By Chimezie Anaso

Dr Law Mefor, Commissioner for Information in Anambra, says no fewer than 60,000 youths have been trained in digital technology by the Gov. Chukwuma Soludo administration.

Mefor said this at the inauguration of Tell Your Neighbour About Solution (TYNAS) Support Group in Awka on Saturday.

TYNAS installed Mefor, Pius Udo, a former Clerk of Anambra State House of Assembly and Titus Akpudo immediate past chairman of Association of Anambra State Town Unions as their Patrons during the event.

Mefor said the government targeted to train one million youths in its digital tribe creation initiative under the Solution Innovation District (SID) programme.

He said the governor was an achiever and global citizen who had exceeded his manifesto through his legacy projects.

The commissioner said his ministry would produce a scorecard flyer for the group to help them go about their campaign activities.

“Soludo administration has trained 60,000 youths in digital skills free; this is a training that is valued at an average of N3.5 million per student.

“Soludo is not constructing political roads but roads that are designed for 20 years, you do not need to tell lies about Soludo, you do not need propaganda to campaign for him, he is a global product.

“All his achievements are legacy projects, he is implementing free education, free healthcare, these are not in his manifesto and he has done all these without borrowing.

“We will win this election free and fair, the job of TYNAS is going to be at the polling units,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Chief Emeka Mbagha, Convener and Director-General of TYNAS, said Soludo had done well in his first term and deserved to be returned for a second term.

Mbagha said the governor had executed numerous game-changing projects while in office and charged members to go to their homesteads and spread the good news.

He said Soludo had exceeded expectations through his road infrastructure, free education, free antenatal care and merit based massive recruitment.

According to him, Soludo is blessed to live good as a person, but he has decided to use it for the good of humanity.

“Let us go forth and talk to our communities, our age grades, non-indigenes that Soludo has done well and deserves a second term.

“We have decided to key into this gift of God to humanity by spreading the message, the reward for government work is more work,” he said.

Also speaking, Chief Pius Udo, another patron of the group said Soludo came prepared for the task and he hit the ground running of governing Anambra.

According to him, Soludo started with Okpoko, and we all see the difference today.

“He has done well, he deserves a second term, our campaign for him is based on conviction and not for benefits,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Benson Iziama

By Lydia Chigozie-Ngwakwe

The Federal Government has successfully negotiated the cost of the Iddo Bridge rehabilitation from an initial N27 billion to N17 billion.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, made this known to journalists during an inspection of the bridge in Lagos.

He said: “Julius Berger quoted, I think, N27 billion or thereabout, but after much negotiation and discussion, we now arrived at N17 billion.”

Umahi commended Julius Berger Nig. Plc. for demonstrating a sense of cooperation under its new leadership.

He described the company as a “born-again Berger”, attributing the breakthrough in negotiation to the understanding and openness of its new managing director.

The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to prudent spending, insisting that all contractors must align with the ministry’s standards and directives.

Umahi noted that the project had been reviewed from mere rehabilitation of the burnt section to a major work.

He expressed concern over the poor condition of the bridge, blaming it on years of neglect and human abuse, including illegal occupation and collisions by heavy-duty trucks.

He said that three spans of the bridge were severely damaged by fire, which he attributed to activities of illegal occupants who had built makeshift homes under the bridge.

“They brought in chemicals, built block walls and set up homes. Then, they set up fire that burnt the bridge and damaged three spans. Now we are going to fix the bridge completely,” Umahi said.

The minister said the Iddo Bridge, now with a headroom of about 4.5 metres, had suffered significant structural damage due to continuous hits from trucks and illegal structures beneath it.

He announced that the ministry would be creating a headroom of at least 5.6 metres.

He said that the Federal Ministry of Works was committed to restoring the bridge for the safety of all Nigerians and ensuring such incidents would not occur again.

On the issue of displaced persons, the minister said that no one would be allowed to return under the bridge.

“Nobody will stay under Iddo Bridge again as long as I remain the Minister of Works.

“The lives of the people are more important,” he said.

He warned that the government would no longer tolerate any abuse of national infrastructure. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Ijeoma Popoola

By Angela Atabo

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Ahmed Dangiwa, has clarified that the Federal Government’s land reforms will respect state governments’ authority over land matters in their jurisdictions.

He made the remarks during a two-day Ministerial Retreat on Performance Management System and the signing of the 2025 Directors’ Performance Contracts, in Abuja on Friday.

The retreat, themed “Accelerating Service Delivery through Performance Contracting and Strategic Alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda,” aimed to enhance sectoral outcomes.

Dangiwa noted that land reform was key to unlocking Nigeria’s vast land resources and delivering affordable housing, one of the ministry’s 2025 priorities under the Presidential Performance Bond.

He confirmed the goal was to deliver 20,000 affordable homes nationwide and expand the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP).

“Access to land is critical for housing development. We must collaborate with states to digitise land records, promote transparency, and secure tenure,” he said.

He assured that the federal reform “will not infringe” on states’ land rights but would instead coordinate efforts to harness more than N300 trillion in untapped land assets.

The minister revealed that many governors had adopted Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for land management and urged others to follow.

He also announced plans to establish a National Land Commission to streamline land governance, deliver policy coherence, and strengthen regulatory oversight.

Permanent Secretary, Dr Shuaib Belgore, said the ministry’s 2025 PMS Plan included ongoing affordable housing projects like “Renewed Hope Cities” (3,000–5,000 units each in four locations) and “Renewed Hope Estates” (250 homes in 13 locations, with expansion underway).

He added that a “Renewed Hope Social Housing Programme” 100 homes per local government, totalling 77,400, had been proposed to address Nigeria’s housing deficit.

Mr Mukhtar Iliyasu, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics, described PMS as a tool for results-based public administration.

He said the retreat aligned the ministry’s goals with national priorities and culminated in a memorandum of understanding signed by all directors and department heads to commit to efficient, accountable service delivery. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Abiemwense Moru

By Angela Atabo

The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development has emphasised that the Performance Management System (PMS) is playing a critical role in delivering the government’s housing mandate.

The Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Alhaji Ahmed Dangiwa, said this at the Ministerial Retreat on Performance Management System (PMS) and signing of the 2025 Director’s Performance Contract in Abuja on Thursday.

The theme of the retreat is “Accelerating Service Delivery through Performance Contracting and Strategic Alignment with the Renewed Hope Agenda”.

Dangiwa explained that the Presidential Performance Bond signed by all ministers was a contract with Nigerians, adding that it heightened public expectation and direct presidential oversight of results.

According to him, PMS is monitored through performance dashboards and scorecards developed by the Central Delivery Coordinating Unit (CDCU) under the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination.

“As a ministry, our 2025 deliverables are therefore clear, measurable, and imperative.

“They include: the construction of 20,000 housing units nationwide, as part of the Renewed Hope Housing Programme; and the development of fiscal incentives to attract private investors into local production of building materials and components.

“It also includes deepening and expansion of land registration and documentation programmes to secure land tenure and enable investment.”

Dangiwa added that the deliverables included the establishment of a National Land Commission to institutionalise land reforms and drive coordinated land administration nationally and full implementation of PMS in all departments.

According to the minister, these are not aspirational goals, they are concrete deliverables, each tied directly to national priorities and Presidential mandates.

“With two years now behind us, we have entered what I often refer to as the “Era of Evidence” a phase where the success of governance is measured not by policy intentions, but by tangible outcomes and verified results.

“President Bola Tinubu has articulated a bold and inclusive vision for a Renewed Hope Agenda, one that promises dignity, opportunity, prosperity, and decent shelter for all Nigerians. Our ministry is central to this agenda.”

Dangiwa said through housing development, land reforms, urban planning, and regulatory innovation, the ministry was positioned to unlock not just homes, but hope, jobs, equity, security, and national pride.

He said the ministry’s Accelerative Roadmap for 2025 for achieving the deliverables included the delivery of 20,000 affordable housing units nationwide to provide decent shelter, stimulate job creation, improve livelihoods, and contribute to national economic growth.

He said every department must identify and eliminate the bottlenecks slowing down the effort, from procurement to site preparation, from approvals to disbursements.

He said another delivery was the development of fiscal incentives to reduce cost of construction and attract private investment in local building material production.

He said access to land remained a critical enabler for housing development central therefore; the National Land Registration and Documentation Programme (NLRDP) needed be expanded to evolve into a national platform.

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Shuaib Belgore, said the retreat offered the opportunity to align the ministry’s deliverables with national priorities and operationalise PMS as an essential tool for driving institutional efficiency and accountability.

Belgore said the maiden edition of the retreat held in 2024 and was instrumental in identifying and articulating the ministry’s priorities and deliverables under the Presidential Priorities aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

“In line with this directive, our ministry is fully committed to complying with all outlined requirements within the stipulated timeline.

“Achieving this will, however, require our collective resolve, active participation, and unwavering dedication to the implementation of the PMS.”

Belgore said the ministry would offer leadership by investing in digital tools, providing clear policy direction, support oversight for PMS execution and fostering a culture of transparency, feedback and collaboration among others.

The Director, Planning, Research and Statistics, Mr Mukhtar Iliyasu, said the retreat was convened in accordance with the directive of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, as outlined in the circular of 11th March, 2025.

Iliyasu said in 2024, the ministry recorded remarkable progress and the 2025 retreat would review the 2024 performance, agreeing on performance expectations and facilitate the signing of the 2025 Performance Contracts across all levels.

“It is important to reiterate that non-compliance with PMS guidelines, as emphasised by the Head of Service, will attract sanctions.

“We are firmly in the era of accountability and result-based management. The business-as-usual approach is no longer acceptable,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deji Abdulwahab

By Okon Okon

The Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, says the commission is committed to restoring merit, professionalism and strategic focus in the Nigerian Civil Service as part of ongoing reform efforts.

Olaopa stated this at the close of a three-day Strategic Development Retreat organised for commissioners and staff of the commission in Abuja.

He explained that the retreat was a direct response to President Bola Tinubu’s charge on Dec. 13, 2023, for a complete transformation, reorientation and digitisation of the federal bureaucracy to enhance productivity.

He said this was in addition to support private sector-led growth in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He noted that on assuming office, the commission’s leadership undertook a rapid diagnostic assessment, which revealed a pressing need to shift from a patronage-driven structure to a system rooted in merit, efficiency and excellence.”

According to him, this realisation, along with the administration’s ambition to grow Nigeria’s economy to 1 trillion dollars by 2030, informed the decision to develop the commission’s first-ever strategic plan in its 71-year history.

“The retreat, held with technical support from the partnership for Agile Governance and Climate Engagement (PAGE) a UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) programme focused on re-engineering the FCSC for better delivery of its core mandate.

“Key outcomes of the retreat include a cross-national comparative analysis of global best practices, covering civil service commissions in the U.S., UK, Canada, South Africa, Kenya and Malawi.

“Lessons were also drawn from institutions like the Central Bank of Nigeria and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

“Participants also undertook a revalidation of the commission’s vision, mission and core values; developed a draft strategic plan; and conducted a comprehensive PESTLE and SWOT analysis to understand internal and external factors affecting the commission’s performance.”

The chairman of the FCSC also said that retreat addressed stakeholder mapping and examined the erosion of meritocracy in human resource management.

He noted that while the civil service was not overstaffed in absolute terms, a mismatch of skills and functions had hindered productivity.

“The commission reaffirms its commitment to restoring the principle of merit as the cornerstone of recruitment, promotion and discipline within the federal civil service,” he said.

Olaopa said that the commission as part of its resolution agreed to finalise a five-year strategic plan (2025 to 2029), introduce a performance-managed secretariat, and link annual promotions to measurable outcomes and accountability.

“It will also pursue the following key goals; institutionalise a transparent, technology-driven recruitment system, introduce a performance-based promotion framework and strengthen ethical disciplinary procedures.

“It will further establish a culture of recognition and reward, reposition the FCSC as a reform-driven body aligned with the Renewed Hope Agenda,” he said.

He emphasised that these reforms were crucial to restoring public trust, enhancing service delivery, and supporting the current administration’s ambition of building a trillion-dollar economy by 2030.

“We are resolute to implement the reforms and position the FCSC as a model for public sector excellence in Nigeria,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Deborah Coker