FG Demands Professionalism In The Building Sector The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola has urged experts to exhibit the spirit of sacrifice and professionalism in their services as government continues to provide critical infrastructure to Nigerians. Fashola, in the company of the Minister of State II, Surv. Hassan Zarma, said this when he received Members of the Estate Surveyors and Valuers Registration Board of Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja. The Minister, who commended the sense of purpose, manifesting in the achievements of the Board within one year of its inauguration, and urged members to be more professional, saying that “if the professionals deliver, Nigeria will deliver”. He emphasized that doing so will eliminate quackery in the system. Furthermore, Fashola explained that the 10% valuer and 25% reposition fees charged by professionals in the field “builds unsustainable economy, citing the 2nd Niger Bridge and the Bodo- Bonny Bridge which runs into billions of naira and requested the Board to review the charges. The Minister also encouraged members to create a baseline data for all empty houses with information for sale or rental value, adding that those empty houses can be livable. He argued that a real economy must reflect indices of exchange rate, inflation and growth rate. Earlier, the Chairman of the Board, Sir Nweke Umezuruike, while inviting the Ministers to the launch of the Green Book ‘The Nigeria Valuation Standards’ presented to him, explained that within the year, the Board has made some remarkable strides in the improved Adhesive Stamps, the publication of the Green Book amongst others. Umezuruike also sought the Minister’s assistance for office accommodation and prompt composition of the Board membership/replacements as are necessary. In attendance were the Permanent Secretary for Works and  Housing, Mohammed Bukar, the Permanent Secretary for Power, Loius Edozie. ...

Minister Decries The Deplorable State Of FHA Roads: Promises Government Intervention The Honourable Minister of State II for Power, Works and Housing, Surv. Suleiman Hassan Zarma, mnis, has lamented the deplorable condition of road and drainage infrastructures at the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) estate, Lugbe, attributing it to critical failures of the planning authorities in time past in upgrading them, giving room to the flagrant abuse of planning regulations by residents. The Minister stated this today in Abuja during an assessment tour of the infrastructural facilities at the estate along side with the Managing Director of Federal Housing Authority, Prof Mohammed Al-amin. According to him, ‘’the typography of the estate was not fully taken into consideration at the planning and design stage, hence the reason for the hydraulic failures.’’ He added that though the facilities that were initially deployed, like the drainage system, maybe small and over stretched such that it cannot contain large volume of water especially during the flooding period. Zarma said that the present administration, as part of its commitment to the citizenry, will however, not relent in upgrading of infrastructural services across the country to enhance and improve the living standards of Nigerians Federal Government owned estates. Earlier, the Managing Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Prof. Mohammed Al-amin thanked the Federal Government and the ministry for massively investing in infrastructures across the country and maintaining the existing structures. While conducting the Minister and journalists round the roads and other facilities in the estate, Al-amin stated that the essence of the visit is to upgrade the FHA settlement into an urban centre due to its proximity to the city centre and the different categories of civil servants living in the housing estate. Speaking at the site of the inspection, the Chairman of the Residents Association, Mr Odelana Adesina thanked the Minister for creating time to visit the estate. He said the residents are glad that the visit by the Minister has given him the opportunity to have a  firsthand information about the deplorable state of the roads and solicited the support of government for the rehabilitation of the existing/major road as well as build alternative roads in and out of the estate for ease of movement by residents. He also urged the government to assist the residents in the provision of other infrastructures such as hospitals, drainages, water supply, metering for electricity and improved security within the estate. The Federal Housing Authority Estate in Lugbe was built some 30 years ago and currently accommodates over 70,000 different categories of federal civil servants working in the city centre. ...

National Housing Programme Designed to Integrate Persons Living with Disability — Minister The National Housing Programme (NHP) is also designed for the integration of persons living with disabilities through inclusive building designs with ramps for mobility and interaction, an official says. The Minister of State II for Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Suleiman Zarma, made the fact known on Tuesday during an inspection of construction at NHP site in Ado-Ekiti. Zarma in the company with some ministry officials was on an assessment tour of Federal Government roads and housing projects in the South-West Geo-Political Zone. The NHP is designed to suit different categories of people, including persons with disability, through provision of ramps to ease movement in the buildings. But in Ado-Ekiti, the structures were designed in such a way that persons living with disability are restricted to the ground floor. During the inspection, the minister said that people living with disabilities should not be restricted to the ground floor and should be allowed to interact freely. “In the world over now, people living with disabilities are integrated without being segregated. So there is no point to say that you have them only on the ground floor, that is another phase of segregation. “They should be able to go to all the floors and to all the levels of the building; they should be accommodated to carry out their activities. Zarma, a surveyor, urged officials in-charge of NHP in Ekiti, to ensure that designs suitable for persons with disability were captured very well in the next phase of NHP. “On the staircases, there will be strips or ramps that will cater for their movement. “They should not segregate the people with disabilities by restricting them to the ground floor; they should be allowed to go up and interact,’’ he noted. The NHP Team Leader in the state, Mr Segun Dossou, noted that due to an initial setback of relocation, the 70 housing units being constructed began late but was nearing completion. The architect assured the minister that the design for the second phase which would commence soon would go beyond the ground floor and extend to others to accommodate the people living with disabilities. He said all the contractors were mobilised and reported to the site except one that was handling two number blocks of three bedrooms who was yet to report for site handing over. According to him, the contractor has been served a warning letter to do so with a view to commencing the process of determining his contract. “The water infrastructure contract is already at 80 per cent completion with the drilling of four boreholes, installation of ground and overhead tanks and construction of water treatment plant. “The road infrastructure contract progress include completion of site survey, setting out of roads, cutting and bending of re-enforcement are on-going with view to commencing concrete works on the drainage. “External electrification progress includes the completion of erection of poles and construction of housing for transformer sub-stations while cable line installation is on-going. Dossou said that the project also created jobs and wealth for not only the building professionals and contractors but 1,500 skilled and unskilled artisans. The representative of the contractors, Mr Raji Kehinde, also appealed to the ministry to make funds faster to avoid delay in the completion of the project. One of the indigenes of the locality, Mr Femi Adetifa, expressed joy over the housing development in the state and called for continuity by the Federal Government. The minister also inspected the on-going construction of N3.3 billion Federal Secretariat Complex, located at New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, by Messrs Deux Project Ltd. with 20 per cent of the job completed. Source: (NAN) ...