Headline

FG to construct Super Highways on Abuja-Lagos, Port Harcourt-Lagos

Published

1 week ago

September 18, 2023

The Federal Government is planning two super highways across the country through a Public Private Partnership scheme.

Minister of Work Dave Umahi disclosed this to the State House Correspondents on Sunday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.

He said that the highways would be from Abuja to Lagos and Port Harcourt to Lagos, adding that they would be provided with state of art facilities for the comfort of the travelling public.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that super highways are designed for travel at high speeds, having more than one lane for each direction of traffic, a safety strip dividing the two directions.

The minister said that the government has got commitments from stakeholders to make the project a success within reasonable period.

Umahi also disclosed that the president was briefed on the need to seek better appropriation for the funding of road projects to avoid unnecessary variations in cost and specifications.

He said that the National Assembly would be carried along to see the necessity of providing enough fund to road project that are beneficial to the people.

He also said that due to inappropriate funding, he has asked the president to direct the termination of road projects that have taken more than 10 years without completion.

The minister assured Nigerians that no project initiated by the past administration would be abandoned by government.

He said that the Tinubu administration inherited 2,604 projects worth N14 trillion covering 18,000 kilometres of roads, adding that a commitment was got for payment of four trillion out of this amount.

The minister added that the government was also committed to the use of reinforced concrete for road pavements across the country.

Concrete, he said, is capable of withstanding heavy loads, such as heavy vehicles, with less deformation and serves for years without major repairs.

Several factors affect concrete pavement performance, such as traffic, soil, environmental, economic and stress distribution factors.

He said that the merit of these would be the use of local materials and elimination of imported items which has been the cause of contract variations in the country..

On the structural defects on the Third Mainland bridge, Umahi said that work has started and articulated vehicles had been stopped from plying it for now.

Headline

Navy disowns list of successful candidate for Batch 35 recruitment

Published

6 hours ago

September 25, 2023

Alero Danjuma

The Nigerian Navy (NN) has disowned the purported list of successful candidate for its Basic Training School (NNBTS) Batch 35 Recruitment, saying it is fake.

Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan, the Director of Naval Information, said this in a statement in Abuja.

Ayo-Vaughan said the exercise was conducted in three centres across the country, namely; Lagos, Rivers and Kaduna States.

He described the information, being circulated recently as fake, and handiwork of fraudulent miscreants who were trying to dupe some unsuspecting applicants.

He said the list of successful candidates had not been released and that no form of invitation for training, via text message had also been disseminated by the Nigerian Navy.

‘’The alarming rate of circulation of fake information by unscrupulous individuals, regarding enlistment or recruitment into Navy is quite worrisome.

‘’Efforts are on to track and arrest the miscreants.

“Members of the public especially prospecting applicants who participated in the said recruitment are strongly enjoined to always authenticate information from the NN official website, https://www.navy.mil.ng, and other official social media handles, as well as other credible mainstream media platforms.

“Similarly, miscreants and mischief makers are warned to desist from this unwholesome practice, otherwise they will face the full wrath of the law,” he said.

Ayo-Vaughan said the text message, had invited unsuspecting applicants to report for military training at NNBTS Onne, Rivers, following their purported selection.

He said the criminals further claimed in the text message that the exercise would commence on Oct. 6.

Headline

Gov. Alia condemns kidnapping of commissioner, one other

Published

6 hours ago

September 25, 2023

Ifunaya Emeka

Gov. Hyacinth Alia has strongly condemned the kidnaping of Mr. Matthew Abo, his Commissioner for Information, culture and Tourism, and former Chairman Ukum Local Government Area (LGA), Mr. Iorwashima Erukaa.

This is contained in a press statement on Monday, signed by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Sir Tersoo Kula, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Makurdi.

According to the statement, while Mr Abo was kidnapped by unknown gunmen in his Sankara home at about 8pm on Sunday, September 24, Mr. Erukaa was taken away by a yet-to-be identified gunmen on Saturday, September 23.

The Governor, who described the act as barbaric and unacceptable, has directed security agencies to immediately commence operations to ensure the safe release of the duo.

He called on the people of the State to remain calm, as his administration would do everything possible to make the State safe for all.

“The kidnappers have made contacts with the family of Mr Erukaa but are yet to contact Mr Abo’s family,” the statement stated

Several gunmen had stormed the the commissioner’s residence in Zaki-Biam, Ukum LGA and kidnapped him.

Eyewitnesses who spoke to NAN, said that the kidnappers who came on four motorcycles, ordered everyone in the house, including the his wife and children, to lie face down and took him away to an unknown destination.

The witnesses said the abductors compelled the commissioner at gun point to sit behind the rider of one of the motorcycles while a gunman sandwitched him.

Mr Abo was sworn in as a member of the Benue State Executive Council on August 29.

He hails from Ukum Local Government Area of Sankera axis, a major flashpoint of criminal activities with rampant killings and kidnappings for years now.