Durojaiye, Fashola & Alabi. |
The
Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babajide Raji Fashola, has disclosed
that over 50,000 Nigerians are now engaged in 77 works and 50 housing
construction sites across the country while only 277 foreigners are working in
the sites.
According
to him, the figures are contained in the ‘Inception Report’ the Ministry of
Works, Power and Housing recently commissioned to ‘ascertain the number of
foreigners employed on those sites and whether they have work permits for the
work they are undertaking’.
Fashola
disclosed this yesterday in a speech titled “Solid Infrastructural
Backbone - A Catalyst for National and Sustainable Development” he
delivered at Sheraton Hotels, Lagos during the 2018 Nigerian
Infrastructure Development Awards (NIDA) Night and the unveiling of
Nigerian Infrastructure Development Magazine.
Babatunde
Fashola, who won the NIDA 2018 ‘Icon of National Infrastructure Development”
Award, was represented at the occasion by Engr. Funsho Adebiyi, Director of
Highways, South West in the Ministry of Works.
‘The
Ministry has now commissioned a more detailed audit of all sites and we await
the results and findings’, he stated.
The
Minister explained that ‘while Government welcomes foreigners and investors, we
expect that like in all law abiding countries, and foreigners can only work
after obtaining work permit’
He
explained further that while Nigeria took loans from overseas to execute some
projects, ‘we did not sign away the rights of Nigerians to benefits from such
projects’.
The
Chairman of the occasion of the occasion, Otunba Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye who
commended the organizers of NIDA Awards said in his speech
that infrastructure development of Nigeria is very critical and an issue
that should be of concern to all stating that ‘no nation develops above the
level of infrastructural resources available to her.
He
also called for vibrant private and public sector players to partner in driving
infrastructural revolution in order to fast track development on the country.
‘We
need more public budget investments, foreign capital and creative funding
avenues to achieve this goal speedily as we cannot afford to be observers. As
an emerging economy with growing population, we have to take the need to
improve on our various infrastructures very seriously’ he added.
In
his welcome remarks, the Chairman, Nigerian Infrastructural Awards (NIDA) and
Managing Director of Prospers Strategy Limited, Lanre Alabi, said the
issue of Infrastructure is very vital to national development as the state of
infrastructure is a key determinant to gauge the health of nation.
Alabi
explained that ‘’NIDA was established to honor corporate organisations,
government agencies and individuals who have made huge and outstanding impact
in the Nigerian infrastructural development sector over the years.
He
added that with the debut of the first Nigerian Infrastructural Development
focused magazine, a public platform to raise the bar on infrastructural
awareness has been created. ‘The publication offers a credible avenue for both
the public and private sector players to share ideas and to imbibe best
practices that have helped other economies on infrastructure development’.
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