2022 NUGA Games: Fashola Restates FG’s Commitment To Sports Development In Nigeria ...... As Minister receives Torch of Unity for the games from UNILAG’s Local Organizing Committee The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Thursday restated the commitment of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to Sports Development in the country saying the administration has innovatively included Sports in the National Economic Development programme. Fashola, who spoke at the Mabushi Headquarters of the Ministry when he hosted the University of Lagos (UNILAG) Local Organizing Committee of Nigerian University Games Association (NUGA) who came to present the Unity Torch for this year’s NUGA games, described the game as “one of the many items of National Integration and Development”. Noting that such events as sports festivals, academical games and so many other activities in the nation’s institutions represented efforts to reposition the youths for leadership and other national development roles, the Minister declared, “We must never underestimate the roles that the events played in defining the character of young men and women who are now leaders of today”.  “We cannot have youth unemployment if we do what we should do with sports development”, the Minister said adding that the strategy was that “those that these critical games have produced will, through their camping and travels across the country, help national cohesion, help to break down barriers, help to produce trust”, adding that it would also “help us to see all of ourselves as the same after-all even if we worship differently and speak different languages”. Commending the Minister of Sports and Youths Development, Mr. Sunday Dare, for securing the approval of the Federal Executive Council to include Sports in the National and Economic Programme, Fashola recalled, “It was a tough game to get Council to agree, but finally it is now part of our National and Economic programme”, adding that Sports is more than just the exercise, but also an economy.  He also commended the University of Lagos for its efforts in taking the Torch of Unity across the country saying the effort would “bring into the consciousness of those who matter that this is something that all of us must support”.  Earlier in his opening remarks, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said the purpose of the visit was to invite the Minister to the NUGA Games 2022 adding that the presentation of the Torch of Unity was to create awareness ahead of the Games. Describing the Minister as a Sports Lover, the UNILAG Vice Chancellor recalled the numerous contributions to Sports and football development in Lagos State when he was Governor of the State adding that about 75 Nigerian universities would participate in this year’s Games while 50 others would come from outside the country as observers. The highlight of the event was the presentation of the Torch for 2022 NUGA Games to the Minister by his Sports and Youth Development counterpart and a group photograph with the delegation and other guests.   ...

FG To Work Towards Adequate Funding Of Federal Housing Authority-Sambo The Minister of State for Works and Housing, Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has said that the Federal Government will work towards adequate funding of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) for the realization of its mandate. Sambo said this when he was on an official tour to the Headquarters of Federal Housing Authority, Abuja where he was briefed on its activities. Sambo noted that since FHA was established to cater for low and middle income earners, it would therefore need funding intervention from the federal government to develop affordable houses for that category of citizens. The Minister, while responding to the agitation of management concerning the removal of FHA from the appropriation bill, advised the management to put up a position paper that would be passed to the appropriate authority to justify the need for budgetary allocation and seek inclusion into the budget appropriation. "I have advised the management of FHA to put together a position paper that we can use to canvas the appropriate authorities for funds because the Federal Housing Authority was established to cater for the low and middle income earners in the country.” In addition, Sambo advised the management of FHA to adopt a proactive mechanism in planning and managing their resources. The Minister also explained that the Land Use Act has limited the Federal Government Agencies to acquire land in the states for mass housing delivery since land belongs to the states. “The Land Use Act of 1978 is a challenge. In the Act, all lands are under the administration of respective state governments. Here is a Federal agency that wants to develop houses for low-income and middle-income earning Nigerians and it does not have land. It means we are at the mercy of various state governments for us to get land. You cannot build a house on water’” he said. He, however, urged the management of FHA to build a robust relationship with state governors in a way that would be beneficial to both parties because no state governor would turn a blind eye to what would be advantageous to the citizens of the state. Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of FHA, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, advocated for the review of the laws establishing Federal Housing Authority, adding that they are impeding its performance. Ashafa further informed the Minister that inadequate funding has continued to hinder their output.  According to him , the Authority which used to enjoy Federal Government's funding through budget appropriation to finance  social or affordable housing projects could no longer perform its duties in this regard because it was removed from budget appropriation since 2004,adding that it has limited financial resources available for use. Senator Ashafa appealed to the Minister to use his position to ensure that FHA can be included in the budget appropriation, noting that it would help the Authority to construct affordable houses and provide employment opportunities for Nigerians being part   of the key agenda of the government of President Muhammad Buhari, GCFR. Meanwhile, at Zuba Housing Estate, Arc. Adamu Taminu, while conducting the Minister round the Estate, explained that it is comprised of 76 blocks of unit of 2bedrooms, 16 units of 1 bedroom and 18 duplexes of 3bedrooms with 95% completion stage and would be completed in the next three months.  At the Apo - Guzape Housing Estate which is a Public Private Partnership model between the Federal Housing Authority, ENL Consortium Limited and Individual Developers, the Project Manager Federal Housing Authority, Mr. Bello Yusuf, explained that out of the 111 houses constructed under Direct Construction 88 units have been completed, 764 housing units are ongoing under the PPP project. The Federal Housing Estate at Apo- Guzape has necessary infrastructure in place ranging from civil, electrical and mechanical as well as provision of adequate security to make the estate habitable for off takers. Sambo was impressed with the quality of work at the two housing estates he inspected.   ...

We Are Evolving Strategies To Mitigate Climate Change - Fashola ...... says Ministry is committed to the Paris agreement signed by Mr. President The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, SAN, Thursday emphasized the commitment of the Federal Government to the Paris Agreement on Climate Change as signed by President Muhammadu Buhari saying his Ministry has streamlined its activities in line with the Agreement. The Minister stated this on Thursday when the faculty members and participants of the Executive Intelligence Management (EIMC) Course 15 of the National Institute for Security Studies paid him a courtesy visit in his office. Speaking on the theme of course 15 of the institute, “Global Climate Challenges, Prospects and Priorities for Economic Development and Conflicts Resolutions in Africa”, Mr. Fashola commended them for the choice of the theme which he said places emphasis not only on human capital development, but on national development. On compliance to climate change, the Minister said that as a Ministry, The Management have a role to play both in terms of policy and delivery.  According to him, in the housing sector for instance, the Ministry has developed a national building code for effective building in terms of sizes of windows and materials for buildings that would affect the level of the impart of temperature. He added that the entire Ministry was now powered with energy saving bulbs with well over 400 air conditioners with energy efficiency. On the Works sector, the Minister stated that the Ministry had embraced some new technology of recycling of used materials for road construction. “New technology of recycling is being used on the Abuja-Kano Highway, by recycling those materials used in the construction of the road in 1991. This again shows our level of compliance,” he said. Speaking on water shortage as one of the major causes of conflict, he said that the human race has taken so much from nature that nature is fighting back. The dwindling water in the Lake Chad for instance has generated a lot of conflict in the Lake Chad region and environs. “That was why President Muhammadu Buhari has consciously drawn attention to the dwindling resources of Lake Chad and the consequent as it will generate,” he explained. Delivering his speech, the Deputy-Commandant of the Institute, Didacus Egbeji, FSI said that the National Institute for Security Studies (NISS), was the foremost security training Institute in Nigeria that prepares high-level security intelligence professionals, as well as senior level managers for critical roles in the sustenance of national security. He said that the main objective of the institute was to train top level management with a broader outlook, intellectual depth and the capacity to deal efficiently and effectively with deep analytical insight into the development and utilization of available resources towards effective management of the complex security challenges in a democratic dispensation. Speaking on the theme of this year’s course: “Global Climate Challenges, Prospects and Priorities for Economic Development and Conflicts Resolutions in Africa” he said that climate change has had adverse consequence bothering on our national development, infrastructure and the national security.  He said that the purpose of the courtesy visit to the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing was to get first-hand information on how the Ministry was adapting to the climate challenges in terms of human and capital development. He added that the team would also be visiting other Ministries that are related to the theme of the course in order to have a general overview of Nigeria’s climate challenges and how Nigeria is coping with it.   ...