Wike, Others To Receive Housing Dev Awards

The convener of the Annual Abuja Housing Show will honour the Head of  Service of the  Federation (HOSF), Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, and five other governors with award of excellence in housing and infrastructure  development.
Managing Director, Fesadeb Communications Limited and convener of the show, Mr Festus Adebayo, disclosed this in an interview with  newsmen in Abuja, recently.
Adebayo said that Oyo-Ita and six governors would receive awards for their contributions to housing, infrastructure and economic growth in the country.
He said that they would be honoured at the 11th Edition of the Nigeria Housing Infrastructure Award.
The governors to be honoured are Chief  Nyesom Wike of  Rivers, Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto,  Mohammed Abubakar of  Bauchi, Akiwunmi Ambode of  Lagos, Ibikunle Amosun of Ogun and Ibrahim Geidam of  Yobe.
He noted that the awardees were selected after a critical appraisal of their contributions in housing and infrastructure development in the country in last one year.
According to him, the major reason for this award is to encourage them to do more.
“After a critical appraisal of the last one year on what they have contributed in housing and infrastructure development even though not to the level that Nigerians will appreciate.
“However, the award is meant to encourage them to do more.
“Bauchi State governor will be receiving the award of ‘Urban Renewal Governor of the year’; Amosun of Ogun and Ibrahim of Yobe will receive awards of ‘Housing-friendly Governors of the year’;
“Ambode of Lagos and Wike of Rivers will receive awards of ‘Infrastructure Governors of the year’.
According to him, the idea behind the award is to promote and encourage excellence in the construction and housing industry in the country. On the yardstick used in nominating the awardees, he said the organisation did a poll on its housing programme on AIT for people to nominate and indicate what their governors were doing in different states.
“So, we received many nominations after which we shortlisted them and brought it to the level of judges to look at what the governors have done critically.
“Then they used the yardstick of infrastructure, how many roads constructed and improvement on what they have inherited previously from the former administration.
“We received commendations from many people on Rivers state governor as well as Lagos, stating that they are doing great in their states.
“Ogun state has also done wonderfully well in the area of housing, especially on Ibadan-Lagos express, where many units of housing are constructed.
He, however, commended the Ogun State Housing Investment and equally the Housing Corporation for working hard.
On Bauchi, he said that the Urban Renewal was quite impressive, while Sokoto governor was building 1,000 units of houses for workers of which about 500 units have been inaugurated.
According to him, one of the objectives of the award for the governors’ category is to encourage excellence, boost provision of houses and infrastructure development.