Buhari Creating Jobs, Spearheading Economic Recovery Through Housing Programme, Infrastructure Development - Fashola * As Minister delivers President’s thank you message to young men, women at various construction sites in the North East * Artisans, carpenters, bricklayers, welders, food vendors, suppliers hail Minister, Federal Government at Taraba, Gombe National Housing Project sites * National Housing Programme currently going on in 33 States in the country The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, has undertaken an extensive inspection tour of on-going infrastructure projects in the North East Zone saying the rapid progress being made on the projects and the employment opportunities created in the process were a manifestation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to achieve economic recovery and create jobs through housing, roads and general infrastructural development. Fashola, who spoke in Taraba and other States in the course of the four days tour, told workers at the site of the State’s National Housing Programme that the whole idea behind the road and Housing development projects going on now across the country was to create jobs for the teeming unemployed youth, get those who had lost their jobs back to work and, thereby, energize the economy. The Minister, who was received by the obviously excited workers with chanting of praise for the Federal Government as they waved and hailed him with their raised fists and working implements, assured Nigerians that the present administration was committed to empowering, especially, the vulnerable in the society such as the artisans, welders, bricklayers, carpenters, food vendors, suppliers of building materials and others. As the Minister waved back and moved round the site of the National Housing Programme in Taraba State and engaged several of them in a chat, those who were working on the walls and other areas within the site gathered round to hear him even as he marched their excitement by posing such questions as when the worker was engaged, what he was doing before his engagement, whether he loved the job and the pay among others. An excited worker, Rilwan Adamu, who answered all the questions at the site of the National Housing Programme in Jalingo, Taraba State, praised the government for providing jobs for them. Abubakar Umar also answered similar questions from the Minister at the site of the Housing Programme in Gombe State while an artisan, Jeremiah Barnabas, chatted with him at the site of the 40MW Hydro Power Plant in Dadin Kowa, Gombe State. Thanking the workers on behalf of President Buhari, who, he told them, had asked him to greet them for contributing to the rebuilding and growth of their country, Fashola further encouraged them to be committed to their work as their contribution would help to put the nation’s economy back to shape and make the country prosperous for every Nigerian. Addressing the workers, Fashola pointed out that the objective of the Federal Government was to get the youths back to work adding that the programme would energize the economy as artisans, carpenters, bricklayers, welders, food vendors, suppliers and many others engage in activities that put money in their pockets and food on their tables. The Minister told them, “This is all what it is about; it takes care of the vulnerable members of our society. That is what Housing does; it energises the industry and it energizes employment. You will see trucks moving in and out, you will see bricklayers, you will see carpenters, you will see welders, you will see food vendors; and this is what we are igniting across the whole country”. “That is why President Muhammadu Buhari said this year’s Budget is a Budget of Growth, getting people who have lost their jobs previously back to work, putting money in their pockets and restoring their dignity so that every morning they can tell their wives, they can tell their husbands ‘I am going to work’ ”, he said. Earlier, the Federal Controller of Housing in the State, Mr Pius Eneji, who received and conducted the Minister round the site, had told the him that the site was on 16 hectares of land adding that the contractors were currently working on five hectares of the land. He also told the Minister that there were a total of 76 units of houses in the site made up of four units of one bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 48 units of two bedroom semi-detached bungalows and 15 units of three bedroom semi-detached bungalows. The Controller, who said the work on the site was delayed for some time because of some exigencies, informed the Minister that a total of 19 contractors were on the site and working pointed out that but for the delay, some of the houses would have gone beyond the levels that they were at the moment. He said the number of workers that were engaged on a daily basis varies according to the volume of work at hand adding that when the building got to the stage of casting lintel, more workers would be required as well as at other stages of work as the buildings progress. According to him, there is also a nine-man team sent from Abuja to monitor the project and the team was based in the State adding that his office has also deployed seven staff of the Ministry to complement the efforts of the Abuja team in order to ensure delivery of quality buildings for the people. It could be observed at both the Gombe and Taraba sites that the buildings were at various stages of completion with some at the foundation level while others were already progressing towards the lintel level.  Earlier at the site of the road inspection which was the construction of the Jalingo-Kona-Lam-Karim-Lamido Road, inside the State Capital, Fashola thanked the Taraba State Government for taking responsibility for the road, the contractor handling the project, for the quality of work done and the Taraba State Commissioner for Works and Transport, Dr. Tafarki Eneme, for supervising the project to completion. The Minister, who assured that the Federal Government would reimburse the State the money they spent on the road, however, pointed out that the road was now a Metropolitan Municipal road as it ran inside the centre of the city adding that it no longer qualified as a Federal Road. According to the Minister, “This is now a Metropolitan Municipal road. It really does not qualify in the sense of a Federal Highway because our work as a Federal Government is to connect states together. But obviously when this road was designated as a Federal Highway most of these developments were not here; but you now see that it now has a pedestrian sidewalk and all of the amenities. “So it has become a Municipal road and if you apply, I think the Federal Government will be inclined to hand it over to you for maintenance and management”, he said, assuring the State Government, however, that the handover or any such arrangement in the future was without prejudice to its right to be fully reimbursed whatever it had spent on the road. On Saturday, the Minister also took time off on his way to Yobe State to inspect the National Housing Programme in Gombe State during which he reiterated that President Buhari was determined to make Housing and Infrastructure development generally the main plank of his administration’s Economic Recovery Plan. The Federal Controller of Housing in the State, Tpl. Yalin Luka Barnabas who received and conducted the Minister round the housing project, told him that there were altogether 76 housing units made up of 1,2 and 3 bedroom semi-detached bungalows adding that there were altogether about 500 workers on daily basis. The National Housing Programme is currently going on in 33 states of the country. ...

Federal Ministry Of Power, Works And Housing Not Frustrating Ambode Or His Government * Lists several requests it has approved for LASG * Says Governor failed to acknowledge he spoke with Minister who explained on going processes to him * Reveals that LASG has refused to provide land for National Housing Programme The attention of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has been drawn to certain statements credited to the Governor of Lagos State, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode claiming  that the “Federal Ministry of Works“ has been frustrating the efforts of his administration to carry out a “total reconstruction of the International Airport Road from Oshodi.” The Governor also reportedly accused the “Federal Ministry of Works and Housing” and Security Services of denying the State Government access to the Presidential Lodge in Lagos six months after President Muhammadu Buhari approved it off for the State. This response is to ensure that members of the public are not misled by deliberate or inadvertent mis-statements. The allegations of lack of cooperation from the Ministry and frustration of Lagos State Government development initiatives are simply not true and the facts do not bear them out. In 2016, the Hon Minister for Power Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji  Fashola, SAN, approved the use of the Federal Ministry of works yard at Oworonsoki for Lagos State Government to create a lay-by to ease traffic. The Hon Minister also approved that Lagos State be granted the Rights to manage the Street Lighting on the 3rd Mainland Bridge to support the security initiatives of the State, a request which the previous Federal Government administration had denied Lagos State for years. During the same year the Hon Minister also supported the approval of the World Bank Loan of $200m to Lagos State, again a request the previous administration had denied Lagos State. As far as International Airport Road which is currently the ground for alleged “frustration” is concerned, the correct position is that the Lagos State Government presented a  request for FOUR roads that it would wish to take over. This is consistent with the position being canvassed by the Hon Minisiter for States who are interested to apply to take over Roads that are within their States. The Ministry has presented the Memorandum conveying the request of the Lagos State Government to the Federal Executive Council as was done with a similar request by the Kaduna State Government in 2016. Due to the fact that TWO of the roads also connect Ogun State, the Federal Executive Council could not reach an immediate decision on them because it requested the input of the other State Government affected. The Kaduna State Government requested the Federal Government to transfer two roads within Kaduna Metropolis to the State in November 2015. Due process was followed and the request of the State Government was approved in August 2016, a period of ten months. Federal Executive Councill Memorandum are debated and commented upon by all members and in cases of roads, surveys, maps and other material have to be provided to assist members understand the location and connectivity of the roads, (in this case Four roads), in order to assist how they vote on the Memorandum. As far as the Presidential Lodge is concerned, it is under the management of the Presidency and not the Ministry. After the approval by Mr President that the Presidential Lodge be handed over to the State Government, there was a directive to the Ministry to work out the modalities for handing over. The Ministry has prepared a vesting instrument to convey the transfer and all that is needed is a survey plan. The Presidential Lodge is a high security location and officials of the Ministry also require security clearance to enter in order to do any works. Access to the lodge is not under the control of the Ministry. The motive behind this public accusations must therefore be scrutinized coming barely a week after the Governor spoke with the Honorable Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN on the outstanding requests of the State for several minutes and the Minister took time to explain the situation of things to the Governor. (The first telephone conversation the Governor has had with the Minister since May 29, 2015). If there is any lack of co-operation it is on the part of the State Government that has refused to acknowledge not to talk of approving the Ministry's request for Land of the National Housing Programme in Lagos. The Ministry is not frustrated by this lack of response and remains optimistic that a response will come from Lagos State. The Ministry remains committed to serving the Government and Good People of Lagos and will treat all their requests on Merit and in accordance with necessary due process as will be done to other States. As far as the refund of N51Billion is concerned this is not a new item. Almost all if not all states have these claims and the Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing has verified these claims. What is left is the process of raising the finance to pay the Debt owed to the States. Those who are familiar with the workings of Government will attest to the fact that it is an intricate sequence of processses, consultation and collaboration. Equating processes to a lack of co-operation is therefore akin to creating a storm in a tea cup. ...

Power Sector Liquidity Receives Fresh Boost As FG Sets To Pay All Verified MDAs’ Bills To Discos For Electricity Delivered * NDPHC announces progress on ongoing projects to connect communities that host NIPP * TCN reports resolution of way leave issues in Uzalla, Edo State, and on-going work in Ondo, Rivers State and other locations around the country * As Fashola chairs 13th Monthly Meeting with Power Sector Operators, Stakeholders in Ughelli, Delta State On the heels of the N701 billion guarantee for the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc, a fresh boost in liquidity in the nation’s Power Sector is in the offing as the Federal Government has indicated its readiness to commence payment of all verified bills owed Electricity Distribution Companies in the country for electricity supplied to its Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) based on the on-going audit of the bills submitted by the DisCos. A report presented at the 13th Monthly Meeting of Power Sector Operators chaired by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, in Ughelli, Delta State, on the on-going audit of debts owed the DisCos by MDAs, stated that all such verified bills would be recommended for payment as further demonstration of Government’s determination to lead by example with regards to payment for electricity delivered adding, that such payments would be on first-come-first-served basis. The report contained in a Communiqué after the Meeting further stated that the verification team working on the audit received claims currently estimated at N59.3 billion, subject to further review, noting that 86 per cent of the debts, amounting to N51billion, were owed by the top 100 customers, mainly composed of military and defence installations around the country. Also, the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) presented ongoing projects to connect communities that host National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP) just as it announced progress on projects in Ikot Nyong, Egbema, Ihovbor, Gbarain, Olorunsogo, and Omotosho saying the expected completion date for Magboro community would be April while the Olorunsogo connection would be completed in June this year. Other progress reports include the resolution of way leave issues in Uzalla in Edo State, and ongoing work in Ondo, Rivers State and other locations around the country as reported by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN); the improved compliance with submission of audit accounts as reported by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the completion of maintenance works in Awka and Maiduguri to improve service delivery as reported by the Enugu and Yola DisCos. Acknowledging that the economic progress of the country largely depends on the success of the Power Sector, the Meeting commended the Federal Government for the recent approval by the Federal Executive Council of financing to assure payment to GenCos for electricity generated and supplied on the grid noting that it would enhance investor confidence in the industry. It noted with delight that the newly reconstituted NERC would more rigorously perform regulatory duties tasking the regulatory body to standardize reporting on financial performance, safety and customer service as a fair basis for ranking distribution companies and other industry operators. Receiving with delight the reports by the Enugu and the Yola DisCos on the completion of maintenance works in Awka and Maiduguri to improve service delivery to targeted customers, the Meeting commended them for the completion of the projects and, however, reemphasized the need to react to customer complaints more speedily. Acknowledging the Federal Government’s decision to support NBET with N701 billion over two years for NBET to pay generation companies for electricity produced under the Power Purchase Agreements, the Meeting, however, said the initiative did not discharge the obligation of the DisCos to pay their invoices to the Market Operator for services provided by Transmission Service Provider (TSP), ISO (Independent System Operator), and to NBET for the electricity generated, transmitted and delivered to customers. The Meeting, hosted by Transcorp Power Limited, and chaired by the Minister, focused on identifying, discussing, and finding practical solutions to critical issues facing the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry even as the operators were fully represented at the highest executive management levels. Those in attendance included a NERC Commissioner, Managing Directors and CEOs of GenCos, DisCos, TCN as well as various government agencies such as the NDPHC, NBET, Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO) and Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) responsible for the regulation and development of the electricity industry. Prior to the commencement of the Meeting, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing and the Governor of Delta State commissioned a 115MW turbine installed by Transorp Ughelli Limited, bringing installed capacity to 620MW from the 160MW they inherited on privatization in 2013. Speaking at the occasion, Fashola, who described the decision of Transcorp to invest in the nation’s Power Sector as a demonstration of its confidence in the economy of the country, said the Buhari Administration reposed more confidence on local investors as they would not run away even if the ship hit stormy waters. Assuring that the administration would continue to create enabling environment for more local investors to come into the sector, the Minister appealed to youths of the Niger Delta to see the investment as belonging to one of their own saying any time they disrupted operations at the plant they would be hurting their own person. He declared, “The Governors of the Niger Delta have been and must continue to be the champions of peace. The youths of the Niger Delta must recognise that nobody can be more Niger Delta than Tony Elumelu. He chooses to invest here. So every time you take away gas from this plant you are hurting one of us, you are hurting one of your own and we are losing opportunities”. In his remarks, Transcorps Power Limited Chairman, Mr Tony Elumelu, stated that the plant currently generates only 300MW due to shortage of gas supply, and assured the preparedness of the company to invest facilities to increase gas supply to the power station if government created an enabling regulatory framework. ...