Introductory Remarks By The Director, Planning, Research & Statistics, Federal Ministry Of Power, Works & Housing (Works & Housing Sector), Dr. Famous S. Eseduwo At The 24th National Council Meeting On Works At Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State

INTRODUCTION

Let me start by appreciating God all-mighty for making this 24th National Council Meeting on Works, holding here today at the Presidential Lodge Conference Centre, Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, a reality. As the coordinator of the Ministerial Planning/Organizing Committee for this important perennial event, I also joined the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Works, Kebbi State in welcoming you to this week-long meeting with the theme, “Ensuring Value-For-Money in Nigerian Highways Development”.

I wish to also express our sincere gratitude to his Excellency, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, the Executive Governor of Kebbi State, the government and good people of Kebbi state, for providing the enabling environment for this year’s National Council Meeting On Works.

I like to also appreciate our Honourable Minister Of Power, Works & Housing, His Excellency, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, the two Honourable Ministers of State, Power, Works & Housing, Hon. Mustapha Baba Shehuri and Surv. Suleiman Hassan Zarma, mnis, as well as the Permanent Secretary, Mohammed Bukar, the directors and staff of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works & Housing (Works & Housing Sector) for their invaluable support in bringing together this meeting. 

The Nigerian highways development problems are numerous and road is a common good that requires a going concern of everybody. As man cannot live without food, almost at the same scale, man cannot live without road, comfortably. We use road every day virtually for everything that keeps us going. 

This underscores government’s continuous efforts to fix highways within available resources over the years. The rationale for this national council meeting on works, therefore, is to identify the unsettling challenges in the road sub-sector and come up with implementable strategies towards improving highways development in Nigeria within available financial, human and material resources.

Permit me to refresh our memories that the National Council on Works is the highest policy-making and advocacy organ in the Works Sector and as such, the stakeholders converged every year to deliberate on issues concerning road infrastructure. This is exactly why we are gathered here today. Thus, we are expected to kick-start the technical sessions any moment from now through the thematic group discussion methodology. The thematic groups were thought out of the memoranda received and summarized for this meeting. We have carefully broken down this year’s theme, “Ensuring value-for-money in Nigerian Highways Development” into five thematic areas which the chairman of the 1st technical session will announce to us very soon.

The National Council Meeting on Works, of a fact, is an inclusive approach to highways policy formulation, aimed at providing practical solutions to the existing road infrastructure development challenges in our country. This year’s thinking is to be guided by the perspective of “value-for-money”.

Let me on behalf of the planning/organizing committee sincerely apologize for any initial inconveniences you may have encountered on your arrival to Birnin-Kebbi, relating to issues ranging from hotel accommodation to intra-city transportation. Such challenges are often normal when a large number of persons visit a city for a programme. Nonetheless, please bear with us because it was due to circumstances beyond our control.

I want to assure you that all necessary arrangements have been put in place to ensure the success of this year’s council meeting. As we progress with the meeting, some of the preliminary challenges will sort out themselves. The secretariat is available for any possible assistance 24/5.

Please open your folders and flip through the programme to be acquainted with the sessions we intend to have from today to Thursday as well as the memoranda for the thematic group discussions and possible recommendations.

Once again, I welcome you to the thinking platform of this year’s national council meeting on Works which we are expected to deliberate on the summarized memos today and tomorrow towards making recommendations to the meeting of Permanent Secretaries holding on Wednesday.

Thank you and wishing you productive deliberations.

Remarks By The Honourable Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola, San At The 20th City People Awards For Excellence Sunday, 2nd April, 2017, Lagos Airport Hotel

P R O T O C O L S

It is always very easy for members of the public to pick and choose from a Team, who they like more within a Team.

So in a football club, we tend to pick the best striker or midfielder or defender.

But in doing so, we sometimes forget that what is most important is the team and the work they do together; the Team work, that allows any striker, midfielder or defender to thrive.

There will be no good striker, midfielder and defender in a team that does not do well.

Therefore collective success must be, and is indeed, more important than individual recognition.

A Government is no different from a football club, to the extent that they comprise individuals of different talents, passions and experiences who must work together to deliver service to the public.

A successful team is led by a Great and resourceful manager, who often has a dependable assistant.

In our Government team, President Muhammadu Buhari has discharged that role effectively by picking a team of Ministers whose commitment to change is unquestionable and the Vice President has demonstrated his ability to complement this vision of change and his dedication to help midwife it.

On their behalf I accept this Award.

Every Goal scored by a striker is the result of co-ordinated team play, and interchange of passes.

In our team, every Minister has supported the other, and the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing has benefitted from a well planned Budget, well timed cash backing, very massive support and contributions to our Council Memoranda and therefore on behalf of the Federal Executive Council members, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Cabinet Office and the Office of the Chief of Staff, I accept this award.

Of course, a good football team thrives on financing and shareholders support.

We have received a lot of cooperation from those who exercise the power of appropriation in the National Assembly; the Senators, House of Representatives members and all their Committee Chairmen, members and staff are the real owners of this Award.

I accept it on their behalf.

Some of our work will not have progressed without prompt and efficient determination of some court cases. Our progress would have been hindered. This Award also belongs to the Judiciary as members of the team of change. I accept it on their behalf.

No team is complete without the army of backroom staff who we never get to see, but who help the players enormously.

The Ministry of Power, Works and Housing is blessed with an army of hardworking civil servants, led by 2 (Two) Permanent Secretaries, Directors, the Heads of our parastatals, Deputy Directors, Controllers and other staff who have signed up for change and are daily working towards it. I accept this Award on their behalf.

As I said earlier, no individual recognition is worthy of note if the team is not delivering results.

My Brother, the Hon. Minister of State in the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing, Mustapha Baba Shehuri and I accept this Award on behalf of Government as proof that our team is gaining momentum, and the results of Government policies, programmes and action are beginning to manifest.

Our party, the All Progressive Congress, the architects of Change, know that the work is not done; on the contrary, it is just beginning.

We the team members also know this. We know that it can be a lot better, we commit to do more and to make your lives better.

We thank City People and its management for inspiring us to pursue change.

BABATUNDE RAJI FASHOLA, SAN
HONOURABLE MINISTER OF POWER, WORKS & HOUSING

2ND APRIL, 2017.