Fashola Underscores Importance of Accurate Data for Developmental Issues Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola has said that, accurate data survey, collection and analysis would go along way in addressing developmental issues in the country He made this remark while playing host to the Managing Director/Editor in Chief of the Folio Communications Ltd, the Publishers of Daily Times Newspaper and his team who paid him a courtesy visit in his office The Minister stated that "we need research, knowledge and data analyst to report factual information for developmental issues in the country" While noting that many developmental issues and planning were not based on the right data, Fashola encouraged the media houses to invest in strong data collection and employ data analysts in order to have a more credible and informed news materials Accordingly, the Minister implored the media to fund investigative journalism and to always confirm the authenticity of their reports, so that they could properly advise government on policies and to change the negative mindset of the people On the need for the media to have a strong and credible data base, Fashola listed online polls, university campuses and international sites as parts of the areas where reporters can gather their data. Reacting on the vision of the new management envisaging Daily Times for tomorrow's audience, Fashola advised the management to give consideration to sports, entertainment, colleges with heavy activities and invest more on columnist and IT so that the newspaper can be relevant in finding new audience in young people. Responding to a question on the issue of building collapse in the country, Fashola listed; error of design; construction mistake or abuse; malpractice, improper soil test and abuse of law and order, as majorly factors responsible. He enjoined the professional bodies in the sector to live up to expectation by sanctioning erring  builders In his remarks, Minister of State Works and Housing Engr Abubakar Aliyu, blamed the activities of quacks in the built industry as responsible for building collapses. He pointed out that the purpose of any building, residential or commercial must always be stated at the on set before getting approval He explained that building for schools, disco hall and residential houses  are completely different  in design and structures, and whatever goes wrong should be the responsibility of the structural engineers who must ensure the building stands Earlier in his remarks, Aliu Akoshile, the Managing Director/Editor- in Chief, Daily Times, told the Minister that they came to specifically explore opportunity for collaboration with the Ministry and seek its support. He told the Minister that the new management of Daily Times under his leadership had re-positioned the medium which  brought the paper higher in the global ranking. The Editor -in-Chief also disclosed that Daily Times intends to form a veritable platform with the public sector by dedicating a page weekly on the efforts of the government in infrastructural delivery in the country He explained that it was their own way of supporting the government and to change the mindset of people about the current development in the nation. ...

Ember Months: Fashola Directs Controllers, Contractors To Embark On Rehabilitation Of Identified  Portions For Better Travel Experience * FERMA, Contractors to embark on special repairs of identified bad portions of highways * FRSC road audit gives an overview of identified damaged portions of roads across the zones * Corps to embark on enforcement of road traffic rules, plans a mass enlightenment on the issue soon In a move aimed at achieving shorter travel time and better travel experience, in the coming Yuletide months across the country, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, has rallied all concerned road infrastructure stakeholders into action for the annual Ember Months operations to ensure safe and pleasurable journey on the nation’s roads during the period. Presiding over a result-focused meeting in Abuja, which had the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, representatives of Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Government Contractors and the Federal Controllers of Works from the States, Fashola gave directives to the contractors handling the various roads to remobilize to sites for special works promising that they would receive some payment before the end of the year. In his opening remarks, at the Ministry’s Conference Room, Mabushi venue of the meeting, the Minister said it was expedient for the major stakeholders in the road sector to brainstorm over the issue of smooth travel experience for commuters as the Christmas and New Year Festivities were around the corner adding that there was need to ensure safety for those travelling by road across the country. He recalled that the Ministry started preparing for the rainy season early in the year before the exit of the last administration adding that inspections carried out about March and April revealed rise in water levels in some areas, failures of portions of the roads, washouts and other damages on the roads. Noting that the major challenge on the roads during the Dry Seasons was the spiral increase in the volume of vehicular traffic, he pointed out that the increase was most pronounced at the approach of Christmas and the New Year when, according to him, people travel for family reunions, wedding ceremonies, business transactions  and other activities. The Minister said the meeting was therefore aimed at building a synergy among the major stakeholders, FERMA, Federal Controllers and the FRSC, adding that with the gradual rounding off of the Rainy Season and the onset of dry weather, contractors would return to sites with the purpose of stabilizing such portions while FERMA would also escalate action in providing palliatives to damaged areas. Fashola said the presence of the Corps Marshal of the FRSC at the meeting was to brief participants on the portions of the roads that need urgent attention based on a Road Safety Audit it conducted, while FERMA would also make a presentation on its strategies to achieve smooth travel experience during the EMBER months adding that the contractors were expected to take note of such briefs for immediate response. The Minister, also said some of the Directors would speak to some of the roads in their zones that were responded to under emergency conditions during the Rainy Season. Throwing more light on the need for the meeting, he told his audience, “Because our work is interconnected, the contractors on one hand, the Federal Roads Safety Corps, on the other hand, who are on the roads every day, managing traffic, interface with the commuters, our maintenance agency, FERMA, I thought that, as we normally do every year before December, we should all meet again as we get out of the rainy season and start planning for the EMBER month. “The benefit of this Season is that the weather is dry, more building and construction work can take place, quarrying will be able to progress, stabilization work will be easy as water recedes; but the major problem of the season will be vehicular traffic, people travelling on holidays, importers and exporters moving more goods to meet the season’s demands; all those who want to eat turkey, celebrate marriages and all of that. We must plan for those people; that is why we are here”, he said. Before yielding the floor to the Corps Marshal of the FRSC to give an overview of his commission’s audit on the roads, Fashola urged contractors to take note of the report in order to know where to intervene especially on roads that fall within the purview of their ongoing contracts or which are contiguous with their contracts so they could carry out emergency works on such roads to enable smooth travel experiences for commuters during the festive season. He also told the FRSC to ensure that drivers without driving license were not allowed on the roads. Giving an overview of the audit report compiled by his commission about the conditions of certain portions of the roads that need urgent attention across the country, the Corps Marshal of the FRSC, Dr. Boboye Oyeyemi, said the audit was necessitated by the need to evolve strategies to ensure that the heavy movement of citizens usually associated with the end of the year did not lead to road traffic crashes, injuries and fatalities. According to the FRSC boss, “In line with this, 2019 Operation Zero was initiated to vigorously enforce road traffic rules and educate road users while embarking on strategic engineering to reduce road traffic crashes on Nigerian roads”, adding that as a build up to previous engagements on road audit and implementation of agreed recommendations, a survey of critical corridors was made nationwide to identify areas in urgent need of attention. Stating that road traffic management during festive period deserved adequate attention “as Nigerians across board are always on the road for business, pleasure and celebration”, Boboye said the repairs of the identified bad parts on the major corridors would go along way to aid smooth vehicular  movement during the festive period and consequently reduce injuries and fatality on Nigerian roads. The Corps Marshal, who enjoined commuters to obey traffic rules and signs, especially on roads under construction or rehabilitation, in order to achieve sanity on the roads, however, warned that the FRSC would enforce the law on the roads during the period. He added that the Corps would soon embark on mass enlightenment of the public before enforcing the law. Others who made remarks at the meeting included the Controllers, who gave account of the roads under their jurisdiction, a representative of FERMA who gave a brief account of the strategy of the agency to contribute to smooth travel experience during the festive season and the Contractors who pledged their willingness to return to their project sites.   ...

Yuletide: Fashola Meets With Stakeholders on Fixing Major Arterial Roads   .... charged Housing Controllers for result The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN has met with the major stakeholders in the implementation of the Ministry's plan for the repairs of major arterial roads across the country in view of the upcoming Yuletide season. The meeting was aimed at reviewing the state of all on-going construction and rehabilitation work on the major arterial roads with a view to facilitate ease of movement during the Yuletide season. In attendance at the meeting were:  the Corps Marshall  of the Federal Road Safety Corp, Oyeyemi Boboye, officials of the  Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Directors of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, State Controllers of Works and Housing, Contractors for some on going road projects accross the six geopolitical zones of the country. The Minister stated that the meeting was necessary in view of the demand of the up coming season for high vehicular movements, more people traveling and increased activities of both importers and exporters on our major roads. He explained that, it was the responsibility of the ministry to ensure all necessary things were done and put in place in order to facilitate easy and smooth movement of travellers during the season. While enjoining  the Federal Road Safety Corps  to intensify campaigns on over speeding and unlicensed drivers on our highways, Fashola advised that the Corps should apprehend and prosecute violators of highway rules and regulations for sanity and orderliness by road users. The Minister added that whenever there was ordeliness on our hihhways by road usere accidents on our roads would be reduced. Fashola directed his Ministry's Director of Highways Construction and Rehabilitation  to list out all key arterial roads that need urgent attention and commence action immediately. In his remarks, the Corps Marshall of the Federal Roads Safety Corp, Oyeyemi Boboye told the meeting about the arrangement  put in place by his  agency to facilitate movement of travellers during the season and also listed  some of the arterial roads and the diversions proposed . The contractors handling the arterial roads assured the Honourable Minister of their cooperation to continue with the construction and rehabilitation work on the affected roads for ease of movement during the Yuletide season and after. Some of the arterial roads to be fixed include the following among others:Ibadan- Lagos, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano,Shagamu-Mowe, Abraka-Agbor,Benin-Asaba,Auchi-Benin,Calabar-Nkom,Ogoja, Calabar-Itu-Uyo, Kontagora-Minna,Abuja-Lokoja,Oybomoso-Ilorin,Jos-Panshin,Enugu- Onitsha. Some of the contractors that attended the meeting included: Julius Berger Nigeria Limited, Setraco, RCC,Mother Cart Nigeria Limited,CGC Nigeria Limited,Salini Nigeria Limited, CGCG among others. Federal Controllers, on zonal basis,  particularly those overseeing the  major arterial roads made presentation on their plan of action for the season, and the Contractors handling such areas also explained the efforts in place to collectively ensure effective implementation as desired by the Ministry. Meanwhile, in a separate meeting with the Housing Sector Controllers, the Minister charged them to be more committed and productive to ensure that  all ongoing  National Housing projects  being executed by the Ministry were completed by 2020. Fashola noted that the controllers would be reckoned with completed projects, advising that they should work more to facilitate the job of the contractors to deliver by removing all obstacles that hinder the process. While reminding them of the value addition and muliflier effects of any project on the people of the benefiting community, the Minister pointed out that thousands of people in the benefiting Community  of any project would be taken out of poverty because they were engaged as labourers, artisans  etc . Clarifying further, Fashola stated that President Buhari's desire was to see value for all monies spent for Nigerians in order to appreciably reduce poverty in Nigeria. ...