By Adedapo Adesanya
Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), has called for the need to increase the output in the ministry in order to achieve the mandate of the Federal Government for economic growth and development as well as job creation in the country expressing his resolve to provide the needed leadership.
This was made known in a statement released by the Special Adviser, Communications to the Minister, Mr Hakeem Bello, noting that the need to achieve the mandate aligned with the clear mandate of President Muhammadu Buhari who in his speech, while swearing in the ministers on Wednesday, wanted the Ministers to further grow and stabilize the nation’s economy.
Speaking to the senior management staff of the Ministry at the Conference Room in Mabushi soon after the inauguration at the State House, Mr Fashola expressed joy that the staff had remained faithful to some of the works left behind by his team during the last administration but warned that there was still work to be done.
The minister who was the immediate past Minister for Power, Works, and Housing said, “I am happy to see that some of the works we left you have remained faithful and that is in spirit of continuity and development which is what the nation needs”
He added, “There is still a lot of work ahead of us in spite of what we have done before and I offer myself ready and willing to do my part by providing leadership and I trust that all of you are ready as well.”
According to the Minister, the President was clear about the need to sustain the growth already experienced in the economy adding, “The economy has grown from recession and out of recession it has grown for consecutive eight quarters. But we need to double that growth and even multiply it, but that will depend on how we work this time. The central purpose is to create prosperity and to create jobs and I think this is possible.”
Mr Fashola declared that the ministry would be working on a budget in the next two weeks and called upon all the departments of the ministry to produce a budget worthy of note.
“One of the first things we have to do is quickly work out the budget for the Ministry of Works and Housing and we have to do that in the next two weeks”, the Minister was quoted.
Mr Fashola then pointed out that the leadership of the National Assembly has expressed commitment to conduct all the budget defenses in the month of October, calling for all leaves, travels, and other less compelling engagements to be put aside to make room for the budget preparation.
He then used the meeting to welcome the new minister of State, Works and Housing, Engineer Aliyu Abubakar and expressed joy with working with him again following the fact that both as served as governors of their states (Lagos and Yobe) and during the formative years of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The Minister noted that Engineer Abubakar would be bringing a lot of experience that would be beneficial to the ministry due to his civil engineering background.
The inaugural meeting with the management staff of the Ministry was attended by the Permanent Secretary Works, Directors, heads of departments and agencies of the Ministry as well as Special Advisers and other top government functionaries.
