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Tag: Renewed Hope

Many Nigerians will become landlords under Renewed Hope City, Estate Scheme – FG

The federal government has said that many Nigerians will become homeowners through the ‘Renewed Hope City and Estate Programme,’ an initiative under the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.

This initiative promises to provide easy access to secure, decent homes for Nigerians nationwide.

Speaking in Ibadan at this year’s South-West Housing Exhibition, the Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Dangiwa, noted that the new scheme has simplified the process of securing a home through a centralized online platform, which is both innovative and effective for housing delivery.

The Minister, represented by the Federal Controller of the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, Oyo State Office, Aigbokhai Elizabeth, noted that the current achievements in the housing sector are the result of creative and diversified funding strategies implemented under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.

He said: “We have found a way to be innovative and to address the supply of affordable housing through a means of approaches, including budgetary provisions, public/private partnership, international collaborations, and funding through agencies under the ministry.

He noted that most of the houses in the scheme that are under construction are currently at the roofing stage, adding that the houses, when completed, can be assessed through the innovative web portal wwwrenewedhopehomes.fmhud.gov.ng by Nigerians within and outside the country.

He maintained that with the website, all Nigerians can assess all the houses, choose the one they want to pay through any of the payment options, and get their awards.

He noted that the housing sector’s potential as a driver of economic growth is evident in the job opportunities that the renewed hope cities and estate programs have created at an average of 25 jobs per house.

Read Also: Tinubu calls for unified African military front to combat insecurity

He, however, said over 252,800 jobs including skilled and unskilled workers have been directly and indirectly generated by the various ongoing housing projects embarked on by the President Bola Tinubu-led administration.

Earlier in his remarks, the Convener and Managing Director, South West Exhibition, Dr. Olayomi Shodimu said the exhibition was an annual convergence where stakeholders in the industry gather to discuss challenges in the industry and proffer solutions to them.

Shodimu said the event would provide an opportunity to expose the Real Estate brand in the region and what various state governments and stakeholders should do to champion a cause for the development of housing in the region.

“We want to use this platform to create the next category of homeowners, making it very flexible for them with a very small amount of money. This region needed a new approach to affordable and sustainable housing.”

Meanwhile, the Oyo state Commissioner for Lands and Urban Development, Akinfunmilayo Williams lauded the initiative of bringing together critical stakeholders in housing provision and development towards solving the housing deficit in South West.

The commissioner said the synergy would be of greater benefit to South West, adding that land opportunities in all the six states of the zone would be made available to real estate developers.

He gave assurance that the state government would collaborate and support, saying the government would come up with policies that would ensure that the basic objective of provision of housing and decreasing the housing deficit in the States is achieved.

The highlight of the 2024 South West Housing exhibition was a raffle draw which gave opportunity to participants to win a house of their own.

December 1, 2024
Reps committee accuses contractors of sabotaging renewed hope housing project in Uyo

…summons minister, others

The House of Representatives Committee on Urban Development and Regional Planning has accused contractors handling the Renewed Hope housing project in Uyo of trying to sabotage the efforts of the federal government in providing affordable houses to Nigerians.

Speaking when he led members of the committee on oversight of the project ahead of the presentation of the 2025 budget, the Chairman of the Committee, Awaji-Inombek Abiante Dagomie (PDP, Rivers) summoned the Minister of Housing and Urban Development and the four contractors handling the project to come and explain the delay in the completion of the project.

Abiante expressed dissatisfaction with the level of implementation of the project as well as the poor job done on the Umu Etuk-Spencer Esin slum upgrade road network in Oron.

He said there was a need to engage competent contractors to ensure the projects were properly implemented.

He said despite being funded up to 30 percent each by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, the work done so far was less than six percent, adding that the project which was awarded in June 2024 ought to have been completed by September 2024.

The committee chairman emphasized the need for the Minister of Housing and Urban Development Architect, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa, to engage sincere and experienced contractors in the implementation of federal projects.

On the reconstruction of the Umu Etuk-Spencer Esin road slum upgrade, he said ”The contractor that handled this Oron road project succeeded in wasting funds allocated to it on substandard materials.

“As you can see the visible deplorable state of a road newly constructed in July this year, aiming to ameliorate the sufferings of the people living in this region. The Committee is not happy with this situation.

Read Also: Reps committee tours Naval formations in Lagos, praises NDL

“The three different contractors namely Springwell Intercontinental Resources, Tunsoye Trust Global Link and Hyosungs Nigeria Limited handling the 250 housing units in Uruan, Uyo Capital City, and this slum upgrade road in Oron Local government Area by Logine Limited, have pure intentions to sabotage the efforts of the renewed hope housing scheme of the President Bola Tinubu led administration.

Rep. Abiante directed the clerk of the legislative panel to officially invite the Minister of Urban Development and Regional Planning, and the four contractors to appear before the committee appearance before the Committee this week Thursday unfailing.

This according to the lawmaker would expose the Committee to the challenges and limitations propelling the current unsatisfied level of both projects’ implementation.

November 17, 2024
Renewed Hope Initiative donates food items to indigents, N10m to 40 Delta farmers

Nigeria’s First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, at the weekend, doled out N10 million grant to 40 female farmers in Delta State to boost their agro businesses.

Also 1,200 indigent households received food items.

The disbursement of the funds and distribution of household consumables by the Renewed Hope Initiative (RHI)- a brain child of Senator Tinubu was in collaboration with the ‘You Matter Charity Foundation’ of Mrs. Tobore Oborevwori.

Speaking during the presentation in Asaba, Mrs. Oborevwori, who represented Mrs. Tinubu, said: “Recently, our mother was here to flag-off the grant of N100,000 each for petty traders and now it is the turn of indigent women in the state.

“We can see that the Renewed Hope Initiative of the wife of the President is greatly concerned about the plight of Nigerians and has put in place this programme to alleviate the economic stress of women who will in turn reach out to their families. We received 1,200 bags of 25 kg of rice which will be distributed today.”

She said the beneficiaries were carefully selected from across the 25 local government areas, adding that Delta governor Chief Sheriff Oborevwori, added 1,200 cartons of noodles, 1,200 cooking oil (1litre each), and other consumables to the 1,200 bags of rice received from the federal level.

Read Also: FG distributes 1,200 CNG kits in five cities

She encouraged Deltans not to lose hope in the face of the harsh economic realities but to stay positive of the situation through sincere prayers and acts of charity.

Mrs. Oborevwori admonished the farmers who received N250,000 each to utilize the cash grant wisely in order to further secure their businesses.

Earlier in their goodwill messages, the Commissioners for Women Affairs, Community and Social Development; Humanitarian Affairs, Community Support Services & Girl- Child Development and Agriculture, Princess Pat Ajudua, Mrs. Orode Uduaghan and Mr. Val Arenyeka commended the First Ladies for their acts of compassion.

According to them, the disbursement and distribution were testaments to the impact of effective collaboration and partnerships, while they encouraged the beneficiaries to judiciously make use of what they have received.

The beneficiaries expressed appreciation and prayed for the wellbeing of their benefactors.

A beneficiary, Mrs. Hope Egbogbare, who hails from Ozoro, Isoko North Local Government Area, said she did not expect such an amount at this point of her life, while expressing confidence that the cash would go a long way in enlarging her poultry business.

Another beneficiary, Mrs. Justina Emelue, expressed her appreciation adding, “The food will help me and my children now because things are very expensive in the market.”

September 15, 2024
Vandals of Renewed Hope: Ruling class, journalists as saboteurs

It’s hard to fall in love with a country that relegated your parents to pauperdom while confining you to the breadlines. It’s hard to counsel patriotism to children birthed in squalor and trapped in shanties, where dreams asphyxiate under the weight of despair.

Good luck persuading such youths to embrace their marginalisation while they watch the ruling class luxuriate in opulence and privileges of proximity to power.

Millions of disgruntled youths find themselves pitted against a political class grossly insensitive to their plight. It hardly matters if a great number among them personify the same ills depicted by the ruling class they despise – all that matters is their entitlement to grief and rage.

As President Bola Tinubu embarks on a radical re-engineering of the economy and social institutions, it becomes increasingly difficult to counsel patriotism or faith in his vision. How can he preach patience and love for a country that has thus far reduced millions of youths to mere statistics of deprivation?

To these youths, the admonition to “be patient” resonates as a cruel joke. Patriotism, once a shared language of citizenship, has fractured into two vastly different dialects: one spoken by the privileged few who navigate the corridors of power with ease, and another by the masses who endure the daily indignities of poverty, joblessness, and insecurity.

Patriotism is indeed a hard sell to those confined to the fringes of a society, where the ruling class and their children flaunt their wealth and privileges on social media. It’s no surprise that the masses, feeling abandoned, would prefer to see Nigeria break and burn, rather than watch it evolve into a paradise that excludes them.

To the latter, Tinubu’s gospel of “Renewed Hope” feels hollow when their daily reality is characterised by soaring food prices and hardships that outstrip their means.

Read Also: Lagos distributes 20,000 food boxes to residents

The government’s plea for patience and understanding falls on ears tuned to the dirge of unfulfilled promises. And yet, in the corridors of power, there is a dissonance, a belief that the suffering masses can be appeased with empty words. How can they be? The man who cannot afford to eat today will not be consoled by promises of a feast tomorrow.

The perception that Nigeria is only for the elite—those with connections to cabals, and powerful friends—has become entrenched. So, when President Tinubu’s apologists proclaim that he is doing so much that goes unappreciated, the millions who bear the brunt of economic hardships have no patience for such an excuse. They will not listen to appeals for understanding and stoic acceptance of hardships while the ruling class enjoys obscene privileges and spoils from the commonwealth.

The removal of the fuel subsidy was expected to stabilise the economy, to provide the funds needed to rebuild a crumbling nation. Since the subsidy was lifted, the states have seen a significant increase in their monthly revenue from the Federation Account Allocations Committee (FAAC). Bauchi’s, for instance, rose by 51.5%, and Nasarawa’s by 185.3%, yet nothing has changed. In Enugu, Anambra, Bauchi, Delta, among others, the masses have yet to enjoy any corresponding benefits even as they see efforts to ameliorate their pains get sabotaged by state governors, civil servants, and their cronies. Many governors have refused to pay salaries, backlogs of arrears and pensions to retirees. Where are the new roads, the improved hospitals, the schools that could lift a generation out of ignorance? Instead, the governors divert their increased allocations to purchase mansions abroad and secure their children’s future in foreign lands far from the misery they preside over.

This widening chasm between the FAAC’s soaring allocations and the stagnation of progress at the state level is a bitter pill to swallow. If the ruling class persists down this path, the seeds of discontent they sow will eventually bear bitter fruit. If the masses resort to anarchy, there will be no country left to loot.

But while the ruling class has much to answer for, the citizenry, especially the more literate and insightful among us, must display greater tact and caution.

Journalists, in particular, must desist from inciting the populace and inflaming the polity with partisan views and fabrications. They must understand that the dubious demagogues pulling their strings—those who lost at the 2023 elections—have second and third addresses abroad. If Nigeria implodes, they will flee, leaving us to bear the brunt of the chaos they helped incite.

Nigeria must avoid the fate of nations afflicted by the Arab Spring, where the promise of revolution gave way to brutal dictatorships. President Tinubu must take more proactive steps to humanely engage with the people. He must counsel his political class to make grand gestures of sacrifice in identification with the people’s plight while enforcing accountability at all levels of governance.

Federal interventions can play a critical role in state accountability. State access to local and international funds must be tied to certain performance benchmarks in delivering public services and meeting financial obligations. Poor-performing states should see reductions in allocations or complete loss of aid, with those funds redirected to responsible local governments or projects. Travel bans and asset freezes on corrupt state officials can equally serve as effective deterrents.

President Tinubu’s bid to decentralise power by strengthening local governments with more control over their resources is laudable as a means of reducing the risks of state-level corruption and bringing governance closer to the people.

Despite these efforts, the youths’ angst is understandable amid a clime where elected leaders treat them with contempt. But rage will not save Nigeria. Rage, if unchecked will devastate the present and hopes for the future.

Nigeria must learn from the Afghan experience. In the wake of the United States-backed NATO’s sudden withdrawal from Afghanistan, Gaisu Yari, an Afghan refugee, now a grantee of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), recalled his flight from his homeland as his darkest hour.

As the U.S. and NATO commenced their hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, he had just four hours to pack up the life he had created in Afghanistan into one suitcase. He had to decide, without wasting time, what to take and what to leave behind—knowing that he might never see anything left behind again.

Thus, in barely four gruesome hours, he anxiously stuffed a few belongings in his bag and parted with his life, his work, and everything that made him Afghan. In a pain-filled memoir, Yari revealed that he cried all through his perilous trip to the Kabul airport. He hadn’t enough time to say goodbye to loved ones.

Yari relives the agony of saying goodbye to his tearful mother on the roof of an old house.

He eventually evacuated to Poland, landing with his family in a refugee camp with scarce food or resources. Yet every day he rues the misery of refugee life, the pain of sudden flight, those stolen moments with his mom, and the ache of being abandoned.

Every new dawn he spends abroad lacerates and leaves a thick welt on his psyche as he lives some of his darkest days after fleeing his homeland.

Would Nigerians learn from the sad fate of the Yaris of the world? Despite their initial patronage by the bleeding-heart foreign press, Afghanistan has faded from global news headlines.

Let us be guided by the Afghans’ experience. Nigerians must shun the lure of anarchy. We must avoid poisonous interventions from foreigners, whose major interest is to abolish our sovereignty, plunder our resources, and strip us bare to devious elements.

August 15, 2024
#SEDC: Another legacy feat of the Renewed Hope Agenda, elixir for South East development
- By Pharm. Ikeagwuonwu Chinedu Klinsmann
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu scored yet another historical goal in line with his Renewed Hope Agenda by his signing into law of the much-desired South East Development (Establishment) Commission (SEDC) Bill on Tuesday, 23rd July, 2024. The Bill seeks to establish a commission to receive and manage all funds earmarked by the Federal Government for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of roads and houses, and to address other infrastructural damages endured by the region as a result of the protracted Nigerian civil war which ended in 1970. Amongst others, the commission’s mandate further includes tackling ecological and related environmental challenges in the six southeast states of Abia, Imo, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi States.

In my opinion, the signing of the SEDC Bill is one of the many visionary and audacious moves made by President Tinubu since he assumed the mantle of national leadership last year. It buttresses how a transformational leader can ingeniously utilize state policy as a veritable tool for fostering patriotism, as well as national peace, unity and development. Recall that the President boldly discarded the hitherto controversial policy of fuel subsidy payment, while announcing the tough policy of floating our national currency, shortly after his inauguration on May 29th, 2023. The Tinubu Administration subsequently extended relief and hope to several indigent Nigerian households with the signing into law of the unprecedented Student’s Loan Bill.

Furthermore, to the sheer delight of Nigerians, the Federal Government recently secured a historical judgment at the Supreme Court granting full autonomy to local government administrations in the country. The issue of LG autonomy had been on the front burner of our national quests for several decades. While the 9th session of the National Assembly ostensibly made strident efforts to achieve it through legislation, they hit a brick wall when the bill failed to secure concurrent passage by at least two-thirds of the State Houses of Assembly, as required by law. And barely a few days ago, President Tinubu achieved the expeditious passage of the Bill for an Act to Amend the National Minimum Wage Act 2019, to increase the National Minimum Wage to N70,000.00, against the paltry sum of N30,000.00; and also to reduce the time for periodic review of the national minimum wage from five years to three years.

In the words of renowned American professor of economics, Joseph E. Stiglitz, “Development is about transforming the lives of people, not just transforming economies.” The establishment of a development commission exclusively for the southeast region is not only a giant step by the Tinubu Administration towards pacifying the aggrieved citizens of the South East, which was the unfortunate epicenter of the protracted Nigerian civil war; but a panacea for recreating the enabling physical, social and economic environment for genuine reconciliation and full reintegration of Ndigbo into the core of our national matrix, while ensuring that lasting peace and prosperity returns to the region.

As a proud citizen of the South East, I wish to, on behalf of the entire good people of the region, express copious gratitude and commendation to President Tinubu for making the SEDC a reality in his administration. It is a clear demonstration of the President’s commitment to proffering lasting solutions to the niggling developmental challenges confronting the South East Region of Nigeria, while according Ndigbo a proper sense of recognition and engendering national peace, unity and progress.

Read Also: Renewed Hope housing construction to start in August — FHA MD

Indeed, the vexatious issue of the Nigerian civil war, also dubbed the Biafran War, remains the most indelible sore point in the annals of Nigeria’s development. It is needless to inflame passions by recounting horrid details of the carnage and destruction to properties and the environment as a result of the war. While the end of the war birthed the official policy of “Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Rehabilitation,” otherwise called the ‘Three Rs’, intended to erase the scars of the war and reintegrate the secessionist Biafrans into the core of the Nigerian federation, the policy was adjudged an abysmal failure in addressing the issues that led to the war in the first instance, including grievances of palpable marginalization, sectional dominance, injustice, skewed federalism and inequity against the southeast. All these factors are catalysts for social unrest, insurgency and armed militancy.

However, policy interventions such as the ‘Three Rs’ are designed to avert looming anarchy. There had been frantic calls on the Federal Government by respected individuals and pressure groups, for the implementation of the ‘Three Rs’ of the Gowon Administration. In fact, the youth wing of the apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, previously gave former President Muhammadu Buhari up to the end of 2021 to implement the ‘Three Rs’, or risk Nigeria’s continuity as one political entity. The organization was of the view that the failure to successfully implement the ‘Three Rs’ was partly responsible for the formation of Pro-Biafra groups like the Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

We will recall that at the height of militancy and sheer lawlessness in the Niger Delta region, former President Olusegun Obasanjo established the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) in 2000, to curb the violence and tackle ecological problems in the region. To further abate the violence in the Niger Delta, late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua unveiled the amnesty programme for Niger Delta militants in 2009.

Furthermore, the North East Development Commission (NEDC) was established in 2017 with the vision to rebuild the Northeast region of Nigeria into a safe, economically vibrant, ICT-driven 21st century region, in reaction to the devastation of the region by the protracted Boko Haram insurgency. The North West Development Commission Bill was signed by President Tinubu on the same date as the SEDC, in order to mitigate the parlous state of infrastructure in the seven states of the region as a result of Boko Haram activities, armed banditry, and other acts of criminality.

Considering that of the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, the South East had suffered the most devastating humanitarian and environmental crises as a result of a war which ended in a, “No Winner, No Vanquished” declaration, the region ought to have been accorded priority attention in the establishment of a dedicated commission to foster its development. The SEDC Bill was read for the first time on the floor of the Senate on Wednesday 22nd June, 2016. It was thrown out twice by the House of Representatives in 2017 and 2018 respectively. The Bill was eventually passed by the 8th Senate; unfortunately, former President Buhari declined assent to the bill, sparking outrage, disenchantment and increased feelings of inequity, unfairness and neglect of the South East region.

At this juncture, I wish to commend all those who played active roles towards the passage and eventual signing into law of the SEDC Bill. To this effect, I’ll like to appreciate the pioneering efforts of Sen. Samuel Anyanwu and Sen. Stella Oduah. I also wish to commend the strident efforts of the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, alongside other House of Reps Members from the southeast region, for reintroducing the bill to the 10th National Assembly. Furthermore, I wish to appreciate the contributions of Sen. Ifeanyi Ubah, CON; Hon. Chukwuma Onyema of the 8th National Assembly, and Hon. Henry Nwawuba of the 9th Assembly.

Also worthy of commendation is Chief Engr. Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu for the crucial roles he played towards the attainment of this laudable feat.

Finally, I wish to thank His Excellency Sen. Hope Uzodinma, the Executive Governor of Imo State for his assiduity and commitment in lobbying for the passage and eventual assent of the SEDC Bill.

With the signing into law of the SEDC Bill, I earnestly hope that concrete steps will be taken by all those who would be appointed to man the commission to bridge the numerous infrastructural deficits in the southeast region, so that the euphoria that greeted the signing of the bill will not soon fizzle out. We must seize this opportunity to achieve the genuine reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of the southeast. The SEDC must not end up as another bureaucracy of government, or a cesspool of corruption, like the NDDC has literally slid into.

In conclusion, I hope that the operationalization of the SEDC will help in reducing the mass emigration, otherwise called the ‘japa syndrome,’ which is currently prevalent amongst the youths of the southeast, and make the region more attractive and open to local and foreign investors.

Klinsmann, a chieftain of the APC, writes from Dunukofia LGA of Anambra State
July 25, 2024
Renewed Hope housing construction to start in August — FHA MD

The Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Hon Oyetunde Ojo, has declared that renewed hope housing construction across the country will kick start in August 2024 with a groundbreaking ceremony in Kaduna.

Ojo made the declaration during a three-day retreat for FHA staff held with the theme “Enhancing Federal Housing Authority for Improved Housing Solutions in the Era of Renewed Hope.

Ojo posited that since his appointment, he had been working together with other management staff to reposition the authority, saying, “we have put in a lot of energy to be able to achieve this.

“The first thing we noticed on coming to board was that the FHA bears ‘Federal’ only in name because its operations were restricted mainly to only Abuja and Lagos.

“This we found repugnant and decided that our presence would be felt throughout the country. This is the nucleus of President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda on housing which is aimed at every state of the country irrespective of political, religious or ethnic inclination. Given the enormous role the authority would be playing in the coming months in the country towards the provision of livable and affordable housing to our people, our management noted the truism that our workforce needs re-direction and reorientation to conform with the new FHA we are building.

Read Also: Reps approve N500bn annual budget for Renewed Hope, cities housing programme

“May I proudly state here that the Federal Housing Authority has a collection of some of the best professionals in the built industry working for it in the country.

Ojo also said despite the prospects and potentials at the disposal of the authority, which remain unharnessed, the staff remain inadequately remunerated. With poor motivation of employees, it is obvious that productivity cannot be high.

“It is with all this in mind, giving the wide door and limitless potentials and opportunity the Renewed Hope housing agenda of the President has brought to the agency, that has made it imperative for us to have this retreat, so as to be able to adapt to the new expectations, new targets, different ways of doing things, new work ethics, behavioral and attitudinal changes that are expected of us. These are the deliverables expected from this retreat.”

July 21, 2024
Renewed Hope Housing: FG warns developers against shoddy jobs

…as minister initiates 250 housing units in Delta

The federal government has warned developers handling its Renewed Hope Cities and Estates across the country to refrain from doing shoddy jobs or be ready to face the law.

Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Musa Dangiwa handed down the warning at the groundbreaking exercise for a 250-unit estate at Ekpan, in the Uvwie council area of Delta state, weekend.

Governor of Delta State, Sheriff Oborevwori was represented by his deputy, Monday Onyeme, at the occasion.

Disclosing that under phase one of the programme, the Federal Government planned to deliver a total of 50,000 housing units across Nigeria, the Minister charged the contractors to keep with the three-month deadline.

He stressed that the programme was in line with President Bola Tinubu’s desire to provide quality and affordable housing for Nigerians, adding that it would also create thousands of jobs.

“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 200 million Nigerians out of poverty, and build a $1 trillion economy,” the Minister stated.

Noting that the phase one groundbreaking exercise had been carried out in the North for 1,500 housing units, he said the second phase included 2,000 housing units across eight states in the South and North Central.

“This second leg will see us break ground for a total of 2,000 Renewed Hope Housing Units across eight states in the South and North Central. We started on Wednesday with 250 units in Ebonyi; Thursday we were in Abia for another 250 units, yesterday we were in Akwa Ibom for another 250 units and today we are happy to be here in Delta to flag off another 250 units. Next week we will proceed to Osun, Oyo, Benue, and Nasarawa states for 250 housing units in each of these states,” the Minister said.

According to him, the proposed 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.

He further explained that the housing units were designed to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases.

Addressing the contactors whom he identified as Messrs Good News Creative Ideas Ltd, First Class Capital Projects Ltd, and Gozcom Investment Ltd, he charged them to deliver the job as specified.

“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, 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 Delta indigenes to purchase and move in,” Dangiwa said.

He further commended the State Governor for providing the land at “no cost”.

In his remarks, Governor Oborevwori posited that the acquisition of land was made easy by his administration in a bid to encourage more Nigerians to own houses.

He said: “I am very pleased with this project which will help to ameliorate the housing deficit not just in the country but also in Delta State.

Read Also: Security situation better now than in Buhari’s administration – Shehu Sani

“Affordable housing in Nigeria is a recurring problem worsened by a rapidly growing population, inflation, poverty, and a lack of access to mortgage; the problem ranges from shortage, affordability, equality, and accessibility which as a result, many urban dwellers face the risk of displacement, homelessness and social exclusion.

“Recent statistics indicate that as of 2023, the housing deficit stood at 28 million units, marking an alarming 100 percent increase over the past one and half decades. Also, data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, indicates that only 10 percent of Nigerians aspiring to own a house can do so.

“It is, therefore, imperative that government at all levels devise creative solutions to addressing the housing deficit in Nigeria.

“As a government, we are committed to facilitating the easy acquisition of land for investment purposes because access to affordable land is one of the major obstacles to the provision of affordable housing in Nigeria”.

He thanked the Federal Government for including Delta among the 13 States for the commencement of the Renewed Hope Housing Estate project.

On his part, Prince Sam Ogrih, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director of Goodnews Creative Ideas Limited, expressed gratitude to the Federal Government for extending the Renewed Hope Cities and Estate programmes to Delta state.

He also appreciated Governor Oborevwori for providing the land for the project, stating that the gesture “underscores his commitment, dedication to enhancing the wellbeing of the people of Delta state”.

June 30, 2024
Thomas Etuh and Renewed Hope
- By Abdul Shinkafi
One of the promises of President Bola Tinubu as he pursues his Renewed Hope agenda is to scale up productive activities in agriculture. Many experts are with the president on this. They argue that one of the most effective ways to boost food security and tame consumer price inflation is to enhance local produce in agriculture and advance the entire agriculture value chain.

If this is true, and of course it is, then the services and advisories of Thomas Etuh, a man deep in agriculture and allied matters in the agriculture ecosystem should count. Etuh has been involved, behind the scene, in the promotion of the nation’s agro-economy to the acknowledgment of farmers across the country, particularly commercial farmers in the north. The average commercial farmer wants ease-of-doing farming. Farmers want improved crop yield, better farming implements and overall healthy harvest. Whether it is poultry, pastoral farming, fishery or crop farming, the bottom-line for the modern farmer is high yield at harvest time.

This is what Etuh has been involved in for many decades, quietly helping to expand the frontiers of agriculture through his TAK group, an active player in fertilizer production and distribution. Recently, he was appointed the chairman of Notore Chemicals. With parent company in Mauritius, Notore operates the only urea fertiliser plant in Sub-Saharan Africa. And it has played and continues to play critical roles in championing the African Green Revolution.

As the new man at the helm of Notore, Etuh is now at a vantage position to influence farming in Nigeria on a larger dimension. The former Unity Bank and Veritas Kapital Assurance chairman is well primed for his new role at the fertilizer and allied chemicals conglomerate.

Nigeria has a landmass of about 923,769 square kilometres and a population of over 200 million. In 2021, Nigeria’s arable land area was put at roughly 36.9 million hectares, the largest in Africa, followed by Sudan, Niger and Ethiopia. Note that arable land is not agricultural land. Arable land is the portion of land already being cultivated from season to season. It is a fraction of agricultural land which is the total land area that could be used for agriculture. This includes the non-cultivated land area. Sudan has the largest agricultural land area in Africa but a huge part of such land is not put to use.

A good 6.6 million hectares of Nigeria’s land were said to be under permanent crops, while 25.2 million hectares were under permanent meadows and pastures.

Now compare with Europe and European nations where Nigeria and other African countries import food including grains from.

Read Also: Fire at Dangote refinery, sabotage against Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda – DOJ

By 2020, Europe was reported to have, cumulatively, about 157.4 million hectares of land devoted for agricultural production. Out of this, 98.1 million hectares were used as arable land (the equivalent of 62 % of the utilised agricultural area), 48.0 million hectares as permanent grassland, 11.1 million hectares for permanent crops, with the remainder used for kitchen gardens.

In contrast, Africa dwarfs Europe in terms of natural resources including arable land. But Africa is dependent on Europe for farm produce including wheat, maize, rice, among others. Africa’s huge water bodies notwithstanding, the continent still depends on Europe for sea food as she does on Asia and the Americas for grains, especially rice.

The question arises, why is Nigeria, nay Africa, unable to feed herself? The answer is the inability of African leaders to forge an effective public-private partnership with their farmers. The nation that has achieved huge success in agriculture with evidence of export and internal food security is one that has grossly subsidised agriculture through the local farmers. For far too long, Nigerian leaders have paid lip service to agriculture. In some cases, a critical resource like fertiliser is politicised. Rather than ensure its distribution through appropriate channels to legitimate farmers, fertilisers are turned into political tools distributed through politicians to phony farmers.

This is the path mostly trodden in the past. It’s a path never to be taken by President Tinubu. In his New Year message, the president demonstrated ambition in his quest to wheel Nigeria to the umbra of food security. He said his government will cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland to grow major staple crops across the country in addition to other stop gap efforts to ensure stable food supply to Nigerian homes.

His exact words: “To ensure constant food supply, security and affordability, we will step up our plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmlands across the country to grow maize, rice, wheat, millet and other staple crops.”

In November last year, the Tinubu government launched the dry season farming with 120,000 hectares of land in Jigawa State under the National Wheat Development Programme. The result of this collaboration between the federal government and Jigawa State government will start manifesting this year.

But beyond these initiatives, what Tinubu needs the most is a working partnership with the private sector, especially stakeholders like Etuh who have had a long history in the nation’s agro-economy. Tinubu wants to make a mark in agriculture. He wants to excel where his predecessors failed. To achieve this ambition, he would need a non-partisan advisory council populated by the likes of Etuh, Kolawole Adeniji of Niji Farms, M.D Abubakar of L & Z Integrated Farms, Kola Masha of Babban Gona, ranked as one of the world’s largest farming marketplaces with over 140,000 acres of maize farms and over 80,000 member-farmers in Nigeria, among others. These are private sector players in the agriculture ecosystem.

Tinubu’s Renewed Hope vision in agriculture needs the vast experience of stakeholders of Etuh’s pedigree. Over the years, the Kogi-born banker, entrepreneur and value chain service provider in the agro-industry has patriotically and silently played a catalytic role to feed the Nigerian population without drawing attention to himself. The media campaign to smear his reputation with regard to his leadership at Unity Bank was exactly what it is: a campaign of calumny said to have been orchestrated by those who are uncomfortable with his rising profile as a symbol of nationalism and patriotism.

Farmers in the north greatly esteem his contributions to the deepening of agriculture over the past years. If the government wants to achieve food security, it’s to people like Etuh that it should partner with for very obvious reasons: They will not play politics with farming; they will work to preserve their reputation and they will deliver the food security component of Renewed Hope vision.
- Shinkafi, an agronomist, writes from Sokoto.
June 28, 2024
Sulaiman-Ibrahim’s Renewed Hope Police Agenda citizenship engagement holds in Nasarawa Wednesday

The minister of state for police affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, and the governor of Nasarawa state, Abdullahi Sule will be presiding over a citizens’ town hall meeting on Community Policing on Wednesday in Lafia, Nasarawa State to develop a robust policing policy and implementation framework.

Tagged the Renewed Hope Police Agenda Citizenship Town Hall Engagement, the meeting provides a veritable platform for the citizens and other stakeholders in the security ecosystem to brainstorm on issues and challenges confronting the nation and proffer solutions.

Expected Special Guests are President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, members of the National Assembly, traditional and religious leaders, members of the state House of Assembly, civil society organizations, student bodies, women groups, among others.

This initiative where the citizens and stakeholders are brought together to brainstorm on security challenges is turning out to be a pass mark for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration and has added impetus to the rating of this democratic dispensation.

Read Also: Nwachukwu optimistic Tinubu will deliver on Renewed Hope Agenda

The overall outcome of the selected state’s town hall renewed hope police Agenda meeting would be the development of a robust Community Policing Policy and implementation framework.

Other eventual outcomes, according to the Minister, are; increasing openness and transparency in Communication between the Ministry of Police Affairs and Citizens, fostering trust and understanding, improving citizens’ understanding of current and planned policing reforms, leading to an informed and engaged community.

Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in her usual industrious attitude towards national assignments, has once again proven to be one of the round peg in a round hole since this cabinet was inaugurated, consciously harmonizing activities in the Police affairs ministry and boosting the morale of the force, with mutual respect and working relationship between her office and that of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun.

The first edition of the town hall meeting held in Lagos was well-attended with different sectors of the social, economic, and political classes represented, coupled with recommendations that were aimed at bridging the gap between the citizens and men and women of the Nigerian Police Force.

The minister recognizes the fact that unlocking Nigeria’s productivity and tackling legacy challenges that limit its economic growth, social development, Integration into the global economy, and overall prosperity are hinged on the level of security in the country.

June 25, 2024
Legislative diplomacy and the Renewed Hope Agenda
- By Jackson Udom
When the Nigerian Senate elected Godswill Obot Akpabio CON, as its Primus Inter Pares on June 13, 2023, not a few Nigerians expressed excitement at his emergence as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly of Nigeria.

The reason for that excitement was not far to seek. Many people knew that in Akpabio, the Senators had elected a ranking legislator with rich experience in governance, lawmaking and diplomacy.

For those who know, the job of the legislature transcends the popular functions such as lawmaking, vetting of budgets, confirming executive appointments and serving as a watchdog on the Executive and the Judiciary.

In fact, functional legislatures the world over, have been known to set the pace and hold the aces with regards to the socio-economic development of their countries because they explore the limitless opportunities presented by Legislative Diplomacy, which has to do with the process of creating and negotiating laws, regulations and policies at the international level, involving diplomatic efforts and cooperation among nations.

Legislative Diplomacy aims to harmonise legal frameworks, promote consistency, and address global challenges through collaborative lawmaking.

Read Also; NDDC presents N1.9tr budget of Renewed Hope to Senate committee

This all-important function of the legislature has come to assume such a great place in the life of Nation-States that lawmakers are seen as not only passive individuals making the laws to underpin developments but as active statesmen at the vanguard of making development happen.

Scholars all over the world have argued that individual members of the House and Senate have been known to frequently travel overseas on congressional delegations to confer with foreign leaders, investigate problems that arise, promote the interests of their countries and constituents, and even represent the president.

With the intentions of promoting global governance, enhancing economic cooperation, protecting human rights and the environment, combating transnational crimes and facilitating international trade and investments, among others, Legislative Diplomacy presents great imperatives for the socio-economic development of any Nation-State.

The recognition of these imperatives made millions of Nigerians to celebrate the emergence of Godswill Akpabio as President of the Senate, having known his pedigree as a technocrat, who ventured into public administration and demonstrated a passionate commitment to the development and socio-economic uplift of, first, Akwa Ibom State, where he was governor for eight years and later, Nigeria, which he has served in different capacities as Senate Minority Leader, Minister and now President of the Senate.

Indeed, Akpabio and Legislative Diplomacy seemed to have been made for each other. As the number one lawmaker in Nigeria, he has proven beyond a doubt that Legislative Diplomacy comes easy and can achieve greater mileage in the hands of individuals of his ilk, as his personality, carriage and candour have, no doubt helped the nation in achieving unprecedented results in terms of economic growth and rebuilding the trust reposed in Nigeria by countries and international organisations in just 12 months of his leadership of the National Assembly.

As it is known that Legislative Diplomacy requires effective communication, negotiation, and collaboration among governments, international organisations, and stakeholders to shape global legal frameworks and address shared challenges, Senator Akpabio’s adept skills, honed in his years as a corporate lawyer and his immense experience garnered in the corridor of power have been brought to bear, as he has succeeded in breaking barriers and making lasting impacts in attracting socio-economic developments to Nigeria through parliamentary diplomacy.

One of the obvious successes of the President of the 10th Senate in the area of Legislative Diplomacy was his attendance at the Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in Luanda, Angola, where he was elected into the Executive Committee of the IPU thus breaking a 59-year-old jinx. Nigeria was last elected into the Committee 59 years ago. He also participated at the IPU in Geneva, Switzerland, where he presented a paper asking the world to speak against the needless bloodletting in Gaza and save the innocent women and children from avoidable deaths.

Senator Akpabio has, also in the last one year as the Senate President, engaged in diplomatic courtesies with foreign missions in Nigeria, demanding collaborations with Nigeria on the economy, security and power and also seeking partnership with sister Parliaments across the globe for world peace and development.

As evidence of his credentials as a legislative diplomat, the IPU nominated the Senate President and 15 others as Preparatory Committee for the Sixth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament coming up in August 2025.

In line with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Akpabio’s Legislative Diplomacy has seen him court friends in different countries of the world, seeking partnerships and collaborations to improve security and peace in Nigeria, which without a doubt, is central to the socio-economic development and the progress of the country.

Through different fora and platforms, the Senate President has used the weapon of Legislative Diplomacy to the greatest advantage of Nigeria and Nigerians, seeking fresh opportunities and friendships for the country and building on the framework of renewed hope and vision of President Tinubu across different sectors.

For instance, it is on record that the Senate President met with the President of the Serbia Parliament, Ms Ana Brnabic in London, calling for Parliamentary Collaboration between the Nigerian Parliament and its Serbian counterpart and also extensively discussing issues of mutual interests between the two countries.

At another meeting with the members of the Saudi Arabia/Nigeria Parliamentary Friendship Group, led by Dr Abdullah Bin Hamad Al-Salamah, the President of the Senate called on the Government of Saudi Arabia to assist Nigeria in the fight against insurgency and trans-border terrorism, through sharing of intelligence.

On economic partnership, Akpabio rallied the Saudi Arabia delegation, saying: “Our relationship today has gone beyond pilgrimages and oil because Nigerians are now studying and working in Saudi Arabia in various spheres of human endeavours. The mutual economic ties and benefits are worth commending, especially in the aviation sector.

“In your search for economic partners, I want you to take Nigeria as a major partner. We solicit for more investments from you in the area of Oil, Gas and ICT. We would be happy for your collaboration with OPEC because if you assist OPEC, you are helping Nigeria and the black race to secure and prevent influx of immigrants.”

Akpabio had also, at another diplomatic engagement, urged the German Government to collaborate with Nigeria in the areas of economy, security and power in order to enhance the socio-political development of Nigeria.

He made this call when he received the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annette Gunther. He told his august visitor that Nigeria was looking for partnership and guidance from Germany in the area of security and power generation and that the country would want to improve on the existing relationship between it and Germany.

“The Nigerian Parliament would be very glad to join the President Bola Tinubu-led administration to improve on that relationship. Anything we need to do in terms of legalising or in terms of legislation to make most of the policies and programmes that you are embarking on with the government possible, would be done. We want more German companies to join those that are already here,” Akpabio said.

Today, as a testament to the cordial relationship between the executive and the legislature as well as the combination of President Tinubu’s savvy in foreign relations and Akpabio’s Legislative Diplomacy, the Nigerian economy has received a huge boost, with international agencies and countries reposing a greater trust and confidence in Nigeria’s ability to beat its challenges.

On the African sub-regional and international scenes, President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda as it relates to Nigeria’s foreign policy and relations have received a major boost, as Akpabio’s Legislative Diplomacy has not only helped the country to speak with one united voice that Nigeria is resolute in its bid to reclaim its pride of place as an emerging world power and a big brother in Africa, who would do everything to entrench peace and democracy in West Africa.

In a similar vein, Senator Akpabio also aligned his diplomacy with President Tinubu in seeking world peace, knowing well that it is only when there is peace in the world that Nigeria will be able achieve its socio-economic aspirations.

A case in point was when he lent his voice to the call for the restoration of lasting peace to war-torn Gaza, making passionate appeals for nations to rise above sentiments and invoke the spirit of humanity, by doing all it requires to bring sustainable peace to the region.

In his passionate commitment to growing the country’s economy in tandem with the vision of the President, the Akpabio-led National Assembly did not limit its focus to relationships with countries’ parliaments and Heads of Government but also international organisations, daily preaching the message of Nigeria’s socio-economic emancipation.

One of such organisations canvassed by the Senate President was the World Trade Organisation, where Nigeria’s delegation to the 148th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), led by him, sought the collaboration of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in the area of Digital and Marine economies.

According to him, “we used our attendance at the IPU to pay a courtesy visit to one of Nigeria’s very costly exports to the world, Dr Ngozi Okonjo Iweala; the Director General of the WTO. We came to thank her for the job she is doing for the world and thank her staff for supporting and standing by her to succeed. We, in Nigeria, are very proud of her.

“We had discussions on the various developmental programmes of the WTO and we noticed that there were spaces where Nigerians can become major players. We discussed issues affecting trade back home in Nigeria and ways in which the National Assembly can assist in removing barriers, through legislation for the benefit of our people.

“We also talked about the issue of regulations concerning Digital economic contents, illegal fishing along the coastal states of Cross River, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. How Nigerian women could benefit from the recent program funded by the organisation was also discussed. The establishment of a Digital trade portal, wherein all trade information could be accessed by our people topped our discussion with the WTO.

“The deliberations were fruitful and we are confident that with our support in all of these, Nigerians would be the better for it.”

Speaking on what could be the direct gains of Legislative Diplomacy, Senator Akpabio once described his election into the Executive Committee of the Inter-Parliamentary Union as an enormous opportunity for Nigeria, saying his election would impact positively on the country through the creation of employment and developmental opportunities for young Nigerians, who are seeking to become diplomats.

“This will also attract foreign direct investments in the area of training and retraining and capacity building, not just for the legislature but for people who are in different fields. The benefits are enormous,” he added.

The Senate President had also indicated that his election was a major political victory for Nigeria, which has missed out at the decision-making table of the union for 59 years, stressing that the victory was symptomatic of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the President, as it was wont to bring great hopes and opportunities to the country.

As espoused by advocates of Legislative Diplomacy, a legislator is more than a lawmaker; he is to be, for his country, a negotiator and a marketer, attracting global attention and navigating different issues to bring economic opportunities to his country. This much and more has been done by Akpabio in his less-than-one year of leadership and the expectations abound, as Nigerians begin to see the practical manifestations of his diplomacy in the months and years to come.
- Udom is Special Assistant on Media (Print) to the president of the Senate
June 13, 2024