News
Experts seek improved funding to increase housing stock with 300,000 homes by 2025.
By Wilson Adekumola
The immediate past Managing Director of Family Homes Funds Limited, Mr. Femi Adewole has emphasised the need to create a system that will improve funding of social housing projects in the country in order to increase housing stock with 300,000 homes by 2025.
He disclosed that if funds were sufficiently provided, Nigeria would be able to bridge the existing housing gap and adequately provide shelter for the citizens.
He made this call while speaking at the second edition of annual memorial lecture organised by the Nigerian Institute of Builders (NIOB) in honour of late Otunba Fatai Isola Osikoya recently.Late Osikoya was the past President of the Institute.
He was held in high esteem for his professionalism and meritorious services in building and housing development in Nigeria as the first Chairman, Council of Registered Builders of Nigeria.
While speaking on the theme: “Agenda for Housing Development in Nigeria : 2023 in Perspective” Adewole bemoaned the incessant building collapses in the recent times. He then urged players in the building industry to employ the services of certified professionals to reverse the unethical trend.
He revealed that Nigeria’s building policy for the coming administration and years ahead should be able to improve social housing stock and manage some of the crisis that will boost the morale of people’s social standard.
The President of NIOB, Prof. Yohana Izam said the topic was well chosen to brainstorm with stakeholders on delivery sustainable shelter that will cater to the housing needs of the nation through global best practice in the New Year. Izam, who is also the Vice Chancellor, Plateau State University, Jos, declared that it is imperative to observe a high standard of competence in housing delivery in Nigeria.
He stated that, “The Institute notes with concerns the lack of debates on the very significant issue of housing which impacts greatly on the property of all other sectors of the economy.”
In her own words, the Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure to the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Aramide Adeoye, acknowledged that the state actors reposed confidence in the professional builders to reform the system, as well as give Nigerians better housing.
The Vice Chairman, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Mr. Olugbenga Ismail, maintained the need to deploy use of local building materials instead of dependence on importation of inputs to cut the cost of construction.
News
Demolition of buildings for Lagos-Calabar coastal road begins Saturday
The Federal Government has announced that the demolition of buildings situated within the right of way of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road will commence this coming Saturday.
According to Channels Television’ on Thursday, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Korede Keisha, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Lagos on Thursday.
Keisha urged all residents whose houses have been earmarked for demolition to visit the ministry’s secretariat in Lagos to address any necessary procedures required by the ministry.
She stated that the demolition team would commence the removal of the marked properties on Saturday.
Keisha said, “So this press briefing is just to create awareness for all those that may be involved or have one or two things to do along that project corridor.
“We’ve sent out demolition notices to as many as are within the right of way and we are using this medium now to say that everyone that has any concern within that corridor and have been served, the secretariat is opened to them from today, 3pm.
“We are welcoming them from today till tomorrow. Whatever you have to do along that axis, and then we’ve come to you and marked you down for demolition, we are asking that you see us at the secretariat from today till tomorrow evening.
“Thereafter, demolition squad will move to action by Saturday morning for the first three kilometres.”
The minister added, “For the first three kilometres, anything within the right of way of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be dropped down from Saturday morning.
“So, I want to use this medium to reach out to as many as we cannot put calls across to, that this will go a long way to let them know that their issues will be sorted out between today and tomorrow.
“Especially if you are within zero to three kilometres of the projects and you have been marked. You have been identified as standing in the right of way of the project corridors.”
Recently, Minister of Works Dave Umahi disclosed that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road is expected to span eight years and cost N4 billion per kilometre
The 700 km Lagos-Calabar coastal road will be constructed for N15 trillion, and a kilometre of the road will cost N4 billion.
It is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before culminating in Cross River.
News
How ex-HoS, Oyo-Ita, others diverted public funds – Witness
Hamma Bello, the eighth posecution witness in the trial of a former Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, narrated before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, how the defendant and her subordinates diverted public funds into their private companies.
Oyo-Ita, the first defendant, is facing criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alongside her special assistants, Ugbong Effiok (seventh defendant), and Garba Umar (fourth defendant).
Others are six companies: Frontline Ace Global Services Limited, Asanaya Projects Limited, Slopes International Limited, U and U Global Services Ltd, Prince Mega Logistics Ltd, and Good Deal Investments, on 18 counts bordering on misappropriation, official corruption, money laundering, and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of over N3bn.
The witness, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Faruk Abdullahi, and H.M. Mohammed, told the court that Oyo-Ita used Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited – fifth and sixth defendants respectively, to fraudulently award government contracts to herself through the fourth defendant, Umar.
The first entry transaction of Good Deal Investment Limited in February 2019 showed that N42,748, 201.47 was paid into its Zenith Bank account.
The witness said, “We called for the account statements of these two companies, upon analysing them, we realised he (Umar) was paid several sums of money from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing where he is an employee.
“And upon interviewing the fourth defendant, he admitted that he was also a contractor. He also admitted to have paid the first defendant on several occasions from the proceeds of the transaction.”
On April 27, 2019, the witness disclosed that a transfer of N20, 2027, 142 was made in the name of Ibrahim Madu to the Zenith Bank account of Asanaya Projects Limited.
The mandate card of the account bears the signature and photo of the seventh defendant, Effiok.
Investigation, according to the witness, also revealed that the seventh defendant incorporated Asanaya Projects Limited in his name with the knowledge of the first defendant and that approvals were granted and payments made to the seventh defendant either through his personal account or to the account of the company.
The witness said, “The seventh defendant, upon interview, confirmed he had never travelled for most of the funds he received and that the first defendant was aware of and benefitted on several occasions from the funds. The account of U and U Global Services Limited was also opened by the seventh defendant.
“In summary, from 2015 to 2018, U and U Global Limited received several payments in the form of Duty Tour Allowances and estacodes. Sometimes, payments from the Federal Government were made directly to the account, for instance, on March 24, 2016, he received N40, 313, 453. 58. This particular payment was from the Federal Government.”
Further in his testimony, the witness stated, “Exhibit O is the Fidelity Bank account of Prince Mega Logistics Ltd. On March 27, 2018, and April 6, 2018, there were four entries, N4, 950, 000; N3,946,000, N4,676,000 and N1,478,000, from Thomson Titus Okure, who used to be a colleague of the seventh defendant in the Account Department.
“There were also outward payments to Ignom, Minaro Blessing, Winifred Oyo-Ita, Olarenwaju Godman Olushola and the seventh defendant is the sole signatory of this account.”
peaking further, he said, “I also want to add that we invited the first, second and seventh defendant at different times to our office and interviewed them. In the case of the first defendant, we printed chats from her phone and saw conversations she had with contractors, subordinates, and permanent secretaries. She also voluntarily made a statement to the EFCC.”
The matter was adjourned till April 30, 2024.
News
New minimum wage announcement on May Day not feasible – TUC president
The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Mr Festus Osifo, has said that the much-awaited new minimum wage may not be announced on May 1.
Osifo said this while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.
”The negociation by the Tripartite Committee is still on going. If you remember, the TUC earlier submitted N447, 000 as the new minimum wage but we have harmonised our figure with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) .
“It is now N615,000. Regarding the when for the new minimum wage, the committee is still working.
“So, certainly, May 1, will not work for the pronouncement of the new minimum wage. Except if the Federal Government wants to pay the minimum wage of N500, 000 to workers,”he said.
He however said that the N615,000 demanded by the organised labour is not sacrosanct.
”The government also has its markup and so conversations and negotiations will start and end somewhere, ‘he said.
He also noted that before organised labour arrived at that amount, a proper study was conducted.
”If you look at the N615. 000, you will think that the amount is right but at about the time we did that computation, a dollar was about N1, 700.
”I am hopeful that the committee will meet after May 1,” he said.
NAN reports that the 37-member tripartite committee on minimum wage set up by the Federal Government to continue further negotiations and consultations on the new minimum wage.
The National Minimum Wage Committee is chaired by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Aji, with other members drawn from the Federal Government and State Governments, the Private Sector as well as the Organised Labour.
Shettima notes that though decisions made to salvage the economy remain inevitable, the Federal government is not oblivious of the short-term implications, assuring Nigerians of better days ahead
He urged the committee to be diligent and consult widely in arriving at a fair and decent wage that can alleviate the sufferings of the people.
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