Growing Concerns Over Dearth Of Govt Housing Scheme [LEADERSHIP]
There is a high degree of uncertainty in the country over the National Housing Programme (NHP) in 34 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari, following the inability of most Nigerians to rent or purchase affordable housing irrespective of the mounting deficit.
This is further heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic that has crippled virtually every sector of the economy, including the built environment.
Findings by LEADERSHIP revealed that shortage of affordable housing is threatening economic growth, especially from the low-income earners who constitute over 80 per cent of the workforce.
Currently, Nigeria is confronted with over 18million housing shortfall despite the large number of completed and unoccupied houses dotting the landscape of major states in Nigeria.
To this effect, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had initiated and commenced the pilot phase of the National Housing Programme (NHP) in 34 states of the federation, including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with the exemption of Lagos and Rivers States whose governors failed to donate land for the project.
The two agencies, Federal Housing Authority (FHA) and Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), under the ministry are also pushing for the provision of affordable housing for workers as seen in various projects and programmes.
The pilot phase of the NHP is directly executed by the federal government through the federal ministry of Works and Housing.
It was also projected that the private sector may likely participate in the second phase depending on the acceptability of the designs by intending off-takers.
Checks by this paper showed that the sum of N35billion was budgeted for the project in 2016 and about N41billion from the N64.9billion budgeted for capital spending in the housing sector in the 2017 budget was set aside for the project, while in 2018, N35billion was also budgeted for the project. The same was replicated in the 2019 and 2020 budgets.
The essence of the project is to provide affordable homes for low income earners.
To attain the housing project, State governments and the FCT provided suitable lands in their state capitals and municipal council areas.
The houses which are at various stages of completion comprise of 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom and 3 bedroom semi-detachable bungalows.
The NHP is expected to add 2,736 units to the national housing stock, has provided about 13,680 direct jobs and 41,000 indirect jobs according to the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola.
A cross section of stakeholders who spoke to LEADERSHIP pointed out the need for government to invest in affordable housing to ease the burden on Nigerians.
Speaking with our correspondent in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State, a trader, Mrs Olabisi, said efforts by her husband who is a civil servant to secure an apartment in one of the government housing estate over the years had always hit the rock.
“They told us they were constructing some new estates some years ago but few years after, the project was abandoned,” she stated.
Another resident, Mr Oladapo, said the house he received some time ago was suddenly reallocated to another person because he failed to quickly perfect the papers on the property.
“If we have enough government affordable housing units, competition like this would not have come up,” he lamented.
But the state commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Hon Febisola Adewale, said the state government was doing its best to reduce the 17million housing deficit through mortgage financing and other means.
He noted: “We are doing things in a different way to achieve the general goal of making affordable houses availability to the people.
“The state government, few weeks ago, went into partnership with UNOPS Sustainable Infrastructure Impact Investments (S3I) initiative to build at least 50,000 affordable homes across the state over the next decade.
“The state housing corporation is also trying to access a loan in the region of N1billion from the FMBN to prosecute housing project around Shasha area along Ado-Ikere road and other places in the state. With this, we will be able meet the housing need of Ekiti people”.
On the abandoned 1000 units at Eyiyato Housing estate, initiated during Governor Kayode Fayemi first term in office in 2013, Adewole who described the project as laudable alleged that the immediate past government in state killed it.
PMB Fully In Charge Of Govt, Presidency Replies Critics [LEADERSHIP]
The Presidency has responded to a number of opinions, articles and stringent newspaper editorial this Sunday, which outrageously said President Muhammadu Buhari was not in control of his administration.
Presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu in a statement said that as many that detractors had done lately, that the influencers, celebrated columnists and editorial comments do no more than endorse the opposition’s utterly wrong and fallacious position that the President is not in charge of his government.
“Sometimes, he noted that the administration is forced to wonder whether some writers are mindful of the implication of words for the strategic and territorial interests of the nation”.
According to him, an entrenched culture of dissent in our country is not something that anyone, not least a Buhari Presidency wants to stamp down”.
He said the fact that these baseless and appallingly mischievous attacks can freely be aired is an evidence of the right to freedom of expression prevailing in the country today.
He explained that, “Whether it is Ibrahim Magu, Godswill Akpabio, NDDC, NSITF and the others, Nigerians are bound to hold differing opinions, write letters, opinion columns, editorials and even stage lawful protests”.
“What is sometimes worrisome is that several of these comments, disguised as objective criticisms are merely speaking the language of the opposition, the people who ruined the country during their 16 years of corruption on an industrial scale”.
“These detractors pick up isolated issues like the ones in the EFCC, NDDC and incidents of crime and corruption which have been with the country for years and without any serious effort to uncover them, paint them ad phenomena orchestrated and happening because President Buhari’s administration has decided to pursue cases of suspected wrongdoing in the anti-corruption agency, pension funds, NDDC and other government agencies”.
“But the government was the first to point out the obvious embarrassment that potential acts of wrongdoing by the EFCC leadership would cause the administration. The question to ask is: did they expect the President to draw a curtain over these suspected scandals by not ordering audits and investigations? And for them to turn around to accuse him of a cover up?
“To do a cover up and not order audits and investigations as the President did would amount to a historic betrayal of the mandate and the faith placed in him by the Nigerian people”.
Don’t Mistake COVID-19 For Malaria, FG Warns [LEADERSHIP]
The federal government warned yesterday that though COVID-19 presents symptoms similar to malaria such as fever, both diseases are caused by different organisms and differ in mode of transmission.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) stated this on its official twitter handle, warning that Nigerians should resist the temptation of taking COVID-19 and malaria as the same infection.
This is just as the NCDC announced 653 new cases in the country, as total number of infections from the virus rose to 36,107.
The health agency identified 12 symptoms that could point to the existence of COVID-19 in the human body.
According to NCDC, the listed symptoms will help Nigerians “take responsibility” by quickly calling the available hotlines, should they experience a combination of the symptoms.
“If you have Cough or Fever, difficulty in breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure, and loss of speech or movement, seek immediate medical attention,” NCDC advised.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had advised that people with mild symptoms who were otherwise healthy should manage their symptoms at home.
“On average it takes 5-6 days from when someone is infected with the virus for symptoms to show, however it can take up to 14 days,” it
said.
Meanwhile, NCDC in its updated data yesterday indicated that the 653 new cases were reported from 27 states and the FCT.
“Till date, 36,107 cases have been confirmed, 14,938 cases have been discharged and 778 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” it said.
Ondo Polls: Tension In APC As Vote-Buying Rocks PDP [THE NATION]
There is anxiety in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State as they prepare for their primaries in Akure, the state capital.
While 3,127 APC delegates will elect its governorship standard bearer today, PDP will pick its candidate on Wednesday.
Ahead of the shadow poll, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) and his estranged deputy, Agboola Ajayi, of the PDP, continued their media war on Sunday.
The deputy governor accused Akeredolu of running the state aground. The governor said he would not allow Ajayi to distract him from his preparation for today’s primary.
However, a major crisis has hit the PDP, following allegations by youths that one of the aspirants was wooing each delegate with $1,000.
The youth, who raised the alarm, warned that the ticket might go to the highest bidder.
The police cautioned against thuggery and violence, urging parents to warn their children and wards.
Also, the Chief Imam of Akure, Sheikh AbdulHakeem Yayi-Akorede, advised APC and PDP chieftains to embrace peace before, during and after the election.
Ajayi, who was responding to remarks by Akeredolu that his selection as running mate in 2016 was an error of judgment, said Akeredolu was frustrated over his inability to remove him from office through the instrumentality of the House of Assembly.
Speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Babatope Okeowo, Ajayi said he understood the self-inflicted pain of running the state aground through inflated contracts, clannishness, nepotism and malfeasance.
“These and many injuries Governor Akeredolu caused himself and cannot be blamed on his deputy Agboola Ajayi, whom he sidelined, shortly after the administration was sworn in.
“It must be put on record that Akeredolu contested the 2012 governorship election and came a distant third in the election won by Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Labour Party.
“It was the experience, weight and political capital, which Agboola Ajayi brought into the 2016 gubernatorial election that produced the current All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government in the state.
Buhari Is In Control, Says Presidency [THE NATION]
President Muhammadu Buhari is in control of his administration, despite revelations of corruption, his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said on Sunday.
Shehu said the fact that the President did not cover up any of the alleged acts of graft showed the anti-graft war was on course.
The presidential aide was reponding to comments and an editorial criticising the President over increasing allegations of corruption in his administration.
“As many detractors have done lately, these ‘influencers’, ‘celebrated columnists’ and ‘editorial comments’ do no more than endorse the opposition’s utterly wrong and fallacious position that the President is not in charge of his government.
“Sometimes, we are forced to wonder whether some writers are mindful of the implication of words for the strategic and territorial interests of the nation.
Banks Limit Debit Card Spending Abroad [THE NATION]
Banks will from on Monday slash the amount customers can spend abroad, using their debit cards.
This is due to dollar shortage resulting from the sharp fall in crude oil prices.
Crude oil is the main source of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.
The lenders, which two years ago, raised their card spending limits on Point of Sale (PoS) and online card transactions abroad, are currently placing limits on amounts customers can withdraw with their debit cards in offshore transactions.
Two commercial banks, which confirmed the new development, said the move was to limit foreign currency settlement risk, according to a report by Reuters.
Stanbic IBTC Bank, the local unit of South Africa’s Standard Bank, said it will halve the spending limit for offshore card transactions to $500 per month from today and will limit cash withdrawals to $100.
Another Tier-1 lender, Zenith Bank said it will temporarily suspend the use of debit cards abroad for cash withdrawals and cut the monthly spending limit abroad by more than half to $200.
“This review is in response to today’s economic realities,” Zenith said in a notice, advising clients to request prepaid dollar cards.
Other lenders – Ecobank and Fidelity Bank – have also lowered withdrawal limits for individuals while abroad.
No Foul Play Found In Arotile’s Death, Says NAF [THE NATION]
Nigerian Air Force (NAF) on Sunday ruled out foul play in the death of the country’s first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, who was knocked down by the Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV) driven by an old schoolmate at the NAF Base in Kaduna.
She was 24.
Giving details of its preliminary investigation, NAF’s Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, said: “The death of Flying Officer Arotile was caused by blunt force trauma to the head and significant bleeding resulting from being struck by the vehicle.”
Daramola said NAF would have waited for the conclusion of the investigation before releasing its details but “the NAF, in sensitivity to public concerns occasioned by the spread of false information, appreciates the imperative to provide more clarity at this very difficult moment”.
Intrigues, Last-Minute Alignment As 11 Aspirants Contest Ondo APC Governorship Ticket Today [PUNCH]
The All Progressives Congress candidate for the October 10 governorship election in Ondo State will emerge today (Monday) at a primary election that will be contested by the state Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, and 10 other aspirants.
Ahead of the election, there were intrigues on Sunday as some aspirants engaged in last-minute talks aimed at forming an alliance against Akeredolu.
Besides Akeredolu, other aspirants are Chief Olusola Oke, Dr Segun Abraham, Mr Olaide Adelami, Bukola Adetula, Mrs Jumoke Anifowose, Ambassador Sola Iji, Mr Isaac Kekemeke, Jimi Odimayo, Mr Nathaniel Adojutelegan and Mr Awodeyi Akinsehinwa.
The party had last month disclosed that it would adopt indirect primary to pick its governorship candidate, but 11 aspirants in a memo they jointly signed kicked against it.
The Chairman of the Primary Committee and Kogi State Governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, on Friday turned down the request of the aspirants, saying they could not dictate to the party.
Aspirants in last-minute alliance talks against Akeredolu
It was gathered that there might be last-minute alliance among the aspirants as several meetings were going on among the party leaders and the aspirants to reduce the number of aspirants so that most popular aspirant would get the ticket of the party.
The spokesperson for one of the aspirants, Adelami; Mr Rahaman Yusuf, confirmed that his boss had met with many party leaders.
On Sunday, it was learnt that many of the aspirants, who were active at the initial stage of the preparation for the primary, were said to have lost confidence in getting the desired victory at the primary following the alleged imposition of the indirect primary.
An aide to one of the aspirants, on condition of anonymity, informed one of our correspondents that his boss knew he had lost the primary already, alleging that the national secretariat of the party had concluded plans to give Akeredolu the ticket of the party.
Akerodolu to benefit from indirect primary
Also, there were indications on Sunday that Akeredolu would benefit from the indirect primary.
A top-ranking member of the party who, spoke on condition of anonymity, said, “Most incumbent governors prefer the indirect mode because those who emerge as delegates are their loyalists.
“There are those we call automatic delegates and these include party members from the state who are former governors, former deputy governors, former speakers and deputy speakers, serving national and state Assembly members.”
Magu: Prepare For Surprises, Presidency Tells Nigerians [PUNCH]
The Presidency has asked Nigerians to prepare for surprises as the panel probing the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, gets ready to submit its report.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this on Channels Television’s ‘Politics Today’ programme on Sunday.
Responding to a question on claims by Magu’s lawyers that the probe was a witch-hunt, Shehu said, “I guess this is a question for the Justice Ayo Salami panel and I must say that panel is composed of some of this country’s most honoured people with integrity who will do the right thing.
“I am not going to pre-empt the panel investigation but I just advise Nigerians to hold their hearts in their hands. By the time they are done with this job and they come out with the reports, prepare yourselves for surprises.
“I don’t know what will come out but if the sense we are getting from what is being done over there is anything to go by, I think that Nigerians should not be confused by any outbursts by anybody.”
The panel, led by Justice Ayo Salami, is investigating over 20 allegations levelled against Magu.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party caucus in the House of Representatives has threatened the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), with impeachment if he fails to address the crisis rocking the Niger Delta Development Commission and the EFCC.
The PDP caucus also condemned the face-off between the legislature and the executive on the recruitment of 774,000 Nigerians for public works, likening the jobs to Automated Teller Machines.
Bandits Kill 16 Soldiers In Katsina [SUN]
An ambush by suspected bandits in Katsina State on Saturday left at least 16 soldiers and officers dead and 28 others wounded.
A report quoted military sources as saying that the troops of the Special Army Super Camp 4 were advancing on foot in Shimfida in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State at about 6.13pm Saturday when the armed militants opened fire on them from a hilltop.
The officers killed in the attack included a major, a captain and a lieutenant, military sources told PREMIUM TIMES. Two bandits were also injured in the exchanges, officials briefed on the matter said.
When contacted, army spokesperson, Sagir Musa, said he could neither confirm nor comment on the attack as he was hearing it for the first time.
Katsina, the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari in northwestern Nigeria, has seen a spate of attacks by armed militants.
In Katsina State, over 2,000 people have been killed, 500 communities destroyed and over 33,000 people displaced, a 2020 report by the West Africa Network for Peace building said.
President Buhari, after scores of residents of a Katsina community blocked a highway to protest incessant attacks by armed bandits in May, promised a major military onslaught to rid the state of bandits and kidnappers.
“A major proactive operation by Special Forces, which details are being kept secret, is now in progress to replace the reactive strikes against insurgent camps,” presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu, said in a statement then.
“To give a full effect to the exercise, a planning team is already in the state selecting targets and making preparations for the execution of the “unprecedented” operation.
“Despite the statements, however, attacks on military camps and civilians have continued in the state since then.
However, troops of Special Army Super Camp 4, Faskari, operating under Exercise Sahel Sanity, have reported killing of dozens of the criminals.
A fortnight ago, the defence headquarters reported killing 46 bandits in an encounter at Yar Gamji town in the Batsari Local Government Area of Katsina State. This is even as it killed another six last week while also foiling attempts to loot livestock in Katsina and Zamfara states.
How Arotile, Air Force Fighter Pilot, Died –NAF [SUN]
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), yesterday, revealed the identity of the killer driver, who killed its first female combat helicopter pilot, Flying Officer Tolulope Arotile, on July, 14, in Kaduna.
It said the suspect alongside three of his friends were schoolmates of the deceased female officer at the Air Force Secondary School (now Air Force Comprehensive School), Kaduna. It gave the name of the driver who drove the vehicle a KIA Sport Utility Vehicle(SUV), with registration number AZ 478 MKA, as Mr. Nehemiah Adejoh and his two friends as Mr Igbekele Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun.
NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola, who made this known at a briefing at the headquarters in Abuja, however, ruled out any foul play.
Daramola, looking emotional, said the deceased combat pilot was pronounced dead on arrival at the medical centre at the NAF base, in Kaduna where she was rushed to.
“On 14 July 2020 at about 10.55am, Late Flying Officer Arotile received a phone call from her colleague, Flying Officer Perry Karimo, a fellow helicopter pilot from the 405 HCTG, who wanted to discuss arrangements for their return to Enugu, requesting that she comes to the Base so that they could work out the modalities. Subsequently, at about 10.58am, the late Arotile placed a call through to Squadron Leader Diepiriye Batubo, the Group Operations Officer (GOO) of 405 HCTG, who was in Minna at the time, to clarify issues regarding her deployment. It must be highlighted that the call FROM Flying Officer Karimo as well as the one TO the Squadron Leader Batubo both took place before 11.00am, over 5 hours before the incident which led to her death.
“Flying Officer Arotile was later conveyed from Sabo to the NAF Base Kaduna by her sister, Mrs Adegboye, where the Deceased dropped her phone for charging at a house in the Instructor Pilots’ Quarters belonging to Squadron Leader Alfa Ekele.
Her elder sister later dropped her off at the Base Mammy Market at about 4.00pm, where she proceeded to photocopy and laminate some documents.”
“It was while she was returning from the Mammy Market at about 4.30pm that 3 of her former schoolmates at the Air Force Secondary School (now Air Force Comprehensive School) Kaduna; Mr Nehemiah Adejoh, Mr Igbekele Folorunsho and Mr Festus Gbayegun, drove past her in a Kia Sorento SUV, with Registration Number AZ 478 MKA,” Daramola said.