Renewed Hope Housing Agenda Not Tolerant of Abandoned Work – Dangiwa   *  Says, if you collect our money you must do the work  *  Ministry desperate to give Nigerians value for money     Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has emphatically declared that the Renewed Hope Housing Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would not tolerate abandoned work.    He also strongly warned that any contractor that collects government's money for housing project must do the work,  emphasizing that the Ministry was desperate to give Nigerians value for money.   Dangiwa sounded this warning on Saturday,  June 29th, 2024 in Warri, Delta State, during the foundation laying of 250 Renewed Hope Housing Estate, for the State.   Delta State is the ninth state in the series so far to have the groudbreaking among the thirteenth states scheduled under phase one of the renewed hope housing project, across the nation.   The thirteenth states under phase one based on available land provided are; Kano,  Katsina,  Sokoto (north- west); Gombe and Yobe (north-east); Ebonyi and Abia (south- east), Akwa-Ibom and Delta (south-south); Osun and Oyo (south-west) and Benue and Nassarawa (north-central)    The Federal Government intends to deliver 50,000 houses under phase one, and the funding comes from the N50 Billion 2023 Supplementary budget; The remaining States not captured under the supplementary budget would be covered under the 2024 budget of the Ministry if they provided the land at no cost to ease affordability.   Dangiwa described the housing construction as a key component towards stimulating inclusive growth and helping to attain President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mission of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.   Delta State Governor, Rt Hon (Elder) Sheriff Oborevwori was represented at the groundbreaking event by his Deputy. Sir Monday Onyeme.   The Governor said "Delta State is happy to partner with the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Housing and Urban Development in the Renewed Hope Housing Programme".   He expressed gratefulness to the federal government for including Delta State among the first thirteen states under phase one,  explaining that the state had provided free land for the project.   The Governor also disclosed that the state Government had granted waiver on certificate of occupancy and payment of ground rent in order to enhance affordability of the houses to the citizens.   The Renewed Hope Cities and Estates Programme was launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with a groundbreaking for 3,112 Renewed Hope City in Karsana, Abuja in February 2024.    Under the programme, government intends to build seven (7) new cities,  one each for a geo-political zone and the Federal Capital Territory, while the Estate will be in the remaining States across the federation.    “I want to charge the developers of all the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates across the States to ensure that they build according to specifications. 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, including the EFCC, to ensure that they deliver as per the contract. If you collect government money, you must do the work" he Said.   Similarly, the minister charged the developers to adhere to the timeline and finish within the stipulated three months timeline so that the process for indigenes to purchase the houses and move in, can begin.  ...

Housing Construction Key to Stimulating Inclusive Growth, Lifting 100 Million Nigerians Out of Poverty – Dangiwa *  Flags off 250-Housing Unit Renewed Hope Estate in Akwa Ibom *  Says the housing market has potential to unlock $1 Trillion Economy Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Arc. Ahmed Musa Dangiwa has described housing construction as a key component towards stimulating inclusive growth and helping to attain President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mission of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty. Speaking during the groundbreaking for 250-housing unit Renewed Hope Estate in Akwa Ibom on Friday 28th June 2024, Arc. Dangiwa noted that the housing sector has the potential to trigger a $1 Trillion economy going by the vigour and seriousness with which the president is addressing the housing challenge in the country. The project, which is part of the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates programme launched by Mr. President with a groundbreaking for 3,112 Renewed Hope City in Karsana, Abuja in February 2024, has further covered states like Kano, with 500-unit Renewed Hope City; and Katsina, Gombe, Yobe, and Sokoto, each with a 250-unit Renewed Hope Estate in the first round of groundbreaking. The second leg of groundbreaking, which began in Ebonyi on Wednesday 26th June and moved to Abia on Thursday 27th June, and now in Akwa Ibom, will cover eight states in all, including Delta, Osun, Oyo, Benue, and Nasarawa states for 250 housing units in each of these states. “Our plan is to turn Nigeria into a huge construction site. This estate, like the others, 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. “We have designed these housing units in a way that makes them affordable for people to acquire by using organic designs to allow for future expansion as the income of beneficiaries increases. This means that a 1-bedroom unit can be expanded to 2 bedrooms, and a 2-bedroom unit can also be expanded to 3 bedrooms as the owner’s financial situation improves or their family grows,” he said. Dangiwa underscored the huge economic benefit of housing construction, noting that it goes beyond improving the economies of local communities. “Statistics show that the construction of one housing unit creates an average of 25 direct and indirect jobs. So, for these 250 housing units in Akwa Ibom, we hope to create jobs for over 6,500 people in various trades, from professionals like architects, civil engineers, and mechanical engineers to masons, plumbers, tilers, electricians, and laborers. We have seen unskilled workers at sites earning as much as N35,000 per week, at an average of N5,000 per day. This amounts to about N140,000 per month. “This is in addition to the economic activities, including those selling food, supplying blocks, and providing building materials. The value chain effect of construction work on this site is significant and creates a positive economic impact,” he said. While he thanked the Governor of Akwa Ibom state, Pastor Umo Eno for providing the land for the project at no cost, he urged other state governors to take a cue from the twelve states so far captured under the N50 Billion 2023 Supplementary Budget, assuring them that their states will be included in the 2024 Budget of the Ministry as the Ministry plans to build Renewed Hope Estates in all the states. “I want to charge the developers, Messrs Trust Global Ltd, Springwell Intercontinental Resources, and Hyousungs Ltd, to ensure that they build according to specifications. 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, including EFCC, 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 Akwa Ibom indigenes to purchase and move in,” he said. ...

DIGITALIZATION: HOUSING MINISTRY TRAINS STAFF ON USE OF OFFICIAL EMAIL ACCOUNT. In line with the ongoing digitalization in the Federal Civil Service, the department of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, has conducted a hybrid training program on the use and management of the newly created official email accounts for staff of the Ministry, for the purpose of official correspondences. In his address at the training program, the Permanent Secretary Dr. Marcus Ogunbiyi noted that the use of  official email address in all official correspondence was a  directive of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and has become  an important gateway in the ongoing digitalization process in the civil service, pointing out that all communications with the Head of Service by directors and departments must be done using the official email address. He expressed optimism that with the way the digitalization plans are going, the official emails may soon be required to log into the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System platform to make leave applications. On Performance Management System (PMS), the Permanent Secretary informed that the Directors and Heads of Departments, HoDs, would sign their performance contract with him soon, and sanctions would be meted out to the HoD,  that are not active on the official email address. Dr. Ogunbiyi urged the staff to execute tasks within their schedule to the best of their abilities as the ratings from their performances when evaluated  would contribute to their scores during promotions.  "we are commencing Performance Management System and any strikes gotten in the reporting year will affect your scores and ratings, and ultimately affect your promotion”, he notified. He strongly advised about the importance of the use of the official email address as well as visits to the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS)  self portal, adding they would also form part of assessment for the PMS. The Permanent Secretary further encouraged the staff to visit the recently launched virtual learning platform by the Office of the Head of Service, to learn and take courses that will improve their careers. In his presentation, the Director in charge of the ICT department, Marcus Amiolemen, told the participants that the essence of the training was to ensure that  everybody knows how to effectively use the staff official email account created for the staff using their username. He explained that the creation of an official email address that is domain specific for government businesses was the  directive of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, adding the official email address gives the staff the ministry's identity. He informed that the URL of the official Email for the Ministry is https://mail.fmud.gov.ng/owa. or alternatively, through the staff email option on the menu bar of the Ministry’s web portal https://mhud.gov.ng. The Director educated the participants on the importance of the country’s identity which is .gov.ng, on the international gateway, adding that all official communications must use official emails that come with the domain name for identity purposes. On the security of email accounts, Amiolemen gave assurance that the accounts are fully secured as it is being managed by Galaxy Backbone, a company with a proven track record  in ICT in Nigeria, adding  the site is also designed to identify and filter unsolicited emails. Amiolemen, while informing the participants that a total of 520 official email addresses has been created for staff of the Ministry since the directive from the Head of Service sadly noted  that more than 75% of the email addresses were not yet in use. He warned that  the email accounts were designed to be  automatically deactivated and license retrieved  by Galaxy Backbone, the managers of the exchange platform, if not used within a period of 90 days.  Amiolemen also demonstrated practical steps through slides, on how to navigate the platform, while also appealing to the staff to visit the Ministry’s web portal so as to be kept abreast of happenings in the Ministry.   ...