News

NLC, Civil Servants Clash Over N1bn Housing Project

Published

3 years ago

January 19, 2023

There was pandemonium at the headquarters of the Nigerian Labour Congress on Wednesday as the National President, Ayuba Wabba, engaged in a rumpus fight with civil servants who demanded explanations over a failed housing scheme for public servants.

The aggrieved civil servants had staged a protest in front of the NLC headquarters expressing their grievances over the union’s failure to deliver 10,000 housing units for civil servants in Apo-Tafyi, an Abuja suburb.

They claimed that in 2014, the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Bala Mohammed, and the leadership of the NLC had collaborated with a property developer, Good Homes Development Company, to develop 680 hectares of land allocated by the Federal Government for public servants.

Speaking with The PUNCH, the Chairman of Concerned Subscribers, Emeka Anuna, explained that some of the subscribers which include senior directors from different ministries and agencies borrowed money and mortgage to get befitting homes after years of public service.

He said that 10 years after the payment, they neither got the houses nor their money. While some had died without getting their houses, others had retired or were posted out of Abuja without getting their houses.

This, he said, was against the promise that they would get the keys to their houses six months after a 10 per cent down payment.

He said, “In 2014, during the Goodluck Jonathan administration with the FCT minister, Bala Mohammed launched a mass housing scheme for civil servants at Apo-Tarfi, opposite mechanic village and they said between six months to nine months the houses will be delivered. So many of us took out loans and mortgages.

Right now, the land is there. The contractor, Good Homes, has not completed the project.

“Since 2014, we have not seen the land, we have not seen houses. Most of us are still paying rent, mortgage and we still don’t have a house. This is unfair and uncalled for. We have committed close to N1bn and counting and for ten years now no land, home or refund.

“We have tried to engage the minister but he has been lukewarm towards our plight and has refused to do anything.

“The attitude of NLC defies critical analysis. They brought us into this scheme because everyone here is either an NLC or TUC member.

“This is supposed to be their fight but we are doing this because of the systematic fraud because of the inbuilt mechanism to go the other way, we know there are compromises otherwise why are they not here

“Why are they keeping the interest with the developer? Why are they negating the interest of Nigerian workers? Why did they bring us into this housing scheme when they knew it was a scam? Why is it the minister not keeping his promise to Nigerian workers?” he queried.

However, the NLC president engaged refused to attend to the workers.

Wabba, who will hand over next month, also instructed his security men to bundle the chairman to his office but was strongly resisted by other workers.

Also, the Chief Executive Officer of Good homes, Daniel Nwokedi, could not be reached for comments as his number was unreachable and he did not reply to private messages sent to his WhatsApp number.

News

NiMet Predicts Three-day Rain, Thunderstorms From Monday

Published

9 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

News

JUST IN: Ooni Visits Olubadan-designate Ladoja In Ibadan

Published

15 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi, on Sunday, paid a visit to the Olubadan designate, Rashidi Ladoja, at his Bodija private residence in Ibadan, Oyo State.

The PUNCH reports that Oba Ladoja will be installed as the 44th Olubadan on Friday, September 26, 2025, following the demise of the 43rd Olubadan, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, who joined his ancestors on Monday, July 7, 2025, at the age of 90 years.

The two paramount rulers are currently exchanging pleasantries.

Details later…

News

JUST IN: FG Revokes 1,263 Mineral Licenses Over Unpaid Fees

Published

15 hours ago

September 21, 2025

Editor

The Federal Government through the Ministry of Solid Minerals Development has announced a fresh revocation of not less than 1,263 mineral licenses.

These licenses, which will now be deleted from the Electronic Mining Cadastral System portal of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.

The minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, gave the revocation announcement in a statement issued by his special assistant on Media, Segun Tomori, on Sunday in Abuja.

The minister explained that the directive was issued due to the companies’ failure to comply with the requirement of paying their annual service fees.

The latest revocation brings the total mineral titles revoked under the current administration to 3, 794 including,619 mineral titles revoked for defaulting in paying annual service fees and 912 for dormancy last year.

By opening up the areas formerly covered by these licenses, the revocation is expected to spur fresh applications by investors looking for fresh opportunities.

The statement read, “Not less than 1,263 mineral licenses will be deleted from the portal of the Electronic Mining Cadastral system of the Nigerian Mining Cadastral Office, MCO, following their revocation by the Federal Government.

“These include 584 exploration licenses, 65 mining leases, 144 quarry licenses, and 470 small-scale mining leases.”

Approving the revocation following the recommendation of the MCO, the Minister said applying the law to keep speculators and unserious investors away from the mining sector would make way for diligent investors and grow the sector.

“The era of obtaining licences and keeping them in drawers for the highest bidder, while financially capable and industrious businessmen are complaining of access to good sites, is over.

“The annual service fee is the minimum evidence that you are interested in mining. You don’t have to wait for us to revoke the license because the law allows you to return the license if you change your mind,” the minister said.

He warned that the revocation does not mean the Federal Government has pardoned the annual service debt owed by licensees, adding that the list will be forwarded to the Economic & Financial Crimes Commission to ensure that debtors pay or face the wrath of the law.

“This is to encourage due diligence and emphasise the consequences of inundating the license application processes with speculative activities.”

In the recommendation to the minister, the Director-General of the MCO, Simon Nkom, disclosed that there were 1,957 initial defaulters when the MCO published the intention to revoke licences in the Federal Government Gazette on June 19, 2025.

He informed the minister that the gazette was distributed to MCO offices nationwide to sensitise licencees and encourage them to comply within 30 days in compliance with the Minerals and Mining Act 2007 and relevant regulations.

He observed that the delay in the final recommendation was due to complaints of several licensees who claimed to have paid to the Federal Government through Remita and had to be reconciled.

Earlier this month, the DG MCO had hinted that more mining licences would be revoked as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector and protect investors from fraudsters.

According to Nkom, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.

This is part of ongoing efforts at sanitising the sector since the inception of the Tinubu administration, and the salutary effects of the reforms are massive and manifest despite the attempts to push back by defaulters and their agents.