We Must Maintain The Infrastructure We Build – Fashola ...Emphasizes maintenance of infrastructure as critical job creation and sustenance strategy ..Bauchi State Government acknowledges President Buhari’s infrastructure development strides The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has charged participants at the 27th Meeting of the National Council on Works in Bauchi, Bauchi State to activate the infrastructure maintenance economy in their respective states in order to create wealth and sustain long term jobs for citizens. Addressing Council Members at the 27th Meeting of the National Council on Works the Minister said since the implementation of the Marshall plan in 1948, after the Second World War, it has become clear to any serious-minded economist or politician that infrastructure provision is critical to development, growth, wealth creation, employment and prosperity. Speaking on the theme of the 27th Meeting of the National Council on Works: “Infrastructure Delivery, Maintenance Economy and National Prosperity”, he said: “I hope it would help all of us focus on, not just the importance of the investment in infrastructure, but more importantly on the maintenance of infrastructure, the economy around maintenance and sustainable and long-lasting jobs that are created through maintenance.” According to Fashola, the heart of the matter and the message participants should all take home from the Meeting of the 27th Meeting of the National Council on Works is on what should be done in addition to building infrastructure, in order to keep the jobs on. “The answer, Ladies and Gentlemen is simple. We must maintain the infrastructure we build,” he charged all and sundry. Speaking on maintenance economy, he said: “This is important for many reasons, the first of which is that it preserves the life of the infrastructure and get the best value for the money we spent on it.” He explained further that maintenance economy is a critical contributor and driver of GDP in many economies around the world. He said: “You will notice that I have spoken about a “maintenance economy” not a “maintenance culture.” This is because maintenance is not a cultural thing, it is an existential matter of survival, bread and butter and income.” “Available data shows that in the “built industry” only about 30% of the manpower is employable by design and construction which lasts until the project is completed; while the remaining 70% are employed in the process of “operation” and “maintenance” of the infrastructure,” he said. Speaking on the need for investment on infrastructure, the Minister said that the nations that are richer have more infrastructure than the country and in order to bridge this gap must invest saying that “No nation or community can grow bigger than the stock of infrastructure.” He explained: “Infrastructure also helps to make people efficient, it creates competition and leads to productivity. Currently the Federal Government is executing 895 contracts in 795 projects spanning over 13,000 km of roads and bridges nationwide.” Delivering his opening address, the Executive Governor of Bauchi State, His Excellency, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed who was represented by the Deputy-Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Baba Tela acknowledged the contributions of the President Muhammadu Buhari led administration on infrastructure development across the country. The Governor further said that his  administration was also focused on reversing the trend of infrastructure deficit and decay that has held back the socio-economic development of the state. He said: “As a deliberate policy, we have since assumption of office over two years ago, embarked on the provision of infrastructure that has direct bearing on the socio-economic life of our people.” Speaking on infrastructure renaissance, he said that the state had embarked on accelerated urban renewal and rural development programme. “Within the last two years, our government has completed or about to complete over twenty-five roads covering over 200 kilometres in urban and semi urban areas across the state,” he said. He commended the Federal Government for the support of the state urban renewal drive through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. “We are particularly appreciative of President Muhammadu Buhari’s approval for the expansion of dual carriage ways of two major Federal Highways that lead into Bauchi metropolis. In his remarks the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Works and Housing,  Babangida Hussaini thanked all Council members for attending the Council meeting and urged them to go back and implement all Council resolutions. In attendance at the 27th Meeting of the National Council on Works were the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, the Deputy Governor of Bauchi State, representative of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, Commissioners of Works  across the states of the country,the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, the Permanent Secretaries of Ministry of Works from the 36 States of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, captains in the built industry and other critical stakeholders in the works sector of the economy. After the Council Meeting, the Honourable Minister inspected the expansion of the Bauchi-Ningi dual carriage way and the Phase 1 of the 2016 National Housing Programme in Bauchi. On the National Housing Programme, the Minister said that the one, two and three bedroom semi-detached bungalows are meant for all and that subscription to it would be done online through a dedicated portal to ensure transparency and avoid undue human interference.   ...

NIESV Agrees with Fashola on Need for Accurate Data Bank for Housing The Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers (NIESV) Thursday in Abuja corroborated the assertion of the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr.  Babatunde Fashola, SAN that Nigeria does not have a 17million housing deficit. President of NIESV, ESV Emmanuel Okas Wike, who corroborated the long-held standpoint when the Institution paid a courtesy visit to the Minister, said the body was in full agreement with the Minister on the fact that the figure which had been bandied in the country for a long time had no scientific proof. The NIESV President in his opening remarks at the Ministry’s Conference Room in Mabushi, told the Minister, “We are in total agreement with you on the unreliability of the 17million housing deficit being brandished in Nigeria for lacking scientific proof. We are using this opportunity to reaffirm the importance of data bank and our commitment to the provision of property data bank for all state capitals and major cities in Nigeria.’’ He disclosed that plans were ongoing to carry out enumeration of wasting and abandoned properties across the state capitals, most of which, according to him, belongs to government at various levels, adding that the Institute would then make recommendations on what could be done with them. In his remarks, Fashola said, ‘there is more demand in housing due to people that move from rural areas to urban centres to squat in the city, and when demand exceeds supply there will be scarcity adding that the solution lay in having accurate data of empty houses in the cities. The Minister, who expressed delight that the endorsement by NIESV on the non-existence of the 17 million housing deficit in Nigeria put an authoritative seal on the controversy, charged the Institute to come up with accurate data on the housing issue adding that such a data would help towards solving the housing problem. While commenting on the Land Use Act, the Minister said, “The law is not the problem, it is not enough to say repeal the law, the communities fighting over land resulted in enacting the Land Use Act. Every section of the Land Use Act has been interpreted by the Supreme Court. Administration of the law is the problem rather than the law itself.” ...

Built Industry has progressed despite COVID 19 –Fashola The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) has said that despite the socio economic consequences of Covid 19 pandemic, operatives of the built industry have continued to make progress. The Minister who was the guest speaker at the 15th Abuja International Housing Show said this while delivering his speech. Fashola said, *“Even as our country, as indeed the entire World is still grappling with the social – economic consequences of the Covid – 19 pandemic, I have nothing but progress to report about how the built industry operatives, professionals and other stakeholders have contributed to increasing the stock of affordable and accessible home ownership in a pre and post –Covid era.”* The Minister who was represented by the Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing Engineer, Abubakar D. Aliyu (FNSE), at the occasion hinged his view on the activitvites of stakeholders in the sector such as the National Housing programme, (NHP) of the Federal government which is aimed at constructing acceptable and affordable houses nationwide He disclosed that a total of 1,021 building contractors have been engaged under phases 1 an 11 of the programme since its inception in 2016 and 13, 680 and 41, 040 direct and indirect jobs have been generated. He added that the Ministry of Works and Housing had undertaken the construction of 4,694 housing units, out of which 2,249 units have been completed in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) with a total of 41 sites spread over the 34 states and the FCT. Other activities of the Ministry include: housing development through Public Private Partnership (PPP) initiatives, Site and Services across the States, houses delivered by the Federal Housing Authority, FHA and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria both of which are Parastatals of the Ministry. In her goodwill message, the Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing, Ghana, Freda Prempeh noted that the unprecedented negative economic impact of  Covid -19 pandemic had resulted in global economic recession which had greatly affected the urban poor and informal sector thereby worsening the housing problem globally.  She advised that social housing schemes must, as a matter of necessity, be given top priority by governments while boosting local production of building materials to generate employment. The Chairman of the occasion, Surveyor Suleiman Hassan Zarma (MNIS), former Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing emphasized the need to provide affordable housing for the populace as a way of preventing the spread of Covid -19 which can occur when people are not adequately housed. The Minister of Environment, Dr Muhammed Mahmood Abubakar spoke on the correlation between housing and climate change. He called on stakeholders in the built industry to ensure that international standards are met when putting up a building so that it can stand the test of time especially in the face of the danger that climate change portends.  He described the threat of climate change as a pandemic worse than the corona virus pandemic if not carefully handled. In his welcome address, the convener of the event, Barrister Festus Adebayo disclosed that the conference which has the theme “Sustainable and Resilient Housing Solution for a post – pandemic World” would explore different innovations and requirements that can effectively position housing as a tool in combating the epidemic on the single premise that the World has finally come to the realization of the importance of housing and the environment He further said that the conference would also consider the involvement of the youths in designing the future of affordable housing as well as the matter of housing data for effective planning and delivery Highlight of the occasion was the presentation of awards by the Honourable Minister of state for Works and Housing given to   governors of Lagos, Yobe and Borno States as well as the Honourable Minister of State for Works and Housing,Ghana, Preda Prempeh  Boade Akinola Director Press and Public Relations  27th July, 2021   ...