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KDSG appoints Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli as Emir of Zazzau

KDSG appoints Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli as Emir of Zazzau

The Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has approved the appointment of Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli as the 19th Emir of Zazzau. He succeeds HRH Alh. (Dr.) Shehu Idris who died on Sunday, 20th September 2020 after reigning for 45 years. Alh. Bamalli is the first emir from the Mallawa ruling house in 100 years, following the demise in 1920 of his grandfather, Emir Dan Sidi.


Until his appointment as Emir of Zazzau, Alh. Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli held the title of Magajin Garin Zazzau and served as Nigeria’s ambassador to Thailand, with concurrent accreditation to Myanmar. He has been a permanent commissioner in the Kaduna State Independent Electoral Commission in 2015. He has worked in banking and as Executive Director and later acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Corporation. He was a staff of the Abuja Metropolitan Management Agency before a stint as head of Human Resources at MTel, the mobile communications arm of the old Nigerian Telecommunications Limited (NITEL).

Born in 1966, Alh. Bamalli studied Law at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He holds a master’s degree in International Relations and Diplomacy and a diploma in Organisational Leadership from Oxford University. He is also a fellow on Conflict Resolution of the University of York, United Kingdom (UK).
On behalf of the Kaduna State Government, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has congratulated HRH Alhaji Ahmed Nuhu Bamalli on his appointment and wished him a successful and peaceful reign as Emir of Zazzau.

Signed
Ja’afaru Ibrahim Sani
Commissioner, Ministry of Local Government Affairs

LinkedIn Is It A form Of Inspiration or Depression?

LinkedIn Is It A form Of Inspiration or Depression?

Though in their profile, LinkedIn is an American business and employment-oriented online service that operates via websites and mobile apps. Launched on May 5, 2003, it is mainly used for professional networking, including employers posting jobs and job seekers posting their CVs. As we can see, this is a social media platform with a difference and attitude. In short, it got class! Personally, I think LinkedIn is one platform that can easily make people go into depression.The energy here is different. Unlike other social media platforms, the clothes, shoes, phone type, hairdo don’t matter…no one is probably looking.

But the captions?? Jeez! You are 28years, graduated with first class and still jobless. Then you open your LinkedIn and see a 20year old talking about securing a dream job with 6figures plus scholarship to study abroad. Then you keep scrolling and you keep seeing loads of similar posts all over your timeline. I don’t want to know, you’ll pause and think about your life again.

LinkedIn reaches 675 million members, reports Microsoft - Marketing Edge Magazine

Over the years, I have learnt that the most resilient people are not people who are strong but people who are capable of seeing everything as a motivation. Instead of allowing these things weigh you down, see them as a motivation to keep pushing. Keep your head high, and don’t give up.

Don’t feel less of who you are. Remind yourself again that you are making effort towards becoming that person you want to be and commend your effort.
And when you feel like so many people are hitting it big but you are still where you are, relax, restrategise and go again.

The goal is not to give up until you hit your target. The goal is to feel motivated all the way up.

Rita Oloruntofunmi Idowu

BARUWA GAS EXPLOSION: SANWO-OLU COMMISERATES WITH VICTIMS’ FAMILIES

BARUWA GAS EXPLOSION: SANWO-OLU COMMISERATES WITH VICTIMS’ FAMILIES

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has expressed deep sorrow over a gas explosion that claimed lives and destroyed properties worth several millions of naira, describing the incident as a sad memory in the life of the administration.

Governor Sanwo-Olu said the preliminary and final reports on the cause of the explosion suggested negligence on the part of the gas plant operators, noting that the government would take stiffer measures against operators of gas plants and/or any combustible items in the State to avoid future recurrence of such disaster.

He said: “The gas explosion this morning has left a sour taste in my mouth. It is a reminder of the dark episode of March this year at Abule Ado Soba when innocent lives were lost to gas explosions of monumental proportion and properties destroyed. I really can’t believe that we would witness another such incident, no matter how little.”

“I wish to therefore register my heartfelt condolences to the families of those that lost their loved ones in the fire. I pray that God grant their souls eternal rest.”

“The reports I got showed that the explosion could have been avoided if the operators of the gas plant had adhered to safety guidelines. Lives would have been saved and properties too would not have been affected.”

The Governor restated his administration’s commitment to safety of lives and properties of Lagosians by ensuring that operators follow strict regulations in the operations of gas plants.

On this note, the governor said, the Lagos State Safety Commission and the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency have been notified of the next line of action.

The Governor commended the first responders who acted promptly on the distress call and worked very quickly to contain the fire by not allowing the ruins go beyond what we currently have.

Sanwo-Olu enjoined residents to always report any suspicious activities that may be harmful to the citizens in their neighbourhood to the appropriate State Government agencies for preventive measures to be taken.

The gas explosion occurred around 0600hrs. The gas emission has been identified and curtailed.

Post disaster assessment revealed by the Lagos State Emergency Agency include five Fatalities, eight casualties with major burns and who have been transferred to the Gbagada General Hospital Burns Unit, 25 houses damaged, 16 Shops Razed by the fire, 1 Private Primary School, 1 Hotel, 3 Vehicles affected comprising a pickup truck, tricycle and a motorcycle.

LESG UNVEILS NEW LOGO FOR EHINGBETI AHEAD OF NOVEMBER CONFERENCE

LESG UNVEILS NEW LOGO FOR EHINGBETI AHEAD OF NOVEMBER CONFERENCE

As economies around the world begin to implement recovery strategies from the shockwave of Coronavirus, the Lagos Economic Summit Group (LESG) is charting the path for the sustainable socio-economic development of Lagos State at the Lagos Economic Summit tagged ‘Ehingbeti 2020’ scheduled to hold from November 10 – 12, 2020.

Themed ‘For a Greater Lagos: Setting The Tone For The Next Decade’, Ehingbeti 2020 will provide a robust platform for deliberations on pragmatic optimisation of the inherent opportunities in Africa’s 5th largest economy and offer perspectives on how to manage the peculiar socio-economic landscape of the State in the coming decade. The three-day summit, which will be a hybrid of virtual and live events, will draw participation from various sectors of the economy and across the globe.

With the absence of the economic summit in the past four years, there seemed to be a decline in the rate of public-private collaboration in this State. This year’s summit is aimed at reconnecting with the private sector, which is the bedrock of the Lagos Economic Summit. The quest to strengthen the existing relationship between government and the private sector is one of the major goals of this summit since greater private sector participation in governance is a prerequisite for a functional State.

The Group has also refreshed the Ehingbeti logo to reflect the contemporary outlook of the annual summit without disconnecting from the economic heritage of the Marina and Broad Streets areas of Lagos, which served as the springboard for Nigerian and West African economic development since the European incursion in the 15th century.

Unveiling the new logo, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, Co-Chair of the ‘Ehingbeti 2020’ Steering Committee and former Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning & Budget said “this new Ehingbeti logo is an embodiment of meanings and expression of the LESG ideals. The convergence of colours in the logo connote the essence of Ehingbeti as a participatory forum for integrating local and international stakeholders to exchange ideas and chart a path for the socio-economic development of Lagos State”

“The bright star above the image of the iconic ‘Agba Meta’ is a depiction of the result of working together to deliver the stellar accomplishments that define the city-state of Lagos and the pervasive atmosphere of economic stability in the State. I am happy to let you know that the image of the ‘Agba Meta’ is a representation of the sculpted white cap chiefs built to welcome people into Lagos. The logo is to emphasise our pride in culture, as we welcome participants to Ehingbeti 2020 and beyond”, Mr. Cardoso stated.

Acknowledged as the first institutionalised economic forum by any State in Nigeria, Ehingbeti is a public-private sector roundtable that started as a collaborative effort between the Lagos State Government and Business Club Ikeja. Since the inaugural summit in 2000, the summit has gained useful insights from innumerable business and political leaders, private sector players, renowned economists, notable development experts and outstanding scholars, who have participated from various parts of the world.

Ehingbeti is an ingenuous socio-economic apparatus that has contributed significantly to the evolution of Lagos State into a major economy in sub-Saharan Africa and an admirable megacity, with expanding potentialities. The summit, hosted by successive administrations in Lagos State since the beginning of the 4th Republic, has consistently redefined the dynamics of public-private sector collaboration for development across social and economic indices in Lagos State.

“In the last two decades, Ehingbeti has played a pivotal role in the transformation of Lagos State, with useful inputs into Lagos State Development Plans (LSDP)”, said Sam Egube, the Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, who is also a Co-chair of the Steering Committee.

“Our realities from 2000 when the first Ehingbeti, held exactly 20 years ago, have significantly changed. As a State, we now have to cater for the infrastructural needs of more than 22million population and ensure that Lagos remains on the path of continuous growth.”

“These considerations are the groundwork of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda, but translating the agenda to benefits for our people will require collaboration amongst stakeholders, and a determination to deepen the foundation for sustainable development and growth of our society. So, Ehingbeti 2020 offers us a platform to address all these”, Egube asserted.

LASG

ForAGreaterLagos

OPINION POST: Igbo Apprenticeship,Merits and the Resentment by Aisha Yesufu

OPINION POST: Igbo Apprenticeship,Merits and the Resentment by Aisha Yesufu

Popular Nigerian activist, Aisha Yesufu hasstirred up a debate on Twitter after sharing her opinion that the Igbo apprenticeship system have contributed to why many people from other tribes resent Igbos.

It is given that the age long Igbo apprenticeship system has produced a lot of multimillionaires of Igbo extraction to the wonder of many from other tribes.

The Igbo apprenticeship system allows a businessman take a young person to learn about his business and eventually get settled (given start-up capital) after an agreed period of time, which usually lasts between
5 to 7 years. During the service period, the younger person (servant) serves the businessman (master) while learning the business.

The Igbos have used the system to build themselves and relatives into renowned business men and women even whereapprentices have little, or no formal education.

A Twitter user had said:
“The Igbo’s apprenticeship program is the only ‘MBA’ class in the world that
teaches the real intricacies of running a business, the practical application of SWOT and PESTEL analysis. And when you graduate, they’ll give you seed capital to start the business. A system that works.”

In replying the tweet, Aisha Yesufu pointed out that “The Igbo apprenticeship is an amazing system and the reason Igbos are great in business.”

However, she went on to say that “Everything has it’s advantage and
disadvantage and that same system has also portrayed Igbos as clannish people who only employ their own people and never assimilate”

Her tweets opened up a debate as she went on to state that the apprenticeship system have contributed to Igbos been resented the same way Jews are resented.

She went on;
“These are my opinions and thoughts over the years and I might be completely wrong but this is how I see it. “There is a need to take a deliberate look at the Igbo apprenticeship system & begin to look at ways of inclusion. It can start with 5% inclusion of others When you always go to your village to bring those that will work for you how do you expect the people where you are to feel?

“Just like the Jews, Igbos are resented & I have always wondered why? Is it
because they are successful and can achieve anything from nothing? Is it the resilience? I concluded it is because it seems no matter how long they stay with you or you with them you are never one in biz.

“A situation where as a business person you only employ your people via the apprenticeship model & no matter how long you stay in a place you never employ the indigenes there except to load and off load. there will be resentment. More if it is not one off experience but the norm

“The Jews too have that trait. Family businesses. Helping each other grow in
business and capacity to gang up (if na one naira na one naira) on business
issues are common traits shared by both Igbos and Jews. The others feel like outsiders not allowed to share in the goodness.

“Systems are to be looked at and upgraded from time to time. It is also
important to look at how things are perceived by others. You don’t have to
change but just know this is how this action is seen by others

“In all the riots I witnessed as a child, I always say it is more economical than religion. Host community usually think it is the others that kept them
impoverished. They feel those monies would have been theirs if these people weren’t there. People don’t blame their lazy selves.”

The Igbo apprentice system, also known as Igbo trade apprentice system and commonly referred to as ′Igba-Odibo/Igba-Boi/Imu-Ahia/Imu-Oru′ is a framework of formal and informal indentured agreements between parties that ultimately facilitate burgeoning entrepreneurial communities within the Igbos-wikipedia

….

Posted by Taaj Anthony

“In all the riots I witnessed as a child, I always say it is more economical than religion. Host community usually think it is the others that kept them impoverished. They feel those monies would have been theirs if these people weren’t there. People don’t blame their lazy selves.”

Ezekwesili to co-chair 2020 global women leaders forum

Ezekwesili to co-chair 2020 global women leaders forum

The Senior Economic Adviser, Africa Economic Development Policy Initiative, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili, has been invited to co-chair the upcoming ‘Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders 2020’ and scheduled to hold from November 9 to 11, 2020.

This was contained in a letter addressed to Ezekwesili, which was signed by the President of Women Political Leaders Global Forum, Silvana Koch-Mehrin and Chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum, Hanna Birna  Kristjansdottir.

“It is in this spirit of optimism that WPL would like to invite you to be part of this symbolic convening in the distinguished role of co-chair of the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders 2020,” the letter read in part. 

It stated, “A fervent advocate against extremism, corruption and gender-based violence and a committed champion for issues of gender parity and the preservation of the rights of women and girls, your dedication to these important causes is exemplified in all your endeavours. 

“As an economic expert, with a distinguished career within the private sector and the public sector in Nigeria and internationally, you have always used your position of influence to advocate for society’s most vulnerable. You are a prime example of how powerful and committed leadership can and should create change not only for oneself but for the world, a premise that the Reykjavík Global Forum is built on. At the Reykjavík Global Forum, leaders like yourself are called upon to ‘Power Together’ and impart valuable knowledge and solutions to benefit our global society.”

According to the organisers, 2020 has been an important year for women’s leadership with several historic milestones to commemorate, in spite of hindrances to many important opportunities to advance progress for women leadership across the globe.

However, the Reykjavík Global Forum – Women Leaders, launched in November 2018 and annually co-hosted in partnership with the Government and Parliament of Iceland, provides the unmatched opportunity for women leaders from around the globe and across the realms of business, politics, academia, arts and media to connect, confer and exchange best practices and solutions on how to sustainably advance the global society.

“The 2020 forum will be a multi-site event complemented by a digital gathering. On November 10, the main forum in Reykjavík will be connected to several simultaneous Reykjavík satellites, which are day-long gatherings of around 40 women leaders, respectively, indifferent locations across the globe. A digital platform, the Reykjavík Virtual Forum will also be available for those who cannot join in person,” the organisers said in the letter.

They noted that the co-chairs invited represent both the public and private sectors, international organisations, academia and science as well as civil society and social entrepreneurship.

“A balance of geographical representation is also a consideration. The role of the distinguished group of co-chairs is to act as ambassadors and advocates for the forum, its mission, community and initiatives as well as to advise on its activities, guaranteeing a multi-stakeholder approach to the programme and the positive influence of this conference,” they also said.

The co-chairs for 2018 and 2019 included Katrín Jakobsdóttir, Prime Minister of Iceland; José Manuel Barroso, Non-Executive Chairman of Goldman Sachs International and President of the European Commission (2004-2014); Mari Kiviniemi, Deputy Secretary General of the OECD (2014-2019) and Prime Minister of Finland (2010-2011); Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda and Chair of the African Union, among others.

5 Steps to Jumpstart Your Social Media Strategy

5 Steps to Jumpstart Your Social Media Strategy

We’ve all seen lists for things you need to be doing on social media – engage, listen, communicate, etc., right? Well I don’t know about you, but we are usually fed up by the vague information in such posts. How can you take action to begin “engaging?” What do you do before you engage?

At Social Fulcrum, we have a process for coming up with the social media campaigns that drive our clients wild. Instead of telling you to communicate or to listen, we want to give you some actionable tips you can use to jumpstart your social media strategy – TODAY.

1. Do Your Research
Look for communities, influencers, and discussions that relate to your brand, products, competitors, and industry. Look into how you could potentially target key audiences through different media. Don’t just limit yourself to Facebook pages/groups and Twitter users. Look into bloggers in your industry (or outside your industry) that have an audience you want to reach. Look at relevant Meetup groups locally and nationally. Find discussions in online forums. If you are a small company, find discussions about your industry. If you are a larger brand, we recommend using a social media measurement tool to assess the online landscape of your brand mentions to help formulate your strategy. These are all potential areas to generate content, seed content, find ambassadors, and get online placements. But you can only reap these benefits if you know where and if these communities exist!

2. Build Relationships First
When I was creating the strategy for a national food association’s social media marketing campaign, we knew we would want to promote their Facebook page, Twitter account, and video contest through influential bloggers in the cooking, foodie, and mom verticals. Instead of simply reaching out to those bloggers and asking them to promote our properties, we made sure to first build our relationship with these influencers. Our first communication to these bloggers was to offer promoting THEIR content to OUR audiences. We wanted to show that we were keeping in mind their goals (increasing readership), and not simply self-interested. We nurtured these relationships for months before letting them know that we had a contest that we were promoting. At that point, they had received so much benefit from the relationship that every single blogger was happy to promote our contest. And the association still has those relationships to this day!

3. Leverage Twitter Targeting Options
Too often businesses will create a Twitter account and then not know what to do with it. Once your profile is set up, you can use the following strategies to find your opportunities on Twitter:

The Real Truth About B2B Marketing And The Social Media Platforms You Need | Social media apps, Social media icons free, Social media icons
  1. Search for accounts that have followers who are in your target audience. For example, if you are a local pizza chain, all you need to do is find another local business with a decent amount of followers, and follow all the followers of that account (gradually, not all at once). You can safely assume that a vast majority of the people following a local business in your area are located in that local area. Not a local business? Try trade publications, competitors, or thought leaders.
  2. Search for people tweeting about a need that your product/service alleviates. For example, in our campaign for the national food association we mentioned above, we found that people on Twitter were commonly complaining about a lack of ideas for what to eat. Armed with an online database of 700+ recipes, we reached out to these people and found out what type of food they liked, and sent them an appropriate recipe. This gained awareness for our client’s website, Twitter account, and recipe database, and also built goodwill with our audience (which we later leveraged to promote a video contest).
  3. Use the advanced search on Twitter to search bio information. This is especially useful for B2B companies looking to increase their social impact. People will typically list their job title in their bio (e.g. CMO, COO, CEO, Executive Director, Partner), allowing you to target the specific decision makers with whom you are trying to communicate.

4. Explore & Leverage Facebook Advertising
There are few businesses that can’t benefit from the precise, unique targeting available through Facebook’s advertising platform. Even B2B companies can find value in Facebook ads if you can get creative with the parameters. For example, Social Fulcrum used Facebook ads to grow our own Facebook page by targeting users who are over 40 years old and who “like” the Harvard Business Review, because this audience includes senior-level decision makers at mid to large size corporations. Facebook Advertising can be an effective method for driving traffic to a website, as well as for increasing the size of your Facebook fan base, for just a few dollars per day. The key is finding the right targeting parameters, which might include users who “like” a competitor, users who “like” something your target audience probably likes, or even users who have a birthday within the next week.

5. Create a Content Calendar
There’s nothing worse than a Facebook page or Twitter account that’s filled entirely with self-promoting updates. It’s not always easy to come up with awesome, engaging content every day, but tweeting another link to your website is not the answer. That’s why it helps to create a weekly or monthly content calendar in advance to help you think strategically about what to post and when, being sure to schedule promotional updates at a maximum of one time per week. Your social media channels are not a constantly updating advertisement for your business. If you aren’t sharing interesting content, asking questions, and making your fans and followers feel valued, they’ll soon wonder why they’re connected to your account in the first place.

These specific tips can help any business better utilize social media to achieve organizational objectives. Though only the beginning steps to a stellar social media campaign, these tips allow for architecting a social media strategy that leverages brand assets and social media tools to get your brand in front of the right people and ultimately, grow your business.

Andrew Krebs-Smith,  Social Fulcrum

VIEWER DISCRETION: BARUWA AREA OF LAGOS GOES UP IN FLAMES !

VIEWER DISCRETION: BARUWA AREA OF LAGOS GOES UP IN FLAMES !

With low level of fire insurance in Nigeria, the residents of Baruwa Area of Lagos State, an outskirt of Ikeja saw one of the biggest mayhem this year. This is as a result of fire outbreak and houses were burnt with many casualties and dead and still counting.

BREAKING: Another Fire Explosion Rocks Lagos | Sahara Reporters

Allegedly, the residents of the environs said that gas canisters and cylinders got exploded. This was as a result of either heat or someone masking call around the premises where cooking gas are being sold. Though the fire started in the midnight we can’t possibly say it was as a result of heat or sabotage or even negligence.

Property worth billions are being burnt with many houses according to the time of report are about fifteen. Residents are worried, petrified and confused… Though the Lagos State government has sent the fire department to come and put the inferno under control.

Five People Confirmed Dead As Gas Station Explodes In Baruwa Area Of Ipaja, Lagos [Video] | Kanyi Daily

As of the time of this report, residents are seen evacuating their properties ann’s personal belongings and the state would cordon off the area for reoccurance.

Unlike the Western world where there are gas pipelines to homes for cooking, here in this part of the world, people go to street side to buy cooking gas they basically refill thee gas with little safety procedures and most times these highly inflammable products such as gas and patrol are sold in residential environment for nearness to customers and market.

Baruwa gas explosion in Lagos: Eight pipo die and several odas injure for di fire incident - BBC News Pidgin

Anthony Emeka Nwosu

Bank Fraud: Court Jails Hacker One Year For $ 70, 000

Bank Fraud: Court Jails Hacker One Year For $ 70, 000

ScamJustice I.M. Sani of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, has convicted and sentenced Eric Nnamdi Obulo to one year imprisonment, for hacking the data base of Polaris Bank and defrauded the bank to the tune of $70, 000.00 (Seventy Thousand United States Dollars).

He was convicted on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, after being re-arraigned by the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the Economic And Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on one- count charge bordering on unlawful interception by technical means, into Polaris Bank’s data base and in the process, took possession of the sum of $70,000.00( Seventy Thousand United States Dollars).

The one-count charge read: “That you Eric Nnamdi Obulo, on or about July, 2019 in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did intercept by technical means the data base of Polaris Bank and in the process took possession of the sum of Seventy Thousand Dollars {$70, 000.00} into your Polaris Bank Account no. 2130049253 and thereby committed an Offense contrary to Section 12 (1) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention etc.) Act 2015 and punishable under the same section of the Act”.

He pleaded guilty to the charge, when it was read to him. In view of his plea, prosecuting counsel, K. W Chukwuma-Eneh prayed the court to convict and sentence him accordingly, but defence counsel, D.E. Nowo, pleaded for leniency in view of the convict’s ” remorse and being a first- time offender who did not waste the precious time of the court” Justice Sani consequently convicted and sentenced Eric Nnamdi Obulo to one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N5, 000, 000.00( Five Million Naira only). Obulo ran into trouble when Polaris Bank filed a petition against him, with the Port Harcourt Zonal Office of the EFCC on October 14, 2019.

The petitioner stated that, sometime in October, 2019, the bank’s database and core banking applications were manipulated by unknown fraudsters, resulting in the crediting of six accounts belonging to the convict with a total sum of Seventy Thousand United States Dollars.

EFCC

A Better Urban Future Is Within Our Reach – Fashola

A Better Urban Future Is Within Our Reach – Fashola

The Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN has assured Nigerians of Federal Government’s commitment to deliver a better urban future despite the prevailing challenges within the housing sector.

He made the statement at the virtual commemoration of the 2020 World Habitat Day (WHD) celebration held on Monday at the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with the theme: ”Housing for all: A better Urban Future.”

Mr. Fashola acknowledged the adverse effect the Coronavirus pandemic had made on an already difficult situation, but he reeled out activities set out to improve access to affordable housing, mobility, sanitation, jobs and socio economic opportunities despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.

He said the approach for implementing this was multifaceted “from house refurbishment loans to mortgages with reduced service conditions, direct housing construction, improved speed of titling and Issuance of documents with plans underway to unlock unused properties as well as accelerate advocacy for reduced rent demands”.

He also emphasized that a people-centred approach was key to addressing housing issues which would be the basis for character shape and socio-economic vibrancy of cities, as it is in all the urban centres around the world.

The Honourable Minister said the Federal Government was committed to delivering “Housing that is obtainable, healthy, inclusive and adequate, safe and affordable as this was the key to sustainable and transformation of societies and communities.”

He further disclosed that to relieve citizens from economic challenges,  President Muhammadu Buhari has initiated the development of an Economic Sustainability Plan of 2.3 Trillion naira to improve payroll support, Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Collateral Fund, Loan re-strengthening for businesses, industries support and agricultural support to mention but a few.

He gave assurances of his obligation to the realisation of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan and hoped to strengthen partnership with the private sector and other government agencies at all levels to effectively deliver on the mandate.

Speaking earlier the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr. Ernest Umakhihe in his welcome address said the World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly through Resolution 40/202 of 17th December, 1985 and was first celebrated in 1986.

He said first Monday of every October was recognised as World Habitat Day, a day set aside to focus on the state of human settlements and the basic rights for all for adequate shelter and to remind all that we are responsible for the habitat of the present and future generations.

Mr. Umakhihe said the celebration would wrap up with the observance of the World Cities Day on 31st of October 2020 with the Focal Theme: Better Cities, Better Life and a Sub-Theme:  Valuing Our Communities and Cities. The central celebration was going on in Surabaya, Indonesia, he added.

He was certain that during the dialogue session, the well selected resource persons would deal extensively on affordable housing delivery and urban development as economic revival strategies in the COVID19 era in Nigeria, initiate innovative and transformative actions to seek pragmatic solutions to overcome them. He was optimistic that we could build a better life and a better future for all Nigerians.

The high points were the different presentations on:Towards A Sustainable Housing Delivery:Optimizing The Opportunities; Providing Affordable Housing In Cities; The Role Of Partnerships, Advocacy And Community Mobilization; And Financing Options For Affordable Housing Delivery In Africaamong others.



Boade Akinola
Director (Press & Public Relations Unit)