Mr Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, has urged the Lagos State Government to provide land for the National Housing Programme in the state.
Fashola made the call at the 2018 Ramadan Lecture of the Ansar-Ud-Deen Society of Nigeria (ADS), Lagos Branch in Lagos.
He said that President Muhammadu Buhari led-administration was working assiduously towards making life more meaningful for Nigerians through carefully designed programmes and projects.
According to him, the National Housing Programme is one of the federal government’s efforts to address the country’s housing deficit.
”Over 30 states have provided land for the housing programme and work has started in those states. We are appealing to the Lagos state government to do same so that Lagos residents can benefit from the housing programme.
”The Federal Government is committed to providing mass housing and infrastructure to residents of Lagos State, ” he said.
On road projects, Fashola said President Buhari had approved the construction and reconstruction of roads and that work would soon begin on the Ogun/Lagos road as well as the Ikorodu to Shagamu road.
According to him, this would aid effective transportation system.
On Power, the Minister said that the ministry was working hard to improve power supply and ensure that prepaid metres were made available to Nigerians.
Also speaking, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, National Chairman, ADS urged the state government to exempt missionary schools from paying tax as well as paying Land Use Charge.
According to him, the missionary schools were established to assist the government in the area of quality education.
”The missionary schools are one of the ways religious bodies support and assist the government in the delivery of quality education.
”These schools are not profit-based and should be exempted from paying tax and Land Use Charge. Even if we have to pay, the charges should be minimal.
”We are appealing to the state government to consider our request, ” Okunnu said.
In his lecture entitled: ‘Success and Peace Through Submission’, Sheikh Abdur-Rahman Ahmad, the National Chief Missioner of ADS, said that total submission to the will of Allah was the sure path to happiness, success and peace of mind.
” We should fully submit ourselves to God and concentrate when praying to Him. Prayer remained a medium of communication between man and God.
”When we pray to Him regularly, He would direct out paths positively – we will experience happiness, success and peace of mind, ” he said
Ahmad urged Muslims to be steadfast and adhere to the tenets of Islam to scale through life’s troubles and persecution.
He said that the month of Ramadan called for sober reflection, forgiveness, perseverance in prayers solidarity with the less privileged,
