Mar

21

2020

Construction Of Port Harcourt– Enugu Express Highway Is On Course-Fashola

The Honourable of Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, said the on-going expansion and upgrading work on the Port Harcourt– Enugu and the Aba – Port Harcourt Expressway  was  on course.

He added that the nine kilometers from Eleme junction to the Imo River and four kilometers of the road to the railway crossing in Aba towards Port Harcourt were sections of the road  being expanded and upgraded from the 4 (four) existing lanes to 8 (eight) lanes so as to accommodate current and future traffic volumes and ease some level of intolerable discomfort especially during the rainy season.

Fashola disclosed this during an inspection tour of the highway project in Port- Harcourt,  the Rivers State capital.

According to the minister, the road would link the five States in the South -East Geopolitical Zone of the country. The highway has a total length of 41.4km starting from Aba Rail Crossing Bridge within Aba township in Abia state and will finally terminate at Eleme junction Flyover in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

Fashola applauded the initiative of the construction company, China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation Nigeria Limited as it planned  to focus on the first 4 (four) lanes, finish that and put them in to use before reconstruction of the other 4 (four) lanes to reduce the long time spent in traffic by commuters and the community.

“If people have two uninterrupted lanes, traffic may be slow but it will move, and therefore we can concentrate on finishing the remaining lanes. When we finish both, then we can have the full compliment of the 8 lane highway.” he said.

Fashola said, “Our plan is to make this year better than last year and ultimately by next year, there will be no rainy season challenges because, we should have come out fully from this,”he added.

The minister also disclosed that similar construction work had commenced at the Enugu and Okigwe axis of the highway project by different contractors to provide seamless traveling experience.

Fashola directed that all vehicles parked at construction sites of highway projects should be impounded, adding that Federal government roads were not for parking lot. “Our highways are not parking lots, people who want to do business must create their own parking lots as well.’’

He urged local and state governments to mobilize their people to be alive to their civic responsibilities and cooperation, pointing out that community and personal hygiene were crucial  in this crisis of Coronavirus (Covid 19).

"We must not waste the crisis that Covid-19 represents. It is an opportunity to improve on personal and community hygiene and sanitation such as putting an end to open urination and defecation,” Fashola advised.

The Federal Controller of Works Rivers State, Engr. Johnson Fadire who conducted the minister, his team and journalists round the on-going  road construction project said the minister’s inspection was timely and that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing would do the needful to make sure the road was completed and delivered at the right time.

Engr. Fadire also commended the traditional rulers who prevailed on their subjects whose properties were demolished for the construction of the highway for agreeing to accept an initial payment of fifty percent for compensation on their demolished properties.

Speaking earlier, the project manager of CCECC Nigeria Limited, Mr. Zou Xiaomei one of the contractors handling section IV of the project in Rivers State said although there were initial challenges on the project but with the support of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing most of the challenges were sorted out.

Mar

19

2020

Quality Infrastructure, Impacting Quality Education -Fashola

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN said that the quality of infrastructural development within a country could un-debatably impact quality education and the learning environment.

He made the remark at the handing over ceremony of  a completed internal road intervention project by the Federal Ministry of  Works and Housing at the University of Calabar, Cross River state.

Fashola who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works Cross River State, Engr. Bassey Nsentip observed that the road completed had enhanced students mobility  and reduced stress in the learning environment.

He further stated that although the road intervention project was a civil works project, the Federal Government intends to invest in education by improving the ambience and environment of tertiary institutions to  enhance academic activities.

The Minister also disclosed that the Federal Government is presently working on the rehabilitation of 43 internal roads in federal tertiary institutions across the six geopolitical zones of the country out of which 18 had been completed and being handed over.

He said the 1.17km road handed over to the University of Calabar was among such roads, urging the school authority and students to ensure the asset was used and maintained properly.

Speaking earlier the Vice Chancellor University of Calabar,Prof. Zana Akpagu who was full of delight for the laudable initiative disclosed that prior to its rehabilitation, the road was in a deplorable state. He added that before the rehabilitation the road was inaccessible for students to go through especially during the rainy season.

Prof. Akpagu said the road now enables easy access to the hostels, classrooms, the medical department and the chapel.

He thanked the President and the Minister of Works and Housing  for the road while believing that the government would do more roads and infrastructural interventions in future to help the university.

Also in a chat with the media,  the Director of Finance and Supplies Cross River State Ministry of Works,Mr.Ebere  Ignatius thanked the Federal Government for the support and pledged more collaborations with  the federal government.

Mar

17

2020

FG Steps Up Road Infrastructure In Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Government of Nigeria has reiterated its commitment to bridge the infrastructural gap across the country and in all sectors as it continues its internal road intervention project to boost education and make the learning environment more conducive for students.

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, expressed the government's commitment to bridging infrastructural gap while handing over a newly reconstructed 1.33 kilometres internal road by his Ministry at the Federal University Oye, Ekiti State.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, Fashola who was represented by the Ekiti State Federal Controller of Works Engr. Ishaq Lawalsaid that the intervention in internal roads construction within tertiary institutions is currently going on in 43 tertiary institutions, out of which 18 had  been fully completed by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari, and  admonished the school authority to ensure that the asset  was maintained and not abused.

The students of Federal University Oye, expressed renewed enthusiasm with regard to attending classes and becoming more zealous in the pursuit of their academic career as a result of the reconstructed road.

Earlier In his welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Kayode Shoremekun, thanked the federal government and the Ministry of Works and Housing for the reconstruction of over 1 kilometre internal road within the campus to ease vehicular movement and other activities. He urged the Minister not to abandon the school in subsequent budgetary provisions as more projects were begging for attention.

He also appealed to the federal government to continue to partner with the school towards ensuring the provision of necessary social amenities to cater for over twenty thousand students of the university.

The occasion was witnessed by top government officials and management staff of the institution.

Mar

15

2020

1.8km Loko – Oweto Bridge To Boost Economic Activities In Nigeria

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, has said that  completion of the 1.8km Loko -Oweto Bridge in Nasarawa and Benue States will boost economic activities in Nigeria.

He said this when he was on an inspection tour of the bridge construction site over the weekend. According to Fashola, the Loko- Oweto Bridge being a major strategic transport road connecting the Northern part of the country and all those coming from the Eastern part would develop into a vital economic route inclusive of transportation of agricultural produce.

Fashola also said that the Oweto part of the bridge is in Benue state while Loko is in Nasarawa state, noting that the bridge would reduce the long hours that were normally spent on journeys from the East to the Federal Capital as well as the Northern part of the country.

“This is a major impact on business reducing the cost of time and improving the ease of doing business,” Fashola said.

The Minister, while stating that the Loko- Oweto Bridge also crosses River Benue disclosed that work was currently going on at the Second Niger Bridge.

According to Fashola, the two major bridge interventions done by the Buhari administration would improve national integration, bring further co-existence and interaction among Nigerians.

Walking on the bridge with journalists, Fashola said street lighting was a feature added to the bridge. He mentioned that the Ministry had to ensure the communities were connected to electricity for it to achieve the street lighting of the bridge, saying it has given the communities the privilege of enjoying electricity which they had lacked before the intervention on the road and bridge began.

Minister of State for Works and Housing, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, urged the Managing Director of Messrs Reynolds Construction Company Nigeria Limited (RCC), Nabeel Esawi, to employ a method that would fast track the completion and timely delivery of the link roads between Loko and Oweto to the bridge.

The Federal Controller of Works , Nasarawa State, Engr. Taiwo Wasiu who conducted the Ministers and journalists round the bridge said that the Ministry would do the needful to make sure the bridge was completed and delivered at the right time.

On behalf of the Loko community, the Emir of Loko, Alhaji Ahmed Sabo Umar, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government of Nigeria for the construction of the bridge and road network. He said that the bridge would enable his subjects to transport their farm produce safely to other communities as against paddling of canoes which was hazardous to their lives previously.

He said that the bridge and road network had linked his community with other parts of the country, noting that motorists ply the route daily as construction was on-going.

Mar

12

2020

FG Shuts Alaka Bridge Linking Eko Bridge In Lagos For Emergency Repairs

The Federal Government on Tuesday night shut the Alaka Bridge linking Eko Bridge in Lagos for repairs to prevent  its total collapse, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

NAN reports that officials from both Lagos State Ministry and Federal Ministry of Works and their Transportation counterparts converged on the bridge at about 9:15 p.m. on Tuesday for the emergency closure.

The Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Mr Adedamola Kuti, told NAN in a telephone interview, that the emergency closure was to prevent total collapse of the bridge.

“We are all here closing the Alaka to Costain portion of the Eko Bridge because some bearings are bad.

“We just discovered that the bearings are broken and we are here to shut it down for the safety of motorists.

“We are shutting it down now so that we can carry out full investigations on the extent of damage to the bearings to begin the repairs,’’ Kuti said.

He explained that only Alaka flyover portion from Alaka to Costain section of the Eko Bridge was bad but from Costain Bus stop area beside the National Theatre is in good condition.

The Controller said that the traffic regulatory agencies were on ground to ensure that impact of gridlock as a result of the closure was minimized when commuters use the road on Wednesday morning.

He advised motorists going to Lagos Island to connect the Eko Bridge through the service lane at Alaka through Iponrin to Costain Bus Stop area to connect the bridge.

He also advised use of the National Theatre, as alternative route to connect the Eko Bridge on the other side. (NAN)

Mar

10

2020

The Gap of our Infrastructure Needs is Steadily Being Bridged -FASHOLA

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing,  Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, has reiterated that the gap of Nigeria's infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways which has reached the Federal Polytechnic,Ede, Osun State.

Fashola disclosed this while  handing over a rehabilitated  2km internal road and construction of culverts at the Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State.

While speaking during the inauguration ceremony, the Minister who was ably represented by the Federal Controller of Works Osun State,Engr. Olawale Kehinde said, "Currently, there are 43 such interventions in internal roads within tertiary institutions across Nigeria. To date 18 (Eighteen) out of the 43 (forty three) interventions have been completed and today we hand over this in Federal Polytechnic, Ede, Osun State"

Fashola said, "With  the current intervention in the tertiary institutions quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and  the learning environment, and it will renew students' enthusiasm to attend classes ,because some impassable roads have become motorable."

Expantiating on the economic importance of the project, the Minister divulged that no less than 38 (thirty eight) people were employed during  the execution of the  project which contributed enormously to the job creation initiatives of the Federal Government.

He, enjoined the school management and host community to ensure that the project was effectively maintained.

Speaking earlier, the Rector Federal Polytechnic Ede, Dr. John Taiwo Adekolawole, who was represented by the Deputy Rector, (Admin), Mr. I. T. Adelabu, said the project consists of 2km road in the North and the South campus. I am sure both the students and the staff are very happy with the construction of the road.

In his words, "In deed management is very appreciative of the new road as it has changed tremendously the landscape of our campus."

He further maintained that with the cooperation and support of  the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, other road projects will be approved for construction especially  the Ogberin-Logun-Sekona road.

"We hope the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing will also be positive on other collaborations and on other projects especially our perimeter fencing of the South Campus," he said.

The Rector who was so delighted with the kind gesture expressed his sincere appreciation  to the construction company (Messrs Q System Venture Ltd) that undertook the project with high sense of responsibility and completed the road in record time.

Adekolawole also expressed his sincere appreciation to all the Directors of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, for the their efforts.

In his closing remarks, the Dean, School of Applied Science, Dr. S. A. Amusan, sincerely appreciated the kind gesture by the Federal Government to their institution, also thanked the Honourable. Minister,  Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN for what he has done to the Federal Polytechnic, Ede.

In his remarks, the President of the Students Union Government (SUG), Mr. Quazeem Ajibade, said he was so pleased with the road project and under his tenure the project would be highly protected and maintained.

Ajibade said it has made the school environment more conducive for learning.

Mar

06

2020

Find New Ways To Bridge The Road And Housing Gap In The Country - Fashola

The Honourable Minster of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has called on participants at the National Policy on Development, (N-PoD), summit to use the occasion to identify new ways to tackle the numerous problems responsible for road and housing infrastructure gap in the Country.

The Minister who was represented by the Hon. Minister of State for Works and Housing Engr. Abubakar D Aliyu made this call while delivering the key note address at the second edition of the National Policy on Development summit in Abuja today. Fashola disclosed that as part of efforts to bridge the infrastructure gap the Ministry of Works and Housing had intervened in the construction of internal roads in 44 tertiary institutions.

He added that the intervention forms part of the over 500 roads and bridge projects currently being undertaken by the Ministry. On the housing deficit in Nigeria the Minister said, “The Ministry is concerned about mitigating the deficit and ensuring that Nigerians wherever they reside have access to affordable, conducive and hygienic housing.” He further said “The National Housing Programm is ongoing across the country with over 2,500 units completed in 34 States of the Federation.”

Fashola further revealed that the Federal Mortgage Bank and the Federal Housing Authority were increasing the housing stock to Nigerians through several programmes such as rent to own, mortgage finance ownership and so on.

The Minster of the Federal Capital Territory, Muhammed Bello, who was represented by Professor M.T Usman praised the organisers of the summit for bringing together stakeholders to brainstorm and galvanise ideas on how best to move the nation forward. He described the theme of the summit “Actualizing The Next Level Agenda, Strategies, Prospects And Anticipated Challenges” as apt saying that the FCT administration was working hard to ensure that Nigerians felt the impact of good governance.

On his part, the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba stressed the need for the National Orientation Agency to work assiduously to encourage Nigerians to patronise made in Nigerian products. He said otherwise Nigerian oil will continue to create jobs and wealth for other nations because of the preference for foreign goods over made in Nigeria goods by Nigerians.

The Minister also decried the attitude of Nigerians to work as some Nigerians consider certain jobs degrading even as income from such jobs could meet their needs.  He said, “The only way we can take people out of poverty is if we can change them from mere population to working force.” He argued that Nigeria is blessed with everything that other developed nations have and would rise to greater height if the citizens change their attitude.

The Summit was declared open by President Muhammadu Buhari who was represented by the Permanent Secretary at the Office of the Secretary to The Government of The Federation, Mr. Andrew David Adejoh.

Also present at the occasion were the Minister of Defence, Representative of the Kano stat Governor, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Stakeholders from the organised Private Sector and Labour Union representatives.

Mar

04

2020

FUTA VC Applauds FG For Rehabilitation Of Internal Roads Intervention

The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University of Technology, Akure Ondo State, Prof. Joseph Adeola Fuwape has applauded the Federal Government for the initiative of intervention in the internal roads construction in the institution.

The VC made the commendation while officially taking over 1.80 kilometers internal roads rehabilitated by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. He appreciated the Honourable Minister Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN and the entire Ministry for the internal roads intervention project at the institution.

Prof. Fuwape solicited for the Honourable Minster, for the engagement of the students of Civil and Engineering Department of the institution in the Ministry's highway and housing projects in the state for practical experiences, adding that such partnership would help the students acquire the nitty gritty of roads and housing construction before graduation

He however pleaded that more internal roads of the institution should be included in the second intervention phase of the project to increase it to 2.8 kilometer from the present one. He said," We are excited about this, we want more like Oliver Twist."

In his remarks at the handing over ceremony, the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN who was represented by the Acting Controller of Works Ondo State, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Olajide Hussein said that the gap of Nigeria's infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached the schools.

Mr. Fashola said that the internal road project at the Federal University of Technology Akure is an investment in education by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

The Deputy Vice President of the Federal University of Technology Akure Students Union, Caroline Felix said that she was impressed by the internal road intervention project at the institution, adding that with this development, students would be able to attend lectures with ease.

Feb

26

2020

Fashola  Assures AFRIGIST of His Support

The Honourable Minister for works and Housing Babatunde Ragi Fashola has assured the Africa Regional Institute for Geospatial Information, Science and Technology, (AFRIGIST) of his support to solve some of the challenges confronting it.

The Minister gave the assurance while receiving the management of the institute who paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja. Fashola noted that the statutory activities of AFRIGIST were pivotal to unlocking the potential of member countries and Africa in general.

He said, “ I cannot overemphasize the importance of this agency especially in regards to the recent adoption of the free trade agreement among the African countries”.  Fashola further said, “Africa Regional Institute for Geospatial Information, Science and Technology has become too critical for the engagement of the future for human civilization”.

The Minister who said the world was increasingly becoming information dependent, emphasized the relevance of the agency to the growth of trade, health care, defense and aviation.

Fashola directed the Surveyor General of the Federation Surveyor Taiwo Samuel, who led the delegation on the visit to make appropriate recommendation to the Ministry for its intervention.

Speaking earlier, the Executive Director of the Institute, Dr. Adewale Akingbade disclosed that the Institute which was established in 1972 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, (UNECA), had eight members such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameron, Ghana, Mali, Niger and Nigeria, the host country.

The Director who praised the Nigerian government for promptly paying its dues said the Institute had supported the county in providing training for defence intelligence such as the Nigerian Customs, Immigration and police.  Dr. Akingbade sought the assistance of the Honourable Minister in championing the conference of the Ministerial Committee of the agency.

In attendance were the Minister of State for Works and Housing  Engr. Abubakar D. Aliyu and some Directors of the Ministry

Feb

25

2020

FG Hands Over Some Internal Road Projects To FUT, Owerri

The Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has handed some internal roads projects to Federal University of Technology Owerri, Imo State.

The roads projects are among the 18 roads interventional project to tertiary institutions awarded in 2018 and completed that same year.

The 1.72km roads project in FUT Owerri includes; Construction and Asphalting of Health Centre and Hostel Roads, and Rehabilitation of Smat Road.

According to the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works, Imo State, Engineer Anthony Animaku, the roads are now completed and ready for formal handing over to the Vice Chancellor of FUT Owerri.

Fashola said "our gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repair, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached schools”.

Buttressing the importance of infrastructure development in educational institutions, the Minister stated that the quality of education would be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environments.

“And those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedbacks from students where this type of infrastructure has taken place”, he said.

Accordingly, Fashola further explained that the interventions in the various tertiary institutions would have a critical contribution to support education.

“The intervention by Federal Government would improve the ambience and environment of Federal Tertiary Institutions to enhance academic activities" he said.
Responding,  the Vice Chancellor of the institution,  Professor Francis Chukwuemeka Eze represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor academics,  Professor Ndukwe James Okeudo commended the

Federal Government for choosing Federal University of Technology,  Owerri as one of the beneficiaries of Federal Government laudable intervention.

He said, "the senate, council and the entire management are very grateful that FUTO was singled out as a beneficiary. We thank Mr. President and the Minister for this honour done to us,"

He stated that the roads are of great importance to the institution as it would aid access to movement around the school, adding that they would maintain the projects.

Also, a student of the institution, Donald Anarado said that hitherto the roads were not passable especially during raining season.

“When rain falls, we cannot move easily from our hostels to classes, but now that the roads have been fixed we can move easily to our classes. We are very grateful to Federal Government, “he said.

Feb

24

2020

We Will Deliver Roads That Will Stand The Test Of Time - Works Minister

Minister of State for Works and Housing, Engr Abubakar Aliyu has said that the Federal government is committed to deliver qualitative roads that will stand the test of time for Nigerians to enjoy the long lasting benefit in the road usage.

Engr Aliyu spoke during the media inspection visit of the rehabilitation of Cham - Numan section of Gombe-Numan-Yola road over the weekend.

Responding to a question on the expected delivery time of the road, he said  "We don't deliver roads because of politics, we deliver roads that will stand the test of time for Nigerians to enjoy the benefit for a long lasting time'.

The Minister explained that the section of the Cham-Numan road was delayed because of the 11 kilometers portion of the Savannah swamp area has bad/soft soil, which he said has to be evacuated, replaced and refill.

"We are seriously working on it and the procurement process has gone far and about to be completed. If we want to do politics with it, we would have rushed to complete it and it will later collapse, but we want to deliver a qualitative job for Nigerians" he said.

Aliyu also reiterated the commitment of President Muhamnadu Buhari to deliver the promises made to Nigerians on roads, adding that the administration is also showing strong determination to fulfil the promises in other sectors, such as housing, rails and others.

Butressing the committment of President Buhari on delivering roads, he revealed that the budget of his Ministry has risen to N200 billion from the N19 bilion they met it in 2015, pointing to the fact that the current administration has shown more committment to providing road infrastructure.

Touching on the other mandate of his ministry in providing affordable housing for Nigerians, the Ministry urged people to come in groups and form cooperative societies so that they patner with the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria in order to get the houses they needed for themselves.

Earlier in his briefing to the minister on the rehabilitation of the Cham-Numan section of Gombe-Numan-Yola, the Federal Controller of Works, Engr Salihu Abubakar told the Minister that among the challenges delaying the work is the security problem of frequent farmers hardersmen clashes in the area

He explained that the contractor had carried out emergency repair works of critical failed sections of the  road under the ember month of 2019 program of the Ministry

Egr Abubakar further stated that the contractor is presently on site working and the weather is favourable, adding that over 4,250 direct and indirect jobs have been created  through the project

Feb

21

2020

Fashola Charges Staff on Service Delivery

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN  has charged staff of the ministry to ensure quality service delivery to Nigerians and members of the public.

Fashola gave the charge on Friday   in his keynote address at the opening of a retreat for the top management staff of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and its agencies at Gombe International Hotel Gombe, Gombe State.

The theme of the two- day  Top Management Retreat is '"Service Delivery for National Prosperity". It is the 7th retreat in the series held by the Ministry.

Fashola explained that the main objective of the retreat is  focused on quality service delivery to Nigerians and members of the public by the management and staff of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

"There is a way you deliver service and get commended and another you get scolded,"he said.

He, therefore, urged staff on service delivery with compassion and care in order to create a better public perception of the Ministry.Fashola pointed out that the retreat is an opportunity for staff to reflect on previous performances with a view to fine tuning them for improvement.

Earlier in a welcome address, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry Mohammed Bukar stated that the ministry has been holding the retreat quarterly since the inception of  the  present administration under the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN.

He explained that the common thread that ran through the themes of all the previous retreats  was the concept of "Team Work."

Bukar further explained that it was  a deliberate choice to underscore the need for inter and intra-departmental synergy and collaboration in pursuit of the implementation of the core mandates of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

Speaking specifically on the theme  of the 7th Top Management Retreat, the Permanent Secretary said,  "The emphasis has now shifted to service delivery. This is pursuant to the directive of the Honourable Minister that 'service delivery' shall be the focus of the second term of the President Muhammadu Buhari led Administration."

"The relevance of this theme to the core mandate  of the Ministry cannot, therefore, be over emphasized considering the new focus of the management on completion of projects," he said.

Bukar , therefore, urged participants to use the two -day forum to engage in cross fertilisation of ideas that will guide the operations of the Ministry, stating that the fundamental objective of the Retreat is to review, fine tune and come out with new strategies for improved service delivery.

Feb

14

2020

Hire Local Equipment And Personnel, Fashola Charges Contractor

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has charged the contractor handling the Dualization of Aba – Ikot Ekpene Road, Section 1 to source and deploy equipment and personnel locally to fast track the pace of work on the road project.

The Minister gave the charge during the inspection of the project.He said, “Start hiring local equipment and hire local people that you need, start training them for engagement while waiting for the one from China.”

Fashola directed that between now and March all the bad portions of the road must be made motorable before the rains come. He said, “Try and repair the bad portions first before the rains come, so that these people will know that their government care about them. So if you do not finish the construction of the road, they will know the road is getting better”.

While speaking to newsmen, the minister said the contract was initially awarded to a different company but had to be terminated due to poor performance and now re-awarded to Messrs CGGC Global Projects Nig. Limited.

Speaking earlier, the contractor complained that the equipment and some of the personnel they wanted to use were stuck in China as a result of the outbreak of corona virus.

Similarly, while inspecting work on the Dualization of Odukpani – Itu road the minister expressed optimism that the contractor, Julius Berger Nigeria Limited that is handling 21Kilometres of the road will do everything possible to ensure that the road is motorable during the rainy season even if the construction was still on going.

The Minister assured the contractor that he doesn’t need to leave the site on funding basis because he had enlisted the project for SUKUK funding hence they wont run out of money.

He further informed that the other bad portions of the Odukpani- Itu road which so many people didn’t understand the contractual responsibilities, had been awarded to another company, so we have a contractor on both sides.

The Permanent Secretary for Works in Akwa Ibom State, Engr. John Itiat expressed happiness over the commitment of the Federal government to the work on the road.

Feb

12

2020

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.

Feb

08

2020

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.

Mar

23

2020

Environmental And Other Factors Affecting Work On  Port Harcourt-Enugu,  Aba -Port Harcourt  Road- Fashola

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing,  Babatunde Raji Fashola,  SAN said what was delaying the completion of the Port Harcourt- Enugu, Aba-Port Harcourt highway were  environmental and other factors.

Fashola stated this in Port Harcourt Rivers State  during an  inspection of the Port Harcourt - Enugu section of the highway.

He said: "We must first remember that if you do not have water,  you cannot be a Port City. Essentially,  we are building on water. It is a very challenging environment for infrastructure, " he explained.

He appealed to the host communities to be patient with  the Federal Government and show cooperation as Government was committed to providing bigger,  better,  wider and safer road for them.

"As you can see, our plan is to deliver eight lanes from what was four lanes since we intend  to make our experience better this rainy season than last year."

He added that though the work would  not finish this year,Government intended  to finish the four lanes,  divide the four lanes into two;  an incoming and out ward bound traffic that would facilitate free flow of traffic.

According to the minister,  that would serve as a form of relief to commuters and other road users  as nine Kilometres of the road from  Eleme junction is in between Port Harcourt urban and metropolitan.  "It is another challenge as it is  already  a built up area, " he said.

Speaking on why the road  construction was delayed,  Fashola stated, " A lot of sand filling is going on here,  the road is dug well over two metres and we have to remove the bad soil and replace it with good soil and this accounts for a lot of dredging work going on here."

He also explained that part of the road was passing through already built area,  some buildings had to go as well as relocation of power lines.  "These are the challenges and the reasons this road is taking time to be built."

Fashola further said that our experience this year would be better than last year. But he quickly called for the cooperation of commuters, communities, Local and State Governments to fast track  the construction of the road. "We expect people to cooperate with us.We expect  people not to park vehicles  on the construction sections because you obstruct traffic. Our highways are not parking lots" He directed  that any vehicle parked on any part of the construction sections of the highway should be  impounded.

Mar

20

2020

FG's Road Intervention In FCE Eases Access To Seven Schools - Provost

Provost of the Federal College of Education, Katsina, Dr Aliyu Idris Funtua has stated that the construction and rehabiliitation of the 1.22km internal road in the Federal College of Education Katsina by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has provided easy access to seven schools within the college.

Dr Funtua listed the schools touches by the road within the College as; schools of education, languages, Adult & nor formal education, sciences, primary education & early childhood care, computer science department, and Art and Social sciences school.

Other areas where the road passes are, Library and Girls Hostel.

The Provost made this remarks during the handing over of the 1.22km internal road project completed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.

"I remain grateful for this gesture, a commendable intervention. The road is the best road in the school that touches seven schools and has provided ease of access within the college" he said

Dr Funtua who commmended the Federal Government and the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, also solicited that the minister to extend another 10km road in the school in the near future.

The minister was represented at the handing over ceremony by the Katsina state Federal Controller of Works Engr Tunde Balogun.

The Minister said that,  " it is undebatable that the quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the leaning environment and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedback from the students of the schools where this type of intervention has taken place."

Accordingly, Fashola also disclosed that, out of the forty three of such road intervention in tertiary institutions by his ministry across the country, seven have been completed of which the one in the Federal College of Education Katsina was among

Resentatives of the students in the college who spoke include; Zaharadeen Sani, Aliyu Sa'du and Zulaihat Abdulrahim.

According to the  students, "the poject was timely, beneficial and has eases access to seven schools for our lectures and easy access to Library and Female Hostels"

Zaharadeen said ' this is a remarkable achievement since the inception of this administration and we appreciate the minister for this intervention"

Mar

18

2020

Build On Knowledge And Value- Fashola

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN  has urged builders in Nigeria to deploy  knowledge and value in building projects, pointing out  that it was the combination of both that give value to building.

"We need to build on our knowledge and value. It is these that give meaning to the bricks and mould we use. If we build without knowledge,  it will not last, " he said.

Fashola made the remarks while receiving the Fellowship Award of the Nigerian Institute of Building in Abuja yesterday.

The Minister used the occasion to debunk the news going round that Federal Government was planning to sell un-occupied  houses. According to Fashola  what the Government was saying was to encourage big house owners to break them to small units so that people can rent or buy them and start to make income from such houses.

He also charged builders to build what people can use, instead of building big houses only to be left unused. He said,  "Build to the sensitivity of the young generation by building small houses."

Fashola thanked the Institute for the conferment of the award on behalf of the Ministry saying that it was a recognition of hard work and team spirit.

"On my own, I will do my best to live up to the responsibility of encouraging the building of affordable houses",  he stated.

Earlier,  the National President of the Nigerian Institute of Building,  Builder Kunle Awobodu said that, "The conferment of the prestigious honorary fellowship of the institute is the highest recognition to be bestowed on  an individual solely based on performance evaluation of which Fashola is a beneficiary."

He said that construction of buildings is a barometer of a thriving economy, adding that what distinguishes a city from a town,  and a town from a village is the number and quality of buildings.

Speaking further,  he stated that,  " Any nation bereft of  building codes is vulnerable to inappropriate building construction."

He therefore called on manufacturers of building materials, artisans and professionals that the culture of doing it right must be embraced.

He enjoined the Minister not to relent in his efforts to ensure the use of Nigeria's building code to guide building construction in Nigeria.

Mar

16

2020

Loko-Oweto Bridge A Major Intervention By Buhari Administration In Linking Nigeria - Fashola

* As Minister inspects the 2.2 km Bridge linking the East to the North of the country
* Says when finished, will reduce journey time from the East to the FCT and impact positively on cost, ease of doing business
* Loko-Oweto, 2nd Niger Bridges across two largest rivers in Nigeria to improve national integration, coexistence – Fashola
* Now Loko is London because of this Bridge, says Emir of Loko, expresses profound gratitude to Buhari

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, at the weekend inspected the progress of work on the Loko-Oweto Bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue States describing it as a major Bridge intervention by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in linking the various regions of the country together.

Fashola, who spoke with newsmen after inspecting the 2.2kilometre Bridge which crosses the River Benue, said the Bridge was a strategic transport route to connect the Northern part of the country to those coming from the Eastern part adding that it would reduce drastically the travel time between the two regions.

The Minister told newsmen at the interaction, “This is a Bridge that connects North and South of Nigeria, Oweto in Benue and Loko in Nasarawa, which links you to the Federal Capital Territory. So this is a major strategic transport route to connect this part of the country and all those coming from the East of Nigeria”.

He said anyone familiar with the territory of Benue State would also know that from Oturkpo, going to Oturkpa and to Ogbulafor, one would link the East of Nigeria. “So this is going to reduce the journey time between the Eastern Region of Nigeria and the Federal Capital, through Nasarawa and neighbouring states by many hours”, he said.

Noting that the journey from the East to Abuja takes sometimes a whole day or more, Fashola declared, “Now, you can make this connection in about six hours from the East of Nigeria to Abuja. So, this is a major impact on business, reducing cost, time and improving the ease of doing business”.

“When I came here in 2016, only one side of the Bridge was completed; now, the entire bridge is completed. The only work that remains now is the connecting roads to link the Bridge to the towns”, the Minister said adding that the road from Oturkpo to Oweto has been completed, with only three and half kilometres remaining to link the Bridge to the road on the Benue side.

He said although there is still some work to be done on the Loko side with about 74 kilometres of connecting road to complete, vehicular traffic has commenced on the road because of the evident shortness of the link adding that it has now become a major route for transporting yams and other agricultural produce from Benue State to Nasarawa and to other parts of the North.

Emphasizing the objective of the Bridge intervention by the Buhari administration, Fashola declared, “This is the Bridge that crosses River Benue while the 2nd Niger Bridge is also going on. They are the two major Bridge interventions across the two largest rivers in Nigeria to improve national integration and further improve national coexistence in the country”.

“The last time I visited here no vehicles was passing because the connection was not complete. But what has happened now is that even as the road remains uncompleted we see trucks moving through because the road is evidently shorter”, the Minister said adding that it is going to develop into a major economic route for Nigeria, especially for farm produce from farmers and other agricultural produce.

The Minister also noted that there are now street lights on the Bridge, explaining that when it was still combined with Power, the Ministry thought it wise to address the issue of electricity so that the host community would also benefit from the project which, according to him, is now a few months to completion.

“We are a few months away from its final completion”, the Minister told newsmen adding, “You can also see now that there is street light; there was no electricity when we came here in 2016; of course we were then a combined Ministry of Power, Works and Housing. So we also addressed the electricity solution so that this community can also benefit”.

Noting that there is still work to be done and the need to secure required resources against the backdrop of the current global economic challenges, the Minister, however, expressed delight that a lot of progress has been made, adding, “I want the work to be finished quickly, the government wants it finished like yesterday; the President wants to hand it over day before yesterday”.

In his remarks, the traditional ruler of Loko, Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed Sabo Umar, expressed delight at the visit of the Minister and the Minister of State and also the pace of work on the Bridge saying the people of the Loko Community were pleased that the project would open the community up and boost economic and social activities between them and other parts of the country.

Describing the project as the biggest in Nigeria at the moment, the Emir expressed profound gratitude to the Muhammadu Buhari administration saying the project has turned the Loko Community into a busy vehicular link route between the Eastern part and the Northern part of Nigeria.

“The Loko community is extremely happy with the Muhammadu Buhari government because of this project. From Loko here, you can see the movement of vehicles. Though the project is yet to be completed, you can see more than 500 vehicles passing from the North to the East and from the East to the North”, the obviously elated traditional ruler said.

He said the route was hazardous before the project commenced because, according to him, the journey was made by boat across the river Benue, adding, “But you can see now that only the small part that remains to join the road to the Bridge but yet if you are here you cannot believe the economic activities that are going on across the Bridge on a daily basis.”

“If you are here in this community, you will see that now Loko is another London because of this Bridge. That is why we are very grateful to the Government of Muhammadu Buhari,” he said.

Accompanying the Minister on the over six hours journey from Abuja, were the Minister of State, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu, Directors of the Ministry including the Director Highway, Construction and Rehabilitation,Engr. Oluyemi Oguntominiyi, his Bridges and Designs counterpart, Engr. Emmanuel Adeoye, the Federal Controller of Works Nasarawa State, Engr. Wasiu Taiwo and Special Advisers as well as journalists from the Electronic and Print Media.

Mar

13

2020

Fashola Hands Over Road To Federal Polytechnic Offa

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has handed over to the authorities of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Kwara State  a 2.23 kilometres road in the institution which was rehabilitated by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on behalf of the Federal Government.

The Minister who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works Kwara State, Engineer Wasiu Kunle Atitebi affirmed the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to bridge the gap in the infrastructural needs of the nation through the repairs, renewal and construction of roads on the highways and schools.

Fashola observed that good roads would undoubtedly improve the condition of learning in schools which would translate into greater quality education. The Minister disclosed that there were forty three of internal road intervention projects in tertiary institutions across the country out of which eighteen had been completed.

Earlier, the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic Offa, Dr. Lateef Ademola commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the advancement of Nigeria by ensuring that internal roads in higher Institutions of learning were rehabilitated and provision of assistance to Institutions oflearning through the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND)and other relevant bodies.

He also appreciated the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Rji Fashola, SAN for his positive disposition towards the completion of the project. He said the road had subjected the staff and students of the Institution to excruciating pain in the past due to its deplorable condition. The Rector promised to ensure that the road was properly maintained by the Works department of the Polytechnic.

In his welcome address, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Intitution, Chief Oseloka Zikora said the road was vital to the Polytechnic in many ways, adding that its rehabilitation had saved the Staff and students of the Institution from some health hazards suffered in the past due to the profuse inhaling of dust before it was rehabilitated.

The Students Union Leader of the Polytechnic, Abiola Azeez Babatunde expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing for removing the suffering of the students who according to him passed through a lot of stress in the past while passing through the road.

Mar

11

2020

UNIMAID Students Appreciate Buhari, Fashola for Internal Roads

Students of the University of Maiduguri (Unimaid) have expressed appreciation to   Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN  and President Muhammadu Buhari over the rehabilitation of some internal roads in the University.

The appreciation was made during the formal handing over of 1.653 km roads rehabilatated by the Federal  Ministry of Works and Housing under its intervention initiative. The project also included asphalt overlay of 0.303 km road in the University.

University of Maiduguri is among the 18 Federal Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria that  benefited from the first phase of  the  internal roads intervention project of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, spearheaded by Fashola.

Speaking on behalf of the Students, the President of the Students Union Government, Comrade Abdulrahman Zanna said that the intervention  brought the much needed impact on  the education sector and would greatly enhance  learning  and boost the morals of the students in the pursuit of knowledge.

Zanna explained that Unimaid has been witnessing increasing number of students from the entire north east region coming for studies and requested for more of such intervention for the University.

He explained that the effort of President Buhari in the provision and improvement of infrastructure in the nation's tertiary institutions was  a clear demonstration of his commitment to close the infrastructural deficit in the country.

Earlier in his address, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Maiduguri, Professor Aliyu Shugaba said that the road was the busiest road on the campus day and night because it connected the students' hostels and the commercial center on the campus.

He said, "Motorists have now found succor plying the road. Prior to the rehabilitation, the experience on the road was bad."

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN was represented at the handover ceremony by the Borno State Federal Controller of Works, Engr. Yahaya Ali.

Fashola said, "The gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached the schools."

He also explained that the quality of education would no doubt be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment, pointing out that the feedback from students in the institutions that benefited from such intervention attested to that.

"The intervention by Federal Government will improve the ambience and environment of Federal Tertiary Institutions to enhance academic activities," he said.

The Vice Chancellor assured the Minister that the road would be taken care of, adding that, "There is greater need for more road to serve the University because of it's expansive land."

Among the dignitaries present at the handing over ceremony were the Pro- Chancellor and Chairman Governing Council of the University, Professor Biodun Adesanya and other management staff of the Institution.

Professor Adesanya, in a good will message, commended the Federal Government and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN for coming to the aid of the tertiary institutions in Nigeria, describing it as a good initiative that would greatly grow the education sector.

Mar

07

2020

FG Receives Accolades On Rehabilitation Of Internal Roads At UNN

The University of Nigeria Nsukka community has expressed joy  and appreciation  to the FG for the  rehabilitation of Internal roads in the university community.
The university community showed their appreciation at the handing over ceremony of 2.2km  internal roads rehabilitated in the university  by the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN.

The Minister who was represented  at the event by the Federal Controller of Works, Enugu State, Engr. Olufemi Oyekami, said that the rehabilitation of some roads in the university was to enhance quality of education in the institution and to bring succor to the users. According to Fashola, ‘’We are steadily reducing the gap of Nigeria’s  infrastructural needs by the gradual process of repair, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached the school.”

Fashola noted that 18 out of the 43 on-going road intervention projects had been completed. He said, “Today we hand over this one as a critical contribution to support education.” He added that no fewer than 27 people were directly employed in the course of the job thereby contributing to the job creation initiative of the  Federal Government.

The Minister disclosed that similar road rehabilitation projects were going on at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu and the Federal University of Health and Dental Technology, Enugu, adding that President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR deserved to be applauded.  He urged the university community to ensure that the roads were properly used and maintained.

In his response, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Nigeria Nsuka,Prof.Charles ArinzeChukwu Igwe  ably  represented by  the Deputy Vice Chancellor, Administration, UNN, Prof. Pat Okpoko described the rehabilitation project as laudable and beneficial. Prof.Igwe added that the rehabilitated internal roads would ease access  within the campus, improve communication, the ambiance of the environment  and  restore the dignity of man.

He demanded for more Federal Government road intervention in the institution as some  other roads in the school were dilapidated due to age.  “Our infrastructure is weak due to age.  The Federal Government may wish to consider our size and age in sharing the number of roads intervention among tertiary institutions across the nation.”

Prof. Igwe said that the institution’s resources were minimal.  He requested for more of these kind  gesture to be done for the institution to promote seamless academic process.  He thanked the Honourable minister for the kind  gesture and pledged that the university community would ensure that the projects were maintained  to last long.
The President of the Student Union Government, Comr. Chimezie Fortnatus thanked the Minister on behalf of the students saying that the project has brought relief to over 40,000 well meaning students of the institution who are positive minded.
 
He said that appreciation is an application for more, requesting the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to rehabilitate and build more internal roads for them to ease movement  in the campus.
The Three rehabilitated roads in the institution are: 1,040 meters Ikejiani Road, 400 meters Ugwuegede Road and 580 meters Engineering to Odim gate road.

Mar

04

2020

FG’S Interventions In Tertiary Institutions Critical contribution To Education Sector – Fashola

* It was an excellent job done by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Says VC
* It is a welcome development that the roads are now motorable and enhancing easy movement of both staff and students-Lecturer
* Omah Mbah, Sociology Student, says, The roads are beautiful, motorable and neat. My friends and I have been taking pictures on the new road
* As Minister receives award for rehabilitation, reconstruction of 4 internal roads in BUK

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Tuesday in Kano handed over four rehabilitated/reconstructed internal roads in Bayero University Kano to the authorities of the institution describing Federal Government’s interventions as critical contributions to support Education in the country.

Fashola, who was represented at the event by the Federal Controller of Works Kano State, Engr. Idi Saje said, “The gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached the schools.”

The Minister, who was later given an Award by the University Community for the intervention, declared “To date , 18 (Eighteen ) out of the 43 ( Forty three) interventions have been completed and today we hand over this one in Bayero University Kano, Kano State as a critical contribution to support education.”

While presenting the Award to the Minister on behalf of the University Community,  the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Muhammad Yahuza Bello, expressed their joy, saying that the road intervention would make their lives around the school bearable, resulting in spending less on transportation, reduction in airborne diseases and stress of moving around. He added that it would also enhance regular attendance of classes, less discomfort on the roads while fatalities would be reduced completely.

The Vice Chancellor, who said it was a great pleasure to receive the roads on behalf of the University, added that the roads were properly constructed with drainages. He declared, “It was an excellent job done by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and we assure the Honourable Minister that the roads will be well used and maintained”.

Speaking earlier, the Director Physical Planning Unit of Bayero University Kano, Q.S Muhammad Gazzali, who represented the institution in supervising the project attested to the high quality of the roads, adding that they would stand the test of time.

The representative of the contractors that handled the projects, a staff of Views Tours Nigeria Ltd, Engr. Abideen Abdulazeez thanked the Honourable Minister for adequate funding of the project.

A Professor of Pharmacy in Bayero University Kano, Prof. Chedi Bashir, described the intervention as “a welcome development that the roads are now motorable and enhancing easy movement of both staff and students”.

A Sociology student from the Social Science Faculty of Bayero University, Omah Mbah expressed her joy over the rehabilitated roads. She said the roads are beautiful, motorable and neat. She added, “ My friends and I have been taking pictures on the new roads." She commended the Minister and the Federal Government for the wonderful road projects.

Feb

27

2020

VC Commends Fashola For Internal Road Intervention Project In University

The Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Gashua, Yobe State, Professor Andrew Haruna has commended the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SANfor the internal road intervention project he executed in his University.

The highly excited Vice Chancellor said, " I am excited, excitement is the summary here. In fact any other adjective I use now will water down my joy."

The Minister was represented at the handover ceremony  by the Federal Controller of Works Yobe State, Engr. Akinmade Babalola.

Fashola, in his address at the handover ceremony, said,  "Thee gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached the schools."

Fashola said that the quality of education would no doubt be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment, pointing out that the feedback from students in the institutions that benefited from such intervention attested to that, "The intervention by Federal Government will improve the ambience and environment of Federal Tertiary Institutions to enhance academic activities,"he said.

Federal University Gashua  is among the 18 Federal Tertiary Institutions that benefited from the Federal Government Road Intervention Project executed by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing under phase I and ll.

Professor Haruna also said, "If one must say the truth, without any embellishment, one can say, if all agencies of the Government will take the steps taken by the Federal Ministry of Works   and Housing in investing a little here and a little there, this University will, within the next few years, have it's share of massive infrastructural development. It is for this reason that I stand here to appreciate the Federal Ministry  of Works and Housing for their initiative and intervention."

Accordingly, the Vice Chancellor appreciated the kind gesture of the Federal Government for the concern and committment shown to towards the development of the citadel of learning under the prevailing austere times in the country.

Representative of the Students Union Government (SUG), Comrade  Mahammad  Haruna, who is also the Financial Secretary Zone C of the Union, commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN  for such  projects in tertiary institutions.

Comrade Haruna said, the projects are not only dear to the Federal University of Gashua but to the entire national body of students union because of the positive impacts they would have on education in the country.

The completed internal road project in the Federal University of  Gashua  comprised of rehabilitation and asphalt overlay, construction of reinforced concrete drainage and patching of potholes of 300 meters.

So far eighteen (18) out of the forty-three (43) road intervention projects procured under phase I (2017) and phase ii (2018) appropriations had been completed across tertiary institutions nationwide.

Feb

26

2020

FG’S Renewal, Construction Of Major Highways Has Reached Schools - Fashola

* As FG hands over 3 completed internal road projects to FUTO
* Gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged - Minister
* Says quality of education would be impacted by the quality of infrastructure, learning environments
* VC, Senate Council laud FG, Students say, Now that the roads have been fixed we can move easily to our classes"

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola SAN, Monday in Owerri, the Imo State Capital, handed over three rehabilitated internal roads in the Federal University of Technology Owerri (FUTO) to the authorities of the institution, expressing delight that the nation’s infrastructure gap was being gradually bridged.

In his remarks at the handover ceremony, Fashola, who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works, Imo State, Engr. Anthony Animaku, expressed joy that the roads were now completed and ready for formal handover to the Institution adding that the purpose was to enhance the quality of education.

Buttressing the importance of infrastructure development in educational institutions the Minister declared, "The gap of our infrastructure needs is steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repair, renewal and construction on major highways and it has reached schools”, adding that the quality of education would be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environments.

Underscoring the positive impact of the projects, the Minister said anyone in doubt should simply “listen to some of the feedbacks from students where this type of infrastructure has taken place”, adding, “The interventions in the various tertiary institutions will have a critical contribution to support education in the country.

“Currently, there are a number of internal road interventions across tertiary institutions in Nigeria, and the students are saying that their reluctance to attend classes because of the bad roads, has been replaced by an enthusiasm to do so, now that the roads are better”, he said.

Pointing out that the project is an investment in education although a civil Works project, Fashola declared, “During the construction, people were employed in the process contributing to the job creation initiatives of the government, and it is hoped that the school will now ensure that this asset is used properly and not abused”.

The Minister, who promised that Government would continue to intervene in education, explained further, “The intervention by Federal Government would improve the ambience and environment of Federal Tertiary Institutions to enhance academic activities".

The roads, which are among the 18 completed out of Federal Government’s 43 road intervention projects in tertiary institutions across the country, include the Health Centre, Hostel and Smat Roads. Awarded in 2018 and completed the same year, work done on the roads includes construction and asphalting of Health Centre and Hostel Roads and rehabilitation of Smat Road.

Responding, the Vice Chancellor of the institution, Professor Francis Chukwuemeka Eze, commended the Federal Government for choosing Federal University of Technology, Owerri as one of the beneficiaries of its laudable intervention.

Represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics), Professor Ndukwe James Okeudo, the Vice Chancellor, who stated that the roads are of great importance to the institution as it would aid access and movement around the school, added, “The Senate, Council and the entire Management are very grateful that FUTO was singled out as a beneficiary. We thank Mr. President and the Minister for this honour done to us". He promised that the school would maintain the projects.

Also speaking on behalf of all the students of the institution, Mr. Donald Anarado recalled that hitherto the roads were not passable especially during the Rainy Season. In his words, "When rain falls, we cannot move easily from our hostels to classes,  but now that the roads have been fixed we can move easily to our classes. We are very grateful to Federal Government".

Feb

25

2020

We Deliver Infrastructure At Tertiary Institutions To Impact Learning-Fashola

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN has said that the Federal Government is constructing and rehabilitating internal roads in higher institutions through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to make learning pleasurable and less stressful.

Fashola made the remarks at the University of Benin , Benin City, Edo State today on the occasion of the handing over of a 0.69 kilometre road constructed by the ministry for the institution.

In the words of the minister,"It is undebatable that quality education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment."

The minister who was represented by the ministry's Controller of Works in Edo State,Engr.Oke Owhe said the ministry has 43 internal road projects in tertiary institutions across the six geopolitical zones of the country out of which 18 had been completed.

The ministry has commenced the process of handing over the completed internal road projects in tertiary institutions such as universities, polytechnics and colleges of education across the country.

The minister noted that with that intervention students are expressing renewed enthusiasm with regard to attending classes because some defective roads have been restored to motorability.

The Vice -Chancellor of University of Benin,Prof.Lillian Salami who was represented by Prof.Ikponwosa Omoruyi,Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Administration said that they value the intervention through the road project.She added that through an intervention like this the burden of university education would be more lighter.

Prof.Salami assured that the road would be put into good use and maintained.

The President of University of Benin Students Union,Egbu Benjamin Notana thanked the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing and the Ministry for the kind gesture.

In Notana's words"Before now we found it very difficult to access this road.But now it is no longer as it used to be.Right now we don't experience flood or gallops when going to classes.It is a very welcome development.We are very much happy about it."

The constructed road is linking the Departments of Pharmacy and Nursing in the institution with three car parks and drainages.

It could be recalled that the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN is an alumnus of University of Benin.

Feb

24

2020

Aliyu Charged Contractors To Expedite Work On Wudil - Gaya Road

Minister of State for Works and Housing, Engr Abubakar Aliyu FNSE has told Dantata & Sawoe, the Contractor handling rehabilation work on Kano-Shuwarin section of Kano- Maiduguri Road Project, to speed up work to deliver the job on target.

Aliyu gave the charge over the weekend while on inspection visit of the road to assess the progress of the ongoing work.

"I was here last december to see the level of work and I am back here today in February to see the progress you made" he said.

The minister stated that he was very concerned for the  road to be delivered in time due to the accidents being recorded on the road as a result of the  bad situation between Wudil and Gaya.

Engr Aliyu who showed  disappointment with the level of work by the contractors in two months from his last visit in december, urged the contractor to double up effort to meet the target

Accordingly, he told the contractor to confront the rehabilatation work from both Wudil and Gaya sides in order to finish on time, urging  them to bring more machineries and additional staff on site

Reiterating the committment of President Buhari to deliver good roads infrastructure for Nigerians, Aliyu said "We can not always sit behind in our offices in Abuja, expecting results without us coming out to have first hand information on the situation of the roads, that's why we are always going out for supervision".

Engr.Aliyu also added that, in order to assist Mr President fulfill his promise to deliver  roads, his senior Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN and himself are always running pillar to pole round the clock to ensure achieving good  results.

"Just in recent weeks, my senior colleague Minister Babatunde  Rabi Fashola SAN,was in Edo and Niger states on  roads inspection. I was in Numan, Adamawa state yesterday, and now here in Kano state. We divided ourselves to ensure things are going in order" he said

Honourable Minister of state, was together with zonal controller of works and the representative of the contractor
Dantata & Sawoe.The contractor had promised the Minister that they will mobilise additional machines and staff to the site in the next two weeks as requested.

He further added that they will concentrate on the  dangerous areas of the road in order to reduce the rate of accidents, and later come to complete the work on the bridge

Feb

15

2020

Plans To Immediately Remove Broken Down Trucks From The Road Underway -Fashola

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola ,SAN has assured Nigerians that his ministry has made plans to immediately remove any broken down truck on the highways as part of measures to ensure free flow of traffic this year while construction work is on -going.

He gave the assurance on Friday while inspecting the rehabilitation of Odukpani- Akpet-Alesi -Ugep road in Cross River state in conclusion of his one week tour of some federal roads in the South-South and South-East geopolitical zones of the country.

The Honourable Minister said government intends to adopt a strategy of immediate removal of broken down trucks along Nigerian highways to avoid commuters being delayed.

He added that this would apply to all the highways where trucks get stuck easily like the Numan road in Taraba state, Calabar-Itu road and Abeokuta - Ota road.

Fashola said, "We want to ensure that this time our contractors are better prepared for the rainy season, so we need to evolve a strategy where our contractors are mindful that yes we have the construction work but the roads must remain motorable during the rainy season."

The Minister, however, advised vehicle owners to ensure that their vehicles were well maintained in preparation for the rainy season to avoid break down.

He said the 76km Alesi-Ugep road which links Iyamoyung and Akpet communities to other parts of the state used to be one of the troubled spots in the last few years but had become passable.

Fashola further said President Muhammadu Buhari was anxious to see that the 67km road was completed knowing its importance to the economy of Cross River State.

Speaking earlier, Federal Controller of Works for Cross River State, Engr. Bassey Nsentip disclosed that some communities had benefited economically from the construction of the road adding that the contractor employed 176 skilled and unskilled workers in executing the road project.

Engr. Nsentip also said suppliers of building materials and food vendors benefitted immensely from the project. He disclosed that the project was 97% completed as only surface dressing, road markings and signs were yet to be done. He said when all those things were put in place the project would be ready for inauguration.

Feb

12

2020

Infrastructure Policy Is Clearly Hitting The Right Buttons Across The Country – Works and Housing Minister

The Minister of Works and Housing,Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has stated that the Infrastructure policy of the present administration is clearly hitting the right buttons across the country.

He made this statement during an inspection tour of Amansea Section of the Rehabilitation of Onitsha-Enugu Expressway, Anambra; and the tour of the Federal Secretariat, Awka; as well as the National Housing Programme at Isiagwu, the Second Niger Bridge in Anambra and Delta States and the National Housing Programme in Asaba, Delta State.

Mr. President, he said has continued to emphasize commitment to infrastructure as the quickest way to employing people. Fashola further said, “Policies have very diverse and extensive impact on the people, so when Mr. President says he wants to lift a 100millon people out of poverty he knows what he is saying and he knows some of the right buttons like infrastructure, to press.”

Whilst going round the sites, the Minister interacted with workers who were full of appreciation to the administration of President Buhari for the opportunity to work and earn a living rather than going into crime. Mr. Sunday Etikwu, a mason at one of the National Housing Programme site who was visibly excited said he received a daily pay of N4,500 naira and works all through the week.

A food vendor Mrs. Ebele Chukwu also expressed happiness for the opportunity to cook and sell alongside her husband who works as a labourer at the site goes home with at least N5,000 naira daily.

Fashola said the end product may be constructing a road or building a housing estate but the human capacity is enhanced through drains being laid, electric fittings being installed, foundations being dug, blocks being molded and 7 foods being supplied, thereby proving employment and boosting the economy as well as the living standard of the community and its environs. “It is the initial value chain of the economy which is the first impact you feel when it comes to infrastructure” he said.

At the National Housing Programme site at Isiagwu, the Minister observed significant improvements especially when accessing the site as compared to what obtained when he first came to the site.

He further said it was a far sighted vision by the state government to open up the community, but was still expectant on their commitment to open up more roads as it would take some time for the Isiagwu community to come alive.

During the inspection of the Federal Secretariat project in Awka the supervisor Engr. Nnamdi Umeji who conducted the minister round the site said the project had reached 90% completion level.

The contractor handling the project observed that the project had no provision for a lift as it was not budgeted for. The Minster asked him to submit the design and cost implication for the provision of a lift booth which the contractor promised to submit within three weeks.

Fashola also inspected the National Housing Programme in Asaba located along Benin-Asaba expressway which had twelve contractors on site. The Project Supervisor, Arc. Godwin Otobo said the first phase of the semi detached houses had reached almost 100% completion level.

Other projects inspected were the construction of Umunya road in Awka, Anambra State where the Minister expressed dissatisfaction over the slow pace of work and charged the contractor to expedite action on the project and the construction of the second Niger Bridge which had reached over 30% completion level.

It was revealed that the Second Niger Bridge will be completed in year 2022.

Feb

08

2020

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)