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

Reward For Hard Work Is More Work-Fashola The Hon. Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola has said that the reward for hard work is to be given more work to enhance productivity and service delivery. He stated this at the 2018 Recognition and Reward Ceremony organised for staff of Federal Ministry of Power Works and Housing on Tuesday 19th November 2019 at Idiris A Abudulkadir Auditorium, National Universities Commission, Abuja. Fashola explained that the essence of the award was to inspire the awardees to work harder, bring about healthy competition and in turn increases productivity. The Minister noted that the 100 million jobs to be created by the President Buhari’s led Administration was not for the government alone but a call to duty by all Nigerians. “He said, ‘’Those people whom you will never meet but who by act of fate pass through a place you help to build may earn their living from there.  This implies that whatever you are doing, do it well to favour others.  Own the environment, own the space and do the best you can” Fashola further directed that in subsequent award ceremonies, Team Award (completed projects) should be added among recipients. He congratulated the award recipients and encouraged other staff to emulate them to join hands together to move the nation forward. During his opening remarks, the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Woks and Housing, ably represented by the Acting, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Power, Ahmed Abdul noted that recognition/award is an important tool embedded in the Public Service Rule to motivate and reward excellent performance of staff in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) He reiterated that the cardinal objectives of the event were to motivate staff of the ministry towards achieving greater performance/productivity, influence personal commitment and proper conduct. The representative of the Chairman Federal Civil Service Commission and the Commissioner for Osun and Oyo State, Engr. Fatai Adebayo Olapade stated that the reward for diligence and hard work was clearly stated in Chapter 15 of the Public Service Rule.  He said it was given to staff to motivate them to put in their best based on merit and fairness. The categories of award given were, Most Outstanding Director of the Year, Best Performing Senior Staff Award, and Most Hardworking Junior Staff Award.  In all a total of 47 officers from Power, Works, & Housing Sectors were awarded.   The award was for 2018 and the three ministries were together then.  The recipients were given plaques cash and other items such as grinding machines and refrigerators. Responding on behalf of his fellow awardees, the Director Highways Planning and Development Engr. Chukwubuikem Uzor who bagged the award as the most outstanding director of the year 2018 in the Ministry thanked the Minister, Permanent Secretary for initiating the idea of recognition and award for deserving staff of the Ministry. He further praised them for their support and thorough guidance which had made  the staff of the Ministry better  in discharge of their duties. ...

Road: Trans Sahara Committee Inspects Roads Within Nigerian Territory The Trans-Saharan Road Liaison Committee (TRLC) has inspected some of the road projects within the Nigerian territory as part of activities lined up for the 70th session of the committee which took place in Abuja, Nigeria from the 11th -12th of November 2019 The Member countries of the TLC are; Niger, Mali , Algeria Chad ,Tunisia and Nigeria. Nigeria's Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola,SAN who conducted his colleagues round the project sites said “ it is the tradition of the committee that the host country should take other members on inspection of the road projects under its territory in order to see level of progress and compliance on the routes. Fashola explained that Nigeria accounts for over 1000 kilometets length out of the over 9000 kilometers roads in the six sub-saharan countries. He further explained that in compliance with the local content executive order, Nigerian companies are given preference over foreign companies in the award of the contracts. Accordingly the Minister also stated that there were nine highways at different levels of construction that would connect Nigeria with the rest of Africa along the Trans-Sahara routes, pointing out that the ultimate aim was to transform those roads to highways of vehicles and trucks to link them to the ports for ease of doing business. The Minister listed Lagos - Algiers as one of such routes that would connect Nigeria with other parts of Africa, saying that the route cuts across Lagos-Ibadan, Oyo , Ogbomosho, Ilorin, Jebba , Mokwa, Kaduna and Kano leading to the Niger Republic. The team inspected the rehabilitation works of Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano dual carriageway which is being handled by Julius Berger Nig Ltd, the 5.4Km Abuja –Keffi expressway and dualisation of Keffi-Akwanga -Lafia-Makurdi road being handled by China Harbour Engineering Company Limited. The delegation from the member countries on the inspection commended Nigerian Government for the local content policy in the construction industry, hoping that such could be replicated in other member countries. ...