By Etta Michael Bisong, Abuja
The Federal government says it would complete 2,140 units of the ongoing housing projects under the National Housing Program, NHP, in 34 states of the Federation, including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
This plan, which is contained in the 2021 budget proposal, according to the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, was made known during the budget defense of the housing sector before the Joint Senate and House Committees on Housing.
He explained that the ongoing projects under the sector include the construction of 3,926 National Housing Projects across the six geo-political zones of the federation and FCT, adding that 1,786 units were completed.
Other projects prioritised for completion in the 2021 budget, he said, are completion of the ongoing Federal Secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa, Ekiti, Nasarawa, Osun and Zamfara, while 11 Federal Secretariats were being rehabilitated.
Fashola also outlined other priority projects to include building and maintenance works for other MDAs nationwide, upgrading, completion and running of Building Craft Training Schools in Harvey Road , Yaba and Onikan in Lagos State and Design and Installation of Solar Power PV Microgrid System and Energy Retrofitting of the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing Headquarters, Mabushi Abuja.
The minister reminded the committee that President Muhammadu Buhari had, during the presentation of the 2021 budget proposals, repeatedly emphasised the necessity to focus on completion of projects.
“The major factor militating against the timely completion of projects is insufficient budgetary provision for projects to sustain annual cash-flow requirements levels,” Fashola said.
He suggested that MDAs should provide a sum representing 2-10 percent of capital budget annually as maintenance provision, pointing out that the peculiarities of public buildings and dynamics of indigenous operational imperatives warrant greater flexibility, necessitating a more robust and pragmatic provision.
The Joint Committees led by Senator Sam Egwu, suggested that to curb the issue of insufficient budgetary provision for projects and to be able to sustain annual cash-flow requirement levels, the Ministry should key in the 2020 outstanding liabilities into the 2021 budget proposal or any other future budget appropriation.
