Fashola’s paper presentation in Kano: A lesson of inclusivity in infrastructural development

By Modestus Umenzekwe

X-raying the Presentation by the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) at the Special Ministerial Conversational Conference which took place at the Main Hall of Bristol Palace Hotel, Kano State, on 27th January 2022, was not only very revealing especially when one matches the content of the paper against the quantum infrastructural development by his ministry, it also buttressed lessons of inclusivity in the provision of infrastructural projects in the country. The paper was simply titled “Progressive Mission: The Road to Our Future.”

In a bid by the government to provide and expand the infrastructural base of the country, there appears to be a more calculated attempt in making sure that all people in the nation’s social strata benefit from those projects one way or the other. So it is not just a question of erecting structures, but also making sure that million Nigerians directly or indirectly benefit from the various gargantuan projects across that country.

[12/02, 08:29] Odogwu Emeka-1: Further examination also revealed that the investment in infrastructure has also facilitated the engagement of 353 Supervisory Consultancy firms to work with the ministry staff on quality Control, Quality Assurance and other technical issues on some of the highway projects across the country, each consultancy firm employs a minimum four staff headed by a Chief Engineer with other Engineers and staff assisting him, hence the consultancy firms also employ 1,412 personnel.

Instructively he said every contract has a VAT component of 7.5 per cent collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS). Out of this, 85% goes to the states every month to supplement their income to enable them carry out their own responsibilities.

Fashola also commented on some positive impacts of these projects, he opined “Apart from this quantifiable impact, there are unseen values like property appreciation for land owners. So, when President Buhari says 100 million people could be lifted out of poverty over a 10-year period, it is not mere conjecture, it is already happening. However, this laudable visionary goal would not be realized by what the federal government is doing alone but by the aggregation of the positive actions of the three levels of government, including the 36 states and local governments and the federal government. This means that the president has been making the economy to work for the people by facilitating the ease of doing business through access to farms and markets, reducing journey times, and, therefore, putting more money in the pockets of Nigerians as well as the creation of direct and indirect jobs.”

Fashola was once quoted “Whenever I visit the sites of the pilot national housing project being undertaken across the 34 states (which) provided land, I see an eco-system of commerce, employment and entrepreneurship.

“From the contractor/construction company who wins the bid to the labourers on-site who earn N3,000 a day, (N18, 000 a week (for six days) and approximately N72,000 a month); to the owner of the concrete mixer I met in Oyo State who charges N20,000 a day: to suppliers and vendors of building materials, and employees of companies that manufacture paint, tiles, roofing materials, the Federal Government, and state government collaboration provided a step up towards the ladder of prosperity.”
[12/02, 08:29] Odogwu Emeka-1: Among the sub-themes in the paper presented by the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing (SAN),were what he termed Echoes from a Season of Completion and Impact; Harvest from the Investments in Infrastructure, National Housing Programme; New Federal Secretariats; Interventions in Federal Tertiary Institutions, Bridge Maintenance, among others.

However, my focus in this write-up, due to time and space, is majored on National Housing Programme, and some aspects of the road projects.

According to the Honourable Minister “President Muhammadu Buhari clearly understands the necessity to invest in infrastructure, not just to support a growing population but as an economic driver. It is, therefore, not surprising that, through the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, we are managing 850 contracts involving 796 bridges, and road projects as we are also constructing houses in 34 states of the federation, as well as new federal secretariats in Anambra, Nasarawa, Bayelsa, Zamfara, Osun, and Ekiti states.”

He also disclosed “I am happy to report that within 18 days between November 25th and December 13, 2021, the progressive administration of President Muhammadu Buhari handed over 941km of roads connecting 10 states in five geopolitical zones across the country.” Added that there has been dearth of roads and housing infrastructure till the coming of the government of Buhari.

But most important was his analysis of the entire gamut of the infrastructural provision process whereby these projects bring about benefits to the different strata involved in the completion of these projects to the extent that one particular project provides employment, first to the companies who bid for and win these contracts and help them to pay for the employment of immediate staff and others like labourers, artisans, etc  and through them, other Medium and Small Enterprises (MSMEs), who employ the largest number of people in every economy, are employed to supply diesel, sand, cement, and other construction materials.

He said “This is a major economic exchange involving billions of Naira distributed across the Nigerian economy. It also helps the establishment of contractors’ laboratories (67) and 7 pavement evaluation units in each geopolitical zone of the country and the FCT which carry out Independent and Confirmatory Quality Control and Quality Assurance tests and evaluations in all ongoing and completed works. They also conduct road condition surveys and geotechnical investigations for pavement structural design and Geometric Design. The number of operational laboratories  including the seven PEUs is therefore 74 and because the laboratories require technical staff to function, a total of 1702 personnel are currently engaged in them with additional hands engaged as drivers and cleans in each laboratory,” Fashola added.
[12/02, 08:29] Odogwu Emeka-1: He also drew the people’s attention that these roads are not roads in themselves, they represent critical infrastructure necessary to develop a country and its people for them to get on with their lives in an easy and convenient way.

Fashiola said “Government has also taken infrastructural renewal and development to federal tertiary institutions across the country. At the last count, the government is executing road rehabilitations projects in 76 federal tertiary institutions across the country with the projects completed and commissioned in 29 institutions.”

It is gratifying to say, here that the decision of federal government to carry out infrastructure renewal in its institutions met with widespread joy and gratitude from the academic community which had hitherto felt neglected.

In his presentation he recollected how the people of Abia State felt while receiving the rehabilitated 2.1 km road on February 18, 2021. The Executive Director of the National Institute of Nigerian Languages, Aba Abia State, Prof Obiajulu Elumejulu, declared “This intervention is unprecedented. It has indeed raised the profile of our institution and confirmed the confidence to the tax payers that we also are a federal government owned tertiary institution”

For the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, who also spoke at the handover event, added, “We are witnessing the uncommon will and wisdom of the Federal Government under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, to facilitate the resolution of internal roads inadequacy with a view to enhancing road network aesthetics of the institution.” The story of appreciation is the same in University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital ((UMTH), Federal University Dutse; Kaduna Polytechnics and others.

He said the administration as part of a conscious policy to activate a maintenance economy in addition to building new infrastructure, has embarked on the rehabilitation and maintenance of bridges. After thorough and critical status survey of the bridges, 97 of them, some of which had not witnessed maintenance since they were built decades ago are currently being maintained or already completed.  He gave an instance of Tamburawa Bridge in Kano and several others across the country, that have been receiving necessary attention.
[12/02, 08:29] Odogwu Emeka-1: He said there are projects that seemed to have defiled solutions for decades, projects like the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos Ibadan Expressway, the Bodo-Bonny Bridge, the Apapa Oworonsoki Road, and the Abuja-Kano Road, among others which the administration has reactivated after decades of inactivity and uncertainty. They are now progressively nearing completion.

As it is, there is no gainsaying the fact that the federal government housing infrastructural projects are mass oriented.

Looking at the Social Housing Programme, the federal government plans to support 1.5 million Nigerians to acquire low-cost houses through mortgage options and also Rent to Own option. The scheme is expected to also generate 1.8 million jobs and deliver houses to about 1.5 million Nigerian families. The houses are to be priced around and N2 million and N4 million each putting it within the reach of the low-income earners, depending on the number of rooms.

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing through his paper presentation drew the attention of Nigerians to the economic benefits of the various gigantic infrastructural projects of the present administration.

The Federal Government has invested over N10 billion in the ongoing Zuba Federal Housing Estate project. Of course last year the workaholic Works and Housing Minister inspected the 764-Units Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Residential Layouts (the Abuja Mass Housing Scheme) in Zuba, Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory.

The Federal Government Mass Housing Pilot Project Zuba-Abuja consists of 764 housing units seated on 18Ha’s land size consisting of 1 bedroom flats; 2-bedroom flats; 3-bedroom flats; and 3-bedroom terrace duplexes.

With a formidable team that includes Senator Lawal Shuaibu, Board Chairman FHA, and Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Managing Director, FHA, the Honourable Minister is seeing his vision being translated to reality.

In 2021 the Federal Government, concluded arrangements to construct 10,000 low cost houses in Kano State, to enhance access to decent homes for Nigerians.

Recently the Minister, Mr Babatunde Fashola, SAN inspected the Homes built by the Federal Government under the National Housing Programme in Gama – Gwari, off Jaba Fanisau Road, Fagge, Kano State.

Fashola recently called on Nigerians to leverage the opportunities granted by the federal government under the National housing program to own apartments in all parts of the country. He noted that access to affordable houses has remained a challenge for the average Nigerian, Fashola stated that the housing programme which is being carried out in phases has over 5,000 houses completed in the first and second phases across 34 states and the FCT adding that Lagos state was yet to provide the government with land, while Rivers State will join-in phase three of the project.