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Tag: December

  • National housing data centre for December launch

    National housing data centre for December launch

    The Federal Government has announced plans to make the National Housing Data Centre (NHDC) fully operational by December 2025, in a move expected to transform Nigeria’s housing and real estate policy landscape through accurate and evidence-based data.

    Coordinated by the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development (FMHUD), the initiative aims to harmonise housing statistics across the country, track progress in addressing the housing deficit, and provide reliable information for policy formulation and investment decisions.

    Chairman of the Technical Committee on the National Housing Data Programme (NHDP), Dr. Taofeeq Olatinwo, said NHDC will function as a federated system, allowing states, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to regularly feed data into a unified national platform.

    He explained that the system will enable both state-level analysis and national coordination, helping the government identify housing gaps, affordability trends, and emerging urban patterns.

    “The target is for the NHDC to go live in December 2025. It will have inputs from states, MDAs, and private developers at defined intervals, in line with global standards,” Dr Olatinwo said.

    To ensure international credibility, the NHDC is being developed in collaboration with global housing data partners, including the World Bank, African Union for Housing Finance (AUHF), Centre for Affordable Housing Finance in Africa (CAHF), and HOFINET. These organisations are providing technical support to align Nigeria’s data systems with global benchmarks and reporting metrics.

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    According to Olatinwo, the NHDC will capture key indicators such as housing stock, new developments, demolitions, conversions, and occupancy levels, giving a comprehensive picture of the nation’s housing situation. He noted that the centre would eventually evolve into a professionally run Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) responsible for data validation, quality control, and updates.

    Unlike past housing data initiatives restricted to government agencies, the NHDC will be accessible to the public through an online dashboard built on the existing Housing Market Information Portal (HMIP) hosted by the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC). It will also integrate inputs from agencies like the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), National Population Commission (NPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and others.

    The Federal Government has also begun engaging state governments to ensure full nationwide participation. Six pilot states were consulted in July 2025, forming the foundation for broader collaboration across all 36 states.

    The NHDC project is supported by a joint committee comprising representatives from FMHUD, NMRC, NBS, NPC, CBN, Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Federal Housing Authority (FHA), Family Homes Funds Limited (FHFL), and the Real Estate Developers Association of Nigeria (REDAN), among others.

    The committee is tasked with finalising the technical framework, legal documentation, and data-gathering model. The plan envisions transitioning the NHDC into a self-sustaining SPV that operates as a business entity to ensure long-term viability.

    Olatinwo said the initiative would provide accurate data to guide government housing policies, budget allocations, and social housing interventions. Despite some challenges, including funding and capacity building, he expressed optimism that the NHDC would be a game-changer for Nigeria’s housing sector by shifting decision-making from assumptions to evidence-based planning.

  • Senator: refineries will begin operation before December

    Senator: refineries will begin operation before December

    The Senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Jide Ipinsagba, has assured Nigerians that refineries will begin full operation before the end of the year.

    Ipinsagba, the chairman on Niger Delta Affairs, said the sufferings of Nigerians in the petroleum sector would soon be over.

    The lawmaker, speaking at a news briefing in Akure, said ongoing work on the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries would be completed before December.

    Ipinsagba, the vice chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum Downstream, said Port Harcourt refinery had reached about 90 to 95 per cent optimisation in terms of retrofitting, adding that Warri refinery was about 80 per cent and Kaduna refinery about 70 per cent.

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    He added: “Efforts are in top gear to ensure all refineries function before the end of this year. So with these, internal consumption of fuel will not be a problem.

    “This is not a paper talk; our committee went for oversight on this. What I am telling you now, it was demonstrated and we saw it. We went there (to the refineries), we looked at everything. It is not that we sat in our office and be talking, we went to Kaduna, we were in Port Harcourt, we were in Lagos and Warri as well, to ensure what they are telling us is not just on paper.”

    Ipinsagba appealed to Nigerians to be patient with the President Bola Tinubu administration.

  • Do you December: A collective pot

    Do you December: A collective pot

    Hello o,” came the call and startling knock on my door that morning. It was raving hot all night and I was feeling really hot. I was just coming out of the kitchen, naked with a cup of chilled banana smoothie in hand, when I heard the knock.

    Fearing that Tinu would barge in on me like my lovely friend Sexy Jola does, I ran into the bedroom to grab a wrapper, while the persistent Tinu went on, “Evelyn, are you there? Are you sleeping! Please, come downstairs.”

    By the time I got to the door, she had left. But I found a note, stating: “Come with a sack and a bowl”. That was when it dawned on me that our Food Ministers – Christabel and Tinu – have arrived with their booty. I rushed to the bathroom, took my bath faster than Flash, the legendary cartoon figure; donned a top and jeans shorts, and ran downstairs with my sack and bowl in hand.

    We had named Christabel and Tinu, ‘Food Ministers’, after the former had suggested that we borrow a leaf for the Black Friday concept to have a collective pool that would afford us the opportunity of engaging in affordable bulk buying. They came up with a list of household essentials: we vetted it and came up with a final list. Each then contributed an agreed amount towards the project.The duo later engaged the service of Mummy Yinusa of the ‘Coconut water’ saga, who, in turn, got an older friend, skilled in the bush markets (local wholesale market for foodstuff in town), involved. 

    I rushed out in excitement to find that other ladies were there already except Jolaolu and Tamara, who were were missing and just while I was about reaching the gathering, I saw Sexy Jola rushing down with a huge sack and very big basin.

    “Na trailer, you wan come carry wey you carry your house dey come,” Mummy Fawaz teased.

    “You took the words from my mouth, Mummy Fawaz. Wetin be this,” screamed Ada, pointing to Tamara who was rolling a drum towards us. We  burst into laughter as she joined us. 

    “You ladies go kill person o! I’m thinking of going back to bring a bigger basin myself,” I laughed.

    “Stay there! I don’t have time to start dragging bag and basin about,” a laughing Tamara stated and placed her drum by the pickup truck near the ebelebo tree.

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    Tinu and Christabel have done a good job in arranging the wares for each lady. It made it easy for us to just pick your wares; even the cow had been properly divided.

    “See how dem dey look o, See how dem people dey look,” sang Tamara, referring to other neighbours, who were watching from their balcony.

    “Na pepper them things,” Mummy Fawaz said, while handing over her sack to her sons who  carried it to their flats. Seeing how heavy it was, I asked Tamara to assist me in carrying mine when I’m done.

    Christabel cleared her throat and asked us to gather round. “Ladies, you gave us an assignment and as you can see, we have delivered,” she announced. “Thanks to Mummy Yinusa and Yeye Ajoke.This is surely going to be a merry Christmas. I call it ‘Do you December’.”

    “Indeed, it would be a December to remember,” I concurred.

    “Fortunately for us, we made the arrangement ahead of the recent cash crunch as if we saw what was coming. Women are prophets indeed,” Ada added.

    “Oya, make una carry go…enjoy,” urged Christabel. 

  • Six fun places in Nigeria to visit this December

    Six fun places in Nigeria to visit this December

    As we enter the festive month of December, there are fun places you can visit with your family and loved ones within Nigeria.

    Here are six fun places to visit in December

    1. Obudu Cattle Ranch

    Obudu Mountain Resort also known as Obudu Cattle Ranch is one of Africa’s finest and most interesting and spectacular tourist destinations. Obudu Mountain Resort is located in the highlands and deep tropical forests of Cross River State with a temperate climate at about 45 miles from the border with Cameroon.

    If you are a tourist looking for a mix of adventure and idyllic tranquillity, then Obudu Cattle Ranch is the place to be. With rich natural vegetation and a picturesque view, Obudu is increasingly becoming popular amongst tourists from all around Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

    The ranch has numerous pleasant and beautiful mountain-area and country-side views, with a well-preserved and calm Serene to suit all our guests.

    2. Warm Spring in Enemabia

    Enemabia’s warm spring with its lush scenery is an exotic location for people who enjoy swimming, nature, and adventure. It is the only warm natural spring in Benue state, which contributes to the attraction it gets from tourists. 

    You can take your family or friends to the spring, which is a guaranteed location to enjoy swimming in natural water.

    3. La Campagne Tropicana

    La Campagne Tropicana is an African-themed Forest, River, and Beach Resort located in the Ibeju Lekki area of Lagos, Nigeria.

    It covers over 65 acres of palm-fringed white sand beach, river, and mangrove forest. Tourists can observe at close quarters different species of plants and animals amongst which are palms, mangroves, epiphytes, monkeys, squirrels, mudskippers, and birds such as bats, kingfishers, Seahawks, egrets, and ducks.

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    Guests can enjoy nature from the comfort of their bed or take a cool dip in their private indoor or outdoor swimming pool.

    You can also camp by the beach or forest to camp by the riverbank if you prefer outdoor reservations.

    4. Oguta Lake Resort

    Oguta Lake Resort, also known as the Lake of Treasure, is located in Oguta, a tranquil community in Owerri.

    This park’s most outstanding feature is the meeting point of the murky Ulasi River and the blue Oguta Lake, which both retain their distinctive colours.

    The resort’s freshwater lake is not known to have any harmful animals.

    The resort also offers a recreational park, cruise boat services for an exciting voyage, a golf course with 18 standard international courses, standard lodging accommodations, and an exceptional dining establishment.

    5. Yankari Game Reserve

    Yankari Game Reserve is a large wildlife park and former National Park located in the south-central part of Bauchi State, in northeastern Nigeria.

    It is the most popular destination for tourists in Nigeria and plays a crucial role in the development and promotion of tourism and ecotourism in Nigeria.

    Yankari Game Reserve has over 50 mammal species including African bush elephant, olive baboon, patas monkey, Tantalus monkey, roan antelope, hartebeest, lion, African buffalo, waterbuck, bushbuck, and hippopotamus.

    The lion population is on the verge of extinction.

    There are also over 350 species of birds found in the park. Of these, 130 are residents, 50 are Palearctic migrants and the rest are intra-African migrants who move locally within Nigeria. These birds include the saddle-billed stork, helmeted guineafowl, African grey hornbill, and the cattle egret.

    6. Lekki Conservation Centre

    Lekki Conservation Centre (LCC) is a 78-hectare (190-acre) Natural Resource Conservation in Lekki.

    Located in the middle of Lagos, this conservation centre is home to abundant plants and wildlife and plays a vital role in preserving the region’s ecosystem.

    The park is also home to the longest canopy walkway in Africa, offering 360-degree views from above the treetops

    You can visit Lekki Conservation for a guided tour with transportation included, or you can just as easily hail a ride share and make your way there.

    When you visit, you can take a stroll through the swamp boardwalk and spot rare birds, monkeys, snakes, and crocodiles.

  • Discrepancies in employment letters may cost 5,000 federal workers December salaries

    Discrepancies in employment letters may cost 5,000 federal workers December salaries

    About 5,000 federal civil servants who have discrepancies in their dates of first appointments and dates of birth may not receive their December salary, the National President of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Tommy Okon, has said.

    Okon said the union, working with the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HoCSF), had forwarded the names of the affected workers to their Directors of Human Resources (DHR) for confirmation.

    The ASCSN president said 2,772 workers had been successfully restored back to the payroll of the Federal Government after concluding their online and physical verifications.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, he said: “The physical verification of the ‘17,000’ core civil servants who were delisted from the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) was concluded in October 2023. Those involved were in high spirit, waiting for their monthly salary, which was stopped since September 2023, to be restored.

    “As of today, only those who had earlier completed their verification but were mistakenly delisted have had their salaries restored while 5,000 of civil servants still have discrepancies in their dates of first appointments and dates of birth.

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    “A total of 2,772 have been verified and forwarded to IPPIS for payment because there were no issues. The names of 5,000 workers who have discrepancies are to be forwarded to their DHRs for confirmation.

    “There are six teams working tirelessly to ensure that the exercise is completed on time. It is advisable for a public servant to develop the habit of checking the HOS website for regular updates.

    “We have confirmed that the salary for November 2023 is concluded. Therefore, those affected will not be able to get their salaries for November.

    “However, effort is being made by the HoCSF to ensure that those cleared will get their salaries for December 2023, including the arrears from September.

    “We appeal to the Federal Government, through the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, to expedite action to ensure that the December salary is not delayed.”

  • Edo pays workers’ December salary

    …Obaseki urges peaceful celebrations

    The Edo State Government on Friday paid salaries of workers for the month of December, following the directive of the Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr Crusoe Osagie, said “the governor’s decision to pay workers, mid-way into the month, was informed by the need to make money available for workers to do early shopping for the yuletide and avoid the artificial inflation caused by commodity distributors.”

    He added: “Governor Obaseki wants workers to get value for their money before all the players in the commodity distribution chain cash in on the season and hike food prices.

    Read Also: Police kill suspected robber in Edo

    “The governor does not want Edo workers to be caught in the middle of such manipulative tendency of middlemen and has urged workers to go about their celebrations peacefully. 

    “Edo workers can storm the market from today and shop for the season. 2019 promises to be a better year for workers in the state.”

    The governor’s aide further said that governor Obaseki is committed to the welfare of workers in the state through innovative ways.

    “ Several reforms have been carried out in the Edo State civil service, including world-class trainings for the workers, revamp of their work environment, timely payment of salary and the migration of work culture from analogue to digital platform for efficiency,” Osagie added.

  • Lagos ‘to issue’ 7,000 building permits before December

    The Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Authority (LASPPPA) has said it will issue over 7,000 building approval plans before December

    Its General Manager, Mr Olufunmilayo Osifuye, spoke yesterday at a forum in Ebute-Meta and Oyingbo.

    Osifuye said about 6,000 permits had been issued till date.

    He said the forum was aimed at informing every owner/developer, whose property was not covered by a planning permit to regularise it with the agency.

    According to him, LASPPPA, in conjunction with the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), has embarked on the Joint Post-Construction Audit of structures.

  • ‘Lagos-Ibadan railway to be completed in December’

    Minister of Transport Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi has said the Federal Government is insisting on the completion of Lagos-Ibadan railway by December.

    He said it has decided that the construction company in charge should move back to Lagos and begin work.

    Amaechi spoke yesterday when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of his meeting with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos House, Alausa.

    The company handling the project is China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC).

    He said the Federal Government was working on two types of railway, namely “the narrow gauge, which is already on and the standard gauge. They are emptying into the Apapa seaport.”

    The minister said Lagos had two mega stations, which were at Apapa and Ebute Metta, but both were too small.

    “We are going to expand the stations.

    “We are going to have a mall and hotel at the two stations, but we are looking for investors. So we should have two very big stations in Lagos, one in Apapa and the other in Ebute Metta; then Abeokuta and Ibadan,” he added.

    Amaechi said the Federal Government on Wednesday awarded a contract on the Tin Can-Oworonshoki-Ojota road, adding that Dangote was doing one other part of it.

    “What we are trying to do there is to get good roads to evacuate cargoes, but it will be faster with the rail. So while we are working hard to make sure that the rail is delivered by the end of this year, the Federal Government has also awarded a contract to deal with the road from Apapa and Tin Can to enable us evacuate cargoes freely. This is an addition to the rail,” he said.

    The minister hailed Governor Ambode, who he said “has been very cooperative from the beginning till now.”

    Ambode thanked the Federal Government for approving the reconstruction of Tin Can-Apapa-Oshodi expressway up to the toll gate.

    “It is in continuation of finding a solution to what has been happening in Apapa, especially in the past two weeks, which has seen Vice- President Yemi Osinbajo visiting Lagos twice in the last two weeks and promising remedies to the situation.”

     

  • FAAC: Fed Govt, states, councils share N655b in December

    FAAC: Fed Govt, states, councils share N655b in December

    The three tiers of government have started 2018 on a good note as members of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) yesterday shared N655.177 billion for the December 2017.

    Addressing reporters at the end of the monthly FAAC meeting on December 2017 disbursements, the minister of finance and chairman of FAAC, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, stated that N540.446 billion was shared as statutory disbursements.

    However, after deducting costs of collection for the Customs and Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) the federal government pocketed N252.543 billion, states, N128.093, local governments got N98.755 billion while N47.738 billion shelled out as 13 per cent derivation to oil producing states.

    After making statutory deductions to FIRS, the three tiers also shared N80.604 billion from proceeds of Value Added Tax (VAT) with the federal government receiving N13.091 billion, state governments, N40.302 billion and local governments N28.211 billion.

    According to the minister,  gross revenue of N540.446 billion received for the month was lower than the N549.533 billion received in the previous month by N9.087 billion.

    Adeosun noted that the decrease in crude oil export sales by 0.59 million barrels resulted in decreased revenues from export sales of $11.65 million.

    The finance minister also disclosed that the accruals into the Excess Crude Account still stands at $2.317 billion.

    Also speaking after the meeting, the chairman of finance commissions forum Alhaji Mahmoud Yunusa said many states governments have keyed into the efficiency unit which has been working favourable for the states.

    Yunusa from Adamawa state many state governments have embarked on cost cutting measures after adopting the efficiency unit protocol which is part of the fiscal responsibility plan that they have all agreed to adopt.

  • December to remember

    SIR: Since this administration came in 2015, it’s been one Christmas one trouble for Nigerians. December in Nigeria is now synonymous with fuel scarcity. At this time, no one knows the direction to the mélange but there has been blame game oscillating among the powerbrokers –power tussle among the federal government and its petrol-related agencies.

    Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) claims that there is abundant product in stock, Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC) affirm the claim saying that fuel vessels were discharging the commodity in ports across the country. Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) refute the claim saying that none of its members have fuel in their depots and tanks nationwide while both Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) substantiate DAPPMA’s claim. And then the one-day strike embarked upon by the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) as if to rub salt to the sore of Nigerians.

    All of these named and unnamed agencies are just tossing us like a game, thereby making our December a bleak one!

    My quick response to the plea by President Muhammadu Buhari for Nigerians to be patient with his government is that there’s an extent to which Nigerians can endure. These stories are too much for our brain to fathom, it’s agonizing! Vice President Yemi Osinbajo too had, during one of his on-the-spot assessments to filling stations in Lagos, appealed to Nigerians to bear with their government. Alas, without conventional war, Nigeria is having a War Room to jaw jaw in the name of resolving fuel crisis.

    Where do we go from here? When other oil producing countries smile to the bank, we struggle for fuel here – sometimes shelling out between N250 and N400 for a litre of fuel. What a shame of a nation!

    As if it is a coup d’état, government agencies, insist on living fat on one’s hard-earned resources during the season: Police with their ‘stop and search’; road safety personnel for offence(s) never committed; electricity distribution personnel requesting for payment bills for services they didn’t render! You look at the other side of the world via the internet, but the network is epileptic and the National Communications Commission does nothing, December carnival boys are ubiquitous, not leaving out both day and night marauders, who believe this is their time to rob Peter to pay Paul – everyone wants to take money home!

    What a way to spend December!

     

    • Bakenne Nureni,

    Abeokuta.