Onyebuchi Ezigbo
7 October 2008
Abuja — The Federal Government yesterday said it is partnering with the World Bank in the implementation of a community based urban development project at the cost of $110million.
Minister of State for Environment, Housing and Urban Development, Chief Chuka Odom, who stated this at the ceremony to mark this year's World Habitat Day in Abuja, said the Ministry is involved in several initiatives aimed at regeneration of blighted urban areas and slums in the country.
He said some of the initiatives include preparation of technical reports on the state of infrastructure development in Nigerian cities, as well as undertaking rehabilitation of facilities in highly populated city suburbs.
The Minister said in addition to the technical reports, government has embarked on provision of urban roads, drainages, pipe-borne water, street lighting, building of civic centres and markets development to improve the standard of living of the people.
Some of the beneficiary states include, Anambra, Zamfara, Ondo, Lagos, Abia and Kano.
He said the Ministry is also engaged in another partnership with a group known as City Alliance, to implement another urban development project, in coalition with other international development agencies.
Under the programme, city development strategies were being adopted to upgrade slums, in an efforts to improve the living conditions of the urban poor. He said the Ministry has facilitate the entry of Nigeria into City Alliance, which has led to the opening of a credit line and grant of about $250,000 for use in executing urban development projects.
The United Nations Secretary-General, Mr Ban Ki Moon in his message read by his representative, Mr Alfred Kaku, deplored the growth of city slums across the world, especially in developing countries, stating that population of those living in slums has reached the one billion mark.
A representative of the Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria (REDAN), Professor M.O. Filani, while buttressing the need for government to address some of the identified challenges in the housing and urban development sector, said government needs to inject N100billion on a yearly basis, to meet the expected targets.
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