The Federal Government on Monday gave an update on the number of certificates of occupancy which it had issued, as well as the consents to land transactions which it had so far granted.
In his address in Abuja at the unveiling of a book titled, ‘Proof of Infrastructure Delivery Across Nigeria,’ the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said, “We have cleared the backlog of unsigned consents to land transactions and issuance of certificates of occupancy.
“As at 13th April 2019, we have issued 1,417 consents to land transactions and 2,400 certificates of occupancy. Some of the beneficiaries have paid for their properties as far back as the 1990s but did not get title.”
Fashola also stated that the floods that would come if the 2019 rains were heavy would cause problem on roads.
He was, however, quick to state that the government had been making adequate preparations to manage the situation
He said, “We have prepared to combat and cope with risks of flooding just as we have always prepared for the Ember months, and just as people in cold regions prepare for winter.
“This is a first, from our records, and it requires contractors to close up major earth works and keeping flood prone areas motorable during the rainy season. It requires state governments to work with us to ‘deflood’ canals and drains to allow for easy flow of water that traverse their states.
“TCN (Transmission Company of Nigeria) and the Discos (power distribution companies) have been directed to embark on preventive measures such as trimming of tree branches (not cutting down trees) that can affect electricity cables, tracing lines, connectors and equipment that are loose or fragile and repairing or replacing them ahead of the rains.”
The minister added, “Now let me not be misunderstood because when the rains come, flooding will come if the rains are heavy. So, nobody should say Fashola said there would be no problem during the rains, there will be problem.
“But we are preparing to make the impact of the problem less severe. So we expect that this is also a first in our records and it is happening under the Buhari government, showing that civil servants can also be proactive and prepare instead of being reactive.”
The minister also called for a review of the conditions in the procurement law, as he argued that the demands in the current law were so much and had been delaying several construction projects.
“It is important to note that the conditions in that law as it is currently, exclude people at the bottom of the pyramid in our society,” Fashola stated.
Going forward, the minister said the government was committed to delivering service and that one of its areas of focus would be an aggressive implementation of the National Infrastructure Maintenance Programme recently approved by the Federal Executive Council.
