The Nigeria Labour Congress [NLC] is collaborating with Kriston Lally EPC company to deliver a total of 60,000 housing units to Nigerian workers across the country before the end of this year, Alhaji Madawaki, the company’s Managing Director, has disclosed.
Madawaki, whose company is partnering with NLC, at a press conference revealed that the company has set aside funds to build a total of 25,000 housing units in Lagos state, 5000 units in Abuja, 25,000 units in Abuja in the first and second phases of the project 5,000 units in River state and 5,000 units in Imo state.
Alhaji Madawaki, who spoke on behalf of the NLC explained that the project became necessary, he said, was to join hands with federal government to deliver a total of 1million houses to Nigeria.
READ MORE Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos has directed the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) to conduct an enumeration of religious centres across the state. Mr. Ambode gave the directive while inaugurating 798 members of the NIREC appointed for the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas in Lagos. He was represented by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, AbdulHakeem Abdul-Lateef, at the inauguration. “One of the core functions you are going to discharge is the collation of religious institutions at the local government level,” he said. “You must ensure that you compile a list of all churches, all mosques, all faith-based organisations and forward same to the Ministry of Home Affairs. “I must also urge you to work closely with the local government chairman and all other officials at the local government level. “You are working directly with NIREC at the state level. “Always make sure that you relate any matter that is beyond your capacity to the state NIREC and through the state NIREC, it will get to my office as the governor of Lagos State. “Your meetings will hold quarterly and I urge you to have extra-ordinary meetings in cases of emergencies. “I urge you to cooperate with the local government officials and do your best to promote peace and orderliness at the local government level.’’ Speaking earlier, the Co-Chairman (Muslim) of the state NIREC, Tajudeen Yusuf, said the inauguration of the council at the local government level was a proactive step taken by the government. He said that this would ensure continued peaceful co-existence among all people of diverse religious and ethnic groups in the state. “Today, we are inaugurating the members of NIREC at grassroots and it is a proactive step on the part of our governor to ensure that the monumental development that Lagos State is witnessing today is not taken for granted. “Muslims and Christians are in a better position to ensure that we continue to have peace and inter-religious dialogue as well as peaceful co-existence in Lagos State. “We are, by this inauguration, taking inter-religious dialogue to the grassroots so that when crises arise, they are quickly nipped in the bud,’’ Mr. Yusuf said. Also speaking, the co-chairman (Christian) of the state NIREC, Israel Akinadewo, remarked that religious leaders must continue to educate their followers, especially the vulnerable ones at the grassroots. The State Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami, commended Mr. Ambode for running a community-based government of inclusion by bringing governance down to the grassroots. Mr. Folami said that by taking the NIREC activities to the grassroots, it would be easier for government to nip any crisis in the bud. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 14 persons, comprising seven Muslims and seven Christians each, were appointed into the NIREC in the 20 LGAs and 37 LCDAs in the state.(NAN)
According to him, “What government means is that it will create a favourable environment to private sector developers to build that number of houses because it is no longer fashionable for governments to build houses for the people but rather in partnership with the private sector”.
He explained the federal government’s programme of providing housing for all under the President Goodluck Jonathan’s Transformation agenda is being carried out in partnership with the private sector and international private estate developers.
“The funding for the entire projects has been secured, we have no problems at all with funding, my challenge is to start drawing from the funds now lying ide in the banks”, he said
He noted that when each private developer gives the number of housing units he will build, “the government would add up all these units of houses into its database to arrive at the number of houses projected for year”.
He maintained that what government needed to do was to provide the enabling environment for us to build.
He implored the federal and state government especially the FCT administration to assist them in providing sufficient land to enable them provide houses for the workers.
He assured that all prospective landlords who have keyed into the NLC-Kriston LaLly affordable housing project by paying their 10 percent cost of their choice homes in December this year.
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