Road Users Should not Face Hardship - Fashola The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has charged contractors working on the dualization of the Lokoja – Auchi - Benin road,  to ensure that road users are not subjected to hardship while the work is on going. The Minister gave the charge on yesterday during the inspection tour of the road. Fashola said, “contractors are being encouraged to ensure that road users do not face hardship while construction work is going on especially during the rainy season” Fashola said that thorough work was being done on the road to achieve high quality. He said “ it’s not just asphalt that is being laid, the road is being built from under with laterites and stones”. At the Auchi –Ehor  section of the road, the Minister explained that the road was a source of discomfort to road users especially during the last rainy season before some emergency work was done, adding that the 250 Kilometre road  linking the North to the South which was a single road was now being dualised. He added that while some sections of the road had been completed others were at different stages of completion. Reacting to questions on how long the work was going to take before completion, Fashola said, “I think it is important to highlight the problem here for some who have questioned how long it took, we had to grade it to reduce the hill which was about 7metres which is equivalent to a two story building”. “We brought it down to reduce accident which was a perennial problem in the area and by so doing I can say that government has succeeded in saving lives and property.’’ On their part, the representatives of the various companies handling the project promised to ensure that there was free flow of traffic while the construction work is on-going and especially during the rainy season. The Minister also inspected the National Housing programme in Benin. The construction of the 44 units apartment project which is  among the on-going 34 National  Housing Programme, is near completion. The contractor gave the assurance that the project would be completed soon. Fashola said that a sustainable process was being put in place for the sale of the houses under the National Housing Programme to deserving Nigerians. ...

FEC Approves N65.9billion For Road Projects The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N65.9 billion for road projects across the country. The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Alhaji Abubakar Aliyu, briefed State House correspondents on Wednesday after the Council's meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The meeting, which lasted for more than seven hours, was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari. The minister said that the ministry presented two memos to the council which were approved. “The first memo is to seek council’s approval for the award of contract for construction of Jalingo-Kona-Lau-Karim-Lamido road phase 2 which is about 29 kilometres. “The contract at the cost of N6.92 billion inclusive of VAT; this is the phase 2 of the project; the phase 1 was completed earlier. “The second memo which was also approved by the council has three projects; one is the dualisation of the outstanding portion of the Odukpani –Itu-Ikot-Ekpene road in Cross River State to Akwa Ibom State in the sum of N50.3 billion with a completion period of 36 months. “This memo is a combination of three projects and they were all approved; the total sum of the three is N58.94 billion. “On the second project, you were all aware; in Dec. 2019, there was a report in the social media regarding a bridge in Ajaokuta; the bridge was showing an opening at the expansion joint which caused a lot talk around the country. “It was approved but actually work has commenced on that bridge and the total contract sum is N1.5 billion.’’ Aliyu said the bridge might seem a single unit but was actually segmented by expansion joints which were supposed to be maintained periodically. He said that at that time when there was a social media outcry, the ministry was already addressing the situation. The minister said that the bridge was safe to ply on as the ministry sent its engineers with some reporters and issued statements afterwards to tell people that the bridge was safe. He said that the third project on the second memo was the rehabilitation of the outstanding section of Iseyin-Okeho road including two bridges in Oyo state. Aliyu said the project was awarded at the sum of N6.87s billion with a completion period of 18 months. On his part, the Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the ministry presented two memos to the Council. ``One was for the procurement of textbooks for early childhood care and development and for primary schools class 1, 2 and 3 throughout the country. “The memo has 15 contractors who won; the total amount was N6.45 billion with a completion period of six weeks.’’ Adamu said that the second memo was for the construction of 23.7km perimeter fence around the University of Maiduguri. “If you could recall, it was first approved around last year. “ But for reasons of some delay the work is going to commence only now; the project sum is N1. 4 billion with a completion period of 24 weeks. “ The second one is connected to the first because it is for the procurement and installation of security equipment around the fence. The sum of the contract is N1.088 billion and the completion period is 24 weeks,’’ he said. The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the completion of about 9,000 abandoned projects across the Niger Delta region. The minister announced that the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) would be constructing nine housing estates in the region while about 1,600 people had been empowered in the last 100 days. ``We briefed the council today of the number of people that have so far been empowered in the first hundred days of coming into office. ``Over 1,600 Niger Deltans have been empowered with different skills, through the skills acquisition programme. ``We are building one skills acquisition centre per state in the region and many of them are at 80 to 90 per cent completion levels. ``Each encompasses about 38 buildings, so it's almost like a technical college, with accommodation and other facilities. ``We are also doing about nine housing estates in the region from the Ministry's perspective, to also add value to the affordable housing of the federal government's policy,’’ he said. According to him, the ministry is engaging the various communities in the Niger Delta region to ensure safety of lives and property and at the same time ensure the growth of the region. He said the ministry was carrying out remediation works in the affected states in the region. He revealed that the ministry was also supervising the affairs of the Niger Delta Development Commission for optimal result, saying the ministry was at the verge of concluding the due process to commence the forensic audit of the NDDC. ``We have got the Bureau of Public Procurement's 'No Objection' and we have also been able to get the concurrence of the Auditor-General of the Federation's office and lead consultants have come on board. ```At the moment we are trying to bring out the forensic auditors. Each state of the Niger Delta is a lot, we have nine lots in that section and then the headquarters is also a lot, which makes it ten. ``We have already set up centres in the ten locations for verification, evaluation and documentation of all IPCs and all award letters for contracts so that we'll know the contingent and actual liabilities of the NDDC. ``At the end of the exercise, the federal government hopes to have a bankable NDDC, where the balance sheet can go to the bank and be accepted and bring value in terms of industrialization to the region,’’ he said. The Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said she presented ministerial deliverables of the FCT to the Council. She said: ``We were able to shed more light on the assignment of creation of 5,000 affordable housing units in the Federal Capital Territory. ``This has gone a long way already because we have ensured, regulated and profiled investors already and have been able to secure land and make adequate provision for these 5,000 units. ``We have 30 hectares of land in each area council, multiply by six that will give you about 180 hectares of land.’’(NAN) ...

Day Fashola Dazzled At FEC Meeting Our Ministers have been giving their performance reports for the last quarter, and it was the turn of Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola last week, at the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. The day a Minister gives performance report is akin to Judgement Day, as President Muhammadu Buhari listens raptly, asks probing questions, and then gives all the other FEC members opportunity to contribute. A reporting Minister may, therefore, leave the session, either walking tall, or like a rain beaten chicken. Fashola’s performance got everyone applauding. This is a government that has an unwavering focus on infrastructure: roads, bridges, rail, power, airports, houses, and many others. It is determined to reverse the severe deficit the country has, despite the humongous money we made from oil in the past two decades. Infrastructure is rickety and decrepit. As Minister for Works and Housing, a lot of the infrastructure projects fall within Fashola’s purview. And what did he tell the council meeting, with pictorial and video evidences, that got everyone applauding? Plenty, I tell you. When Ministers were sworn in August 2019, they were all given performance mandates. And the expectations from Fashola, as head of the Works and Housing sector include the following: * Build quality houses for Nigerians at lowest possible cost. * Construct at least 200,000 housing units a year by establishing modular construction facilities across the country. * Ensure completion of the 2nd Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway, Obajana-Kabba Road. * Complete 64km of Sukuk Bond financed road projects. * Implement scheduled maintenance of 5,000 kilometers of roads annually * Actively collaborate with the private sector to create a large number of well-paying jobs for Nigerian youths. * Implement a strategy towards the realization of Mr President’s June 12 promise to take 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in the next 10 years. So, what has Fashola delivered so far? Utilizing pictures and video, he showed ongoing work on Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road. Money being well spent. Second Niger Bridge? It has roared to life, after many decades of promises by many governments, which never did anything. But the Ekwueme (one that promises and delivers) is here now. Under President Buhari, the Bridge will be delivered, and no mistake. What’s the state of the 2nd Niger Bridge project? With videos and pictures, the Executive Council was brought up to speed with the scope of the works. Total length is 11.9Km, with the bridge itself being an approximate length of 1.6Km. Main works and associated infrastructure are in progress, and the chrysalis is bursting forth. In the words of colorful First Republic politician, K.O Mbadiwe, “come has finally come to become” for 2nd Niger Bridge. And history will record that Buhari did it, and Fashola was the midwife. I remember a private trip I made to Onitsha last December 30. I had been on the same flight with the Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Highness Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, and with pride, he had told me: “While passing on the bridge, just look to your right, and you would see the 2nd Niger Bridge coming up. We are very grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari.” We also saw the state of Lokoja-Obajana-Kabba-Ilorin road, Oju/Loko-Oweto Bridge, Bida-Lambata road, Dualisation of Suleja-Minna road, Kano-Maiduguri road, Enugu-Port Harcort dual carriageway , Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Bodo-Bonny project, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and many others round the country. The land has become one huge construction site, and from later this year, to 2021 and beyond, most of the projects will come out in bold relief, completed. What will the naysayers then say next? Instead of eating their words, and saluting the government, they will surely create other criticisms. There are also road projects in tertiary institutions round the country. Can you beat that? Even our schools are not forgotten. These include Universities of Benin, Bayero in Kano, Oye, in Ekiti, Maiduguri, Borno State, Lokoja, Kogi State, Ibadan, Owerri, Otuoke, in Bayelsa State, and many others. As the Minister made his presentation, I observed the President smiling in delight, grinning broadly at some other times, shaking his legs and rubbing his palms together. He saw money being well spent, the dividends of democracy being delivered to the people, and he was quite glad. On housing, over 1,094 housing units have been completed across the country under the first phase, and construction works are ongoing in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Advertisement for the sale of the houses will soon be published. Video evidences of all the housing projects were made available. In all the housing projects, 455,048 direct jobs have been created, with 61,950 indirect ones. In the highway construction sector, 49,080 direct jobs were created, with 95,315 indirect ones. The Minister concluded: “It is undebatable that the government has made a very clear commitment for renewing and expanding Nigeria’s stock of infrastructure as a well thought out strategy for economic renaissance, diversification and delivery of sustained and inclusive growth. This commitment includes the delivery of roads, bridges, affordable housing and public buildings, which has exerted a huge strain on government resources that has compelled some borrowing.” Well, this is borrowing for development, and not borrowing to line individual pockets. So, it will be worth it at the end of the day. You know that Fashola has the gift of the gab. It is one thing to prepare a good report, it is another to deliver it well. He did both, and the necessary commendations followed. Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, described the report as “beautiful, well delivered, with good articulation.” He added: “Lawyers must have ability to deliver as part of their training.” Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, said Fashola’s delivery “is always as if he’s in court,” while Chief Godswill Akpabio, Minister of Niger Delta, commended President Buhari for a job well done, as seen in the activities of the Ministry of Works and Housing. Some leaders have passed through this country, and you can hardly point to two or three landmark projects they left behind. With President Buhari, it sure won’t be so. He’s the Ekwueme, the one who promises and delivers. ...