Commitment To Human Resources Determines Quality of Life – Fashola …As Ministry of Works and Housing hosts 2020 Staff Recognition and Reward Ceremony in Abuja The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN has declared that the commitment of the human resources comprising men and women determines the quality of life in every given environment. He stated this at the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing 2020 Staff Recognition and Reward Ceremony during which 35 outstanding members of staff were honoured for productivity and diligence in service delivery at the International Conference Centre, Abuja on Monday 14th March 14, 2022. The Minister emphasized that the quality and quantity of man and woman power commitment determines the quality of life and should be accorded adequate attention and care hence the institution of the awards to encourage better productivity from the staff. “I believe that human resources require more attention to get the best out of them and it is part of the reason why we undertake this process of recognition and reward ceremony to those who have given their skill, their time, some beyond the call of duty and who have demonstrated a commitment that is an enchantment to others,” he said. Fashola said that Civil and Public Servants are goal getters who can do everything and anything if they are challenged, stating that whatever government initiates, civil and public servants will deliver on them. “I also tell my colleagues when we hold our monthly meetings, that perhaps we have not paid enough attention to the activities and possibilities that lies in the public service.   I truly believe that Civil and Public Servants can do everything and anything if they are challenged, if a government responds today and say I want to run a policy of education, civil service will deliver and if after an election and a change of government and it comes and says I want to deliver a programme on free education, the same civil service that delivered paid education will move again and deliver on free education,” he said. The Minister also reiterated government’s commitment to ensuring adequate and conducive environment for workers to thrive by making sure that the federal secretariats across the nation are in good working condition. “At our assumption of duty, we saw that the federal secretariats across the nation where some of our staff work require attention. Today, we have essentially refurbished, renovated and now undertaking daily and routine maintenance in 24 Federal Secretariats across the nation to make the place more habitable and hoping that this will provide better and more deserving work accommodation and better environment for civil and public servants not only in our Ministry but all Federal and Public staff employed in all states.” Fashola applauded the awardees and admonished them to keep on working hard, adding that the reward called for more work. He added that the awardees represent the 5000 staff strength of the Ministry nationwide who do the hard work, and make possible some of the things that seem impossible before now. “For me, the Nigerian Civil and Public Servants deserves to be resourced, rewarded and also to be accountable,” he said. In his welcome address, the Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Chukwunwike Uzor said the awardees were carefully selected using quantifiable and objective parameters that ensured that the best candidate emerged from each of the category’s field of selection, explaining that it was necessary to ensure transparency, integrity in the mode of selection, and above all to achieve the objective of the exercise which promotes excellence. He congratulated the awardees and advised them not to rest on their oars, adding that to whom much is given, much is also expected. In her goodwill message, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Dr. Folashade Yemi-Esan represented by the Permanent Secretary Staff Welfare, Office of the Head Of Service Dr. Ngozi Onwudiwe   congratulated the Management and Staff of the Ministry for joining the train of MDAs that have accepted the need for recognition of the contribution of staff who have shown outstanding performance and exemplary conduct in the discharge of their duties towards the attainment of the mandates of the Ministry. She urged the awardees to be shining stars and examples for other members of staff and also continue to maintain the reputation of effective service delivery for which the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is known in the public service. The Head of Service also encouraged those that were not so lucky at this year’s award to work harder to be the shining stars for recognition at the next recognition and award ceremony. The awards were in the categories of: Most Hardworking Junior Staff, Best Performing Senior Staff, Best Performing Task Team and Most Outstanding Director of the year. Responding on behalf of the recipients, the award winner of the Most Outstanding Director of the year, Director Highways, Planning and Development, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Engr. Ibi Terna Manasseh, thanked the management and staff of the ministry for the special award. ...

Convoy Of FG’S Team To Second Niger Bridge Not Involved In Road Crash  No fatal crash occurred during Tuesday’s inspection of the Second Niger by a Federal Government Team led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari.    Contrary to the sensational report making the rounds on the social media, the Team which also comprised the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, his Labour and Productivity counterpart, Dr. Chris Ngige and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Mr Uche Orji  on arrival at the Asaba Airport in Delta State visited the Interchange along Owerri-Onitsha Road and the East approach to the Bridge in Onitsha from where they walked across to the West approach.    After a media briefing by members of the Team, the Chief of Staff was conducted to the West approach at Asaba and the Toll Plaza of the Bridge before returning to Abuja.    It was discovered much later that one of the vehicles in the Team of the Commissioner of Police from Anambra State had a mishap during which two policemen sustained injuries. It was confirmed from the Nigeria Police, Anambra State Command that they were treated at the Federal Medical Centre Asaba and had since been discharged.    The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola SAN, following anxious calls from well-meaning members of the public about the safety of the members of the Federal Government delegation, expresses deep sympathies over the injured two men of the Anambra Police Command.    However, no lives were lost at all as claimed in the false report by the online platform of a national daily.    ...

Second Niger Bridge To Be Ready By April - FG ·  As Gambari, Fashola, Ngige, others inspect Bridge, record milestone of walking from Asaba to Onitsha end of Project The Federal Government has assured that the Second Niger Bridge will be completed by April 2022 and would be commissioned by President Muhammadu Buhari before the end of the year. Describing the Second Niger Bridge as a national infrastructure with immense socio-economic benefits for the contiguous states and indeed the entire nation, the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari , Prof. Ibrahim Gambari who in company with the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, his Labour and Productivity counterpart , Dr. Chris Ngige and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, Uche Orji inspected the bridge on Tuesday March 8, 2022, said  that the project has once again demonstrated the President’s commitment to the bridging of the infrastructure gap in the country.  He said that the project being implemented by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing is funded through the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund in conjunction with the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA). On tolling of the asset when completed, Prof. Gambari said that the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had developed a National Tolling Policy for the entire nation and that whether or not the bridge would be tolled was not the key issue, adding that the priority of the government was to get the project delivered. He added that if the road was eventually tolled, there would be alternative route. “So, when this bridge is tolled, the old bridge is an alternative route, so you have the choice to make between speed and price,” he said. Speaking on the possibility of managing the bridge through a concession arrangement, the Minister of Works and Housing said the major responsibility of the government was to deliver the project in collaboration with NSIA saying, “Once we have finished, if they choose to concession, they can concession.” Fashola said that the Ministry has secured the approval of the Federal Executive Council on a National Tolling Policy that is of international standard.  “Concessioning of projects is regulated by law. There are rules on how it is done. We are currently supervising the concession of 12 highways across Nigeria through the Highway Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) and the process is opened to the general public. “So, if we choose to concession this one, it will also be opened to the general public,” he said. He stated that the Chief of Staff to the President was on tour of the project to see that what the Ministry has been reporting is in consonance with what is happening on the Bridge so that he can brief Mr. President appropriately. The Minister said work on the bridge had reached appreciable level and appealed to the communities around the impressive Second Niger Bridge project to bear with the Federal Government as power supply was going to be interrupted for two weeks to put finishing touches to the project, adding that adequate notice would be given ahead when that would be done. The Federal Controller of Works in Anambra State and the Engineer Representative of the 2nd Niger Bridge, Engineer Ajani Adeyemo said that the existing Niger Bridge was built in 1965 noting that it has remained the crucial East-West link over the years. However, due to age and excessive axle load and the heavy traffic congestion arising from the enhanced economic activities in the South-East and South-South transport corridors, the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing initiated the second Niger Bridge which has attained 93 percent completion under the leadership of President Buhari. According to him, the bridge when completed would reduce the strain on the existing Niger Bridge, improve traffic flow, improve health, security and create opportunities for the host communities as well as Nigerians to improve their socio-economic activities. The highlight of the inspection visit was the historic walk of the Chief of Staff to Mr.President, the Honourable Ministers of Works and Housing, the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity and others including senior journalists from various media houses from the Onitsha end to the Asaba side of the Bridge.   ...