APC Will not be able to Keep its 1 Million Housing Units Promise – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari has said that APC’s promise of providing one million housing units may be impossible.

The President said that in order to make the promise come true, the Federal Government must be able to build 250,000 housing units while the 22 states being governed by the party also build another 250,000 housing units.

He added that foreign investors together with big construction companies will then be encouraged to provide the balance.

Buhari made the revelation on Monday at the opening of the National Economic Council’s economic retreat held inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said, “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about 16million units.

“In our successful campaign to win the general elections last year, our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a year.

“This will turn out to be a very tall order unless: the Federal Government builds 250,000 units. The 22 APC states together manage another 250,000 units.

“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick up the rest.”

Buhari listed the three most frequent public concerns brought to his attention in the housing sector to include severe shortage of housing; high rents and unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and low-income earners.

He added that he is aware that red tape, corruption and plain public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership of title documents while there are no long term funding sources for mortgage purposes.

According to him, while these hurdles are not easy to scale, his administration must find solutions to the housing deficit.

He suggested that the retreat could start by looking at the laws.

He said relevant laws should be reviewed to make the process of acquiring statutory right of occupancy shorter, less cumbersome and less costly.

He also said court procedures for mortgages cases should make enforcement more efficient while Ministry of Works and Housing should upgrade its  computeristion of title registration system for greater efficiency.

Buhari was also of the opinion that achieving affordable housing for all Nigerians will require the development of strong and enduring mortgage institutions with transparent processes and procedures.

He also said when fully operational, the Mortgage Re-financing Company should ensure adequate support for mortgage financing.

Source: The Breaking Times

President Buhari holds emergency meeting over Rivers election

Reports by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have it that President Muhammadu Buhari may have called an emergency meeting in Abuja over the bloody legislative rerun election in Rivers state.

The party had earlier in the day alleged that the president was already planning to declare a state of emergency in the state following the violence which has marred the election so far.

And in a series of tweets by the party’s official Twitter handle on Sunday evening, President Buhari has assembled some leaders of the National Assembly as well as many other lawmakers on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The meeting may yet be to declare a state of emergency in the state following the killings and unending violence in the south-southern state. Check out the tweets below:

[embed]https://twitter.com/PdpNigeria/status/711601654362218497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/PdpNigeria/status/711652769506140160?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]

[embed]https://twitter.com/PdpNigeria/status/711654336028413952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw[/embed]

Buhari Has Destroyed The Legacy Of Free, Fair Election – Fayose

As usual, the governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has lashed out at President Muhammadu Buhari. This time around, Fayose accuses Buhari of destroying  the “free fair election” legacy laid by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Remarking on the purported dysfunctions that took over the Rivers State Assembly rerun election, Fayose alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, was using Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to work against the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

“The open display of contempt for free, fair and transparent election by the All Progressives Congress (APC) government of President Muhammadu Buhari as being witnessed in Rivers state presently is capable of setting Nigeria on the path of anarchy,” he said in a statement issued on his behalf by Lere Olayinka, his spokesman.

“Rivers State is 100 percent PDP, and any attempt to subvert the will of the people will be counter-productive.

“Obviously, INEC under President Buhari has destroyed that legacy of free, fair and transparent elections bequeathed on Nigeria by the PDP government of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

“It is strange that INEC produced results sheets with PDP omitted, and I wonder what is going to happen in 2019 if INEC and security agents are acting in this clear compromised manner in Rivers state.

“From reports that I have heard, Rivers state is under siege. I have seen pictures of people killed and I have seen pictures of INEC Result Sheets with PDP omitted. Most importantly, I have read reports of top functionaries of PDP and Rivers state government either abducted by unknown gunmen or arrested by the security agents.

“What all these portend for our democracy is danger!

“It is a sign of what APC desperation to take over power in the entire 36 States of Nigeria will cause in Edo and Ondo States this year and in Ekiti State in 2018 as well as the entire country in 2019,” Fayose raised alarm.