Aso Villa Reads for 13/03/2020
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
The Federal Government is to rent out unoccupied private and government houses located in various towns and cities across the country. Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this in Abuja while playing host to the Senate Committee on Housing led by its Chairman, Sam Egwu. Fashola also explained that the non-provision of land was why the Federal Government was not constructing houses in Lagos and Rivers states, adding that over 3,000 affordable housing units were being constructed in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory. Responding to an enquiry on what government was doing about empty houses scattered all over Nigeria, Fashola said his ministry had started collating the buildings and would lease them out to collect rents on a monthly basis. He said, “As you have rightly pointed out, there are empty houses all over the place. How can we put those houses to use? I have news for you; some young people are already doing that and we are working with some of them.” Providing additional explanation as directed by the minister, the Director, Public Private Partnership, Eucharia Alozie, stated that the young Nigerians had deployed technology to determine the number of empty houses in many parts of Nigeria and were expanding their reach. She stated that what the ministry had done was to collate all empty houses built by the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria, Federal Housing Authority and those built by the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. Punch reported.
The Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, which was closed in August 2019 for rehabilitation work, will be reopened for use before Easter 2020, the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, has said. Sirika gave the commitment after an inspection visit to the airport on Thursday, according to a statement issued in Abuja by the Director, Public Affairs, Federal Ministry of Aviation, James Odaudu. He said the Federal Government recognised the importance of the airport to the whole of the South-East and the hardship occasioned by the closure, but insisted that it was done in the interest of safety and comfort of air travellers from the region. On the reported shortage of some materials needed by the contractor, the minister said the problem was being addressed and would not be an impediment to the completion of the project. He commended the handlers of the project for the quality of the job being done, and expressed confidence that the airport, when delivered, would be one of the best in the country. Sirika also promised that work on the new terminal building at the airport would soon resume in earnest, given the budgetary provision for it in the 2020 budget. He further disclosed that the present regime met the terminal project at about 20 per cent completion stage but had taken it to about 60 per cent. The minister was joined on the inspection visit by representatives of the Enugu State Government and the South-East Governors Forum. Punch reports.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehinare, has said that the Federal Government was not contemplating imposition of travel ban over the spread of the deadly coronavirus disease. Addressing members of the diplomatic corps during an interactive parley on the new visa regime in Abuja on Thursday, Ehinare assured the foreign diplomats on the measures put in place by the Federal Government to contain the spread of the disease, noting that “there was no immediate reason for now to impose travel ban.” According to Punch, he said the country was guided by the World Health Organisation guideline on coronavirus containment. “Nigeria has not yet placed any travel restriction or ban, but we strongly advise against non-essential travel to countries with the high level of transmission which we define now as China, Japan, South Korea, Italy and Iran,” Ehanire stated. The meeting which was at the instance of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, centred on measures taken by the Nigerian government in tackling the coronavirus and clarification on Nigeria’s ‘Visa Policy 2020.’ In attendance were the Minister of State, Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, the Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Amb. Zubairu Dada, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Mustapha Suleiman, and the Director-General of the National Centre for Disease Control, Chikwe Ihekweazu. Ehinare said since the outbreak of the virus in Wuhan, China, the Ministry of Health had been strengthening Nigeria’s response and capacity for public health challenges.
Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora, the Minister of State for Health, on Thursday inaugurated the National Laboratory Equipment Calibration Centre, built by the Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN). The laboratory, owned by the MLSCN was funded by the U.S. Centre for Disease Control (CDC) with technical support from Institute of Human Virology of Nigeria (IHVN). Mamora, who said that it was the first of its kind in the West African sub-region, the facility focused on calibration of medical instruments and ancillaries, aimed at giving meaning to the vision to upscale the quality of service delivery in health laboratory system. According to Vanguard, the minister added that the calibration, being at the heart of medical laboratory testing, would help professionals to ensure accurate and reliable test results. “The Federal Government will continue to upscale the standard of healthcare delivery in the country. It becomes imperative, considering the dangers posed by communicable and non-communicable diseases. What comes to mind now is Coronavirus (COVID-19). The Federal Government will continue to protect citizens against the virus and other diseases in the country,’’ he said.
The Federal Government and Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, Thursday night, agreed to integrate University Transparency and Accountability Solution, UTAS, into the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System, IPPIS. The minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige disclosed this after about four hours of engagement between both parties. He said the two parties will reconvene on Monday after the union has deliberated with its National Executive Council, NEC. The President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, who concurred with the minister, said the union’s NEC will review the conditions for the integration of UTAS into IPPIS. Senator Ngige said: “I am pleased to inform you that with the four ministers and permanent secretaries, Accountant-General of the Federation and directors, Acting Chairman, National Income and Wages Commission and ASUU Presidents and executive, we held very fulfilling discussions. “And where necessary we debated, put forward our points and the Union’s side. Issues we discussed and we used the memorandum of action, which we entered into in February 2019, to look at issues that are outstanding; issues that have not been fully addressed. Vanguard reported.
