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  • Reps ask Fashola’s ministry to halt N42bn varsity electrification projects

    The House of Representatives has asked the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to halt its Rural Electrification Access Programme in Federal Universities.

    The projects, designed for eight universities, were awarded for N42bn.

    A motion passed by the House in Abuja on Tuesday alleged that the contracts were not only inflated, but were also awarded to contractors who had no previous records of handling such projects.

    The motion was moved by a member from Abia State, Mr. Darlington Nwokocha.

    The lawmaker, who neither named the contractors nor the beneficiary universities, argued that the projects were initially designed to be sited in each of the six geopolitical zones.

    However, he alleged that only universities in selected zones took all the eight projects to the exclusion of others.

    Nwokocha added that from an initial appropriation of N9.5bn in the 2017 budget, the ministry eventually awarded the projects for N42bn in breach of the procurement procedure.

    The motion read in part, “The House notes that the Rural Electrification Access Programme in the Federal Universities is a pilot scheme designed by the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to electrify eight federal universities in the first instance, and later replicate same across the remaining universities.

    “The House also notes that the sum of N9.5bn was appropriated for the projects in the 2017 Appropriation Act.

    “The House is aware that the projects, which were supposed to be spread across the six geopolitical zones of the country, were not evenly distributed, but mainly concentrated in some zones to the disadvantage of the others. This is against the principle of federal character enshrined in Section 14 (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.”

    It added, “Also aware that the projects, which were initially approved at N9.5bn in the Appropriation Act, were later awarded at the total cost of N42bn in violation of the Public Procurement Act.

    “The (House is) concerned that the contracts were selectively awarded to two contracting companies that do not have any records of achievements in the fields, which is tantamount to further violation of the Public Procurement Act.”

    The House resolved that the ministry should stop all procurement processes connected to the projects pending the outcome of an investigation to be conducted by its Committee on Power.

    The session, which was presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara, referred the resolution for investigation within three weeks.

  • Drama as Senate uncovers padding, duplication of items in Fashola’s 2018 ministry budget

    Drama as Senate uncovers padding, duplication of items in Fashola’s 2018 ministry budget

    There was mild drama on Monday as the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy uncovered padding of proposed expenditures and duplication of items in the in the 2018 budget estimates of the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing.

    In the budget proposals, the Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia South-led Senate Committee discovered that N120 million, N480 million and N288 million respectively, were budgeted for the purchase of utility vehicles by the ministry headed by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

    In the case of NEPZA, it emerged that the agency had raised its 2018 personnel budget by N205 million. That was besides the claim that the same agency in 2017 succeeded in padding its budget by N122 million.

    According to the lawmakers, duplication of items has remained a recurring episode, where the Ministry present the same items repeatedly in the budget and ask for more funds to execute them.

    During the 2018 budget defence, the Committee members queried the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Mustapha Baba Shahuru and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Frank Edozie for duplicating items in the budget. In the 2018 budget, the Ministry earmarked N100 million for transfer and management of office files with the senators expressing anger over what they described as repetition of projects by the ministry.

    The duplications were discovered when Senator Clifford Ordia, PDP, Edo Central raised the alarm over the duplication of purchase of utility vehicles, captured in three separate pages of the budget document, just as he asked the Minister and the Permanent Secretary to explain how the Ministry would spend N100 million to transfer files, despite another huge provision for ICT.

    Senator Ordia said: “I need to understand this thing. Look at the different pages. You earmarked N120 million, N288 million and N480 million for the purchase of vehicles. I do not understand. Are these vehicles different? If you add up this figure, it gives you about N888 million. “You also said that you want to spend N100 million on transfer of office files. How do you intend to do that? The people in your office, what have they been doing? I can also see from your estimates here that you captured another item for ICT, different from the N100 million for transfer of files. You need to explain these things.”

    Corroborating Ordia, Senator Hassan Mohammed, APC, Yobe South, who took a swipe at the ministry officials, said that as lawmakers, they were tired of being bombarded every year with the same items, adding that the Ministry must put its house in order.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, who revealed that the 2017 budget (capital) of the Ministry only recorded 18 per cent performance, said: “We will take it that the 2017 budget was abysmally low at only 18 per cent performance. This is unacceptable and I need to put it on record.” Senators were surprised when the Minister of State, Shahuru, could not respond to questions posed to him and appealed to the committee to allow the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Edozie to provide answers on his behalf.

    There was, however, a mild drama when the Senators vehemently rejected his proposal that the Permanent Secretary should answer all the questions because he had already introduced himself as the representative of Fashola.

    Turning down Shahuru’s request, Senator Abaribe said: “You were sent here to represent the Minister. It means you are here to respond to our questions. Last week, we invited the permanent secretary to respond. Today, it is your turn. “My colleagues asked me how come you are the person here and not Fashola. But I told them since you were also a Minister, you could be here to on behalf of your Minister.”

    Defending Fashola, the Minister of State told the lawmakers that Fashola was attending to other state matters. Last week, the committee walked out Fashola over his alleged “unpreparedness to face the committee for his 2018 budget defence” because he did not come with necessary documentations.

    Speaking on Fashola’s refusal to face the Committee, Senator Abaribe said: “Maybe Fashola decided to snub us because of some media reports, last week. But he ought not to have been angry by that. I am sure that was why he sent you because he did not want to come here. “I said it that it was deliberate that Fashola did not show up. What we need to scrutinise the budget was not provided. We needed some things to make the process easy. Nobody is satisfied with these vague items. We are going to have to adjourn this meeting, pending when we will get these submissions from you.”

    Abaribe asked the Minister of State and the Permanent Secretary to inform Fashola that he must present himself at the next yet -to-be date for the budget defence session. The Minister of State and other officials of the Ministry were asked to go back and return prepared next time.

    Abaribe said: “We are asking you to inform the Minister to be here to properly respond to all the questions we need to ask. We will do a comprehensive letter asking for explanation on items where we have raised questions. That will guide you in giving your submissions. We need you to be prepared when next you come.”

  • 2019: NEC’s approved $1bn is for Buhari’s re-election – Fayose

    Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has alleged that the decision to withdraw $1bn from the Excess Crude Account to fight Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East region is a means by the All Progressives Congress-led federal government to fund President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019.

    The governor, in a statement on Friday by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said, “For posterity sake, I wish to place it on record that I was not among the governors, who approved the withdrawal of almost half of our savings in the Excess Crude Account, which belongs to the three tiers of government to fight an already defeated insurgency.”

    According to the governor, since they said they have defeated Boko Haram, what else do they need a whopping sum of $1bn (over N360bn) for; if not to fund the 2019 elections?

    He said, “The APC promised to wipe out Boko Haram within six months, now it is 31 months and what the APC government is wiping out is the economy of Nigeria and the means of livelihood of the people.”

  • NEWS HOUR: ‘Buhari’s anti-corruption fight is like Satan calling Judas a sinner,’ says PDP governors I TNGtv

  • Fashola begs for support to end Apapa gridlock, port congestions

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday in Lagos called for the collaboration of all stakeholders to tackle traffick gridlock, port congestion and other problems in Apapa and its environs.

    Fashola made the call at a stakeholders meeting on the ongoing Apapa Wharf Road reconstruction project in Surulere.

    The stakeholders at the meeting included the three financiers of the project, AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, Flour Mills of Nigeria Ltd and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

    Others were National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Association of Maritime Truck Owners (AMATO) and National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), among others.

    The stakeholders, after extensive deliberations, agreed to resolve issues of logistics and regulation of truckers and port operations.

    They called on shipping companies to return to the system of using their loading bays and effective call up systems to end port congestions.

    They also advised AP Molar Multi Terminal (APMT), whose cargo operations take hours to emulate the operations of Port Terminal Multipurpose Ltd (PTML) who have perfected the act of evacuating cargo within minutes.

    They agreed that emergency interventions should be carried out on the roads around Coconut bus stop area and some other bad portions.

    They resolved to have another inclusive meeting to carry Shippers, government regulatory agencies and other stakeholders who were absent at the gathering along to evolve permanent solutions,

    Fashola advised the stakeholders to organise forums where they could proffer solution to the problems and make recommendations to government to speed up solutions on various issues.

    The minister stressed the need to put other ports in the country to use to reduce pressure on the two major ports in Apapa and promised to work with his transport counterpart, Mr Rotimi Amechi, to involve the rail sector in finding solutions.

    He called for sacrifice on the part of the various stakeholders as the Yuletide season is approaching to ensure speedy solution to all the problems.

    “During this period when everybody is sacrificing something, let us sacrifice, it is an exchange, everybody must sacrifice.

    “This is not about us, it is about everybody,” he told stakeholders.

    He explained that procurement process for the Oshodi Tin Can Island road was ongoing.

    Earlier, Fashola had inspected ongoing rehabilitation works at Costain and its environs, which he told journalists was to ensure smooth roads during the festive period.

    Honorary adviser to the Dangote Group, Mr Joseph Makoju said that Dangote was handling and co-funding the Apapa Wharf Road reconstruction project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

    Makoju said that it was painful that the project was being misunderstood by both the public and a section of the media who make negative remarks against the Dangote Group instead of commending it for giving back to society.

    He explained that the Dangote Group also suffered from the problems of gridlock and other problems caused by port congestions as it affected their businesses and operations as well.

    He added that the company was ready to tackle all problems that related to the construction raised at the forum and deliver the project within one year.

    “We give our assurances that we will deliver and we need your understanding,” he said.

    Mr Ashif Juma, Managing Director AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, contractors handling the project said that there was massive deployment of men and equipment to site as the rainy season ended adding that by November significant visible progress would be seen in the construction.

    Juma explained that it was not easy to work on old roads because some unexpected problems usually came up in the midst of the project.

    He added that the firm was working closely with the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing (FMPW$H) on the project and that work tempo would double in November.

    “We will work two shifts seven days a week. We cannot do this work without your help,” he told the other stakeholders.

    The NPA on its part promised to begin enforcement of traffic regulations in port areas which include Oshodi, Babs Aminasaun, Costain and Ijora Olopa road areas,

    NAN reports that Fashola, on June 17 signed the N4.34 billion Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the reconstruction of the four kilometres Apapa Wharf road with AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd and other companies.

    The project is being funded by AG Dangote Construction Company Ltd, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) and Flour Mills of Nigeria.

     

    NAN

  • Jonathan blasts Fashola for failing to fix power as promised during 2015 campaign

    Jonathan blasts Fashola for failing to fix power as promised during 2015 campaign

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has lambasted Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde for failing to fix power as promised during 2015 campaign.

    Jonathan who made the statement in Abuja on Thursday when he received one of the national chairmanship aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, and members of his campaign stressed that President Muhammadu Buhari-led government is only good in lying.

    The former president observed that more than two years of the APC Federal Government, to which Fashola belongs as a minister, the government had not been able to fix power.

    He noted that Fashola who made the statement is incidentally in charge of power today.

    Jonathan said the Buhari government had not done anything since it came to power on May 29, 2015.

    “The PDP administration for 16 years did well and will continue to do well but this administration has done nothing. They deployed propaganda and lies at a professional level.

    “In the power sector, we did well to revive it. A state governor attacked our government, saying that any serious government should be able to fix the power challenge within six months.

    “Today, APC has been in power for how many years now? Fortunately the then governor is in the APC government as a minister.”

    Extolling the qualities of Adeniran, Jonathan reminded members of the PDP not to forget that for the party to stand a chance to oust the APC in 2019, the party would need a competent, reliable and courageous national chairman who would lead the party to victory come 2019.

    According to him, the PDP “needs a national chairman that will select credible and reliable candidates for various elective offices at the various levels of government from the presidency down to the councillorship.

    “We need a national chairman who will be courageous enough to caution the President if we win the Presidency and the President is going astray,” he said, adding that the expectation of the PDP was a “national chairman who will rule the party democratically and carry others along.”

    Jonathan said that with his long interaction with Adeniran and testimonies of other party leaders, he possessed all it would take to lead the PDP to new heights.

    He counselled party members, especially the aspirants not to allow the outcome of the convention to cause another crisis in the party, warning, “We must not come out of the convention divided. There should be no acrimony.”

    In his remarks, Adeniran said he was not in the contest for fun, stressing that the need to rebuild and reposition the PDP ahead of the 2019 general elections informed his decision.

    “Nigerians are waiting. Till now, more than 3/5th of Nigerians are still sympathetic to the PDP,” he said.

    On Adeniran’s delegation were former ministers, Abba Moro (Internal Affairs); Zainab Maina (Women Affairs); Jerry Gana (Information); and a two-time Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Friday Itulah, among others.

    When contacted for reaction to Jonathan’s allegation, the President’s media team referred one of our correspondents to the All Progressives Congress.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, was however unavailable for comments.

    Calls to his mobile phone were neither picked nor returned.

    A response to a text message sent to him on the subject was still being awaited as of the time of filing this report.

    In his reaction, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, stated that Jonathan did not have the right facts.

    The minister, who spoke through his Senior Special Adviser on Communications, Hakeem Bello, stated that it was unfortunate to know that Jonathan would accuse the current government of not doing enough in the power sector.

    He said, “It is unfortunate that the former President does not have his facts right. This is because there was nowhere that the current Minister of Power, Works and Housing and former Governor of Lagos State said he could fix Nigeria’s power challenges in six months.

    “If he (Jonathan) needs clarification, we can provide that, instead of stating things that are not factual with respect to the minister and the power sector.”

  • No exclusive monopoly in power distribution – Fashola tells Discos

    No exclusive monopoly in power distribution – Fashola tells Discos

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola has allayed fears of Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) over government’s investments in solar energy plants.

    Fasola allayed their fears at the 20th Monthly Power Sector Stakeholders’ Meeting hosted by Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) in Owerri.

    The minister said that the Discos expressed their fears in a letter to his office about some government’s initiatives on power generation and distribution.

    Fashola said some government’s initiatives which included provision of meters to consumers by meter suppliers, provision of more power to consumers through licensing of eligible customers and promotion of more solar power through mini-grids had prompted the fears of the Discos.

    He said Discos had nothing to fear about solar, stressing that all government’s initiatives were targeted at improving services to the people.

    “It is my understanding that you fear that you will lose some income or some customers if government proceeds and on the question of meters, you seek to have technical compatibility with what the licensees will operate.

    “In respect of possible investment in distribution equipment, you seek that government should route the investment through the Discos.

    “While your concerns about business viability, financial stability and cost recovery are well understood and indeed supported by the Electric Power Sector Perform Act of 2005 ( EPSRA ) which government will respect, I must point out that government’s focus is also strong on the issue of service to the people.

    “As far as the promotion of solar and other sources of independent power are concerned, please note that not only are they supported by the ESPRA, they are consistent with our Paris Climate Change Agreement Obligations and with emerging global practice,” he said.

    The minister said that ESPRA did not contemplate a monopoly for any licensee unless it was expressly stated in the licence.

    Fashola said the monthly meeting was to review the progress made from the last monthly meeting held in Lagos in September and to collectively engage the challenges that lied ahead in the roadmap to incremental, stable and uninterrupted power supply.

    He said that in the last month, the sector recovered 100mw from the damaged Afam IV power plant which had been inoperative since January 2015.

    The minister said that TCN had energised the Jebba-Kainji 2nd 330KV line and the 2nd Ajaokuta-Abuja 330KV line both of which were inoperative since 2015.

    According to him, the Federal Executive Council on Oct. 4 approved the verified sum of N25.9 billion Federal Government MDA debts and its payment by setting it off against debts owed by the Discos to NBET.

    The minister as saying that the sector was also making progress in recovering debts due from international customers.

    He said the sector was equally working to expand the distribution network of the Discos so that they could take additional 2,000 mw of power now available for supply

    Fashola said that debts of ministries, departments and agencies would be paid through their debts to Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company ( NBET ).

    He said that one of the challenges to overcome was how the Discos could quickly increase their capacity to take power and distribute to consumers.

    The minister commended the critical role of the judiciary and the law enforcement agents on the strict enforcement of arbitration clauses in the power sector.

    “We welcome this judicial support to stop corruption in the power sector, enforce the law and promote liquidity in the sector.

    “We also welcome the intervention in the Court of Appeal in the case involving the tariff review,” he said.

    Mr Paul Okeke, the Acting Managing Director of EEDC, commended the minister for his unrelenting efforts to improve the power sector.

    He said EEDC was also committed to the improvement of power supply in the country.

    Okeke also spoke on some progress made by the company, adding that there were ongoing schemes to improve service delivery in the sector.

     

     

  • We are not against states developing power projects – FG

    The Federal Government on Thursday said it was not against state governments developing their own power projects to support development and supply of incremental power.

    The Minster of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, reiterated the position of the Federal Government at a meeting of the National Council on Power (NACOP) in Jos.

    “I heard statements to the effect that Federal Government should allow the states to develop their own power projects.

    “The truth is that Federal government is not standing on the way of any state; the laws do not stand in the way of any state to develop power projects.

    “Because as governor, we built seven power plants, government did not stop us; what we could not do is to do commercial distribution which the law actually allows under license through Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).”

    Fashola said that the theme of meeting, “Completing Power Sector Reforms”, provided opportunity to share with representatives of state governments, other participants what the Power Sector Recovery Programme (PSRC) was about.

    The minister said some of the reform actions contained in the PSRC were already being undertaken at the Federal Government’s level.

    He, however, said that there were other areas of the reform where progress in the sector would be defined by what happened at the state and local government.

    He called on the state governments to champion advocacy in some areas of the reforms process in their states to further realise incremental power programme of the Federal Government.

    Fashola listed some of the advocacy required from states governments to their citizens to include:

    “State authorities should ensure that their residents comply with safety standard on building by not building on the right of way of 332/ 133, 33 and 11KVA lines.

    “States can also help by leading the advocacy for the residents to pay for the energy they fairly believe that they have consumed, while we continue to work to resolve the metering issues and estimated billing. ”

  • Improved power supply not caused by Buhari’s ‘body language’ – Fashola

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has said the improved power supply noticed in the country is not caused by the president’s body language as claimed in some sections of the media.

    The minister explained that the notable changes were as a result of a change in the mentality of members of the Buhari administration.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Fashola made the comments while speaking at The Guardian Power Summit in Lagos on Thursday.

    Fashola explained that the amount of power available on the grid on the day of Buhari’s inauguration was 2,690 MW, while the transmission capacity was around 5,000 MW.

    He noted further that the distribution capacity existing at around 750 33/KV trading points, from where power is received by the DisCos and sent out, was about 4000 MW.

    He stressed that the power then being generated at 2690 MW was not up to the transmission capacity of 5000 MW and was insufficient to optimise the distribution capacity of 4000 MW.

    “Within a few months after President Buhari’s assumption of office, power improved and we all acknowledged. We credited it to the President’s ‘body language’,” he said.

    “But the truth was that it had little to do with body language, and more to do with a sense of purpose that people sat up and began to do what ought to be done. In addition, the rains were upon us in July 2015 to September 2015. There was gas supply, which allowed the thermal plants to produce power.

    “Therefore from hydro and thermal sources, we reached an all-time peak power production of 5,074MW before the damage to the pipelines started and we started losing power.

    “We cannot damage power and gas assets and still expect them to provide service to us. It does not make sense.”

    The former Lagos governor explained that the government had, however, taken steps to address issues in the sector.

    These include engaging the aggrieved communities where the attacks were taking place to restore peace and repairing the damaged gas pipelines and gradually restored gas supply.

    He added that the government also launched the economic recovery and growth plan which made power supply one of five critical pillars; and the Power Sector Recovery Programme to work out and implement policies and actions.

    According to the minister, government also facilitated payment of debts to specific DisCos, and verification of debts to all others; payment assurance guarantee scheme of N701 billion to give confidence to GenCos, gas suppliers and their financiers; declaration of eligible customers, to encourage people to invest in building and expanding distribution asset; and development of mini grid regulations to encourage individuals and communities to build their own mini power generation and distribution facilities.

    “All of these policies and action go beyond rhetoric. They are well thought-out decisions, consistent with law and informed by a thorough diagnosis of the problems in the sector that have produced a clear set of solutions to deliver incremental power,” he noted.

    “The result is that as at 4 September 2017, the available power that can be put on the grid was 6619 MW (the incremental power we sought to achieve from 2069 MW in 2015); the transmission capacity was simulated at 6,700 MW (up from 5,000 MW in 2015) but the distribution capacity was 4,600 MW which was what was put on the grid.

    “On September 12, 2017, production of power reached an all-time level of 7,001 MW.

    “Clearly this is evidence-based progress, because we now produce more power then we can distribute. This does not mean that we have enough yet. It means that policies are working, but all the problems are not resolved.

    “We must continue the Power Sector Recovery Programme to impact the distribution end of the value chain so that we distribute and sell everything that we produce as an incentive to more power production and supply.”

    Fashola noted that the government was working toward solving the distribution problems as it plans to strengthen the governance of DisCos by reconstituting board representation in all the discos, a process that is also underway.

    “Next is the implementation of eligible customers, he said, adding that the successful implementation of the policy will help heavy power consumers who are denied power because of defective distribution to make the investment by building the distribution equipment under arrangements and agreements with the DisCos.

    “We are also looking at licensing some private power plants who have generation licenses and excess power, but no distribution license, to grant them permits to willing buyers especially in industrial clusters under regulations made by NERC,” he said.

    Commenting further, he said that the Power Sector Recovery Programme also involves producing more power, like completing the first phase of 9 federal universities out of a planned 37; completion of power plants including the 240 MW Afam power plant among others; completion of several transmission projects across the country; and implementation of the meter supply and installation plan through licensing of service providers, franchise holders, and rural communities.

    “Successes so far recorded in power generation and transmission have revealed that the work is far from finished, but the capacity that achieved the success in generation and transmission can demonstrably be transferred to solve the distribution problems.

    “Finally, I believe that well-meaning and right-thinking Nigerians will agree, that the Buhari Government has gone way beyond rhetoric.

    “We have evolved solutions that are already contributing to GDP growth, and the promise to do more, unlock the power value chain potential for enterprise and profit clearly lies ahead of us, with the successful implementation of the Power Sector Recovery Programme,” Fashola said.

  • We have commenced housing projects in 33 states – FG

    We have commenced housing projects in 33 states – FG

    The Federal Government on Thursday said it has commenced a national housing scheme in 33 states under which it plans to build 2,736 housing units across the country.

    This was revealed by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

    According to a statement by his media aide, Hakeem Bello, the minister said this in Abuja at the Sixth National Council Meeting on Lands, Housing and Urban Development themed; “Building for Inclusion, Growth and Prosperity.”

    The former Lagos state governor said the scheme is also creating employment opportunities for Nigerians. Apart from artisans, 653 contractors were engaged in the pilot scheme and a total of 54,680 people were employed in the process, he said.

    “This must give a lot of hope to our people that this Government will do what it says, and I want to thank all the states who gave us land, the staff of the Ministry who have worked hard to drive the programme, and the Honourable Minister of State, Mustapha Baba Shehuri, who has been visiting and inspecting project sites,” Mr. Fashola said.

    “I have myself made whistle stop visits to our sites in Taraba, Gombe, Ekiti, Oyo and what I saw demonstrates to me very clearly how impactful the National Housing Programme has been, even at the pilot and inception stage.

    “The bricklayers I met in Taraba, Gombe and Ekiti, Rilwanu Adamu and Abubakar Umar, who asked me to thank President Buhari, for putting them back to work, the owners of the cement mixer in Oyo who said that his equipment has been idle for two years but was now earning N20,000 daily on our site in Oyo.

    “And of course, Mr. and Mrs. Emmanuel, a builder and caterer respectively who live in Lagos, but who now find dignity, labour and employment…” he added.

    Commenting on Nigeria’s housing deficit, Mr. Fashola maintained that rather than complain about the size of the deficit, the government was putting efforts in place to address the deficit.

    “Yes, I understand the need to get value for money and the processes that have been put in place by previous administrations to guide procurement,” he said.

    “The question we must ask ourselves then is whether we have truly saved money and whether we have developed?

    “On the evidence that is available, the country has clearly made more money from oil sales in the last decade that cannot be accounted for by way of project delivery and infrastructure development.

    “But if this was not enough problem, the procurement requirements then limits the amount of advance payment Government can pay to 15% and sets conditions that overlook the level of literacy of the vast majority of our people and the nature of small businesses that they run.”

    The minister, however, explained that the bigger the size of the population, growth rate and urbanization rate, the bigger the size of the deficit.

    Speaking further, Mr. Fashola described the housing programme as the first of its kind on a national scale in many decades, stressing that other agencies of government have been positioned to facilitate the ministry’s efforts.

    “While our National Housing Programme, is the first of its type on a National scale in many decades that seeks to respond to the deficit, government agencies such as the Federal Mortgage Bank, Federal Housing Authority are being repositioned to play their role more effectively to address the housing problem,” he said.

    “For example, the Federal Housing Authority has been mandated by the ministry to reposition herself to be one of our champions of housing delivery based on her previous track record.

    “Similarly, the Federal Mortgage Bank continues to deepen participation in the National Housing Fund which forms a reliable pool of funding from which she lends money to contributors by way of mortgage loans to acquire houses.

    “In addition, the bank has granted loans to estate developers to build houses; and from their recent report to me, they currently have 3,823 housing units available for sale in various states of the Federation,” he said.