Today, the 5th day of February, 2019 has been fixed for the
Summit on “Actualizing The Law On The Bondsman and Recovery
of Recognizance In Lagos State”.
According to the flyer sighted by TheNigerialawyer (TNL), the
Summit is scheduled to hold at the Foyer, High Court of
Lagos State, Igbosere, Lagos State at 2:00 pm, Lagos
State.
The Summit as observed by TNL, has the full endorsement of the
Chief Justice of the State.
Works Minister Fashola
Maintenance Policy will Drive SMEs- FG
The Honourable Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr.
Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has made public the approval of a
National Public Buildings Maintenance Policy for the country, by
the Federal Government of Nigeria. This was made known at a Press
Briefing held in the Ministry’s office Headquarters in Abuja.
Mr. Fashola said the approval of the Maintenance Policy marks an
end to the era of agonizing on maintenance in the country. He
highlighted the fact that no other governments before now deemed it
fit to approve such a policy but the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
Administration has acted in the right direction.
He said “if there is anything I have participated in as the
Federal Minister over the past three years that I’m particularly
proud of, it is this Maintenance Policy”. Maintenance, he
emphasized is not a cultural issue but an economic issue, an issue
viable for economic prosperity.
The Minister disclosed that the Memorandum presented to the
Federal Executive Council (FEC) revealed that only about 23% of
employment in the built industry, involves design, governance and
construction, while maintenance carries the lion share.
This policy, in the big picture, would culminate into
incremental employment opportunities within the country and
eventual output in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), hence growth
for Nigeria’s Small and Medium Enterprise (SMEs) and the economy as
a whole, he explained.
Fashola called on all relevant stakeholders including the office
of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the National
Assembly, Bureau for Public Procurement, National Orientation
Agency and other stakeholders to come together in a common purpose
to achieve the desired goal.
Speaking earlier, the Head of Civil Service of the Federation,
Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, who was represented by the Director, General
Services Office (GSO/ OHCSF) Mrs. Toyin Alade, expressed delight
that the Policy will open a new vista in the overall maintenance of
public assets and facilities in the country.
The Chairman, House Committee on Housing, Hon. Mahmud Mohammed
expressed happiness over the approved Policy, stressing that this
would reduce wastage and increase labour and productivity.
Also, Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Works, Hon. Dr.
Abubakar Kannike opined that if maintenance was being
institutionalized, the government will in turn save cost. He
admonished Nigerians to adopt in the maintenance culture over their
private properties as well.
Mrs Adenike Adekanbi, the Consultant charged with drafting of
the Memorandum, reiterated that as it were, the future of public
infrastructure depended wholly on the survival of the Policy
recently approved by the government.
While presenting an overview of the Policy Framework, she
revealed that a pilot study conducted using different public
infrastructure to generate data from site analysis and condition
assessments to determine the current status of the buildings,
revealed the enormous untapped employment potentials available.
Mrs. Adekanbi said if such analysis were conducted on all public
buildings, there was bound to be a proliferation of employments for
artisans, welders, plumbers, electricians and so on.
The Consultant added that the policy trust asserts all public
buildings to be maintained in a manner to preserve their values and
ensure that they serve the purpose for which they were built.
Mrs. Renate M. Michael
PIO(Press &PR)
For: Director Information