Metro
FG Solicits 50 Hectares of Land from states for Renewed Cities
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The Federal Government has solicited the release of 50 hectares of land by state governments to enable it actualise its Renewed Cities Agenda in housing delivery for citizens.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, made this call when the Governor of Taraba, Dr Agbu Kefas, paid him a courtesy visit on Thursday in Abuja.
He said that the present administration’s plan to deliver the Renewed Hope Agenda for housing needed the support of states in the provision of land.
Dangiwa said that under the first phase of the project, government planned to build 34,500 houses nationwide using FMBN, FHA and Public Private Partnerships (PPP) to achieve this.
He said that decent, quality and affordable housing for all Nigerians was a major priority of the government, adding that the ministry was working with the National Population Commission (NPC) to establish the actual housing deficit.
“Our findings in house estimates show that for us to meet the housing needs of Nigerians, we need to build about 550,000 new homes per annum over the next ten years.
“That is the massive size of our housing challenge. At the average cost of N8 million this will require about N4.4 trillion per annum.
“Records show that over the past decades, the Federal Agencies, and the Ministry of Housing combined produce less than 15,000 housing units per year.
“A key reason for this is, of course, the big elephant in the room: inadequate access to finance.
“While this is true, I also believe that we have not been innovative enough in finding solutions to meet the challenge in a bold and audacious manner,” he said.
Dangiwa said the good news, however, was that President Bola Tinubu was a proven game-changer who had demonstrated this in all of his policy announcements.
“So, as we acknowledge the challenge before us, we are not frightened by it. Rather, we see it as a golden opportunity to make a difference in the history of affordable housing in our country.
“Already, we have written letters to be sent to all the state governors seeking about 50 hectares of land for renewed hope cities.
“I’m sure that your Excellency will be kind and gracious enough to honour our request,” he said.
Earlier, the governor said that he had come to pay a solidarity visit and pledged his support to the minister to move the ministry forward.
Kefas said the minister was not alien to Taraba, adding that “it is a good place to invest.”
He, therefore, called for collaboration with the ministry in infrastructure development, especially in housing development.
“One of the things I want to bring to your notice is that you have a property in Jalingo and it has been there empty and nobody has occupied it and we do not want it to waste.
“So, we are requesting that we want to take over that property so that we will able to provide accommodation for our civil servants.
“Also, we are available to offer you any land in Taraba to be able to build anything that will benefit our people.
“We are also aware that the ministry has made provision to build a new Federal Secretariat in Taraba state.
“We are very happy about that initiative and we want to assure you that we are ready to give you our support whenever you are ready,” Kefas said.
He, therefore, urged the minister to ensure that the secretariat was built to accommodate all the state ministries. (NAN)
Metro
Jos School Collapse: CWON Holds Trauma Healing Session for Parents, Survivors
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From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Catholic Women Organization of Nigeria (CWON) has organized a trauma healing session for survivors of the Jos Saint Academy School collapse alongside parents who lost their children in the unfortunate incident.The National President of the organization, Dame Mary Gonzum noted that the effort was part of their psychosocial support and counseling services for victims of the school building collapse as a follow-up to the assessment of the condition of the victims during their visit.
Gonzum speaking during a one day trauma session held at the Secretariat of the Justice Development and Peace/Caritas Commission (JDPC) of the Catholic Archdiocese located along Zaria Road in Jos the Plateau State capital said the trauma healing session was in continuation of their intervention to students who experienced the building collapsed.”Today, a trauma healing session was flagged off with a seminar on how to go about handling the trauma that victims of the Saint Academy School Busa Buji in Jos are passing through.”We will later select those that are so traumatic and need help to continue with the process of healing because it is not something that will end in a day or two but will need sometime.”The surviving students who experienced the building collapsed, parents of the students are all here because some parents are so traumatic, we have one other woman that lost two children”This trauma became necessary because when we went visiting in the hospitals, we observed that some of them are really traumatic. Like the other boy, his mother said up till today he kept telling his mother that he is seeing dead bodies, and anybody he sees he will say is his classmate.”Some of the affected parents while sharing their encounters after the incident said they hardly sleep in the day or night time. Some manage to sleep for two hours and they’re awake, and from the little lectures we received today it is clear that there is a problem,” She noted.The President calls on the government to ensure that those saddled with the responsibility of approving, inspecting and supervising structures are meant to do their job with all diligence to avert future happenings again.Some of the affected parents including; Hasana Suleman Sale who lost two of her children recalled with pains the unfortunate development that claimed the lives of her two children. She expressed gratitude for the trauma healing session which she said came as a means of consolation and strength for her to overcome the trauma she is passing through.Metro
Catholic Church Welcomes New Apostolic Nuncio
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The Catholic Church in Nigeria has welcomed the newly-appointed Apostolic to Nigeria, Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty.
Crotty, an Irish, was appointed by the Vatican.
He will oversee the propagation of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the church in Nigeria.
The position, an ambassadorial status, advances cohesion in the body of Christ.
In his welcome message for Crotty on Tuesday, the President of Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Archbishop Lucius Ugorji, said that the Church was glad to receive him.
The CBCN president, who is also the Archbishop of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese, said,” With joy and gratitude to God, I extend a hearty welcome to Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty on behalf of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, clergy, religious and lay faithful in Nigeria.
“We are thankful to His Holiness, Pope Francis, for appointing Archbishop Michael Francis Crotty as the Apostolic Nuncio to Nigeria to build on the good works of his predecessor, Archbishop Antonio Filipazzi.
“His appointment is a testament to the strong spiritual bond between our countries,” he said.
He said that although Crotty was the first Apostolic Nuncio from Ireland to serve in Nigeria, many Irish missionaries had played significant roles in spreading the gospel in Nigeria.
“We appreciate Archbishop Crotty’s acceptance of serving in Nigeria and assure him of our full support and cooperation.
“We pray for a fruitful mission and a blessed tenure for our excellency,” he added. (NAN)
Metro
Boundary Commission to Provide Infrastructure Along Disputed Boundary Areas
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The National Boundary Commission (NBC), says it has concluded plans to provide infrastructure in flash locations along interstate boundaries to encourage integration and cooperation.
The Director-General of the commission, Mr Adamu Adaji, stated this in an interview in Abuja on Wednesday.
Adaji said that the commission would look at flash point areas and provide infrastructures that would encourage cooperation and integration among border communities.
He said that the goal was to see how the commission could bring people in border communities together to share from a common facility.
This, according to him, will douse tension and bring some kind of understanding among border communities.
“The bounder communities will share the facilities, which in the long run will bring the people together and eventually reduce tension and boundary conflicts.
“This is a way of encouraging integration and cooperation by encouraging people to come together, relate with one another and engage in beneficial commercial activities.”
Adaji said that a similar initiative was test runed with a borehole, constructed boundary corridor in Ado Local Government Area of Benue state, where it shared boundary with Ebonyi.
“We have also been able to construct some market stalls in the Ebonyi sector of the boundary between Ebonyi and Cross River,” he added.
“So, our appeal is for people to appreciate, cooperate and understand that boundaries are not barriers.
“The boundary line will not stop somebody from owning properties across and that is what we want to partner with the states to educate people along by the boundary corridors. (NAN)