Apr

28

2023

Convocation Lecture Delivered by H.E Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN at the 38th Convocation of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, Lagos 

Ladies and gentlemen, Members of the Academic Community of the Federal College of Education (Technical) Akoka, let me commend you all for another convocation ceremony, the 38th that this institution is undertaking. 

It bears testimony to your patriotic commitment to nation-building by undertaking to produce and shape the quality of our human capital.

To the parents and guardians of graduating students, I commend your labour of love. I share your sense of relief and your sense of pride on this auspicious occasion, the graduation day of a child or ward. I have walked this route before. I know how good it feels. May your labour not be in vain.

Most especially and very deservedly, I congratulate all the graduands of today. I doff my heart for your achievement, I salute the industry that you have invested in order to be here today. 

When the Provost, Dr. Wahab Ademola Azeez invited me to be the convocation lecturer, I accepted because of you. Because you are the next set of Nigerians who will occupy the frontlines in the process of building our country. That in part is why the school was set up. A place to prepare the next set of leaders of Nigeria.

Make no mistake about it, your leadership responsibility started from the day your education started. You are not just leaders of tomorrow, you have become leaders already. With your training here, how far you go on the leadership ladder is now a matter of your own choice and how you react to opportunities.

This brings me to the topic of my lecture. Dr. Azeez in his letter informed me that the theme of the convocation is “VOCATIONAL-TECHNICAL TRAINING AND SKILLS ACQUISITION AND THE YOUTH IN WORLD OF WORK AND EMPLOYMENT MARKET. WHAT DOES NIGERIA HAVE TO OFFER?”

Then he says in his letter “…you are at liberty to approach the lecture from a perspective suitable for you…” 

I intend to do just that. I believe that the Nigerian developmental agenda has been organised around a question of what the country can offer or do for her citizens, which is okay, without necessarily demanding from her citizens a corresponding discharge of their duties. 

It seems to explain why many Nigerians know their “rights” so to speak and perhaps why not enough of us know that we owe “duties” to Nigeria, or even know what those duties are. 

Therefore, my approach to the lecture will be to depart from the question what does Nigeria have to offer? And discuss our duties to Nigeria.

But in doing so, perhaps I will try to orient you differently from the way my parents and I were oriented, which is to graduate and look for employment; and instead orient you to ask the question: Why should I be an employee, when I can be the employer?

It seems that, the place to start is to give you a teaser of what Nigeria has on offer, and still is offering. 

Let us start from your very illustrious school, whose colours you wear today and from which you graduate. Nigeria has given you this, by the vision, and action of many who came long before you and their decision to set up this school.

They did a great thing and performed a public duty and laid a block of development from which you now benefit. That is nation building and service to the fatherland. That is the mindset I want you to leave here with in addition to your certificate. 

The other mindset is that of a creator. This is what your technical and vocational training has been about - using your minds to visualize things and using your hands to make those things happen.

The greatest nations on earth are those whose people make the most of what they need with their hands. You are the production powerhouse of Nigeria who will build, maintain, Repair, re-purpose, fabricate and invent all the assets that will propel Nigeria to her destined greatness. 

In terms of what Nigeria has to offer, let me give you examples - she has roads, refineries, airplanes, gas pipelines to build, she has scores of minerals in massive quantities to process, millions of tons of agricultural produce to process, preserve and package, buildings, machines, equipment and assets to develop, rehabilitate, maintain, repair and preserve.

These are all the things that require people who can use their minds and hands, in other words vocational and technical skills. This is not a demand for those who talk. Talk is cheap. This is a theatre of dreams for those who can DO. 

The global economy including that of Nigeria is changing and in need of those who are creative and creating. That is why talent is now so highly paid for today more than 30 years ago.

I spoke earlier about mindset along with your certificate. The additional mindset you must take from here today is to see Nigeria’s challenges, needs and her TO-DO-LIST, as your opportunity for prosperity, not an opportunity to emigrate.

And if you choose to migrate, there is the possibility that once you present your certificate wherever you go, the job they are likely to offer you is one that asks you to do in a foreign land, what you refused to do in your motherland. 

The illogic is manifest if you ask yourself the question: whether you will go to build another person’s home, when your parent’s home is in need of rebuilding. 

But let me deal with another thing Nigeria offers you apart from this school. President Muhammadu Buhari signed Executive Order No 11 of 2022 on 6th April, 2022 for the implementation of a National Public Buildings Maintenance Policy. 

In his short remarks at the signing event, the President said: 

“…Maintenance of assets is more than a culture, it is an economy from which many can prosper and we must nurture and water that economy by policy and actions that create opportunities and inclusion for people. It is my hope that this order will open the door to this treasure of opportunities for young technicians, for artisans, for vendors and suppliers and for small businesses and cottage industries…”

I am unable to guess how many people in this gathering are aware that such a policy exists. 

I am equally curious to find out how many of you graduands see yourselves as possibly being among those that Mr President was referring to when he mentioned: “…opportunities for young technicians, for artisans, for vendors and suppliers and for small businesses and cottage industries.”

How many of you know perhaps that there are about 40 million micro, small and medium businesses in Nigeria, and that these are our largest employers of labour and also the largest number of self-employed people as is the case all over the world.

How many here still want to look for employment and how many want to start their own small business. 

Indeed, how many of us know that when governments all over the world talk about “the private sector” it is to the small businesses that they refer and not to the few conglomerates. 

While this policy of national maintenance was approved in on the 4th of January 2019, and before the President signed the executive order in April 2022, the Ministry of works had started to give effect to it, by commencing the maintenance of public buildings, roads and bridges.

In the building maintenance sector, we currently have 28 federal secretariats under maintenance contracts to small businesses. We pay between N20 - N40 million every quarter to each company depending on the nature of works they are contracted to undertake. Each of them employs at least 40 persons who do various things from plumbing, heating, ventilation and cooling, to masonry and carpentry, security and Horticulture to mention a few.

Houses in 35 states constructed under the National Housing Programme already have facility managers.

We have contracts for the periodic maintenance of bridges across Nigeria including the Third Mainland Bridge, Eko bridge and Apongbon bridge all in Lagos. These people are using their hands and skills to build Nigeria, rather than wait for what Nigeria can offer them. In 2021 we had 42 Bridges under repairs and maintenance.

There is more that can happen, and many more of us can find inclusion in these and other spaces, but our mindset must change from asking for our rights alone, and transition to recognising our duties to Nigeria and performing them.

Perhaps the most important message I wish to pass to you  in this lecture is to invite you to acquire the mindset along with your certificate that you owe duties to Nigeria as a citizen. 

Those duties are enshrined in Section 24 (a)_(f ) of the 1999 constitution as amended. 

The section provides that:

Section 24 (a)
It shall be the duty of every citizen to – 
abide by this Constitution, respect its ideals and its institutions, the National Flag, the National Anthem, the National Pledge, and legitimate authorities; 

Section 24 (b)
help to enhance the power, prestige and good name of Nigeria, defend Nigeria and render such national service as may be required; 

Section 24 (c)
respect the dignity of other citizens and the rights and legitimate interests of others and live in unity and harmony and in the spirit of common brotherhood; 

Section 24 (d)
make positive and useful contribution to the advancement, progress and well-being of the community where he resides; 

Section 24 (e)
render assistance to appropriate and lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order; and 

Section 24 (f)
declare his income honestly to appropriate and lawful agencies and pay his tax promptly.

How many of us know that we have duties that we owe Nigeria, what our duties are, and how many of us perform our duties?

I think that all these duties are clear enough and need no further explanation. 

For those who want to read about them after this interaction, I implore you to either get a copy of the Constitution or use search engines on your smart phones to access it.

But I cannot conclude this lecture without speaking about a few of them. I will do so in no specific order. 

Let us examine the duty in Section 24 (e) to “render assistance to appropriate and lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order.”

What can be more lawful in the face of corruption and insecurity than the battle launched by the Buhari administration against the illicit narcotic drugs and psychotropic substance trade through the Buba Marwa led Nigeria Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA).

This agency in the last two years has arrested no less than 38 criminal minded drug barons and seized over 2,000,000 kg of illicit drugs. 

Just imagine what has slipped through before Buba Marwa came on board and the damage to the future of human capital especially young ones, whose minds have been damaged by drug abuse. 

Why is this relevant you might wonder?

It is because I came across a report in the news a few days ago that “THUGS attack NDLEA operatives, FOIL ARREST OF SUSPECTS”.

If those so-called thugs were Nigerians, they were in tragic breach of their duty under Section 24 (e) of the constitution. 

They should have provided support to NDLEA if they are patriots.

Unfortunately, they are not. 

They let themselves down and they let Nigeria down.  You must never copy their example. 

Our duty as patriots is to help lawful agencies like NDLEA in their noble tasks. Providing useful information that leads to arrest and seizure is an example of how we can perform this duty. A drug free society is one that has a future, a promise of prosperity and renewed hope.

Let me also quickly deal with Section 24 (c) about the duty to “…respect dignity of other citizens and the rights and legitimate interests of others and live in unity, harmony and the spirit of common brotherhood…”  

Not a few of us have fallen short of the constitutional expectation in respect of this duty.

Sadly, the evidence is easy to gather on public platforms especially on social media. We have carried on as if we are at war with one another only because we disagree with the views that others express. 

If we were looking for who to blame, there are enough people who should cover their faces in shame.

I have held the view and still do so, that our disagreement should not make us disagreeable. I can disagree with you without calling you names or trolling you on social media or worse still manufacturing lies against you or addressing you in words that should never be in print. 

Let me remind us that the world wide web and Internet has a long memory, if at all it forgets anything we put there; and the whole world will relate with us on the basis of what we have said about ourselves and to ourselves. 

You will observe that I have included myself in the conversation by the words I have used such as “our” country instead of “your” country. 

This is because I have ownership, and it is because this is my country, although some Nigerians speak of Nigeria in the words “your country”, “your government”, “your problem.”

I respect your choice not to take ownership. I also appeal to them not to compound the problems if they have no solutions to offer. I am also convinced that the problem are man and woman-made; and they can be solved by men and women with the right resolve and the right mindset.

As somebody once said, a life without challenges is a life perhaps not lived at all. And I might add that adversity is the foundation upon which all successes I have read about or heard about have been built. 

In this respect, I urge you to take another mindset along with your certificate. That mindset is that Nigeria is your country, it is the motherland, it is the place called home and we must show love and affection to her in order to get the best out of her. 

And this takes me to the duty in section 24(b): “… to enhance power, prestige and good name of Nigeria, defend Nigeria and render such national service as may be required…”

Some of our brethren who perhaps may have been disappointed by the conduct of public officers or government as a whole have equated the government with their country. Sadly, this is a grave error around which I urge them to reflect.

Nigeria may be reflective of its governments, but they are not one on the same. Their disappointment is no excuse for the denigrating and unprintable things they have said at home and abroad about our country. 

Some of them, (and I am not one of them, because I will never speak ill of my country, but I will criticize its governance) have pointed the darkest picture of the country to the whole world. 

They have described our problems in deficit without basis, magnified our challenges to the world in hyperbolic proportions, one of which is the statement that we are the poverty capital of the world.

The bigger the problem of Nigeria, the happier they seem to be without offering any solution.

Nigeria is understandably facing a challenging time, as indeed most parts of the world are. But she is investing in rebuilding, replacing and upgrading her public infrastructure assets.

This is the road to prosperity, accepted by the whole world since the Marshall Plan of 1948.

Our human capital, such as those of you graduating from here today, must never lose hope, must never accept to be defined by these unpatriotic statements.

You must instead find inspiration in the actions and conduct of our contemporaries such as sportsmen, artistes, Nobel laureates and scientists at home and abroad who have used their craft, their talents, their hands, minds and their skills to positively “enhance the power, prestige and good name of Nigeria at home and abroad.”

My concluding statement is to urge you to do your duty to Nigeria and adopt the mindset of patriots.

I always see Nigeria’s glass as half full not half empty.

Congratulations once again, thank you for listening and may your future be prosperous.
 

Apr

04

2023

Road Completion: Nigerians Should Be Proud Of Loko Oweto Project- Fashola 

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN affirmed that the  “ Loko- Oweto bridge is 200 metres longer than the 2nd Niger Bridge , how many African countries are able to do this ? Nigerians should be very proud of this project”.

He made this remark during the pre–inspection of the bridge for commissioning in Nasarawa State . Fashola further remarked “In January I was here to asses the level and  progress of work  so far done and at the  end of March.  I am here today when the contractors indicated that  they have completed work and all our officers reported it as well ,  they deserve commendation from Nigerians for the job.” 

The Minister said “this is the bridge that crosses river Benue and links the North to the  South , adding that  “ the bridge will reduce travel time , it will reduce travel cost and greatly enhance the   ease of doing business” 

Speaking further, Fashola said the report of this working visit to the site of the  bridge  would be sent to the Presidency where the date of the commissioning of the bridge  would then be decided.

While commenting on the Lagos – Ibadan road , the Minister appealed for continuous perseverance and understanding of all road users, as traffic had to be diverted  during construction  adding that the road is among the busiest in the country, he  told journalists that the Lagos – Ibadan road would be completed in April of  2023 as planned , in addition , he also  said that in May of 2023 the  2nd Niger bridge would be commissioned and opened to the traffic as well.

The Federal Controller of Works Nasarawa State , Mr Idah Daikwo who accompanied the Minister on the inspection of the Loko Oweto  bridge said “ the speed of completion  and quality  of works on  the bridge is second to none , I commend the Honourable Minister for this laudable Legacy project”

Feb

22

2023

Oyo People Eulogise FG For Infrastructure Development

The people of Ibadan, the capital of Oyo state were full of joy and gratitude as the Federal Government commissioned  and handed  over a 0.75 kilometre  internal road to the National Centre for Generic and Biotechnology Agency, ( NACGRAB) located at  the National Cereals Research Institute Complex in Ibadan in  Oyo State rehabilitated by the Federal Ministry of works and Housing.

Speaking at the occasion, the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, represented by the Federal Controller of Works, Oyo State, Engineer Kayode Ibrahim revealed that Oyo State is benefitting tremendiously from the  federal government road projects. He said, " I can testify that a number of roads have received attention, from Lagos to Ibadan and Shagamu to Ibadan roads. We are pushing to finish them before May,2023."

Fashola added that  "When you go round the state you will see that work is going on in many places at a great speed." He said that the Ibadan-Ife - Ilesa road was a night mare to road users before now, adding that Iwo road to Asejire to Ife is also presently receiving massive attention .

The Minister also confirmed that the contract for the rehabilitation of Ibadan - Oyo road had been awarded and the contractors are ready to hit the ground running.

He also disclosed that "Reynolds Construction Company, (RCC) is working round the clock on the Oyo Ogbomosho road with the aim of connecting it to the highway at the end of this year." The Minister also disclosed that work is  on going at the Ogbomosho road because all obstacles had been removed and funds also   released. 

Babatunde Fashola in the same vain said that  construction work is currently on going in a session  at Oke - Ogun called Okerete from Shaki which is about a hundred kilometres, this previous administration had abandoned. 

He also said that Isaleadini road that was abandoned for long  and Okeohun road are receiving attention while road users are currently plying them freely with ease. 

The Minister said other projects implemented by the Buhari administration in Oyo State include, the school of Survey, an internal road at University College Hospital, UCH, Ibadan and Moor Plantation.

In his welcome address,  the Director of The National Centre for Generic and Biotechnology,( NACGRAB) Dr. Anthony Okere who was represented by Dr. Abisoye Ojo  expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for the internal road intervention project. The Director said access road to the Animal Generic Resource and Field in NACGRAB had worsened over the years due to gully erosion and transportion  of  farm equipments, livestock and their feeds as well as  mobility of staff and guests of the Centre had been a nightmare but with the rehabilitation of the road by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing it has become a thing of the past.

Officials  of some other Federal organisations such as the National Cereal Institute, Regional Office of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science with office and residential accommodation within the NCRI Complex expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for the work done. 

This road network will benefit about fourteen organisations both state and federal, who are being accommodated within the complex.

Feb

15

2023

College Provost Commends FMWH for Another Intervention

.....Says College's Staff quarters built by FMW in 1974

Provost of the Federal College of Education, Pankshin, Plateau State, Dr A.B Cirfat has commended the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing for yet another intervention in the College.

The provost, spoke during the formal handing over of 1.04 km internal road rehabilitated by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in the Federal College of Education, Pankshin.

Dr Cirfat revealed that it was the same Federal Ministry of Works and Housing that built the College’s Staff quarters in 1974 when the College was established.

" The major intervention when the College was established in 1974 was by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing that built the Staff quarters. The buildings still carry the inscriptions of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing " he said

In his hand over address, Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola stated that, the importance of infrastructure to learning environment and quality of education cannot be under estimated, hence the Federal Government has remained committed to bridging the infrastructure gaps in the country, including those of institutions of learning.
 
He said " It is undebatable that the quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment"

Fashola was represented at the occasion by the Federal Controller of Works in Plateau State, Engr Usman Abubakar

Accordingly, the Minister explained that government was steadily bridging the infrastructure gap by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways, which had now reached the schools.

He revealed that the Federal government has provided 83 internal road intervention projects in various Federal tertiary institutions across the country and the completed ones were being handed over now, of which FCE Pankshin is among.

The road projects according to Fashola, benefited not only the students and the institution's community but also provided jobs for youths, stating that 34 people were employed in the process of the rehabilitation of the road in the FCE Pankshin.

The College Provost who was represented by Deputy Provost, Dr (Mrs) Christiana Zumyil appreciated the Ministry of Works and Housing for always remembering the College, saying that, the entire College Community were excited with the project.

" The entire College staff and students are grateful to the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. We appreciate the Ministry for always remembering the College by coming to our aid whenever we needed it" he said

Dr Cirfat said that the rehabilitated road has now given the College a new good look, urging the Ministry to still come to the aid of the College by building shoulders of the main road across the main gate in order to stop further damage of the road during the raining season.

In his remarks, the College Director of Works, Arc Miri Gofer commended the speed with which the rehabilitation work was carried out, saying that the work has really eased traffic in the college.

He also commended the first major intervention, building of staff quarters by the federal Ministry of Works when the College was established in 1974, urging that the remaining internal roads in the college would also be considered in the next intervention

Master Betfa Innocent, an NCE 2 Student of Business Education described the road intervention in the College as face saving for the College Community, saying that movement in and out was now much easier.

Master Innocent thanked the federal government and the Minister of Works for such great concern and action in the College

The 1.04 km road in the FCE Pankshin links the Academic area in the College with the administrative block, Convocation square, staff quarters and student’s hostel.

Feb

08

2023

FG Flags-off the dualisation of 132 km Kano- Kongolom Road Project.

Under the Innovative Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme adopted by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Federal government has yet again, flagged-off a critical road dualisation, a 132 km Kano- Kongolom Road.

Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola performed the ministerial flag-off, supported by his counterpart in the Ministry of Water Resources, Engr Suleman Hussain Adamu.

The Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme is a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) intervention that enables the Federal government leverage on Private Sector capital and efficiency for the construction and refurbishment of critical road infrastructure on key economic areas in Nigeria.

It was provided for under Executive Order 007 which was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari in January 2019.

The Kano-Kongolom Road project traverses Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, and the venue of the flag-off was Anguwan Tudu in Gwiwa local government area in Jigawa State.

In his address, Fashola reiterated the determination of the Buhari administration to address road Infrastructure gap in the country even at the twilight of the administration's tenure.

He also pointed out that the continued participation of the private sector in the road tax credit scheme was a statement of confidence for the administration.

Furthermore, the Minister highlighted the huge economic importance of road construction to include; job creation, reduced travel time and cost among others.

He appealed to Traditional Institutions in the area to talk to their subjects who are occupying the right of way within Government's roads to vacate in order to give the contractors hitch free movement during the construction.

In his good will message, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleman Adamu thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for this laudable project in the North West, which he said would have great economic impact on the people.  

Engr Adamu also promised to provide all the necessary assistance to the contractors to deliver the road as specified.

In his remarks, the Minister of State, Works and Housing, Hon. Umar Ibrahim El-Yakub stated that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari would not leave any stone unturned in terms of such developmental projects.

He appealed to motorists to patiently bear with understanding all the inconveniences during the period of construction.

The Group Executive Director of BUA, International Limited, the Construction Company handling the project.

Alhaji Kabiru Rabiu also appreciated the government of President Muhammadu Buhari for the contract and promised that his Company would deliver quality job and on time too.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr. Bashir Nura Alkali, represented by Director Highways (North west), Engr. Wasiu Taiwo stated that, the roads Infrastructure tax credit scheme was one of the great funding innovations of the Federal Government in its resolve to tackle Infrastructure deficit in Nigeria.

The representative of the Emir of Kazaure, the Makaman Kazaure, Alh. Umar Aliyu, who spoke at the occasion appreciated President Buhari and the Minister, Raji Fashola for the laudable project which he said, would have great impact on the people in many more ways.

The 132 km road originates from Dawanau round about in Kano town and terminates at Kongolom, a border town with Niger Republic.

The road covers 61.15km across Kano State, spans 28.85km through Jigawa State and 41.50km through Daura to Kongolom border town in Katsina state.

Party of the project scope includes; three bridges at; Ungogo (Kano), Kazaure (Jigawa) and Daura (Katsina), with eight number pedestrian crossings at different locations along the corridor of the project.

Feb

02

2023

Implementation Of Phase Two Of NNPC-Funded Tax Credit Scheme On 44 Road Projects Nationwide Gains Momentum

•      As Fashola Convenes Stakeholders’ Meeting, unveil roads  
•      Describes policy as a very defining legacy for President Buhari
•      NNPCL, FIRS other stakeholders pledge to sustain funding till completion
•      Contractors pledge timely delivery of quality road infrastructure
•      This Minister has set a record of achievements – NARTO President

With appreciable progress being made in the first Phase, the implementation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited and Federal Inland Revenue Service (NNPCL/FIRS) Second Phase for the rehabilitation and construction of 44 critical roads across the country under the Tax Credit Scheme initiative of the Federal Government gained momentum Tuesday as the Minister of Works and Housing convened a meeting of the Stakeholders and briefed the press while also unveiling the roads.

The Meeting came barely a fortnight after the approval of the Memorandum on the proposal by the NNPC and its subsidiaries, NNPC Exploration and Production (NEPL) and NNPC Gas Infrastructure Company Limited (NGIC) to undertake the rehabilitation of 44 roads spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country.

The selected roads, amounting to 4,554.19 kilometres, include those in the South-South zone which are the Completion of Benin-Warri Dual Carriageway, Edo/Delta States; East-West Road, (Section I) Warri-Kaiama in Delta/Bayelsa States; East-West Road (Section II –I) Port Harcourt-Ahoada in Rivers State; East-West Road (Section II-II) Ahoada-Kaiama in Rivers/Bayelsa States and East-West Road (Section III) Onne Junction-Eket in Akwa Ibom State.

Others are Dualization of East-West Road (Section IV) Eket-Oron also in Akwa Ibom; Upgrading of 15-kilometre Port Harcourt-Onne Junction (Section IIIA) in Rivers State; Construction of Eket Bypass (Dual Carriageway) in Akwa Ibom State; Dualization of Lokoja-Benin Road: Obajana Junction-Benin Section II Phase I: Okene-Auchi, Kogi/Edo States; Dualization of Lokoja-Benin Road: Obajana Junction-Benin Section III Phase I: Auchi-Ehor, Kogi/Edo States; Dualization of Lokoja-Benin Road: Obajana Junction-Benin Section IV Phase I: Ehor-Benin City; and Nembe-Brass Road in Bayelsa State. All the roads amount to a total of 1,308.3 kilometres.

The North East Zone has a total of 1,054 kilometres consisting of Rehabilitation of Yola-Mubi-Maiduguri Road in Adamawa/Borno States; Rehabilitation of Maiduguri - Monguno Road; Rehabilitation of Numan-Jalingo Road in Taraba/Adamawa States; Rehabilitation of Yola-Hong-Mubi Road in Adamawa State; Reconstruction of Bali-Serti-(Gashaka)-Gembu Road in Taraba State; and Rehabilitation of Yashi - Deguri - Yalo Road in Bauchi State.

North Central zone has 763.13 kilometres consisting of Rehabilitation of Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora Road in Niger State, Section I: Minna-Tegina; Rehabilitation of Minna-Zungeru-Tegina-Kontagora Road in Niger State, Section II: Tegina-Kontagora; Shendam-Yelwa-Mato Junction-Taraba Border with Spurs in Plateau/Taraba States; Dualization of Suleija-Minna Road in Niger State: and Dualization of Lokoja-Benin Road: Obajana Junction-Benin Section I Phase I: Obajana-Okene, Kogi State.

Others include the Reconstruction of the existing Pavement and Completion of the additional Pavement on the Dualisation of Abuja - Lokoja Highway Section Ill: Abaji - Koton Karfe Road in Abuja/ Kogi State; Construction of the Jarmai-Bashar-Zuruk-Andame-Karim Lamido Road in Plateau and Taraba States; Reconstruction and Expansion of Mararaba - Keffi Road in Nasarawa State.

The North West Zone has a total of 980 Kilometres of roads being reconstructed consisting of Dualization of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States: Section I Zaria-Funtua-Gusau; Dualization of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States: Section II Gusau-Sokoto Road; Dualization of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States: Section II Gusau-Sokoto Road in Zamfara State; Dualization of Zaria-Funtua-Gusau-Sokoto Road in Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto States: Section III Gusau-Sokoto Road in Zamfara and Sokoto States; Dualization and Construction of Kano-Kwanar Dauja-Hadejia Road in Kano/Jigawa States, Section I. Tsalle-Hadejia; Dualization and Construction of Kano-Kwanar Dauja-Hadejia Road in Kano/Jigawa States, Section II. Kano-Tsalle; and Rehabilitation of Kaduna-Pambeguwa-Jos Road in Kaduna/Plateau States.

South East has 297.52 kilometres of roads consisting of Rehabilitation of Aba - Owerri Road NNPC Depot Expressway, Abia State; Rehabilitation of Otuocha - Anam- Nzam- Innoma-Iheaka- Ibaji Section of Otuocha - Ibaji-Odulu-Ajegwu in Anambra State; Construction of Ihiala-Orlu-Umuduru Road (Ihiala-Amaifeke Section) and Completion of Spur in Isseke Town-Amafuo-Uli in Imo/Anambra States.

It also includes Rehabilitation of Old Enugu - Onitsha Road (Opi Junction - Ukehe Okpatu-Aboh Udi-Oji to Anambra Border) in Enugu State; Construction of Omor-Umulokpa Road in Anambra and Enugu States; Rehabilitation of Ozalla-Akpugo-Amagunze-Ihuokpara-Nkomoro-Isu-Onicha (Enugu-Onicha) with a Spur to Onunweke in Enugu State; and Rehabilitation of Old Enugu – Port Harcourt Road (Agbogugu-Abia Border Spur to Mmaku) in Enugu State.

The South-West has a total of 150.56 Km of roads consisting of Rehabilitation and Expansion of Lagos-Badagry Expressway (Agbara Junction-Nigeria/Benin Border) in Lagos State; Dualization of Akure-Ita Ogbolu-Iju-Ado Ekiti State Road, Section I: Akure - Ita Ogbolu - Iju - Ekiti State Border in Ondo State; and Dualization of Akure-Ita Ogbolu-Iju-Ado Ekiti State Road, Section II: Ita Ogbolu - Iju – Ado-Ekiti in Ekiti State.

In his remarks at the Meeting and Press Briefing, Fashola described the public private sector agreement as a very defining legacy for President Muhammadu Buhari pointing out that the impact of the “very innovative investment policy” would help Nigeria to really do business both locally and internationally being a sound infrastructure-based investment policy on which business is done.

The Minister, who recalled that back in 2015 at the inception of the Buhari Administration, contractors were being owed two to three years’ payment arrears resulting in the shutdown of many project sites and laying off of construction workers by the companies, added that the Buhari administration arrested the situation by budgetary expansion from N18 billion for the whole of Nigeria’s road by the previous administration to N260 billion in 2016.

“You were being owed”, the Minister reminded the contractors at the Meeting. “Some of the complaints that I heard at the first meetings that I had with many of you when I was first appointed Minister were that you were paid only 10 percent advance payment two or three years ago. That was how bad the construction industry was when we started”, he said adding that some of the roads were contracted back to “the private sector” to go and raise fund to finance them.

Fashola, who also recalled that the roads contracted to the private sector, included the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge, among others, added, “But where was the private sector going to raise hundreds of billions of Naira to fund them”. He explained that the Buhari administration had to utilize more practical funding initiatives like SUKUK.

Recalling the controversies and criticisms that followed the borrowing option which the administration chose to fund the road and bridge projects, the Minister, who acknowledged the concern of the people over debt, however, added, that the debts “are buying roads, bridges, airports and seaports, assets that will last and sustain Nigeria’s development for the next 50 years”.

He pointed out that the administration also met debt when it took power adding, however, that the difference between it and its predecessor was that the debts it met on assumption of office in 2015 had no assets attached to them while the Buhari administration invested its debts on infrastructure assets. He said the choices at the time were either borrow or increase taxation noting that without any of the choices, the economy would collapse.

Faced with the choices, the Minister said, the administration took the borrowing option and also utilized an expansionist fiscal budget from N18 billion to N260 billion, adding that it thereafter supported the SUKUK and also went to recover some of the monies taken away from this country which today, according to him, “are building Abuja-Kano Highway, Lagos-Ibadan and the nearly completed 2ndNiger Bridge”.

Giving a brief history of the NNPC/FIRS agreement, Fashola, who said that the NNPCL was investing its resources into infrastructure, explained the ideology of the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme as “a new model of partnership with the private sector companies whereby government is saying, “Give me my tax in advance and I will invest it in infrastructure”.

“That model is why all of you are here”, he told the audience consisting of funding agencies and government representatives as well as contractors and newsmen adding that the innovation “shows the clear difference between two different government policies and it shows how they affect your businesses”.

On the 44 roads, Fashola, who explained that many of them have been contracted but without funds to execute them, told the contractors, “This intervention, therefore, is to complete those roads and the NNPCL is providing the fund. And this is the crux; because it means that whether we are here, Buhari is here but is going in the next four months, there is sustainability in the completion of these roads. And they have assured me that when you work to specification, the money is there”.

Noting that there are 21 roads in Phase One of the Scheme covering 1,804.6 kilometres, Fashola explained that there are other interventions by other groups like the Dangote Group, the NLNG Group in Bodo-Bonny, the MTN Group in Enugu-Onitsha Highway and others adding that this represented a very defining moment for the construction industry and allied industries.

The Minister appealed to all the communities encroaching on the right-of-way along the road corridors to vacate the places adding that all the claims for compensation by people who have encroached on such right-of-way would not be honoured while they must quit the encroached places or risk forceful ejection.

“Our right-of-way is 45.75 metres from both sides of the centre line. Many of the people who have built petrol stations and shops are inside our right-of-way. We will not pay compensation to those who have trespassed into our land, so they must leave”, he said appealing, however, that where the government needs right-of-way outside its zone, State governments, Village and Traditional Heads should appeal to their people to allow passage.

Fashola added, “These roads are not taking away your lands rather they are bringing prosperity to you and we expect that in the process of nation building everyone must be ready to contribute something”.

Highlighting the benefits of the revitalized construction industry to the economy, the Minister declared, “We have increased the number of quarrying companies, sand quarrying has also increased from 247 to 302. Granite quarrying companies have also increased from 334 to 655 and those who are quarrying laterite have increased from 108 to 259”.

Describing quarrying as a driver of the construction industry, the Minister who said it is impossible to build roads without laterite and granite, added “And this translates to jobs as we build more quarries. I am sure members of NARTO and NURTW who are here can begin to calculate how many trucks trips and how much income that could bring. I was at their AGM recently and the least they could say is “Business is good”. This is the impact of a policy that is driving the economy”.

The Minister also cautioned the Contractors against variation in the contract noting that the agreement was very specific on the variation. He declared, “So if you are going to ask for variation please opt out and say you cannot carry on with the programme. That is one of the reasons we are signing the agreement; and that is from the investors’ side because they are not factoring in variation”.

He appealed to the financiers for timely payment of certificates for work done adding, “We need to improve the governance side of payment so that when receipts come, payments should not be delayed unnecessarily. Delayed payments increase the chances of variation. So, it is critical now that we also, with dispatch, sign the contracts when we are able, start the work so that we can process all the advance payments”.

He urged the legal department of the Ministry to hasten the preparation of the documents so the agreement could be signed soon adding, “We have just finished our EMBER Months programme so this meeting is very strategic and we should handle it properly. The NNPC and FIRS are ready to go. So, I call on our legal department to accelerate the completion of this agreement.

The Minister also warned the contractors, “Quality must not be compromised; they will have their own consultants. So, if their consultant queries the quality of your job, you don’t get paid. We don’t have the money; they have the money”.

Those who spoke at the event included the Group Managing Director of NNPCL represented by the Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Umar Ajiya, the Chairman of the FIRS, Mr. Mohammed Nami, who all pledged to ensure the success of the Scheme, representatives of the contractors and President of NARTO, President of the NURTW who all hailed the Buhari administration and the Minister for driving the economy positively through massive investment in infrastructure. According to the NARTO President, “This Minister has set a record of achievements”.

Jan

28

2023

FUT Minna Gets FG's 1.25 km Road Intervention  

The Intervention Initiative of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in the Internal Roads of Federal Tertiary Institutions Nationwide has reached the Federal University of Technology (FUT) Minna, as a 1.25-kilometer road in the institution got rehabilitated.

The rehabilitated road was handed over to the Management of the University by the Federal Controller of Works Niger State, Engr Moshood Adekunle Samotu on behalf of the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Friday, January 27, 2023.

In his address, the Minister, Mr Raji Fashola stated that the intervention in the internal roads of tertiary institutions across the country by the federal government is a critical investment in education.

Fashola described the intervention as a critical support and an investment in education.

He explained the need to bridge the infrastructure gap in schools, saying that the government has successfully intervened in 64 internal Road projects in various Federal Tertiary Institutions.

" We have handed over a total of 46 as at March, 2022 and we now have another 18 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 83 ".

Mr. Fashola pointed out that the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has stepped up effort in leading the process of getting the work done, pointing that the intervention has contributed to the job creation initiative of the government and disclosed that 30 people had been employed during the road construction in FUT Minna.

In his remarks, the Vice Chancellor, FUT Minna, Professor Faruk Adamu Kuta described the road intervention as laudable and important to the University Community.

Professor Kuta appreciated the Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola for the road intervention in his school, praying that the University should also be considered as a beneficiary when similar intervention is conceived in future.   

In an interview, Dr. Auta Manaissa, Dean Students Affairs said that, the University was experiencing a helpless situation before the intervention and now the entire University community are happy as free access has been facilitated by the road rehabilitation

Testimonies from Students in the University, all pointed out that the rehabilitated 1.25km road had greatly impacted on their learning environment, as free and faster access has now been facilitated for staff and students in the course of carrying out their academic activities

The students that spoke include; Financial Secretary of the Students Union Government (SUG), Aminat Abdulraheem, a student of Agriculture and Bio- Resources; Attah Danladi Mustafa, Student Representative member; Zaccheus Philip Adinoyi, a 200-level student of Mechanic Engineering; and Abdulrahman Khidir Olayinka, a student of Animal Production Technology.

Generally, the students commended the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari for bringing this laudable project to the institution.

Accordingly, the students were of the view that the University needs more of such projects in its permanent site to further fast track its development.

The 1.25 kilometers newly rehabilitated internal road in FUT Minna connects the following buildings in the University; University Clinic; Sports Complex; School of Innovative Technology; Ultra-modern market; Students Hostels (block A-G & H); Hostels Mosque and the University Chapel.

Jan

24

2023

FG Hands over 2 Kilometre Road to University of Jos.

The Federal Government has commissioned and handed over the two-kilometre road rehabilitated by the Federal Ministry of works and Housing to the Management of the University of Jos, Plateau State.

At the commissioning ceremony, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Plateau State, Engineer Usman Abubakar Majin stated that the gap of the infrastructure need was steadily been bridged by the gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways and schools.

The Minister pointed out that the quality of education is connected with the quality of Infrastructure in an institution of learning.

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

Fashola further said," We have successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in various Federal Tertiary Institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March, 2022 and we now have another 18 ready to be handed over while we are currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the Country making a total of 83."

The Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Tanko Ishaya who was represented by the Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration, Professor Joshua Amopitan, expressed profound gratitude to the Federal Government for the road rehabilitation, adding that it has brought a lot of relief to the students and staff of the Institution.

He said, "The road was in a terrible shape before it was reconstructed, it will not only benefit the students because it leads to the hostel but also our staff and parents who normally come to the institution."

The VC added that the vehicular hiccups normally experienced in the University had been drastically reduced due to the current good condition of the road.

He further said that the forthcoming 22nd and 23rd convocation of the University will be merrier as a result of the road.

The occasion was witnessed by the Registrar, Dr Rejoice Songdem, Director Physical Facilities, Halima Auta, the University Librarian, Dr. Thomas Adigun and other staff of the institution.

It was a joyful moment within and around the University community in Jos, Plateau state.

Jan

17

2023

Federal Government Hands Over Internal Road Project at Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa

…...MD and others express gratitude.

On behalf of the Federal Government, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing has handed over a 380 metres internal road at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

The minister who was represented at the event by the Federal Controller Works, Bayelsa State, Engr. Patrick Nneji said that the road project was an intervention in the health sector to improve the health condition of all humanity.

Fashola said, "It is undebatable that the quality of health will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedbacks from staff of the Centre, where this type of intervention has taken place."

The minister disclosed that, "The Federal Government has successfully delivered through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing 64 internal road projects at various Federal Tertiary Institutions and Federal Hospitals and also handed over a total of 46 as at March 2022 and we now have another 18 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to other 19 internal roads in similar institutions/federal hospitals across the country, making a total of 83."

The minister noted that staff and patients are expressing renewed enthusiasm with regards to the face lift at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State because some defective roads have been restored to good condition.

Fashola disclosed that during the construction about 60 persons were employed thereby contributing to the job creation initiatives of the Federal Government.

In his remarks the Medical Director of the Centre, Prof. Dennis Oju Allagoa who was represented by Dr. Peter Alabrah, Head of Clinical Services at the Centre expressed joy and gratitude to President Muhammadu Buhari and Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN the Honourable Minister for this laudable internal road project that was handed over.

Prof. Allagoa said, "It is on record that and it is noted that Mr. President’s, Slogan of 'On the Next Level' is already happening at the Center. Today, we are seeing the impact of what Mr. President has done from what we have seen in this road project that has been handed over to us. We have indeed moved to the next level."

The Medical Director also noted that the centre in deed benefited a lot from other Federal Government projects in year 2022.

The Medical Director also appreciated Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN the Honourable Minister for keeping faith and ensuring that the road project was completed and handed over. He noted that the road project has transformed the landscape of the Centre and made it very beautiful.

He added that it has made access possible by those walking and driving through with vehicles.

During an interview session with some of the staff, they expressed their feelings thus as follows: Mrs. Christian Soseipiriala Mozimo, a nurse at the centre said:

"I work at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. Over the years this road has been bad. It was not fair enough for patients’ movement. After the construction of this road, you can see how beautiful the whole environment is looking and aiding patients’ accessibility to healthcare. I thank President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN."

Another staff who is also a nurse at the centre, Deborah Emmanuel has this to say: "I work at the Federal Medical Centre, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State. I really want to thank the Federal Government for this good road they brought to us. Before the construction the road was very difficult to access and not in good shape. But after the renovation we thank God that we now have a good road to ply on by both students and staff. The constructed road will enable us to perform our jobs better."

Jan

11

2023

Fashola Inaugurates 1.8 Km Internal Road for Federal University Birnin-Kebbi

.... Road intervention special in our history - VC

Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Wednesday, January 11, 2023 inaugurated the 1.8-kilometer internal road constructed by the Ministry in the Federal University in Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State.

The Minister, in his address said, Federal government has provided 83 internal road intervention projects in various Federal tertiary institutions across the country.

The Minister was represented by Engr. Bugu James Federal Controller of Works in Kebbi State office.

The Vice chancelor of the University, Professor Muhammad Zaiyan Umar described the road intervention as very special in the history of the institution, in addition to beautifying the environment and making movement easier within the institution.

Fashola stated that the Federal Government remained committed to bridging the infrastructure gaps in the country including those of institutions of learning, in view of the importance of infrastructure to learning environment and quality of education.

He said " It is undebatable that the quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment".

Accordingly, he explained that the gap in infrastructure was steadily being bridged by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways, and had now reached the schools.

The Minister said the Ministry has successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in various Federal Tertiary institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March 2022, with another 18 were ready to be handed over, while 19 roads in similar institutions were currently being attended to across the country, making a total of 83.

The Minister said the road project had not only benefited the students and the school community but also provided jobs for youths, stating that 33 jobs had been created in the process of construction in the Federal University in Birnin Kebbi.

In his remark, the Vice Chancellor, Professor. Muhammad Zaiyan Umar said that, the University has been enjoying the support of the Federal Government, and that this tremendous support has made it possible for the institution to achieve academic excellence as well as massive infrastructural development.

Professor Umar expressed profound gratitude to H.E, President Muhammadu Buhari for the timely release of funds, Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola and the Ministry's field officers in Kebbi State for effectively supervising the construction of the road.

" The project would impact greatly on the lives of the entire university community while enhancing easy access within the institution" he said.

In his testimony, the Deputy Registrar. Abubakar Abdulkadir thanked the federal ministry of works and housing for helping in developing the new institution.

" Before now, the area was a forest and was not accessible and no one can believe this area was part of the University.  But today the road project has linked the new Senate Building, College of Medicine, Sports complex, students hostel among others " he said.

Professor Abdulazeez Shehu, a lecturer in Economics Department described the intervention as impactful on the University as difficult areas were now accessible and the security issue in the sorrounding community has now been solved.

The President, Students Union, Commarade Muhammad Muhammad Majo, a student of Industrial Chemistry in the University commended the Federal Government and the Minister for the road intervention.

He said " The University permanent site was a forest and un accessible before this road intervention.  But now you can see students having free movement from hostels to faculties the sports complex and the new senate building" thanks to the ruling government.

Jan

11

2023

Fashola Lists Benefits of Loko-Oweto Bridge, Road Project

…Says the project would be commissioned soon

Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, said the Loko-Oweto bridge and the linking roads when fully completed would be of great benefits to the communities along the corridors of the project, motorists and commuters that use the route.

Fashola listed many benefits of the project while on inspection. He disclosed that the bridge had been   completed and what remained  was the approach roads to the bridge.

Fashola said, "This is about my fifth visit here since 2016 when we started out as Power Works and Housing Ministry. There was essentially nothing here. We now have a bridge over the River Benue, 70 Kilometers road linking Benue State to the bridge and we also have another 74 kilometers of road linking Nasarawa State into the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“This Bridge has been finished about two or a year and a half years ago but we are waiting to connect the link roads. The link roads are substantially finished now and I think I can comfortably go and report to Mr. President that this bridge is now ready to be formally commissioned and opened to traffic.”

Speaking on the benefits of the project, he said that the Loko-Oweto bridge would provide a shorter route for commuters and motorists. He said that despite the fact that the project has not been officially opened for use, it has offered shorter routes for travelers and reduced travel hours to its barest minimum.

“I remember it used to take about four and half hours from Mabushi in Abuja to get here. The main problem was the 74-kilometre road part of which we are standing on now.  That road is essentially finished so it took about 30 minutes to get here from the approach road. The journey from Mabushi to here now is two and a half hours from four hours,” he said.

Still speaking on the benefits, the Minister said the project has further demonstrated the commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to infrastructure growth and development of the nation saying, no nation can produce without infrastructure and that it was the legitimate means of distributing wealth of the nation.

He said: “But it is important to inform Nigerians that those who speak about production, the economy, should come here and learn what infrastructure can do. You cannot produce without infrastructure. You cannot drive an economy without infrastructure. So, they should come here because this bridge is actually a test case that demonstrates the commitment of Mr. President to infrastructure as a way of boosting our economic growth.”

Speaking on behalf of the Emir of Loko, HRH Alhaji Abubakar Ahmed, Sabo Mai- Loko and the entire community, the Area Council Chairman of Loko, Honourable Shaibu Umah expressed appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari on the construction of the Loko- Oweto bridge which he said has impacted their lives positively.

“We thank the Honourable Minister and Mr. President on the Loko- Oweto bridge and the adjoining roads which are near completion. When fully completed and commissioned would provide business opportunities to our community."

Jan

03

2023

FG Reiterates Commitment to Improving the Human Condition

•    As Minister’s representative commissions, hands over rehabilitated internal road in UNILAG

•    Says the new enthusiasm among students is consistent with FG’s progressive ideals

•     It is very clear that if our future will be secured, we must invest in education, says VC as she commends FG’s initiative

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN has reiterated the commitment of the Federal Government to the ideal of improving the human condition in the country saying the current intervention of the government in the rehabilitation of internal roads in Federal institutions nationwide was consistent with that ideal.

Represented by the Federal Controller of Works in the State, Engr. Olaseni Umar Bakare, at the official handing over of a rehabilitated road in the University of Lagos,  the Minister said while it was true that work was in progress in many sectors of the country’s national life including education, the Buhari government has stepped out to lead the process of getting that work done, adding, “The gap of our infrastructural need is being steadily being bridged by gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction of major highways and it has reached the schools”.

Noting that the interventions were impacting on the quality of Education in the institutions, the Minister declared, “It is undebatable that the quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment”, adding that those who doubt it should simply listen to the feedbacks from the students of schools where such intervention has taken place.

He said that the commitment to the ideal of improving the human condition could well be seen in the renewed enthusiasm for learning being shown by students of the tertiary institution which have so far benefited from the ongoing interventions adding that UNILAG has joined 46 other institutions which have so far benefited from the process.

According to the Minister, “We have successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in various federal institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March, 2022. We now have another 18 ready to be handed over while we are currently attending to 19 other roads across the country in similar institutions bringing it to a total of 83”.

Expressing the hope that the roads being rehabilitated in Federal institutions across the country would be used properly and not abused by the beneficiaries, he pointed out that although the current interventions are civil projects, they are also investments in education adding that they fulfill the job creation initiative as over 40 people were employed in the process of the construction of the road in UNILAG.

In her welcome remarks earlier, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Folasade Olusola, while thanking the Federal Government, President Muhammad Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing for what she described as, “this great initiative of intervening in tertiary institutions”, declared, “It is very clear that if our future will be secured, we must invest in education”.

Noting that the manpower that develops the nations is produced by the universities, the Vice Chancellor added that if the enabling environment were not created in which the manpower would grow then the future of the nation would be mortgaged. “Everyone has a role to play”, she said.

She expressed gratitude to the Minister for also resurfacing the road from the UNILAG Bookshop to the Medical Centre which she described as previously “terrible” adding, “You gave us a total rehabilitation of that road because if one was passing through that road, you would think you were passing through a gulley. I am very grateful for the work you are doing in infrastructure in terms of our road”.

In an interview after the handover ceremony, the Vice Chancellor said the rehabilitated road was hitherto “impassable”, adding, “When we gave people houses on this road usually, they turned it down because the road was a real challenge and it was so bad that it was beyond what we could handle. It was beyond maintenance and it really needed rehabilitation”.

“We are grateful to the Federal Government and we assure them that we will continue to maintain the road because it creates a good environment for our academic work”, she said adding, “We are trying to create an environment for our students and our staff to flourish. We want to make life easier for them and we are looking forward to much more in terms of road network”.

Pointing out that the UNILAG Campus is small but has land which could be expanded, the Vice Chancellor pointed out that the institution needs to open up the land to be able to develop it adding, “One of the things about roads is that they go with development, if we have roads then we can have more classrooms and hostels because they will be built along the roads. So, as we say thank you to the Federal Government, we also say please don’t leave us we are still here and we need more assistance so that we can open up more areas in the university”.

There were also expressions of gratitude from both staff and students who attended the ceremony in their numbers in spite of the fact that many faculties were conducting examinations. The Dean of Students’ Affairs, Professor Musa Adebayo Obalola, thanked the Federal Government for the intervention saying before the rehabilitation, the road was “quite bad”.

The Dean, who said he had been in the institution for over three decades, both as a student and then lecturer, added, “One thing that we seem to lack as a people, may be due to oversight or our cultural trait, is that we do not maintain our assets as much as we should but in the rehabilitation of this road it has been beneficial to both faculty members and students”.

“I think I've been here for over three decades, as a student and as a faculty member of the university. As a staff I've been here for more than two decades. So, I'm qualified to talk about the condition of the road before and now. Prior to the rehabilitation most vehicles avoid this road. They would rather take Ozolua Road and others rather than plying this road but now almost everyone wants to start plying this road”, he said.

On the Park which was also rehabilitated, the Dean said, “Oh, yes that one is beneficial to everyone. It’s where we have our shopping mall. The place was giving us a lot of headaches before its rehabilitation. For the road you might say its beneficial to those that live around here but that one is like a shopping complex that almost everyone visits on a daily basis so the construction of that place was a very beneficial one to the entire university community even to outsiders. Over the years we've tried to do some palliatives but it didn't last but the way it is looking now it is “quite commendable and beneficial to the entire community.”

“What the Federal Government is doing is quite a commendable gesture because I don't think any university has the financial muscle to do this. So, the intervention of the government in this regard is a welcome idea and we hope to see more of it as the year rolls on because there are still little parts of our road that needs this treatment but so far largely our roads seem to be in good shape now”, he said.

Others who spoke included the Acting Director of Works of the institution and the President of the Students’ Association of the Faculty of Social Sciences who spoke for the student’s body. They all expressed delight and gratitude to the Federal Government “for the work done by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing.”

The President of the Students’ Union said, “The road we are standing on is called Abdul Attah Road. The road was so bad that lecturers allocated houses there refused to take the houses but today as you can see it’s a beauty to behold. We thank the Federal Government for this effort. The roads will improve the condition of learning and teaching. We can now go to classes and come back without the fear that our vehicles will break down”.

Dec

19

2022

Road Rehabilitation Has Technically Improved Learning... Fashola

... A Clean environment has increased attendance at Lectures. Yaba Tech Rector.

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, has confirmed that the rehabilitation of some roads within Yaba College of Technology, Yaba Lagos State has technically improved the desire for learning in students of the institution. He made this assertion during the official Commissioning and handover of some rehabilitated roads by the Federal Government under the Ministry of Works and Housing.

The Minister, who was represented by Engr. Umar Bakare, the Controller of Works in Lagos State, said that the Federal Government considered the huge impact of improved educational activities in both these learning institutions and hospitals where these internal road network interventions have been carried out a commitment fulfilled. The result is what we are seeing already with improved and increased number of students who now attend lectures that eventually earns them good grades at graduation. It is therefore undebatable that the quality of education has been impacted by the quality of Infrastructure and the neat and clean learning environment.

Speaking further, Fashola said that students are now more readily expressing renewed enthusiasm with regards to attending lectures because some defective roads and especially here, the student carpark has been restored to good condition. The Minister also asserted that during the construction of these internal roads network and the College carpark, over forty (40) direct and indirect people were employed in the process, thereby contributing to the job creation initiative of lifting Ten Million Nigerian from poverty. It is hoped that the College will now ensure that this asset is used properly and not abused.

Earlier, the Rector of Yaba College of Technology, Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe glowingly commended the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, CON, who when he invited as Guest Speaker to deliver the College annual graduation Lecture, was approached with these rehabilitation request promised to ensure it is attended to, this is a promise kept by the Minister, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola. For this the entire College Community are grateful and this high commendation also goes to President Muhammadu Buhari who approved that all these necessary infrastructures be put in place.

The Rector also confirmed that the impact on school attendance during the raining season has also increased tremendously thereby boosting the increased number of students who now attend lectures more regularly.

Nevertheless, Engr. Omokungbe informed that due to the overflow of students, a new campus has been opened at Epe still in Lagos state. This new campus requires the construction of new roads for which the College is passionately appealing for assistance from the Federal Government through this same internal road network intervention, this Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe said will enhance the movement of students within the new campus facilities.

Also commenting, the Director of Works in Yaba College of Technology, Engr. A. Adebayo was full of praises to President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola who has kept his promised made to the College, he also thanked the Contractor who handled the rehabilitation work for the quality of work done, more so the staff of Federal Ministry of Works, Lagos state who did not compromise standard. He said the rehabilitation of the College carpark and a section of the internal road network intervention was well done. He expressed satisfaction and joy.

In the same vein, the Dean of Student Affairs, Dr. Aderounmu who was represented by the First Vice President of Student Union Government, Mr. Adenle Oluwatosin was grateful to God, President Muhammadu Buhari, the Minister, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola and their Rector, Engr. Obafemi Omokungbe for the privilege of this project that has positively affected the lives of students of the College. He affirmed that there is no more excessive flooding, therefore students who own cars are now able to park their cars in a neat environment, regular lecture attendance by students has increased due to this rehabilitation intervention in the College. He said the intervention is good for them. He said on behalf of the students they promise to make judicious use of the infrastructure and also take very good care of it to ensure its longevity.

The colorful commissioning and handover ceremony was well attended by the Deputy Rector, (Administration) Mr. Inyang Udoh, the Registrar, Dr. Sikiru. O. Momodu, the College Bursar. Mr. Abduwaheed. A. Yeusuf, the Director of Works in the College, Engr. Bashir. A. Adebayo, the first Vice President, Student Union Government, Mr. Adenle Oluwatosin, the Assistant Director (Highways) Engr. (Mrs ) Olukorede Kesha and students of the College who  were all happy and commended this project initiative of the Federal Government.

Dec

15

2022

Bodo-Bonny Road Project: Works at Substantial Level of Completion- Fashola

... President Buhari has connected us with the rest of Nigeria- Chief Longjohn

Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has said that works on the Bodo-Bonny Road Project has reached a substantial level of completion and that it would be completed by December, 2023.

Inspecting the 37.9 km single carriageway with thirteen bridges on Wednesday, Fashola said it would boost the economic opportunities and activities of the region.

While assuring Nigerians on the new date of completion, he said funding has been made available to ensure its completion even when the tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari expires.

According to Fashola the present administration of President Buhari has demonstrated commitment in infrastructure development in all the regions of Nigeria.

" It is instructive to point out that this very project is being executed by the Federal Government.  I hear some people comment that the Federal Government is not doing anything in Rivers State. Bodo and Bonny are in Rivers State. This is a 200 billion Naira investment in one state. The amount is not the issue but the short and long terms significance of the project is addressing the problem of poverty and how to lift people out of poverty."

He said that the purpose of the inspection was to see the level of work done and to administer solutions to any identified problems so that the road and bridges would be open for use for Nigerians by December, 2023.

Addressing journalists after the inspection, he said, “There was urgent need to fast tract the completion of the road project pointing out that such infrastructure project would address both the monetary and multi- dimensional poverty of the people and the nation at large. " People are engaged at the sites, contractors, suppliers are busy working and making money. This place will be opened up in a way that it will be breath taking. It should be on record that the seed of ending poverty has been sown by President Buhari by this project."

On his part, the Bodo Bonny Road and Bridges Project Peace Committee Chairman, Chief Osobonye Longjohn said that the project has connected Bodo -Bonny to Nigeria, stressing that it will bring prosperity to the land.

" I thank President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN for this project. Our hopes as a people is alive now because the project will create a lot of economic opportunities for our people. We are happy. As you have remembered us, we will remember this government led by the All Progressive Congress (APC)," he said.

Earlier, the Project Manager of Julius Berger Plc, Thomas Haug said that the project has progressed tremendously and would be completed by December, 2023 pointing out that funding would not be a challenge.

He said that the firm has completed major engineering works under water surface, adding that about thirteen bridges both minor and major ones have been completed.

Dec

09

2022

Infrastructure: Recommendations For Getting Nigeria Out Of Poverty Already Being Addressed, Says Fashola

•      As Minister presides over 2022 EMBER Month Programme’s Press Briefing in Abuja
•      Confirms opening of the 2nd Niger Bridge for use during yuletide period
•      Also, barrier and diversions to be removed from Abuja-Kano, Lagos-Ibadan Roads to ease traffic during the festival period
•      Appeals for patience and strict observance of the national speed limit of 100 Km per hour by road users
•      FRSC, NARTO, PTD, Contractors, other stakeholders pledge cooperation to enable free flow of traffic, guard against avoidable accident
 
Pointing the way forward in the light of the recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) recommendations for getting Nigeria out of poverty, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Thursday declared that such recommendations were already being addressed by the Muhammadu Buhari administration with its massive investment in infrastructure renewal and expansion.

The NBS in the report released in November on poverty index had recommended investments in Health, Education and Infrastructure among others as viable means to take the people out of poverty.

But while presiding over the 2022 Ember Month Programme’s Press Briefing of the Ministry, Fashola, who noted that many people had been quoting the Report in terms of the poverty rate, explained to the audience of transport stakeholders who gathered at the Conference Room of the Ministry, “That (Infrastructure) was already happening before the recommendation came. President Buhari had started investing in infrastructure. That is why you and I are here”.

Explaining that poverty has different dimensions including, monetary and multidimensional poverty, the Minister pointed out that the importance of infrastructure lay in the fact that it not only addresses monetary poverty but also multidimensional poverty which, according to him, includes absence of access, choice and efficiency.

“And so for me, why is infrastructure so important? It is addressing poverty in the monetary and multidimensional modes because it provides jobs during construction and makes life better after construction. And as we have seen, as construction is going on journey time is getting better year-on-year”, he said.

Stating that the Buhari administration “is on the right track” as far as addressing the poverty issues are concerned, the Minister, who noted that results would manifest in due course, added that people who express anxiety over the seeming delay in the results of the investments should commend the administration for investing the nation’s resources for the benefit of the people.

He recalled that there was a time before the present administration when funds were being taken out of the country and also from an agency of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to fund elections in the country, adding, “If they took away funds meant for national development, that was one of the causes of poverty.”

“NNPC is now investing N621 billion in road construction but that was the money some people used to fund electioneering campaigns and provide cars for friends in the past. Buhari has put back the money where it belongs. These are things that are heading in the right direction”, Fashola said.

The Minister declared, “When there is a problem it takes time to design a solution and when you apply the solution it takes time to get the final results. But ours is past the design stage because we are already seeing the results”, adding that if people who were saying it took them days to travel to a destination are now saying it takes them a few hours to make the same destination, “it means we are heading in the right direction”.

Noting the various innovative ways, the administration has introduced to fund the investments in infrastructure, the Minister explained that when crude oil prices crashed at the onset and revenues fell, this government found other funding sources. “So, we now talk of the SUKUK; we are now talking about the Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme, we are now talking about the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund”, he said.

Fashola, who recalled that the President went abroad, early in the life of the administration, to request for the repatriation of those stolen funds from the countries in which they were being kept to enable him fund critical infrastructure like the Second Niger Bridge, the Abuja-Kano Road and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway among others adding that the execution of the road transport infrastructure projects are now going on.

The Minister declared, “When the President committed in his June 12, 2019 remark that he was going to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty, perhaps, not many people thought it was possible. But that process has started.

“All of these construction companies would ordinarily be out of work if the infrastructure programme is not being implemented; there would be no work for the people. And then the people who depend on construction for their businesses; those who own quarries, those who own construction equipment, trucks, tractors, bitumen, cement, without construction they will be out of job”.

The Minister, while reiterating his challenge to the opposition for a debate on the role of infrastructure development in achieving economic growth and poverty eradication, noted the opposition’s penchant for celebrating the negative figures often thrown up by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and similar bodies without being able to connect investments in infrastructure as the long term solution due to its numerous benefits such as creation of direct and indirect jobs as well as businesses which lead to the creation of a vibrant economy and legitimate distribution of wealth through the value chain.

On the opening of the Second Niger Bridge, Fashola explained that the Bridge would be opened to traffic from December 15, 2022 to January 15, 2023, pointing out, however, that the access would only be for traffic going from the West to the East of the country adding that the flow would be reversed on January 15, 2023 to benefit traffic from the East to the West of the country.

Emphasizing that work on the access road to the Bridge was not yet finished, the Minister who said the reason for the temporary opening was to ease pressure on the first bridge which was usually congested as a result of the huge traffic on it during the yuletide period added that the access roads linking the surrounding towns to the bridge are yet to be finished.

“I believe it is good news so I can confirm it. As I have told you we have completed work on the Bridge. So, as it is now you can walk from one end of the bridge to the other; you can drive from one end to the other. But the connecting roads that link the bridge are what we are working on; that has not finished”, he said.

The Minister attributed the delay in completion of the entire work on the access routes to the bridge to the flooding occasioned by the predicted heavy rains and the fact that contractors could not work on Mondays in the South East leading to the loss of 52 days in a year. Fashola, however, said that the flood that occurred in the area during the season was also a blessing explaining that the original level for the design of the access road had to be changed.

“We had to raise the height of that road. So that flood has made the design to be reviewed and that is good for us. Happily, and thankfully, it did not affect the bridge in any way…”, he said.

Buttressing the positive impact of infrastructure, the Minister asked, “Why do we need the Second Niger Bridge; is it not because we have outgrown the first bridge? Is it not because people spend days there just to go for Christmas?” He added, “That is part of poverty. That is the multidimensional poverty which this President said “I will relieve you of it and provide you a choice”.

“You don’t have to sleep overnight on the bridge because you want to go home for Christmas. That is part of what we are talking about. And he has also approved that since the bridge is finished, we should create a temporary access so that in the journey this Christmas you can begin to experience what it will look like when the bridge is finally finished and we open it”, the Minister said.

Fashola assured that the Ministry’s Director of Bridges would work in collaboration with the contractors and the FRSC to work out and publicize more on the arrangement adding, “We still have time of about a week and we will be working round the clock to make sure this plan works”.

The Minister said the impact of the Second Niger Bridge arrangement would also be felt on the Abuja-Kano Road and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway where, according to him, the contractors handling the projects have been asked to remove the barriers and diversions restricting traffic flow for the period of the festivities.

“Let me explain the reason why we divert; we cannot build a 100 km road at once. So, we close sections of five, six to 10 kilometres on one side and divert traffic to the other side so that we can complete it. Once we open that road, that section is completed and we open it to traffic”, the Minister explained, adding that the Director in charge of Construction and Rehabilitation had sent the message to all his Controllers and all the contractors to pass the message to their staff.

Noting that the directive was, “Don’t open up for construction of any new sections anymore,” the Minister said, “that is what we have done; by the 15th of December, remove the barriers, provide signage, reflective signs and flood lights to guide people through so that it is a free passage”.

According to him, on Abuja-Kano, from Kaduna to Zaria there will be no diversions at all. And from Zaria to Kano, which is over 130 km, there will be only one diversion. And from Abuja to Kaduna, which is about 165 km there are going to be four diversions. So, from Abuja to Kano, which is 365 km, there are going to be only five diversions.

Explaining that the five diversions are necessary for operational purposes Fashola added, “I think this is significant and the contractors are working to provide valid access. There are places where we are just going to patch so that you can drive because we are coming back to remove it for full construction which is the main contract”.

“So when you see such things don’t go back to say it has failed, it has not failed, we have not built it, we have just provided relief. When you get to the built section where we have finished, you will see the quality of work we have done there, lane marking and everything and you will know this is the constructed part”, the Minister further explained.

On the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, he said the instruction to the contractors was no diversions or obstructions on the Lagos-Shagamu end from the 15th of December adding that on the Ibadan end there would also be no diversion.

Appealing to the commuting public for patience, Fashola said, “So what I will then say is that you will expect efficient, reduced travel time if we use the road properly. So sometimes you have heard there will be religious events, cross over nights, sometimes traffic might slow down; FRSC is there to move it”.

“Please be patient; don’t be in a hurry and face oncoming traffic because it will just build up the whole place and that is what will cause gridlock and not our work but impatience as it is”, he said adding that he will interact with the FRSC during the period and give the necessary support to ensure smooth traffic flow on the road.

Reiterating the importance of patience among commuters, the Minister added, “Where there is slowdown, bear with us. We don’t intend it but these things can happen with the best of plans. The reason why we are here is that we have come here to plan for the worst and we are now hoping for the best. And the best can only come from the way we use the road”.

To truck drivers, the Minister appealed, “Try and keep your trucks in good condition. Don’t overspeed, if you are tired, take a break and sleep because this is what causes accidents and obstructions. Mostly I want to appeal that the maximum speed on federal roads is 100km/hour not 101 km. So, I’d rather you drive below 100km/hour because we want you to arrive safely”.

Appealing to the FRSC for more stringent monitoring of the traffic, Fashola who reiterated that no driver without a valid driver’s license should be allowed on Nigerian roads, added, “We are having too many road crashes and we are losing too many lives. In the month of September, the data that I got was better than August but it is still not tolerable. We lost over 400 people on the roads. We have to bring that number down”.

“I am glad that FRSC is here. One of my appeals to FRSC is to do random checks, ask people for their driver’s licenses, if they don’t have arrest and prosecute them. Only certified people will drive on our roads. The President has approved patrol vehicles for you, use it to control traffic.”

Listing the sections on which motorists are prone to excessive speeding to include Lagos-Ibadan, Abuja-Kano and Abuja to Lokoja, the Minister told the Commission, “Put your patrol vehicles on the road. If necessary, let them stay at the end of the traffic to restrict everybody to a maximum of 100km so that nobody overtakes them”.

“These are some of the things we have come to share. We want to reduce the number of accidents. We want people to get home safely. We want it to be a very merry Christmas for them and certainly a more prosperous New Year that we hope to see”, the Minister said.

Fashola also appealed to the people of Akure, Ado-Ekiti, people in Kabba and Benin-Sapele and all the people who use the Benin-Okene Road, the East West Road that government understands the challenges on those roads and is leaving nothing undone to solve them.

He explained further, “Some of them are mired in our procurement processes which as matters of law we can’t change. So, we are working to fix them”. He added that the Ministry was also working to make recommendations to the President to get other sources of funding to invest in these roads.

“So, our contractors do not despair; help is on the way. We are also mindful of this issue of inflation; we are going to address it; in some cases, we are providing augmentations. We can’t do everything. So, some of it may have to be quid pro quo, we give some and you give us some. But generally, I am optimistic that we are on the right part”, he assured.

To other stakeholders, especially the road users, Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO) and Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), Fashola thanked them for their cooperation in the efforts to bring sanity to the roads adding, “I am not blaming you for overloading. I am just advising you to comply with the law and I am happy to hear the report on efforts being made to do so. It ultimately means that the road will serve you for a longer period as designed; because, after all, what business do you have if you don’t have the road”.

The Minister who thanked all the stakeholders and wished all Nigerians a happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, said for those being accused of overloading cement the people concerned were known to the Ministry. He added, “We will call them and we will find a solution working together. So, it is work in progress”.

Those who made presentations at the conference included the Director Highways, South West Zone, Engr. Adedamola Kuti who gave a comprehensive overview of the EMBER Months intervention programme of the Ministry and its Agency from Routes A1 to A6; the Managing Director of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Engr. Nuruddeen Rafindadi who affirmed the Ministry’s presentation while also presenting additional areas of intervention by FERMA; and representatives of the road transport unions as well as the Contractors who pledged their cooperation to ensure the smooth flow of traffic during the period.

Also present at the briefing were the Minister of State, the Acting Permanent Secretary, Directors, Special Advisers and other top functionaries of the Ministry as well as other stakeholders.

Apr

30

2023

Lagos-Ibadan Expressway: FG Appeals For Patience, Says Reconstruction Work On Final Stretch Progressing Satisfactorily

…Work within OPIC area between Kara Bridge and Long Bridge completed, to be opened to traffic Sunday (April 30)

As the reconstruction work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway enters its final phase, the Federal Government has appealed for patience and understanding of motorists on account of the heavy traffic being experienced on the stretch from Toll Gate to Kara Bridge in Lagos.

The Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN in a Press Release signed by his Special Adviser on Communications, Mr Hakeem Bello, said he empathizes with members of the public who have had to endure longer than usual traffic as the reconstruction work in the heavily built-up stretch progresses towards the finish line.

According to the Minister, the intensity of work and the high volume of traffic which had to be accommodated at the same time have been complicated by impatience on the part of some motorists who drive against the planned traffic flow and breakdown of vehicles.

He however noted that the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is working with the Lagos State Government, all traffic management and security agencies to minimize the discomfort of motorists.

The Minister also explained that the contractors are also being encouraged to ensure that the final challenging phase of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway reconstruction work are concluded as soon as possible. 

While noting that the earlier envisaged April 30 date for conclusion of the final stretch could not be achieved due to a combination of factors, work within the OPIC area between Kara Bridge and the Long Bridge has been completed and would be opened to traffic tomorrow, Sunday (April 30). This means that the main carriageway, both bounds, from Berger (New Garage) and Sagamu Inter-change on Section 1 of the Project has been completed. 

All attention, according to the Minister, would now be focused on the outstanding work between Otedola Bridge and Berger (both bounds). 

Apr

18

2023

FG Poised To Commission Abuja Kano Expressway

The Federal Government has given the assurance that section 2 and 3 of the Abuja - Kano expressway will be completed and  commissioned by President Muhammad Buhari before the end of his tenure  this year, May, 29th. 2023.

This assurance was given by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari who was taken on a  press - inspection tour of the road by the Minister of Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN.

The Chief of Staff who expressed satisfaction with the work done said, "Both section 2 and 3 will be completed and ready for commissioning by President Muhammad Buhari before the end of the tenure of his administration".

He disclosed that another legacy project of the President, the 2nd Niger bridge will also be commissioned by the President before he leaves office. He recalled that the bridge had been opened for road users during the last Christmas season to ease the hardship that people had  suffered for years now 

The COS praised the President for his outstanding and commendable commitment to infrastructural development across the country. "We want to commend Mr President for making the resources available so that this kind of progress can be made", he said. 

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN  explained that section 3 of the road which is from Kaduna to Kano is 137 kilometres, which is longer than the Lagos - Ibadan expressway which is 127 kilometres while section 2 of the road which stretches from Zaria to Kaduna is 73 kilometres. 

He added  that though  the Lagod - Ibadan expressway started earlier both projects are being completed around the same time. 

On why work on  the section 1 of the road which is from Abuja from Zaria was not progressing like the other two, the Minister attributed the reasons to criminal activities which stalled the work for about a year in 2022, issues about right of way because of the need to relocate buildings, markets electricity installations, utilities all of which must be addressed before the contractor can do his job. 

He said  that work on that section of the road was ongoing just as the required collaboration between the Ministry and the Federal Capital Territory Minster and the Governors of Niger and Kaduna states whose territories are connected to the 265 kilometres road is going on. 

Fashola gave the assurance that the section will be completed by the next administration as soon as possible as funding which is being provided by the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority is readily available. 

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority, Mr Aminu Umar Sadiq affirmed his organisation's commitment and readiness to provide the funding for the project.

Mar

29

2023

EXIT OF A CORE CIVIL SERVANT: RETD PERMANENT SECRETARY; MR. AKOH DANIEL ALIFA

The Federal Ministry of Works And Housing (FMWH) and the entire family of Mr. Akoh Daniel Alifa, wish to announce the glorious exit of a retired Permanent Secretary of the Ministry who passed in the early hours of Sunday, 26th March, 2023 at LUTH in Lagos.

Speaking on behalf of the family, former Minister of Health, Architect Gabriel Yakubu Aduku confirmed the death of this retired core Civil Servant. Mr. Alifa who hails from Kogi State died after a brief illness peacefully at the age of Eighty –Eight (88) years.

He is survived by his wife, four children, grandchildren and other relatives.

The Ministry deeply regrets his sudden exit and pray Almighty God to comfort the family and give them the grace and fortitude to bear this sad incidence. 

MAY GOD GRANT HIS SOUL PEACEFUL REST

Feb

16

2023

FG Completes and Hands Over Internal Road Project at Akanu Ibiam -Fed Poly

…. School Filled with Excitement and Commendation

The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has rehabilitated and handed over a 2-kilometre internal road to Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Unwana Afikpo in Ebonyi State, to ease movement and make teaching and learning conducive for lecturers and students on campus.
Speaking at the official handover ceremony of the rehabilitated road to the school management in Afikpor, the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN revealed that the ministry had successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in various federal tertiary institutions across the nation as at January 2023 and a total of 38 numbers still on going and at different stages of completion.

Fashola who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works Ebonyi State, Engr. Steve Oluwadun said that the intervention work aimed at improving quality of education was gradually bridging the gap of our infrastructure needs in our tertiary institutions.

‘’ 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 school”, he said.
The Minister described the project as an investment in education and noted that over 46 of such internal road projects have been handed over in some other universities and tertiary institutions across the nation.

“The quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedbacks from students in the schools where this type of intervention has taken place.

He disclosed that during the reconstruction of the road at Akanu Ibiam Federal Ploy, 35 persons were employed, thus contributing to the job creation initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Fashola urged the institution's authorities to ensure proper use of the road, while embracing a proper maintenance culture.

Earlier in his address, the Rector Akanu Ibiam Federal Polytechnic, Uwana Afikpo, Dr. Felix Attah, expressed appreciation to the Federal Government and described the road intervention as laudable and commendable.

The Rector added that it would ameliorate the suffering of staff and students, improve the quality of education, more so the learning environment.

Represented by the Deputy Rector Academics, Dr. Ezichi Kalu also requested for more interventions on the deplorable roads in the campus and pledged to provide the needed co-operation and environment during such intervention works to accelerate the smooth movement of people as well as reduce accidents rate within the polytechnic community.

During an interview session the Public Relations Officer of the Institute, Mrs. Samuel Nwamaka who was full of excitement thanked the Minister for considering the school among the beneficiaries of internal road infrastructure across tertiary institutions in the country. She noted that the road has given aesthetic value to the school and made trekking into the school less tasking.

Delivering the Vote of Thanks, the Dean School of Environmental Design and Technology, Surveyor, Iduma Aka Ibiam expressed gladness over the road intervention project by the Federal Government, saying that the road construction has brightened and bloomed the school environment.

He described the road intervention as a wonderful and   brilliant intervention that gave the school a beautiful look.

Feb

10

2023

Federal Government Commissions National Housing Programme in Enugu State

.Enugu State Government Commends FG for project..

The Federal Government as part of its developmental agenda has commissioned 70 housing units Comprising of 16 units of three-bedroom, 24 units of two-bedroom, 24 units in condominium and 6 units of one -bedroom apartments in Enugu State.

The commissioning ceremony took place at Amankpaka Autonomous Community, Ugwogo Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state under Phase One of the National Housing Programme of the Federal Government.

President Muhammadu Buhari represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Geoffrey Onyeama expressed delight over the completion of the housing project as a fulfillment of the promise of change this administration made to the people at its inception.

President Muhammadu Buhari appreciated Enugu State Government for the intergovernmental collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing through the provision of the land for the project, which was once left fallow, but today has come alive to shelter ordinary Nigerians.  He described it as “One of the developmental approaches across levels of governments to improve the human condition."

Buhari reiterated that the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), which drive our economy, won the contracts to build these houses. Not only did their successful bids offer an opportunity for these companies and their employees both skilled and unskilled workers through them, and we have also unleashed a value chain of economic activities that has improved the conditions of the ordinary Nigerian."

"These are some of the people our country remains committed to move towards prosperity and away from poverty and we are already reaching them by providing opportunities for employment for those who were hitherto unemployed”, he added.

He directed that in the fulfillment of promise of change made by this administration that 22 units of the houses be reserved for the 1994 Olympic medalists in fulfillment of a pledge made to them 28 years ago by the then Federal government to encourage others that wish to sacrifice for their country.

In his goodwill message, the Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi , commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN for the laudable initiative of providing these houses for the teeming rural communities in the state  which he said was the first ever National Housing Scheme in the state “.

Represented by the Commissioner of Works Enugu State, Engr. Gregory Nnaji, the Governor noted that provision of shelter anywhere brings development and improve livelihood and for that they appreciated the government of President Buhari for providing the houses.

While making his remarks, The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN who was represented by the Director Housing of the Ministry, Arc. Iquo Lucy Uzodinma, stated that the 70 housing units under Phase 1, comprising 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom units, completed and being commissioned were the outcome of a survey conducted throughout the federation.

"In terms of design, this project is the outcome of a national survey conducted by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing to find out the type of houses Nigerians desire," he said.

Fashola explained that the survey revealed a preference for bungalows in Northern Nigeria and flats in Southern Nigeria, adding that the survey also showed the need for space which, according to him, “Is why the one-bedroom units are 60 - 70 square metres and two-bedroom units 76 - 103 square metres while three-bedroom units are110 - 137 square metres."

Fashola also disclosed that the housing units are offered to the public through the National Housing Portal at https://nhp.worksandhousing.gov.ng to ensure that interested buyers are not inhibited by any “artificial obstacle and allocations are made on the basis of those who apply and pay on a first-come- first-served basis."

The Minister added that Nigerians would witness many more commissioning of completed projects across the nation as President Buhari's tenure wines down, adding that many more projects would soon start to bear fruits.

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Bashir Nura Alkali who was represented by the Federal Controller of Housing, Enugu State, ESV Emmanuel Eijie, stated that the Ministry was promoting local content in building construction in line with Executive Orders 3 and 5.

According to Alkali, at least 1,200 building contractors have been engaged under Phases I, II and III of the housing programme since 2016 and over 14,500 and 50,140 direct and indirect jobs have been created.

“During this period, the Ministry has been undertaking the construction of at least 6,000 housing units at 45 sites out of which 2,465 units have been completed in 34 States and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.

In a goodwill message, His Royal Highness, Eze Akpata 1 of Amankpa Nike Autonomous Community Ugwogo, Enugu, Engr. Damian Ikechukwu Edeh thanked the Federal Government for the project and the State government for siting the project in his domain.

He added that the physical infrastructure has developed the area. The royal father noted that  the area which used to be a hideout of robbers and kidnappers has been cleared.

The President General of the Amankpa Community, Hon. Joseph Onu added that the community needs employment for their unemployed youths and urged the community to rejig the existing infrastructure for the betterment of their community.

One of the beneficiaries under the Federal Government fulfillment of the promise made to the 1994 Super Eagles Team members who won the African Cup of Nations in Tunisia 1994, Mr. Christian Chukwu while delivering the vote of thanks expressed profound gratitude to the Federal Government for this unforgettable gesture.

He said he is delighted to have taken full possession of his own semi-detached three-bedroom bungalow.

The housing estate has internal roads, drainages, water reticulation and a central borehole with overhead tanks and   electricity.

Feb

06

2023

Works Ministry Gets N110b SUKUK Funding for Roads.

The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on Monday received a cheque of N110 billions of SUKUK funding for the execution of critical road projects across the six geo-political zones of the country.

Two Ministries benefited from a total of N130 billion 2022 SUKUK Fund, these are: Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Federal Capital Territory. While the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing received N110 billion, the Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory received N20 billion.

The SUKUK fund is a form of Public Private Partnership (PPP) which was among the funding options adopted by the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to fund the construction of critical roads in Nigeria.

Receiving the cheque on behalf of the Ministry, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN gave an account of the nature of the nation’s road before the introduction of the SUKUK funding.

According to him, the total capital budget for road projects across the nation for Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in year 2015 was N18 billion. He  said: “As of 2015 the Capital budget for Works was just N18 billion for all Nigerian roads at the time oil prices were just dropping shy of a hundred dollar per barrel and all that could be committed to Nigerian roads was just N18 billion.”

Explaining the impact of the meager amount spent on Nigerian roads then, he said that construction companies were therefore laying off staff because the Federal Government was owning these companies. “That was the story before SUKUK,” he said.

Fashola stated that this development could not fund the nation’s road projects adequately, adding that despite the fact that the Capital budget position of the Ministry was moved from N18 billion to over N260 billion in 2016, Federal Government had to look into alternative sources of funding road projects because that was not still enough.

“That is where the SUKUK funding came in and through the SUKUK, we have completed several road and bridge projects across the six geo-political zones of the country,”.

According to him, SUKUK financing has enhanced the completion of some of the priority road and bridge projects across the country.

Earlier the host, Minister of Finance, Budget & National Planning, Dr. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed while presenting the cheque to the two Ministries said that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to the development of road infrastructure of the country.

While listing the intervention of the Federal Government of Nigeria Sovereign SUKUK Fund in the Nation’s Road infrastructure, Dr. Ahmed disclosed that in 2017, the sum of N100 Billion was expended on the nation’s road infrastructure, N200 Billion in 2018, N362.56 Billion in 2020, N612.56 Billion in 2021, and N742.56 Billion in 2022 respectively.

She said: “This symbolic event therefore is part of the celebration of the contribution of the Sovereign SUKUK Fund to road infrastructure development over the years.”

Jan

31

2023

FG Commences Phase II of The NNPC Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme

 … Intervention will ensure cash flow, steady projects completion - Fashola

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola has stated that the Federal Executive Council has approved Phase II of the NNPC/ FIRS Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme.

The Minister said that the introduction of the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme will ensure the sustainability of funding critical infrastructure in Nigeria

Fashola stated this at a press briefing in Abuja where all the stakeholders, including NNPC, FIRS and contractors were in attendance.

The Minister noted that contrary to inadequate funding of infrastructure experienced under the past governments, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, has identified alternative sources of funding that could guarantee sustainability from the beginning of the projects to its completion without hitches

Accordingly, he explained that the tax credit scheme is a new model that encourages partnership with private companies where taxes are paid in advance to enable the government invest in notable projects that would be beneficial to its citizens like what is going on in the road sectors of the economy.

The Minister also mentioned that the Federal Government which has focused on nine major axis of Nigeria, explained that the A1 – A4 axis of the country covers the Northern part of the country, while the A5 - A9 axis covers the East-West zone of the country.

He explained that the successful completion of all the roads would lead to sustainable mobility for Nigerians.

The roads like Akure – Ado –Ekiti and East-West which people have been complaining about would be adequately catered for with the approval of the second phase of the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme.

On payment of compensation, Fashola noted that compensation would not be paid to anyone occupying the government’s right-of-way, saying that the federal government right of way was 5.75 meters on both sides and appealed to members of the communities occupying it to vacate.

Earlier, in his introductory remarks, the Permanent Secretary, represented by the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Engineer Folunsho Esan, recalled that in line with the Executive Order 7 (2019) approved phase 1 of NNPC/FIRS Road Infrastructure Tax Credit Scheme on the 27th of October 2021.

He stated that with the completion of Phase 1, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has also approved phase II of the scheme to fund 44 critical road infrastructures to the tune of N1.96 trillion naira.

Speaking further, Esan said that as it was done with phase I, phase II would be governed by a set of guidelines to be issued to each contractor, adding that there would be a funding intervention agreement to be implemented in addition to the standard condition of the contract governing the execution of the projects.

He said: “The availability of this new funding window will ensure steady cash flow and a timely completion of projects.”

He also stated that the NNPC intervention which began in October 2021 with phase I has now occupied the top of the log with a portfolio well in excess of N2.6 trillion.

On the part of NNPC, the Group Managing Director who was represented by the Chief Financial Officer of the Corporation, Umar Aliya said that funding would not be an issue anymore as the Corporation is committed to fully funding phase II.

He said: “We are committed to setting aside funds for phase II. Funding would not be a problem. What is important to us is that our consultant will need to validate the value for money and the quality of work. We will not compromise the quality and timely completion of work. “

The NNPC MD further assured of the availability of fund, saying that “there is no need for excuses. As for us on our part, we are committed and we implore the contractors to do quality work and do it on time so that the road projects can be open for use to Nigerians,”

On his part, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Services, Mohammed Nami, he commended NNPC for the intervention as well as the contractors for the quality of the job done in phase I of the scheme and assured that the NNPC has the capacity to fund the phase II of the scheme.

He explained that most of the roads captured by Executive Order 7 to be executed by NNPC were mostly road projects inherited by the administration of Muhammadu Buhari and they are being fixed by the present administration through the taxes paid by Nigerians

“So, we are appealing to Nigerians to trust Executive order 007 so that government will continue to provide the physical infrastructure that our people need. “he said.

The representative of the indigenous contractors, Isa Muhammed Gerawa, who spoke in the Hausa language, commended the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari for giving equal opportunity to local contractors to execute such contracts.

He described the Minister of Works and Housing , Babatunde Fashola as a hardworking and committed Nigerian under whom many dilapidated Nigerian roads have been fixed and a number of single carriageway now dualized.

Gerawa also commended the present government for raising the budget of the Works Ministry from N18bn in 2015 to over N200bn, pointing out that it was a clear commitment of the administration’s desire to fix the nation’s road infrastructure for development.

Jan

25

2023

Religious And Tribal Tolerance: Panacea to Peaceful Co-Existence in Nigeria - The Rev. Euba Example, Being the Text of The First Reverend William Benjamin Euba Memorial Lecture 110th Founders Day Celebration

Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to thank you all for the honour of inviting me to speak at this year's Founders Day celebration of the Eko Boys High School and in particular for inaugurating this Memorial lecture in honour of the visionary Reverend William Benjamin Euba now of very blessed memory, who founded this school.

I know that in 1955 when the Premier of the Western Region inaugurated the free primary education program across the western region, the prevailing condition was one of mass illiteracy.

While many of our people are now literate in numeracy and letters, and they can now operate a telephone, this literacy that we have come to take for granted, was unthinkable on any scale in the western region in 1955.  Large numbers of people simply could not put meaning to numbers and letters talk less of reading or writing.

One of the permanent businesses of that time, was that of a professional letter writer. Yes, in case you did not know or you have forgotten that was a business that once thrived in Nigeria and which happily by the vision and execution of Awolowo, is now history, because the monopoly of knowledge by a few has been democratised by the leadership provided by one man and his team.

But my intervention is not about Obafemi Awolowo but rather about William Euba.

But it is important to put matters in context by emphasising how difficult things were in 1955 when Awolowo intervened, which is just 68 years ago.

You can therefore imagine perhaps how much more difficult the Euba era was, back in January 1913 when he opened the doors of Eko Boys High School to the public to get Educated.

That was 110 years ago today and approximately 42 years before free education started; and interestingly, both events occurred in January.

On a lighter note, and for those who have recently been involved in the debate over who is the greatest of all time between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, I do not intend such a debate between Euba and Awolowo.

Rather, I seek to celebrate the farsightedness of their vision about the importance of education and knowledge to nation building, peaceful coexistence and information management for rational choices.

This school, founded by Reverend Euba, and the many more that have come after it have in my view been the glue that has bound our people together in more ways than we have either acknowledged or appreciated.

This is the background to my discussion of the topic of this lecture: Religious and Tribal Tolerance: Panacea to Peaceful Coexistence in Nigeria - The Reverend Euba Example.

The example of Rev. Euba remains iconic because he set up a school that opened its doors to people from all walks of life, in our diverse country.

The importance of this educational tolerance to peaceful coexistence is easy to miss, if we do not understand how strong identities are, and how even more strongly people cling to their tribal, ethnic, and religious identities.

For those who want to delve into the matter of identity more deeply, I recommend, “IDENTITY: The Demand for Dignity and the Politics of Resentment” by Francis Fukuyama.

But for the purpose of today, it is simply important to stress how strongly those identities magnify our suspicions about one another, inflame myths about others in our minds and expand fault lines that overshadows the common bonds of humanity that we all share.

It is the very early work and initiative of men like Reverend Euba and other missionaries of the time to open access to formal education for African and Nigerian children on a non-discriminatory basis that has helped in no small way to bridge those gaps that are being widened by manipulation of our ethnic and religious diversity.

As I have had cause to argue on occasion, if our creator has demonstrated the capacity to create diversity, certainly nothing could have prevented him from making us all the same other than his infinite wisdom that our diversity would better enrich us and make our planet a more exciting place.

Regrettably this is what a few people (and I insist that they are few) choose to weaponize and deny us of the richness and excitement that the creator intended for us.

Clearly, Reverend Euba saw through their chicanery many years before it matured. He chose education as his weapon to put those few people in their place.

A place of irrelevance and ignominy, supplanted by the training of a large army of young people who have the understanding of both religions, who accept the minor differences between them and who decide to embrace the fundamentals of a common good and a common humanity.

Those young people, by virtue of the opportunity they got to attend the same school, sit in the same classrooms, eat together and participate in sporting activities together have learned that we are not different from one another even if we speak different languages.

Afterall, as Bishop Desmond Tutu of blessed memory argues in his book "God is not a Christian," that the languages we speak and the faith we profess are not divine; on the contrary they are products of where we were born and to whom we were born.

Those accidental circumstances should not define our essence. They should not be points of discord or discontent. Rather they should serve as sources of strength and richness which in fact they are.

It is to the eternal credit of Reverend William Benjamin Euba and others like him that they saw these sources of strength and richness and exposed young men and women to them through education.

This has turned a generation of young men and women into a large army of adults who have overcome religious and ethnic differences to contribute to national good and development.

Permit me to illustrate this phenomenon, by telling you a story that is only one example of many uncountable stories, which keeps the very few peddlers of division in check in our country.

On the 16th day of December 2022, I was invited to the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Grammar School premises to open an e-learning centre at the school premises in Bariga area of Lagos.

The centre had 300 computers, high speed broadband internet, fully equipped IT lab, for students and many other facilities for librarians and teachers. It was not built by the Anglican mission nor was it built by a Christian.

It was built by a Muslim, Senator Olugbenga Bareehu Ashafa, a two-term senator and now the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority.

It was built in part because he was an old boy of that school. The Anglican mission did not shut him out about 50 years ago when he sought admission there, on the grounds that he was a Muslim.

On the contrary, they opened their doors to him, and interestingly while still a student, the school gave him a special permission to perform the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as his parents wished and he returned to complete his education.

As I said, at the occasion, what is a Bareehu doing amongst Anglicans? Only the farsighted vision of missionaries and men like Reverend Euba could have found a place of comfort for a Bareehu amongst Anglicans, and for me a Raji in Eko Boys High School. Yes, I passed through this school for one year.

Ladies and gentlemen, Reverend Euba’s place in Nigeria’s quest for peaceful coexistence is legendary. We cannot thank him enough. May his kind, generous and visionary soul continue to rest in peace and may his example continue to inspire our nation.

Jan

18

2023

Fashola Hands Over Intervention and Reinstatement of Gully Erosion and Connecting Road At UNIBEN

... Says Buhari Govt intensifies work in our national life

Honourable Minister of Works and Housing Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN handed over an important asset, Intervention and Reinstatement of Gully Erosion and Connecting Road at the Ugbowo Campus, University of Benin [ UNIBEN) Edo State.

At the commissioning he said " It is true that a lot of work needs to be done in many sectors of our national life, including education, the Buhari government has stepped up to lead the process of getting that work done"

Before the completion of the project some staff and students residing close to the Ugbowo Campus of UNIBEN and residents in Iguo-Osaigie and other surrounding communities in Uhunmwonde Local Government Area of Edo were about to be cut off because of the ravaging gully erosion in the area.

The Edo State Controller of Works who represented the Minister at the event Engr. (Dr) Aransiola Ademola said " the structural work and the water drainage were professionally displayed and the filling of sand is about 7 metres high "

Vice Chancellor, UNIBEN   Professor Lilian Salami in her remarks said " this gully erosion has taken its toll on critical areas of development of the University over the years, it is not in doubt. The good news is that we made our pleas and cries to government and the pleas have received the desired attention of government and we are today savoring the result of a government that listens and acts.

She said " kudos must also go to our worthy Alumnus of the University, Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN for his commitments to the successful implementation of the project".

Executive Officer, Edo State flood Erosion & Watershed Management Agency, Dr Tom Obaseki said “We are very happy  to  see that the reinstatement of gully Erosion and connecting road is completed today ,  we are always available to support the Federal Government in executing project"

The Manager of the Construction Company, Levant Construction Ltd in charge of the project Engr Albert Abboud said ' we have delivered many projects and handed them over to the government, this road was washed because of erosion and it was not motorable before we completed the project"

A 300-level student of Animal Science, UNIBEN Edogiawerie Jason said the road was no go area before the intervention work of Federal Government, he thanked the Ministry of Works and Housing for remembering the institution.

A student from Faculty of Agricultural Economics and Extension, Courage Uchemefune who was at the event said " I used to work as a dispatch rider, the road was not really good, I appreciate Federal Government for working on the road and the gully erosion, UNIBEN needs more intervention of this type ".

Jan

12

2023

Fashola Underscores Relevance of Infrastructure to Learning Environment, Quality of Education

Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Fashola has stated that, in view of the importance of infrastructure to learning environment and quality of education, the Federal Government remained committed to bridging the infrastructure gaps in the country, including those of institutions of learning.

He said " It is undebatable that quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment".

The Minister spoke in Sokoto, Thursday, January 12th, 2023 at the formal hand over of 0.92 kilometres internal road project constructed in the Usmanu Danfodio University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH) by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing under its tertiary institution’s internal roads intervention initiative.

Fashola was represented at the occasion by the Federal Controller of Works in Sokoto State, Engr Kassim Maigwandu.

Accordingly, the Minister explained that the gap in infrastructure was being bridged steadily by a gradual process of repairs, renewal and construction on major highways, which had now reached the schools.

He further revealed that the Federal government has provided 83 internal road intervention projects in various Federal tertiary institutions across the country.

" We have successfully intervened in 64 internal road projects in various Federal tertiary institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March 2022. Another 18 are now ready to be handed over, while 19 roads are currently being attended to in similar institutions across the country, making a total of 83 " he said.

The road projects according to Fashola, benefited not only the students and the institution's community but also provided jobs for youths, stating that 95 people were employed in the process of the construction of the road in the Teaching Hospital.

Earlier in his remark, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University Teaching Hospital Sokoto, Professor Anas Ahmed Sabir, represented by Dr Usman Malami Aliyu, Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee, said that, the entire Hospital community were excited with the project.

He explained that the project had enhanced a significant part of the hospital more accessible and motorable with asphalt road which has also given room for expansion in the hospital as new projects can easily be sighted along the road

" The commissioning of this road project will obviously mark the beginning of other assessable and affordable health care services delivery to all Nigerians " he said

He expressed profound gratitude on behalf of the UDUTH Board Management to H.E, President Muhammadu Buhari for all the support and for providing the enabling environment to operate and further improve specialist quality service delivery, while also praying for more interventions to be considered and executed for the hospital.
 
Professor Sabir also commended the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Federal Controller at Sokoto office for ensuring that quality job was done at the appointed time and not compromised.

The 0.95 km road in UDUTH links the new female students’ hostel; new Multipurpose Center; School of Nursing and Midwifery; Sewage treatment plant; Renal dialysis center;" Amenity ward and Nutrition’s unit among others.

Aggregate testimonies gathered from staff and students of the hospital community pointed to the fact that the internal road intervention in the institution has positively impacted in no small measure to the working and learning environment in the institution.

According to the views expressed " the road, before the intervention was not in good condition, it was wiry and scary access to clinical areas. But with the intervention, it has now provided easy access and comfort of movement in the institution. It was well constructed, illuminated and has added improved security measures for the students in the institution".

They commended the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari and described the tertiary institutions roads intervention initiative of the federal ministry of works and housing as excellent.

Those that spoke among the institution's community included; Aliyu Muhammad Sidi, a student of Nursing Science and President of Student Union; Alkali Mohammed, Vice Chairman, National Association of Nigerian Nursing and Midwifery (NANNM); Rabi Muhammad, Acting Vice Principal (Academic), School of Midwifery, and Kabiru Adamu Maisanda, Vice Principal (Admin), School of Nursing.

Jan

11

2023

Federal Government Set to Resume Work on Major Highways

… Barricades to be restored to ensure safety at construction sites

Recall that barricades were removed at all construction sites on December 15,2022 for ease of movement to reduce travel time during the yuletide season.

Contractors are now set to resume work on major highways especially the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway (from OPIC to the old toll gate) and the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Expressway (around Kawo on the Kaduna-Zaria Section).

To this end the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has directed that construction barricades be returned at construction sites for safety purposes with effect from Tuesday, January 10,2023.

The Second Niger Bridge will, however, remain closed for public use with effect from Sunday, January 15,2023 for continuation of work on the completion of the access roads to the bridge.

The Honourable Minister seeks the patience and understanding of motorists and members of the public on this action aimed at completing the on-going projects.

Jan

11

2023

Quality of Infrastructure, Impacts Quality of Education-Fashola

UNEC – Deputy Vice Chancellor: We Are Grateful for The Intervention

The commitment and actual execution of internal road network project, intervention in various federal Tertiary Institutions has greatly impacted on increased quality of education in Nigeria. These were the affirmation by the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola – SAN, CON at Enugu.

The Minister who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works in Enugu State, Engr. Tony Animaku confirmed this during the commissioning and hand over of the 0.8-kilometer road rehabilitated by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing on behalf of the Federal Government at the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus (UNEC).

Speaking further, the Minister said that 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.

It is undebatable that the quality of education as attested to by students themselves has been greatly impacted on by the quality of these recent Federal Government infrastructure. These are some of the feedbacks from student in the schools such as this one in the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus (UNEC) where these varied types of intervention have taken place.

The Minister Babtunde Raji Fashola also confirmed that the Ministry has successfully intervened in 64 Internal Road Projects in various Federal Tertiary Institutions and handed over a total of 46 as at March, 2022 and has another 18 ready to be handed over, while we are currently attending to 19 roads in similar institutions across the country making a total of 85.

Among the several students interviewed, they all expressed renewed enthusiasm with regards to attending classes because of some of these defective roads, which have been restored to good condition, making them happier walking with ease to attend lectures across their different Faculties and Departments where these road network rehabilitations were carried out.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s consistent progressive ideal of improving the human condition continues with the handover of this 0.8-kilometer road in the University of Nigeria, Enugu campus (UNEC) as a critical intervention to support education in Nigeria.

Fashola also stressed that although this is a civil works project, yet it is both an investment in education and the Nigerian Economy. He said Infrastructure is the key needed for unlocking the Economy for speedy development, according to him the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has achieved advancement of the Nigerian economy through massive and visible Infrastructure development. For instance, the creation of employment and market for small and medium enterprises at construction sites ‘Infrastructure is the key that unleashes trade and productivity. And without infrastructure you can’t drive trade and commerce’ This is so because during the construction period over 100 people were employed in the process contributing to the creation initiatives of the Government. It is hoped that the school will ensure that this asset is used properly and not abused.

Earlier, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of the University Prof. Edith O. Nwosu, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Work Services, UNEC, Engr. Udechukwu Humphrey Chukwuemeka, appreciates Federal Government efforts for considering the University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus worthy of this lofty venture which the Federal Controller of Works in Enugu handled. The road network actually gave a face lift to the internal roads we have in the University, most importantly the Nnmadi Azikiwe drive transverse, through the major Faculties we have in UNEC, we have about five (5) Faculties – we have the Faculties of Law, Basic Medical Sciences, Business Administration, Health Sciences and Environmental Sciences (80%) Eighty percent of the students stream this road to attend their lectures. The University is deeply grateful to the Federal Government and the Ministry of Works and Housing.

Some student who spoke expressed satisfaction with the ease of walking conveniently through these road network within UNEC – Mr Amobi Ezekiel a Law student was all smiles of appreciation to the Federal Government and the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, Miss Chisom Elizabeth, also a Law student affirmed what her course mate had earlier said, it was a very colourful ceremony and the entire University Community, the shuttle bus drivers especially were all full of gratitude for the rehabilitation of these internal road network within UNEC.

Dec

21

2022

Works Ministry Sensitizes Staff On Corruption Trends In The Public Service

In a bid to ensure a corrupt free public service, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has organized a sensitization seminar for its officers on corruption trends in the public service.

The theme of the seminar is "Corruption Trends in Public Service, Causes and Impact on National Development,” was organised by the Anti- Corruption and Transparency Unit, ACTU at the headquarters of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mabushi, Abuja.

Declaring the workshop open, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola advised participants to be transparent and obey the rules and regulations guiding the operations of their schedules as they carry out their assignments.

Fashola, represented by the Director Press and Public Relations of the Ministry, Mrs. Blessings Lere-Adams, emphasized that corruption is crime and urged participants to shun it in a bid to live a peaceful retirement life devoid of incessant invitations from anti-corruption agencies after retirement.    

He added that adopting a corrupt free attitude in the course of duty would enhance Nigeria's overall development as a nation.

Presenting her paper tagged, "Corruption and Its Impact,” a facilitator from the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Matters Commission, ICPC, Mrs. Adebimpe Abodunrin, “explained to the participants that every civil servant has been trusted with the assignment given to him and should not be seen betraying it by being corrupt. 'Public Service is a position of trust, don’t betray it," she said.

She urged participants to exhibit good characters while carrying out their duties as the public service was vitally important and majorly counted when any country was being adjudged corrupt or not by the ranking of Transparency International. "Public Service contributes to the perception," Abiodun remarked.    

According to her the act of corruption which included abuse of office, dishonesty, breaking of rules and regulations, evil and immoral acts among others were major hindrances to any nation's development and should be shunned completely by Nigerians in all sectors if Nigeria must develop in all areas, noting that individual actions in workplace could either have a negative or positive  impact on the entire system.

Mrs. Abodunrin further gave the effects of corruption on national development to include; lack of development, high rate of unemployment, lack of qualified personnel, high cost of living, lack of basic amenities, all of these dents Nigeria's reputation and enhances stigmatization of its citizens, loss of welfare system, adding that the monetization policy was introduced because of the high rate of corruption within the public service.

Another Facilitator from ICPC, Mrs Joy Ebbah, while taking the participants through ethical behaviour in workplace, explained that the ethics of an organisation are the statues and policies of that organisation.

She noted that maintaining an ethical workplace simply means maintaining professional workplace as well as   ability to obey rules and regulations guiding their offices.

Ebbah, while calling on ACTU to constantly review and update, if necessary, the code of ethics of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, affirmed that Nations have failed due to the workers' failure to abide by ethical rules by developing good and professional characters such as transparency and obedience.

Ebbah urged participants to develop a mindset of commitment and obedience if Nigeria must attain its national development.

Dec

15

2022

Infrastructure Development is to Boost Learning - Fashola

.... Emulate Fashola and Buhari in Building Infrastructure - HRH Eze Ali

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN who was represented by the Federal Controller of Works Rivers State, Engr. Olufemi Adetunji remarked that, "The quality of education will be impacted by the quality of infrastructure and the learning environment and those who doubt it should simply listen to some of the feedbacks from students in the schools where this type of intervention has taken place."

He made this remark during the handing over ceremony of an internal road constructed by the Federal Government through Federal Ministry of Works and Housing at the Federal College of Education (Technical) FCE (T) in Omoku, Rivers State.

Earlier, the Head of Usomini Kingdom of Egbaland, His Royal Highness Eze Dr. King Eze advised, " Those who want to come to power after President Muhammadu Buhari administration next year should emulate him and Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN in building infrastructure."

King Eze said, "This administration has been useful to the community by building road in the school that linked the community which in turn is beneficiary to the economic and social activities of this area."

The School Provost, Dr. Emmanuel Ikenyiri said, “This College now has good road crisscrossing the two campuses making movement of staff, students and members of the public very comfortable."

A lecturer in Home Economics, Dr. Matilda Igbeni, said " It is a facelift. We can connect the entire school now because of the road, easy access is now there."

A lecturer in the College who teaches English Education, Mr. Albert Ireoma said they are grateful to the Federal Government. He noted that where the new road is built used to be called 'Bush Path to Farm' now the place is an open access.

"Students and lecturers are able to access their classrooms and halls   without going through bush paths. This new road has been a welcome development to FCE[T) Omoku.
It has given the school a face lift."

The Students Union President of FCE (T) Ugem Hope said, " The positive impact of the road is that it has expanded the space in the school and bad students don't have where to lurk anymore, their hideouts used to be where this beautiful road is built, in the past it was muddy and inaccessible."

A Student of Business Education FCE(T), Okorda Blessing said, "The road is of good quality. It has given us access to other departments from my faculty. We don't have to go through express road again before linking other areas in the school. We thank President Muhammadu Buhari for this initiative."

A snacks and food vendor on campus, Roseline Isreal said, “When the road construction works started my sales improved considerably because workers were coming to patronize me. I am thanking Mr. President and the minister for the good road."

A painter who was among the artisans who worked on the road, Goldstone Emmanuel said, "Working on the road improved my income. I thank the Federal Government for giving me the opportunity to earn a better income."

Dec

14

2022

Ember Months: FG Removes Barricades on Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Highways

.... To ease traffic flow for motorists during festive season  

As part of the ember months programme, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing has announced removal of barricades on the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano highways to allow free traffic flow for motorists flying the routes during the festive period.

Engr Folorunso Esan, Director Highways Construction and Rehabilitation in the Ministry made this announcement in Zaria during an inspection visit of the ongoing work, Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

" This is part of our Ember Months programme, there was a directive by the Minister that all barriers at road construction sites where major works have been completed be removed by 15th of December to allow for free movement this season" he said

Engr Esan stated that he was on the visit to specifically make the pronouncement for the removal of the barricades and opening of diversions as directed by the Honourable Minister.

Accordingly, he explained that the usual gridlock motorists experienced during festive season necessitated the directive to the Contractors to remove barriers on the sections where major work has been completed and close for end of year break to resume early in January.

In the same vein, the Federal Controller of Works, Federal Capital Territory, Engr Yakub Usman stated that, sequel to the directive of the Honourable Minister, palliative repairs and patching of potholes are ongoing at both Abuja and Kaduna end of the highway.

" Palliative work are ongoing. Barrier cannot be removed in the works zones yet to be completed. However, the Contractor has been directed to carry out repair works on all the diversions as part of the palliative repairs" Engr Usman said

Engr Usman revealed that the Abuja -Kaduna section of the project has eight diversions, saying that they are collaborating with the Contractor and relevant agencies such as FRSC to address unforeseen emergencies for effective traffic control during the yuletide.

On his part the Supervising Project Controller of Zaria - Kano section of the highway, Engr Ibrahim said "We are opening up all the work zones where the works have attained binder course level. There is only one diversion left following the opening up of the work zones. Pothole patching is taking place at bad spots along the road"

He also stated that they are working closely with FRSC and Kano traffic agency KAROTA for effective traffic management during the season, adding that the Contractor has put in place a tow truck and pay loader to facilitate clearance operations as required.

Engr Esan was accompanied on the inspection by Director, Federal Highways, North -west, Engr Taiwo and the media team of the Ministry