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Housing Sector Reform: Expert Urges Political Will

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10 years ago

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L-R: Former Minister of Industry, Chief Onikepo Akande; Chairman, Splash FM, Chief Adebayo Akande, Chairman of the occasion, Chief Kola Daisi, at a lecture titled: Slaying of the Supreme Command Sine Qua Non for Nigeria's Development and Progress, at the University of Ibadan last Wednesday

L-R: Former Minister of Industry, Chief Onikepo Akande; Chairman, Splash FM, Chief Adebayo Akande, Chairman of the occasion, Chief Kola Daisi, at a lecture titled: Slaying of the Supreme Command Sine Qua Non for Nigeria’s Development and Progress, at the University of Ibadan last Wednesday

The Managing Director, FESADED Communications Ltd, Mr. Festus Adebayo has advised the Federal Government to develop the required “political will’’ to address housing deficit in the country.
Adebayo gave the advice in an interview with newsmen yesterday in Abuja.
He said having the political will would enable the government to foster a vibrant private sector for sustainable mass housing development.
He added that “let there be a political will to reform the housing sector; we are calling on the new government of President Muhammadu Buhari to help us to look into the sector and sort things out.’’
The managing director said that the government should put into consideration ideas that would solve the long tenure of loan and equity payment.
He, however, noted that the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) had an understanding with Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) to address the housing problems in the country.
According to him, the NMRC is in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Federal Government and the private sector to bridge the funding cost of residential mortgages.
“NMRC promotes availability and affordability of good housing to working Nigerians by providing mortgage lending with increased access to liquidity and longer terms fund in the mortgage market,’’ he added.
He said FESADED Communications Ltd was to promote local content initiatives and self sufficiency in providing affordable housing in Nigeria.
He added that the organisation introduced the Abuja Housing Show and Award to provide platform for both local and foreign players in the real estate industry to showcase their products and services.
Adebayo explained that the show was also aimed at raising awareness among developers, manufacturers of building materials and housing stakeholders on the housing needs of the country.
He said that “the annual show is an opportunity for stakeholders to meet key international players in housing and construction sector.
“Bringing these set of people together would enable them exchange ideas to make the buying public to be aware of houses that are available.’’
The 2015 Housing Show and Award, organised in Abuja by the FESADEB Communication Ltd, had “Delivery of Affordable Housing: Financing Building Technology and Land Issues in Nigeria’’ as its theme.

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Kenyan Runners Dominate Berlin Marathons

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22 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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Kenya made it a clean sweep at the Berlin Marathon with Sabastian Sawe winning the men’s race and Rosemary Wanjiru triumphing in the women’s.

Sawe finished in two hours, two minutes and 16 seconds to make it three wins in his first three marathons.

The 30-year-old, who was victorious at this year’s London Marathon, set a sizzling pace as he left the field behind and ran much of the race surrounded only by his pacesetters.

Japan’s Akasaki Akira came second after a powerful latter half of the race, finishing almost four minutes behind Sawe, while Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele followed in third.

“I did my best and I am happy for this performance,” said Sawe.

“I am so happy for this year. I felt well but you cannot change the weather. Next year will be better.”

Sawe had Kelvin Kiptum’s 2023 world record of 2:00:35 in his sights when he reached halfway in 1:00:12, but faded towards the end.

In the women’s race, Wanjiru sped away from the lead pack after 25 kilometers before finishing in 2:21:05.

Ethiopia’s Dera Dida followed three seconds behind Wanjiru, with Azmera Gebru, also of Ethiopia, coming third in 2:21:29.

Wanjiru’s time was 12 minutes slower than compatriot Ruth Chepng’etich’s world record of 2:09:56, which she set in Chicago in 2024.

 

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NIS Ends Decentralised Passport Production After 62 Years

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23 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, made the disclosure during an inspection of the Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja, last Thursday.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
According to him, the centralised production system aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for improved service delivery.
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FG To Roll Out Digital Public Infrastructure, Data Exchange, Next Year 

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23 hours ago

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September 22, 2025

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The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) has announced plans to roll out Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and the Nigerian Data Exchange (NGDX) platforms across key sectors of the economy, starting in early 2026.
Director of E-Government and Digital Economy at NITDA, Dr. Salisu Kaka, made the disclosure in Abuja during a stakeholder review session of the DPI and NGDX drafts at the Digital Public Infrastructure Live Event.
The forum, themed “Advancing Nigeria’s Digital Public Infrastructure through Standards, Data Exchange and e-Government Transformation,” brought together regulators, state governments, and private sector stakeholders to harmonise inputs for building inclusive, secure, and interoperable systems for governance and service delivery.
According to Kaka, Nigeria already has several foundational elements in place, including national identity systems and digital payment platforms.
What remains is the establishment of the data exchange framework, which he said would be finalised by the end of 2025.
“Before the end of this year and by next year we will be fully ready with the foundational element, and we start dropping the use cases across sectors,” Kaka explained.
He stressed that the federal government recognises the autonomy of states urging them to align with national standards.
“If the states can model and reflect what happens at the national level, then we can have a 360-degree view of the whole data exchange across the country and drive all-of-government processes,” he added.
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