Housing Construction Key to Stimulating Inclusive Growth, Lifting 100 Million Nigerians Out of Poverty – Dangiwa *  Flags off 250-Housing Unit Renewed Hope Estate in Akwa Ibom *  Says the housing market has potential to unlock $1 Trillion Economy Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has described housing construction as a key component towards stimulating inclusive growth and helping to attain President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mission of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. Speaking during the groundbreaking for 250-housing unit Renewed Hope Estate in Akwa Ibom on Friday 28th June 2024, Arc. Dangiwa noted that the housing sector has the potential to trigger a $1 Trillion economy going by the vigour and seriousness with which the president is addressing the housing challenge in the country. The project, which is part of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme launched by Mr. President with a groundbreaking for 3,112 Renewed Hope City in Karsana, Abuja in February 2024, has further covered states like Kano, with 500-unit Renewed Hope City; and Katsina, Gombe, Yobe, and Sokoto, each with a 250-unit Renewed Hope Estate in the first round of groundbreaking. The second leg of groundbreaking, which began in Ebonyi on Wednesday 26th June and moved to Abia on Thursday 27th June, and now in Akwa Ibom, will cover eight states in all, including Delta, Osun, Oyo, Benue, and Nasarawa states for 250 housing units in each of these states. “Our plan is to turn Nigeria into a huge construction site. This estate, like the others, comprises 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 150 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows. “We have designed these housing units in a way that makes them affordable for people to acquire by using organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases. This means that a 1-bedroom unit can be expanded to 2 bedrooms, and a 2-bedroom unit can also be expanded to 3 bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or their family grows,” he said. Dangiwa underscored the huge economic benefit of housing construction, noting that it goes beyond improving the economies of local communities. “Statistics show that the construction of one housing unit creates an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs. So, for these 250 housing units in Akwa Ibom, we hope to create jobs for over 6,500 people in various trades, from professionals like architects, civil engineers, and mechanical engineers to masons, plumbers, tilers, electricians, and laborers. We have seen unskilled workers at sites earning as much as N35,000 per week, at an average of N5,000 per day. This amounts to about N140,000 per month. “This is in addition to the economic activities, including those selling food, supplying blocks, and providing building materials. The value chain effect of construction work on this site is significant and creates a positive economic impact,” he said. While he thanked the Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Pastor Umo Eno for providing the land for the project at no cost, he urged other state governors to take a cue from the twelve states so far captured under the N50 Billion 2023 Supplementary Budget, assuring them that their states will be included in the 2024 Budget of the Ministry as the Ministry plans to build Renewed Hope Estates in all the states. “I want to charge the developers, Messrs Trust Global Ltd, Springwell Intercontinental Resources, and Hyousungs Ltd, to ensure that they build according to specifications. I want to emphasize in very strong terms that we will not tolerate substandard work from any developer, and we will explore all necessary legal means, including EFCC, to ensure that they deliver as per the contract. If you collect government money, you must do the work. “We also want the developers to adhere to the timeline and finish within three months so that we can begin the process of getting Akwa Ibom indigenes to purchase and move in,” he said. ...

DIGITALIZATION: HOUSING MINISTRY TRAINS STAFF ON USE OF OFFICIAL EMAIL ACCOUNT. In line with the ongoing digitalization in the Federal Civil Service, the department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, has conducted a hybrid training program on the use and management of the newly created official email accounts for staff of the Ministry, for the purpose of official correspondences. In his address at the training program, the Permanent Secretary Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi noted that the use of  official email address in all official correspondence was a  directive of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and has become  an important gateway in the ongoing digitalization process in the civil service, pointing out that all communications with the Head of Service by directors and departments must be done using the official email address. He expressed optimism that with the way the digitalization plans are going, the official emails may soon be required to log into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System platform to make leave applications. On Performance Management System (PMS), the Permanent Secretary informed that the Directors and Heads of Departments, HoDs, would sign their performance contract with him soon, and sanctions would be meted out to the HoD,  that are not active on the official email address. Dr. Ogunbiyi urged the staff to execute tasks within their schedule to the best of their abilities as the ratings from their performances when evaluated  would contribute to their scores during promotions.  "we are commencing Performance Management System and any strikes gotten in the reporting year will affect your scores and ratings, and ultimately affect your promotion”, he notified. He strongly advised about the importance of the use of the official email address as well as visits to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS)  self portal, adding they would also form part of assessment for the PMS. The Permanent Secretary further encouraged the staff to visit the recently launched virtual learning platform by the Office of the Head of Service, to learn and take courses that will improve their careers. In his presentation, the Director in charge of the ICT department, Marcus Amiolemen, told the participants that the essence of the training was to ensure that  everybody knows how to effectively use the staff official email account created for the staff using their username. He explained that the creation of an official email address that is domain specific for government businesses was the  directive of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, adding the official email address gives the staff the ministry's identity. He informed that the URL of the official Email for the Ministry is https://mail.fmud.gov.ng/owa. or alternatively, through the staff email option on the menu bar of the Ministry’s web portal https://mhud.gov.ng. The Director educated the participants on the importance of the country’s identity which is .gov.ng, on the international gateway, adding that all official communications must use official emails that come with the domain name for identity purposes. On the security of email accounts, Amiolemen gave assurance that the accounts are fully secured as it is being managed by Galaxy Backbone, a company with a proven track record  in ICT in Nigeria, adding  the site is also designed to identify and filter unsolicited emails. Amiolemen, while informing the participants that a total of 520 official email addresses has been created for staff of the Ministry since the directive from the Head of Service sadly noted  that more than 75% of the email addresses were not yet in use. He warned that  the email accounts were designed to be  automatically deactivated and license retrieved  by Galaxy Backbone, the managers of the exchange platform, if not used within a period of 90 days.  Amiolemen also demonstrated practical steps through slides, on how to navigate the platform, while also appealing to the staff to visit the Ministry’s web portal so as to be kept abreast of happenings in the Ministry.   ...

Remarks by The Hon. Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, at The Ground-Breaking Ceremony For 250-Housing Unit Renewed Hope Estate in Akwa Ibom on Friday, June 28, 2024 Protocols Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, First, I would like to thank His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, for honoring our invitation to the groundbreaking of a 250-housing unit Renewed Hope Estate here in the state’s capital. Today’s ceremony is a continuation of the nationwide groundbreaking exercise for housing projects under the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, which His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, launched in February with the commissioning of a 3,112-housing unit in Karsana, Abuja. Under Phase One of this programme, we plan to deliver a total of 50,000 housing units across Nigeria. This includes 7 Renewed Hope Cities that will have between 500 and 1,000 housing units per site in each of the six geopolitical zones in the country and the FCT, while the Renewed Hope Estates will have 250 units per site in the remaining thirty (30) states. With this housing programme, we plan to unlock the massive potential of housing development to create jobs, uplift lives, and boost economic development. This is in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President to STIMULATE INCLUSIVE GROWTH, LIFT 100 MILLION NIGERIANS OUT OF POVERTY, AND BUILD A $1 TRILLION ECONOMY. As you may recall, last month, following the presidential flag-off of the programme in Abuja, we embarked on the first leg of this exercise with the groundbreaking of 1,500 housing units in the northern part of Nigeria. This includes 250-housing unit Renewed Hope Estates, one each in Katsina, Yobe, Gombe, and Sokoto, and a 500-housing unit Renewed Hope City in Kano. Work is currently ongoing at each of these sites, and our plan is to have all of them completed within the next couple of months and made available to Nigerians in line with Mr. President’s desire to provide quality housing for all Nigerians. UNDER THE RENEWED HOPE AGENDA, WE ARE IMPLEMENTING A ZERO TOLERANCE FOR UNCOMPLETED PROJECTS. This second leg will see us break ground for a total of 2,000 Renewed Hope Housing Units across eight (8) states in the South and North Central. We started on Wednesday with 250 units in Ebonyi; yesterday, we were in Abia for another 250 units, and today we are happy to be here in Akwa Ibom to flag off another 250 units. From here, we will proceed to Delta, Osun, Oyo, Benue, and Nasarawa states for 250 housing units in each of these states. Our plan is to turn Nigeria into a huge construction site. This estate comprises 50 units of 1-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, 150 units of 2-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, and 50 units of 3-bedroom semi-detached bungalows. We have designed these housing units in a way that makes them affordable for people to acquire by using organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases. This means that a 1-bedroom unit can be expanded to 2 bedrooms, and a 2-bedroom unit can also be expanded to 3 bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or their family grows. As we break ground on this project, I want to charge the developers, Messrs Trust Global Ltd, Springwell Intercontinental Resources, and Hyousungs Ltd, to ensure that they build according to specifications. I want to emphasize in very strong terms that we will not tolerate substandard work from any developer, and we will explore all necessary legal means, including EFCC, to ensure that they deliver as per the contract. If you collect government money, you must do the work. We also want the developers to adhere to the timeline and finish within three months so that we can begin the process of getting Akwa Ibom indigenes to purchase and move in. To ensure affordability, we have created different options to enable everyone who has a source of income and livelihood to own these homes when they are completed. These include single-digit mortgage loans that beneficiaries can repay over 30 years, rent-to-own schemes provided by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, and outright purchase options for those who can afford to pay upfront. Statistics show that the construction of one housing unit creates an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs. So, for these 250 housing units in Akwa Ibom, we hope to create jobs for over 6,500 people in various trades, from professionals like architects, civil engineers, and mechanical engineers to masons, plumbers, tilers, electricians, and laborers. We have seen unskilled workers at sites earning as much as N35,000 per week, at an average of N5,000 per day. This amounts to about N140,000 per month. This is in addition to the economic activities, including those selling food, supplying blocks, and providing building materials. The value chain effect of construction work on this site is significant and creates a positive economic impact. I want to state that under the Renewed Hope Agenda of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, we at the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development are very particular about giving Nigerians value for money. We are diligently funding these projects from the N50 billion 2023 Supplementary Budget that Mr. President approved for the Ministry to ensure sustainability, quality, and geographic spread. It is important to say that the provision of land in a good location and at no cost is a key condition for siting Renewed Hope Housing Projects. The twelve states covered under this 2023 supplementary budget are those that first provided land. I want to assure that states that have not been covered will be included in the Ministry’s 2024 Budget on a first-come, first-served basis, on the condition that they provide land at no cost to enhance affordability. At this juncture, I want to appreciate and thank His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Pastor Umo Eno, for promptly granting our request for the provision of land at no cost. This singular action has helped us reduce as much as 30% of the cost of the units in this estate for the benefit of potential homeowners. This is a dividend of responsible governance, and I applaud Your Excellency for this. Before I close my remarks, I want to thank and appreciate our President for providing the vision and the political will necessary for us to make a difference in terms of delivering decent and quality housing to Nigerians. The groundbreaking ceremonies for these projects demonstrate that Mr. President and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria are committed to fulfilling promises and responsibilities to all Nigerians. Long live Akwa Ibom and His Excellency, the Executive Governor. Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Long live Mr. President.   Rephrase with Ginger (Ctrl+Alt+E) ...