the top Head of Government. She encouraged public servants to be good ambassadors at their various MDAs and informed that as the Government is handling the abandoned projects, it is also committed to settling the outstanding arrears in all the sectors. Also present at the occasion where Ministers of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola; Interior, Gen Abdulrahaman Danbazua (Rtd) Industry Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah; Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita and Permanent Secretaries.  ...

Apapa Is A Priority Area For FG, We’re Very Close To Starting Enduring Work On The Roads - Fashola *  Minister appeals to residents, those earning livelihood from Apapa for patience *  Design, other requirements for reconstruction of Wharf road with concrete to last for at least 30 years ready *  Procurement details, Heads of Agreement ready for signing of MOU with Companies supporting project ahead of presentation for FEC approval The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has reiterated that the Apapa Area in Lagos is a priority for the Federal Government under the Ministry’s programme to solve the issue of roads leading to critical ports in the country. According to the Minister, who was interacting with newsmen in Abuja at the weekend, at the end of Day One of the Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing’s Retreat, arrangements for the deployment of an enduring solution on Wharf road were near closure. Fashola who explained that a couple of private companies had offered to work with Government in terms of fixing Wharf Road, said the design and other requirements for the road were ready adding what was left now was to sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding before proceeding to the Federal Executive Council for approval. “ I just want to appeal to residents of Apapa, to people whose livelihood depends on Apapa, that Apapa is one of the priority roads under our priority of Works to solve roads that lead to critical ports. We also have Calabar on our radar. But one by one there would be an enduring solution. We’ve done the design, we’ve done everything for Apapa, it’s ready. It’s going to be a concrete road, I believe, that will last another 30 years. So we are close to starting work,” Fashola said. The Minister, who was certain that work would start in a couple of weeks, pointed that irrespective of the fact that the fund of the Companies, offering to support the project,was private money there had to be some transparency on how to procure it adding that those procurement guidelines were being followed because, according to him, “In government, if you receive a gift, it must have a value and you must declare that value”. “So we needed to get certification of all these prices before we get approval from the Federal Executive Council to allow this to happen, that is the only delay. But we are very close; we have held two meetings in the last 10 days with the companies. We have agreed Heads of Agreement. What is left now is to sign a formal Memorandum of Understanding before which we can then proceed to Council”, he said. Fashola also explained that government wanted to be clear whether what the companies were offering was simply Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) or they wanted a tax refund for what they were offering adding that the challenge of inadequate budgetary allocation had affected the roads over the years. “Year on year , you will see that the provisions for the budget funding of Apapa and the Tin Can Island and Mile 2 – Oworonsoki Roads, all of which evacuate the Port have not been sufficient really to deal with the cost”. Appealing to residents and other users of the road to exercise a little more patience, Fashola explained further, “The cost that we are getting from the contractor there is in the region of about N100Billion and above and the annual budgetary appropriation that is approved for us is about N7 Billion. And then there are debts that we met”. The Minister also noted that the problem of the Apapa area has been compounded by the excess tonnage on the access routes due to the absence of a rail link which used to take the tonnage off the roads which is also being looked at.” Apapa has many problems one of which is the excess tonnage. There used to be a rail link there to evacuate the Port. From the time we stopped using the rail link and went on to the road, we started degrading the quality of the road. There is only so much tonnage that you can put onto a road”, he said. On the purpose of the Retreat for Directors, Heads of Departments and Agencies which focussed on “Teamwork for Optimal Productivity”, the Minister said it was for team building for service delivery adding, “A good team where members know their strength and weaknesses, know their strong points and their common purpose is likely to deliver more results in quicker time and more effectively”. ...