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Tag: Fashola

  • Fashola urges court to dismiss Falana’s suit on Oshodi/Apapa road

    The Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), has urged the Federal High Court sitting in Lagos to dismiss the fundamental right suit filed by human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN).

    The popular lawyer is challenging the failure of the Federal Government to remove the gridlock on the Apapa-Oshodi expressway.

    In his preliminary objection against the suit, Fashola challenged Falana’s locus standi to file the suit.

    He argued that Falana had not shown that he suffered over and above other motorists or the people using the road.

    The minister contended that the failure to repair the road had not restricted or breached Falana’s freedom of movement.

    In a counter-affidavit deposed to by Ayodele Otedola, a litigation clerk in the ministry on behalf of the minister, Fashola contended that the gridlock on the road “is always caused by tanker drivers who normally follow the route to the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA) for the purpose of loading and offloading their goods”.

    The counter-affidavit stated that the minister’s “effort to clear the road and remove the trailers and tankers has not been easy but that effort has been redoubled to achieve this goal”.

    But Falana, in his fundamental right suit, argued that the state of the road constitutes a threat to his life and is a violation of his fundamental right to move freely in Lagos, as guaranteed by sections 33 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and articles 5 and 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.

    He is seeking the following reliefs:

    “A declaration that the refusal or failure of the respondents to remove obstructions, repair and maintain the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway is illegal and unconstitutional as it constitutes a threat to the fundamental right to life of the applicant guaranteed by Section 33 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.”

    Falana prayed the court for a declaration that the failure or refusal of the respondents to make the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway safe for motorists is illegal and unconstitutional as it violates the applicant’s fundamental right to freedom of movement guaranteed by Section 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and Article 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act (CAP A9) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

  • Fashola blames past govts for electricity challenges

    MINISTER of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola has blamed past administrations for the electricity challenges being witnessed in some parts of the country.

    He said the past administration delayed the implementation of the Strategic Rural Electrification Plan (SREP) for 10 years, thereby making it difficult for some rural communities to enjoy power supply.

    Fashola, however, stated that the approval of the plan by the present administration has made it possible for the government to access $200 million.

    He added that the fund would enable the ministry run a pilot power project in 70 communities across five states.

    The minister spoke in Abuja when members of Gora community in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State led by the Sarkin Gora, Alhaji Jafaru Adamu, visited him.

    Members of the community were at the ministry to express gratitude following the provision of power to the community after several years in darkness.

    Fashola said: “This power supply demonstrates that while we are working to fix the grid, more communities are getting power off the grid. When we say that we are now generating 7000 power and we have distribution challenges, our work does not start and end on the grid because more communities are getting electricity off the grid and Gora community is an example of what we have done with off-grid power and the members of Gora community are here to testify that our mini-grid regulation and off-grid policy is also working.

    “It is important to point out that when the Electric Sector Reform Act was passed in 2005, it stipulated very clearly that the Rural Electrification Strategy Implementation Plan must be developed and approved by the President within one year but that was not done until President Buhari was elected.

    “So, the last administration delayed the implementation of the Strategic Rural Electrification Plan by ten years. So it was not done until 2016 and as soon as we presented it to President Buhari, he had no difficulty at all in approving it and it is that plan that is impacting communities today and Gora is one of the dozens of communities that have been impacted.

    “That plan has enabled us access $200 million and we are going to run a pilot project of 70 communities in five states while we continue to gather more data of communities like Gora which does not have access to power.  So it is the story of access that we really want to tell.”

  • Fashola: why Southwest will re-elect Buhari

    The Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) says the South West has more to gain by re-electing President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

    Fashola, who was in Lagos yesterday for the inauguration of 5000 foot soldiers for the campaign of Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said the Southwest already had high stakes/appointments in the current administration.

    He said the promise of the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) slot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not enough for the South West to lose the positions it is currently occupying.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Chief Gbenga Daniel, the Director General of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, said the position of the SGF would be given to the Southwest, if Atiku emerged as president in 2019.

    “As a Southwest indigene, I will vote for the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket Westerner, because my people stand to gain more from it,” Fashola said.

    He said that the re-election of Buhari would guarantee that power would come to the South West in 2023.

    “ The Southwest is presently occupying the position of the vice president. We have three sitting ministers and many different federal appointments from the present administration which we cannot afford to lose.,” he said.

    The Minister explained that although the APC promised change In 2014, the party did not promise to do it in four years.

    “The APC has done more in three years than 16 years of PDP administration, yet they say president Buhari is too slow.

    “President Buhari is taking Nigeria to the next level. We are going to the Next Level.

    “The 2019 presidential election is a choice between going back and moving forward to the next level and also a choice of whom Nigerians can trust with their money,” he said.

    He noted that the APC-Buhari led administration has done more in three years with less money than the PDP with all the monies that accrued to the nation in 16 years.

    “Buhari has inaugurated a structural infrastructure fund for road construction. N15 billion has been released for the continued construction of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    “There is need for the progress to continue. Dubai was built with oil-money, Nigeria can be built with it too. The past administration squandered oil revenue.

    “Federal Government is constructing at least one road in every state in Nigeria. We are also constructing houses in 34 States in Nigeria.

    “We have collected 690 containers for the construction of 90 transmission stations and through our policy of mini grids, our markets now have uninterrupted power supply.

    “In the last 3 years we have constructed 40 kilometres of roads per year. In 2015, the total number of roads completed nationwide was 80 kilometres. In 2016 after we took over, we completed , 274 kilometres of road, 478 kilometres in 2017 and 474 kilometers in 2018.

    “Electric generation has moved from 4000 Megawatts that we met to 7000MW. That’s an increase of 3000MW, an average of 1000MW a year. We have started an IPP in 9 universities in Nigeria. We have accelerated the distribution of meters by outsourcing it to distributors,” he added.

    At the event are Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, (Lagos East), former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Mrs Adejoke Adefulire and Mr Obafemi Hamzat, running mate to Lagos APC governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu among others.

  • Nine varsities to get solar plant, says Fashola

    MINISTER of Works, Housing and Electricity  Babatunde Fashola  said yesterday the government is deploying solar energy in nine universities.

    He spoke at the 32nd Convocation Lecture of Yabatech College of Technology.

    Fashola said the power plant would deliver 12 megawatts of electricity in the universities to aid power generation.

    “We are deploying solar energy in Nigerian universities today. The first nine  schools are under construction and  they will deliver 12megawatts of electricity to these schools.  We will move from phase to phase until we complete it in the 37 states,” the minister said.

    Fashola, who spoke on the theme: “Sustainability  of technological advancements – a key to  industrial  growth”, noted that the ministry has  invested in innovative areas that would improve power generation and distribution.

    He urged the graduating students to be technological and innovative-minded to move the wheels of economic growth.

    The minister said: “I want to see new things. You are graduating into a world of artificial intelligence.  This is a world that you will answer the skills that the school has empowered you with.  No matter how much progress  you think has been made, there is still room to do more. This is really the heart of technology in the pursuit of knowledge.

    “The interesting thing today is that it is still difficult to store electricity, but not totally impossible. That may be the next revolution. That may be a student here  who will change what we know about electricity, to bring that revolution to light.  Some people  are already ahead but you can overtake them and be the one who turns the story of Nigeria and Africa around because there are so much to do with this wheel called electricity.

    “Some people have generated it,  some people have transported it, some have distributed it, but who can store it? You cannot afford to sleep; add value. I believe if this problem is solved, it will improve the value chain of electricity.  In the next few years, we will not have all these problems because we can carry 10 megawatts of electricity in our pockets and is safe.  So, it is very possible to store electricity, if we find a better way out.  But I will continue  to do my work before we get there.”

     

  • APC built Train stations in villages of PDP chieftains—Amaechi

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, on Sunday said that in the course of executing the Warri-Itakpe Rail line, stations were built in the villages of Peoples’ Democratic Party(PDP)’s chieftains.

    Amaechi disclosed this at the `Next Level Presentation’ at Presidential Villa Banquet Hall to signal the commencement of the campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 general elections.

    The minister who made a presentation titled `What We are Building ’  said that President Muhammadu Buhari, upon assumption of office, directed that old and abandoned projects be completed.

    “The truth is that the country is compelled to make a choice between good and bad. When I was appointed the Minister for Transportation, the president warned–do not start new contracts, go and complete old ones.

    “We met Itakpe –Warri Rail line which had been in existence for 34  years uncompleted; it would have been the first Standard Guage line in Africa if it was completed.

    “ Based on the president’s instruction, I did a memo; I thought we will borrow money from China; but the president refused. He said we should use our internal funds to execute the project.

    “People saw me on social media on Train service from Warri to Itakpe. I got to Warri 8pm because I was going from one station to the other—almost all the villages and most  prominent members of PDP made sure that train stations were in their villages.

    “So, I am compelled to do those stations in villages of members of PDP; it is okay; it is the instruction of the president that you must go and finish the old work.’’

    He said that the tradition in the past was that once one was elected, one left the old things for the old people and awarded new contracts.

    According to Amaechi, the ministry will start commercial service from Itakpe to Warri.

    On PDP’s argument that it started the projects, Amaechi said that Buhari made it clear on commissioning the Abuja –Kaduna rail project that the project was started by the former government of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “We completed it but two things are remarkable—we borrowed 500 million dollars to start that project at the time oil was selling at 114 dollars per barrel.

    “ We should not have borrowed; you mean this country could not have afforded 500 million dollars?

    “I will show that we can; when I wrote a memo to the president and to the cabinet requesting that he should allow me borrow 500 million dollars from China to buy locomotives and coaches for Lagos-Ibadan, the cabinet under the directive of the president refused.

    “He(the president) said 500 million dollars; we can get from here and we are funding it from here; so we did and completed Kaduna to Abuja quickly.

    “We spend N56million per month and we get N16 million; so we are augmenting for both rich and poor—N40 million per month under the directive of the president because he fears that the poor might not be able to afford it. So, everybody is using it.’’

    According to him, Lagos to Ibadan railway is almost complete—a distance of 156kms.

    The minister said that application had also been made to construct Kano to Kaduna railway as approval for funds is being awaited.

    “We are about to award the central line from Abuja to Niger to Baru from Baru to Itakpe to Warri; the president had approved a new seaport in Warri. We are negotiating with a Chinese company which will build it.

    “Do not forget that N2.7 billion dollars is N1 trillion. So, we are looking for money to commence already awarded work on the coastal rail.

    “The coastal rail starts from Lagos, from Lagos; it passes through Ogun State, Ondo, Benin, Asaba, and Onitsha. From Benin again, it passes through Warri, Sapele, Ughelli, to Bayelsa, in fact, it goes to Utuoke. From Otuoke, it goes to Port Harcourt.

    “ Then from Port Harcourt, it goes to Aba, Uyo, and ends up in Cross River State.

    “We are almost ready to award Port Harcourt to Maidugiri. The difference between us and the last award is that the last award was 1500km but under the directive of Mr President, it was extended to 2000 km.

    “ The last award was Port Harcourt straight to Maidugiri but in order to satisfy everybody at the directive of the President, we must get to every state capital,’’ he said.

    On his part, Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, said that it would require a long journey into Nigeria’s history to recall when last it had massive investment in infrastructure.

    “It is no coincidence that we look to the 1970s and the 1980s when we built new airports, new seaports, new refineries, new highways and bridges.

    “The closest you will have to that era is the 1990s when petrol-money was also being applied to upgrade infrastructure under the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF )incidentally chaired by Buhari.

    “We lost an enormous opportunity when recently oil money rose to $114 dollar per barrel and stayed there for almost a decade and we have no new airport, refinery, bridges, petrochemical plants,   no new seaports to show accountability to how all the money went,’’ he said.

    The event also witnessed the unveiling of Buhari-Osinbajo 2019—A Basic Guide-The Campaign Manual in Brief. (NAN)

  • Buhari revives abandoned projects – Fashola

    Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, Minister for Power, Works and Housing says the President Muhammadu Buhari’s led administration has created hope in the lives of Nigerians by reviving works on abandoned projects.

    According to the Minister, a number of projects were left uncompleted before the inception of the current administration in 2015.

    ” Buhari’s government revived the contract that were stopped.”

    Speaking to reporters in Sokoto on the sidelines of a 2-Day retreat organised for top officials of the three Ministries under his supervision, Fashola noted that the contracts were stopped due to paucity of funds.

    ” If a contractor does not get paid, there is no magic to getting the work completed. He will have no alternative than to stop.”

    The Minister explained that the current government has no alternative than to resort to the best option of borrowing to complete such projects of economic importance to the wellbeing and development of he country.

    Fashola said Nigerians should not blame the government on the slow phase of work rather should tailor their dissatisfaction against their representatives who were elected to serve them.

    ” They are guilty of the slow phase of work. They shut the NASS session for two months and delayed the passage of budget for close to 9 months.

    “You don’t expect the work that would have been done in decades to be completed within three and a half years”, he pointed out.

    He added that “we have to borrow through the Ministry of Finance and invest on road to enhance productivity, reduce journey, cost and time for business in order to generate income and wealth creation to payback the loans.

    He noted that a growing economy was a rewarding economy, pointing out that ” those who complain we borrow too much should tell us where else to find funds. We are not raising tax and if we do, they will still complain.”

    The Minister further defended the government on allegations that certain section of the country was suffering deficit of federal government projects especially in the Northwest saying that” no part of the country is not considered in the provision of infrastructure.

    ” We have considered and work on the Jega-Sokoto, Sokoto-Illela, UDUS road as well Abuja- Kaduna- Zaria-Kano and Jigawa roads respwctively in the Northwest.”

    He noted that road accidents and other risks would have been a thing of the past when such projects were completed.

    According to Fashola” the FRSC must also ensure the enforcement of traffic regulations especially speed monitoring and reckless driving among motorists particularly commercial vehicles.

    ” Though, records have shown that number of accidents, injuries and fatality are fast reducing monthly due to gradual change in our driving behaviours and our commitment to addressing the conditions of the roads”, he explained.

  • Adegboruwa faults Fashola on electricity supply claim

    Activist-lawyer Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa has disagreed with Minister for Works, Power and Housing Babatunde Fashola (SAN) that Nigerians use  generators less due to improved power supply.

    Adegboru was said he had been dealing with incessant blackout and had relied more on generators both at work and at home.

    He said the situation was applicable to millions of Nigerians who are forced to pay for power not consumed, in what amounts to state-backed robbery by distribution companies (DISCOs) through estimated billings.

    Adegboruwa believes power deficiency could be solved within a short time if the government was willing.

    He referred to what he called a “revolution” in Egypt where Siemens constructed a 14.4 gigawatts power plant in two years at $7.2 billion.

    According to him, it shows that between 2015 when the Buhari administration took over power, and now, the problem of lack of electricity could have been solved.

    He faulted Fashola’s claim that Nigerians now use generators less due to improved power supply.

    “I can only speak for myself. I use generators now more than ever before where I live and work, which is Lekki Phase 1 in Lagos.

    “There are times there is no power supply for a whole day, for a whole night and at times for days and nights.

    “At the least threat of rainfall, power supply is disrupted and even when the rain stops, darkness will persist.

    “It is always one problem or fault or story or something, the result of which is always that there is constant blackout.

    “In Lekki Phase 1, I’m told that the feeder pillars are weak and obsolete, the cables and conductors are old and wearing out, and electricity supply to the whole estate is very poor, hovering around a meager four megawatt, at the peak.

    “For a whole Lekki Phase 1, with giant mansions, estates, sprawling commercials centres, banks, churches, etc, to be struggling for just four megawatts, then we have a very long way to go.

    “Often times, we are forced to depend on generators. The transformers are archaic, old, exposed and thus liable to vandalism by criminals, all of which is still the same story of blackout. How can we be in a country like this? And in just two years, Egypt has done the impossible,” Adegboruwa said.

    The senior lawyer lamented that Nigerians still spend a lot on providing electricity for themselves despite being made to pay outrageous bills.

    “So, I urge Nigerians to rise up and take up the electricity challenge. Let no politician, whether in All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or whatever be allowed to campaign to us in any community, town, village or city where there is blackout.

    “It is tiring. All resources are channeled on diesel, fuel and repair and servicing of generators, virtually for everybody.

    “This is not to talk of the health hazards and environmental issues involved in relying upon generators, which has led to deaths of families, who slept and inhaled generator fumes, the noise all over the land, etc.

    “This is not to mention the ripple effect on crime and criminalities, when kidnappers, armed robbers and terrorists hide under the cover of darkness to perpetrate wickedness.

    “Enough is enough. Give us constant, permanent and reliable power supply or no vote. It is that simple.

    “If you can’t give us power (electricity) to better our lives, you’re not entitled to power (governance) from us, to better your pockets. Simple as ABC,” Adegboruwa added.

  • FESTAC residents cry out to Fashola over bad roads

    Festival Town Residents Association (FTRA) has appealed to the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, to include rehabilitation of the roads across the federal housing unit in the 2019 budget so that the Federal Housing Authority in FESTAC can have a pool where rehabilitation and construction of roads within the estate can be taken care of.

    Speaking with journalists recently, president of FTRA, Shola Fakorede, said that residents in the town have continued to groan under years of neglect of their roads by the federal and Lagos State governments.

    He stressed that most of the roads have been abandoned since 1977 when FESTAC Town was built and are increasingly becoming a night mare for most residents in the area.

    He noted that FESTAC suffers from a terrific abandonment by the governments. “There are no functional infrastructures. Public infrastructures that still exist are in appalling conditions. Notable of these infrastructures are the network of roads,” Fakorede said.

    He asserted that driving on the roads in FESTAC are very bumpy and unpleasant expeditions – no thanks to the various roads there that are replete with crater-size potholes, eroded road surfaces and collapsed portions of some roads.

    He posited that the entire roads in the community, as well as basic infrastructure in the community, are completely in deplorable conditions and urgently need the quick intervention of the federal, Lagos State government and the local government.

    He noted that although FESTAC Town is being managed by the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), it is very obvious that FHA is handicapped by funds to provide the infrastructural developmental needs in the area.

    Fakorede disclosed that the resident association has held several meetings with FHA and the challenges they have are huge, adding that the agencies cannot do anything on their own and more worrisome is that fact that there are no provision for them in the budget to take care of their infrastructural needs.

    Fakorede said that “as the resident association, we have spent ¦ 88 million to repair some of the bad roads and built a convent for the people. We cannot do all the roads, we are paying ground rents every year to the Federal Housing Authority and is incumbent on them, the state government and the local government to help repair the bad roads.”

    He claimed that the association has written to some of the private organisations in FESTAC to carry out their social responsibility but they have not yielded to its call, adding that the association will begin to picket those organisations until they see the need to help at this crucial hour of need.

     

     

  • 945MW to be added to grid before year end — Fashola

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on Thursday said that additional 945 megawatts of electricity would be added to the national grid before the end of the year.

    Fashola said this at the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce breakfast business meeting in Lagos themed: “Power Sector and the Way Forward’’.

    He said that additional power would be generated to the grid from 450 mw Azura Edo plant, 215 mw Kaduna power plant, 240 mw Afam V power plant and 40mw Kashimbilla hydro plant in Taraba State.

    According to him, the power sector has recorded successful improvement in incremental power capacity in generation, transmission and distribution.

    “The country power generation, which stood at 4,000 megawatts when we came on board, but today, it has been increased to 7,000 megawatts.

    “In 2015, energy transmission was 5,000mw while distribution was at 3,000mw but as at today, we are distributing 5,000 mw on average with 2,000 megawatts stranded.

    “We are currently adding an average of 1,000 mw of energy yearly to the national grid which implies that we have added about 3,000 mw to the generation since we came on board,’’ he said.

    Fashola said the statistics implied that 2,000 mw was stranded and must be evacuated for use as more power will be generated in the years to come.

    He said that government had committed to invest N72 billion for the procurement and installation of equipment to help distribute unused 2,000 mw of electricity to consumers in the country.

    He said the 2,000 mw was from the 7,000 mw that Gencos could generate and the 5,000 mw that Discos could distribute.
    According to the minster, the Discos have complained about inadequate power to distribute.
    Fashola, however, said the problem presently was that the Discos could not distribute all the power that was available.

    This, he explained, was leaving the sector with an unused capacity of 2,000 mws, with an approximately 1,150 mw projected to come in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

    He said that more Independent Power Projects (IPPs) would also come on stream to boost power supply in the country.

    He said that government is also targeting powering some markets, Nigerian universities and hospitals through the IPP.

    According to him, all these power plants do not involve the mini grids and solar systems that are coming.

    Fashola said the narrative must change from not enough power to how unutilised power could be distributed.

    He said that the sector had made progress on power generation and transmission, adding that distribution issues would also be cleared soon.

    “The assurance guarantee brought confidence to power production business, which resulted to increased power production which took us to all-time high of 7,000mw power availability.”

    “However, grid supplied power peaked at all-time high of 5,155 MW in December 2017,’’ he added.

    In his remark, Dr Oba Otudeko, Chairman of the occasion, lauded Fashola over the success recorded in improving the country’s power generation and distribution, adding that there is room for improvement.

    Otudeko, who is also the live patron of the Nigeria-South Africa Chamber of Commerce, said “this is the most successful and achieved bilateral chamber of commerce in Nigeria.

    He said that the volume of trade between Nigeria and South Africa rose to N1.6 trillion in 2016.

    ‘’Trade between the two countries has increased steadily. It has increased exponentially which is commendable.

    ‘’Nigeria presents a huge market with a population of over 170 million people and vast resources, while South Africa presents the technical know-how in developing industries,’’ he said. (NAN)

  • Fashola urges more investment in power distribution end

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has called for sustained investments in the distribution end of our power value chain in the country.

    Fashola made the call on Thursday, in Abuja when Mr Sherif Ismail, Assistant to the President of Egypt on National and Strategic Projects with some top Egyptian officials paid him a courtesy visit.

    The minister said that the generation of power had increased by approximately 1,000 mega watt yearly, adding that the big challenge facing power sector was its distribution end.

    “So we need investments in the distribution end of our power value chain. We have a 10 year transmission power plan to increase transmission capacity to transmit energy through the distribution companies.

    “Across the country now, we have close to 90 transmission projects in different stages of completion on expansion of substation, expansion of existing capacities, conducting on existing, total reconstruction, among others .

    In terms of provision of metre and transformers, he said that the government of Egypt would be given the opportunity to support the existing company partnering in metre provision.

    “This is a time of high need of metre provision in the country, and metre supply has become an issue by which the Federal Government made a clear commitment to renewing and expanding the country’s infrastructure.

    “A lot of government funding is committed to power, construction of bridges, roads, airports, seaports among others in order to create a globally competitive Nigerian economy,’’ the minister said.

    Fashola also acknowledged the long standing bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Egypt.

    This, he said, has manifested in existence of diplomatic relationship and symbolised many points of interaction including the existence of Arab Contractors Company in Nigeria.

    According to the minister, the company is presently handling some road projects in the country including Shagamu-Ikorodu road Lagos and also Owerri-Aba axis.

    He further said that the ministry was running a pilot National Housing Programme (NHP) nationwide to test affordability and acceptability of the housing in Nigeria.

    “After the pilot projects are tested and people accept them, then market will be opened for rapid mass production of houses,’’ he said.

    Earlier, Sherif had appealed for continuous cooperation between Nigeria and Egypt in some mega power, works and housing projects of the ministry.

    Emphasising on the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Egypt, he said if given more opportunity for cooperation and participation in projects, it would foster huge investment for the two countries. (NAN)