Shelter Afrique invest. 22bn on housing in Nigeria

A pan-African finance company, Shelter Afrique, has spent over N22.51bn on housing initiatives in Nigeria, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. BabatundeFashola has said.

In a statement made available to our correspondent, the minister said that between 2005 and 2010, Shelter Afrique in Nigeria had financed 23 initiatives with a total sum of N10.435bn ($52,175,000) and another N12.08bn ($60,400,000) over the last three years on 10 interventions.

“Of these initiatives, 15 represented lending for construction of housing projects, out of which the largest was for $7m for 376 houses of different types; and 251 service plots, followed by 287 mixed housing units for a cooperative society; 55 housing units and 100 service plots and the least was for 16 maisonettes. This is the intervention on the supply side of housing to provide houses,” he said.

He added that the remaining eight interventions were for mortgage financing to building societies, credit line for individual mortgages and related financing, on the demand side of housing, to provide finance.

Fashola said that out of the 10 interventions in the last three years, seven were for housing construction, including 287 units, 90 units, 15 floor commercial complex, 59 housing units, 300 housing units, 130 apartments and 44 housing units.

“The remaining three interventions were for equity investment in the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company of about $3m; and credit lines for on-lending for mortgage totalling $13m,” he said.

The minister said, over the years, the country had embarked on a series of housing initiatives but not one of them had been pursued with consistency or any measurable sustainability.

He added that the unsustainable efforts must change, and give way to a sustainable and well thought out initiative led by the government and subsequently driven by the private sector.

He said, “The first key to our roadmap in housing therefore is planning. We must never be tired to explain the necessity and importance of proper planning. It is the key to successful execution; it is the key to project completion; it is the key to cost control and reduction in variation requests and financial calculations.

“A plan is what is needed and it is what we are currently developing to make the housing policy a reality. Our plan requires first a clear understanding of who we want to provide housing for.”

Man sets wife on fire in edo

There was pandemonium on J. B. Street in Benin, the Edo State capital, when a middle aged man, identified as Onya, reportedly set fire on his wife, after a disagreement over her father’s burial.

It was gathered that an argument had ensued between the couple over Onya’s alleged refusal to attend his father in-law’s funeral.

According to a source, although the burial rites of the father in-law had been concluded, the disagreement continued to linger.

It was learnt that tragedy struck last Saturday when the enraged suspect allegedly pour petrol on his wife and set her ablaze, leaving her with severe burns.

Efforts to reach the Police Public Relations Officer, Osifo Abiodun, were unsuccessful.

But it was learnt that the suspect was later arrested by the police.

Margaret, who is currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital, alleged that her husband had threatened to teach her a lesson after the argument.

She also said that he allegedly carried out the act in spite of her pleas.

“We had a quarrel and my husband was telling me he will teach me a lesson. After the quarrel, I sat on the chair and my husband was gazing towards one direction.

“He later stood up, brought petrol and wanted to pour it on me. I immediately held the container and we were dragging it while I was shouting for help from neighbours.

“Before I knew it, he turned the petrol in a bucket, poured it on me and lit a matchstick. It was my neighbour who rushed into our apartment that put off the fire on me with water.”

Saraki files fresh motion to withdraw CCT chairman

the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has filed a fresh application, asking the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar, from further presiding over his ongoing trial.

The fresh application is the second filed by the Senate President asking the CCT chairman to withdraw from his trial.

The Umar-led CCT had on April 28 dismissed the earlier application which sought the withdrawal of the CCT chairman from the trial on the basis of an alleged ongoing investigation of his involvement in a N10m bribery allegation.

Our correspondent learnt on Tuesday that Saraki filed his fresh application accusing Umar of bias based on the comment made by the tribunal chairman at the last proceedings on June 7, 2016, while warning the defence team against delay tactics.

Umar had said, in response to the complaint by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN), during the June 7 proceedings, “I am not happy at the delay tactics by the defence counsel and I must say this thing out that this delay tactics will not reduce the consequences the defendant will meet in this tribunal at the end of the trial.”

Saraki, in his fresh application filed by his lawyer, Kanu Agabi (SAN), alleged that Umar’s statement would prejudice the outcome of the trial.

Our correspondent learnt on Tuesday that the application had been served on the prosecution.

Meanwhile, as Saraki’s trial resumes on Wednesday, it is not certain that the application will be heard as the prosecution has yet to respond to it.

The fresh application is one in the string of the motions Saraki had filed to stop his trial since the charges were filed against him last September.

The first prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, is expected to return to the witness box for the 12th day of cross-examination by the defence on Tuesday.

During the last proceedings on June 7, the prosecuting counsel, Jacobs, accused the defence of deliberately delaying the case.

In his response, the tribunal chairman said he had taken note of the delay tactics being deployed by Saraki’s lawyers.

Umar warned that the tactics would not in any way affect the outcome of the trial.

The comment by Umar was the basis for the fresh application by Saraki.

Meanwhile, Saraki’s lead counsel, Agabi (SAN), had during the proceedings expressed shock at the comment by the tibunal chairman and asked Umar what he meant by the “consequences” awaiting his client in the tribunal.

Agabi told the tribunal chairman that he and his client were worried over “prejudices.”

He advised the tribunal against influence from “enemies”, adding that the defence team was standing against “prejudices.”

PUNCH.                  

AIT Benin shuts down

The management of the African Independent Television yesterday relieved all the workers of its station in Benin City of their appointments with immediate effect.

The mangement ‘s decision was conveyed in a letter dated 2-6-16 and signed by Mr Victor Okasoga, Senior Manager in charge of Human Resources.

In the letter to the affected staff who are being owed salaries for upwards of two years, Okasoga said their appointments have been terminated with effect from June 13 2016.

The letter directed those affected to handover all company properties in “your possession especially your identity cards to the Head of Center “.

“Failure to surrender company properties in your possession may delay the processing of your entitlements”, the letter added.

It would be recalled that three weeks ago, the affected workers including reporters, cameramen, presenters and producers protested the undue delays in payment of their salaries them running into a year and six months.

Feelers revealed that the sack without salaries may not be unconnected with the protests by the staff.

Sad

Late Nigerian music producer OJB who died early today had some unfulfilled dreams.

A particular unfulfilled dream would sadden a lot of people. Many of his friends who have been at his residence all day have an extra reason to mourn him because some of them should have been smiling to the bank at 4pm today.

Some of them who spoke anonymously revealed that OJB had finalised plans to sell his Surulere residence for N50m today to a commercial bank (name withheld).

‘You know he’s been saving money to go for another surgery that would gulp close to $150,000 and he didn’t want it to go public, so the plan was to sell the house. As a matter of fact we would have sold the house about three weeks back but a document was missing. Now we have the document and they were supposed to come and make the payment at 4pm today but Baba don die’ one of them said.

Confirming the story, another source told us, ‘Baba just wanted to sell the house and travel abroad, then when he returns he wanted to relocate to his other house in Abuja. Now we are all sad because we all had commissions from the sale of the house, but God knows best

Thinking Loud

Ever wonder

1. If you take an Oriental person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

2. If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren't people from Holland called Holes?

3. Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

4. If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

5. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

6. Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

7. When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

8. Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist but a person who drives a racing car not called a racist?

9. Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

10. Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

11. Why isn't the number 11 pronounced onety one?

12. "I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?

13. If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

14. What hair color do they put on the driver's licenses of bald men?

15. I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use? toothpicks?

16. Why do they put pictures of criminals up in the Post Office? What are we supposed to do, write to them? Why don't they just put their pictures on the postage stamps so the postmen can look for them while they deliver the mail?

17. You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.

18. No one ever says, "It's only a game" when their team is winning.

19. Ever wonder about those people who spend £2.00 apiece on those little bottles of Evian water? Try spelling Evian backwards: NAIVE

20. Isn't making a smoking section in a restaurant like making a peeing section in a swimming pool?

Merv

Merv was in a terrible accident at work. He fell through a floor tile and ripped off both of his ears. Since he was permanently disfigured, he settled with the company for a rather large sum of money and went on his way.

One day, Merv decided to invest his money in a small, but growing telecom business called Plexus Communications. After weeks of negotiations, he bought the company outright. But, after signing on the doted line he realized that he knew nothing about running such a business and quickly set out to hire someone who could do that for him.

The next day he had set up three interviews. The first guy was great. He knew everything he needed to and was very interesting. At the end of the interview, Merv asked him, "Do you notice anything different about me?" And the gentleman answered, "Why yes, I couldn't help but notice you have no ears."

Merv got very angry and threw him out.

The second interview was with a woman, and she was even better than the first guy. He asked her the same question, "Do you notice anything different about me?" and she replied: "Well, you have no ears."

Merv again was upset and tossed her out.

The third and last interview was the best of all three. It was with a very young man who was fresh out of college. He was smart. He was handsome and he seemed to be a better businessman than the first two put together. Merv was anxious, but went ahead and asked the young man the same question:

"Do you notice anything different about me?" And to his surprise, the young man answered: "Yes. You wear contact lenses." Merv was shocked, and said, "What an incredibly observant young man. How in the world did you know that?"

The young man fell off his chair laughing hysterically and replied, "Well, it's pretty damn hard to wear glasses with no ears!"