Govt reaffirms commitment to UN-Habitat activities

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to contribute to the successful implementation of the UN- Habitat activities in the country.

The Director, Press and Public Relations, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing (FMWH), Mrs. Bolade Akinola, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.

Akinola quoted the Minister of State for Works and Housing, Mr. Abubakar Aliyu, as making the reaffirmation when a delegation from the UN-Habitat Mission paid him a courtesy visit in Abuja on Wednesday.

Aliyu assured the UN–Habitat that the ministry would continue to ensue more of Federal Government voluntary contribution to its activities.

The minister added that the agenda of establishing a regional Multi Country office, West Africa in Abuja for the organisation was being pursued by the ministry.

He expressed Nigeria’s desire to initiate the establishment of a broad based Multi Sectoral National Habitat Advisory Committee.

The committee, he said, would be charged with the responsibility of advising the government on the domestication and implementation of the New Urban Agenda (NUA) in Nigeria.

It would seek intervention programmes for implementation pertaining to the NUA and mobilising sources of donor to UN – Habitat activities.

While urging the UN body to fast track the Yobe Project because of the slow procurement process,  Aliyu  also stressed the need to coordinate the implementation of the HAPSO and African Urban Agenda Work plans.

” We are able to restore normalcy in the area. I urge you to fast track the Yobe project which we discussed earlier, the procurement process is slow,” he said.

Earlier, the leader of the delegation Mr. Mathias Spaliviero said his team was in the country to engage national partners with respect to proposed and ongoing COViD-19 intervention project and implementation of the New Urban Agenda.

Spaliviero, also the Senior Human Settlements Officer, Regional Office for Africa, said he wanted to intimate the minister on their activities on the Sustainable Development Goals amongst other activities.

He gave the status of the on-going Karu Swedish International Development Agency, (SIDA)/UN-Habitat project and its replication in the North East especially Yobe State before taking it to other areas of the country as a National Programme of intervention.

The officer stated that the SIDA had made available a grant of 220 dollars to carry out emergency wash, health and other Urban Planning interventions in Karu peri-urban settlements in Nassarawa State.

The official said that was to help mitigate the negative health and social –economic impacts of COVID – 19 pandemic.

By Perpetua Onuegbu