President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the commencement of the construction Eastern rail line project. The project which goes from Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, is expected to link the South-East zone to the northern part of the country. Disclosing this on his official twitter page, the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi wrote: "Port Harcourt - Maiduguri Railway, approved."
In a similar development, the President has approved the reappointment of Engineer Fidet Edentalen Okhiria as Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Coporation (NRC).
Dr. Israel Ibeleme, aide to the Honourable Minister of Transportation, has condemned the negative comments from Nigerians living in diaspora, on the celebration of the country’s 60th Independence day anniversary. Dr Ibeleme noted that a vast percentage of Nigerians in Nigeria, were sponsored abroad by successive Governments of Nigeria, with the aim of coming home to impart the knowledge, adding that many of them, never reciprocate by coming home to support the growth of the Nation.
Dr Ibeleme said: “I’m wondering why Nigerians in Diaspora will come up on our sixth anniversary, to start making unguarded comments. Let me make it clear, 70 percent of those Nigerians in Diaspora were sponsored by Government. Either by this present Government or previous ones. They were sent to study, come home and impart the knowledge on their return. Most of them never returned and all they gave back are unguarded comments.
Highlighting some of the initiatives of the present administration, Dr Ibeleme said Nigerians were benefiting, one way or the other. “There’s no Nigerian that has not benefitted from the Nigerian Government, either present or the previous ones. “The people who are living between Lagos and Ibadan and benefiting from the Lagos- Ibadan Railway project built by this administration under the supervision of Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi as Minister of Transportation, are they not Nigerians? Few days ago, President Buhari commissioned the Itakpe – Warri railway and it is already benefiting those in Kogi, Edo and Delta States.
Talking about the Niger Bridge being constructed, will it not be beneficial to Nigerians? When you go from Abuja to Lagos, you find roads in many communities being constructed, are Nigerians not benefiting from these projects? If you have not benefited from these projects, you might have benefited from the N-Power or the Trader Moni or from the 774 thousand Special Public Works employment by the Federal Government. If you haven’t benefited personally, your relative or friend might have benefited from these welfare initiatives of Government.
He urged Nigerians to be more patriotic and think of ways to support Government in moving the Nation forward. “Lamenting and saying Nigeria will not be better is not the way to go about it. We should learn to project the image of our Nation. I am a Nigerian and I am proud to be a Nigerian and will not sit and watch someone insult us. “We should change the narrative and think of how to add value to the Nation,” Dr Ibeleme said.
Kwara United have unveiled Brazilian winger Lucas Alves ahead of the coming Nigerian Professional Football League season.
The unveiling ceremony was done on Monday morning, October 5, at the Kwara United office inside the stadium complex in Ilorin.
Lucas Alves who last played for Seahorses LA expressed happiness after being unveiled and also promised to give his best performance for Kwara United in the coming season.
"I am happy joining Kwara United and I'm here to help the club achieve the goals and targets for the coming League season.
"The environment here is cool and thanks to the club's chiefs who have been making me feel at home since I came to Nigeria," Lucas Alves explained.
Former Super Eagles and Enyimba goalkeeper Dele Aiyenugba joined Kwara United after returning from Israel.
Midfielder Jide Fatokun from Sunshine Stars, Bashiru Monsuru from Nasarawa United and Michael Ohanu from Akwa United are also among players signed by Kwara United.
Meanwhile, Kwara United and the rest of the NPFL clubs are waiting for the resumption of football in Nigeria.
The saying 'what a man can do, a woman can do better' is the case in Byazhin, a road located in Kubwa, Bwari Local Government Area of the Fct.
The road which had been neglected for years despite the numerous clarion call on the Fct administration by the residents, became a responsibility of some women of the area who took it upon themselves to fix it.
This women who call themselves “Volunteers” have dedicated their time and energy and have pledged to be there every day until the road completion is achieved. They come out early in the morning hours to collect contributions from motorists and other road users and they can be seen up to 6pm still controlling traffic and supervising repairs on the road before they return to cater for their various families .
On a visit to the site, some labourers could be seen on with cement and other road repair materials, under close supervision of the women numbering about ten. Information gathered reveals that the keke owners we’re mandated to pay Fifty Naira, while other road users or private vehicle owners were expected to give a freewill donation on daily basis to make the work on the road yield result.
One of the women (volunteer) who gave her name as Grace, said that over time residents of the area had contributed huge sums to the repair of the road to their male counterparts, but the road was neither repaired nor the money accounted for. Hence the women had to come together to take the responsibility of repairing the road even though the residents had some sought of ambiguity at first concerning the genuineness of the women in taking up the responsibility due to the fact that funds had been donated several times for the said road but the project ended in a fiasco.
Another volunteer who gave her name as Mercy, said that on several occasions they had written several letters through their council representatives to the Fct administration, soliciting for their support in repairing the road but all efforts to get a tangible response seem to hit the rock.
One of the residents who spoke to our correspondent, Francis, could not hide his amazement at how tremendous work is being done on the road under the supervision of the women . “This is one of the most amazing thing I have seen in a while" he said. "I know the efforts we the residents have put in trying to cover some of the terrible spots on this road but it proved abortive and it’s so unfortunate that my male counter parts and the Fct administration have failed woefully in handling of this road issue."
Dorathy, a resident said “At first it was unbelievable because those in charge were all women but to my amazement, work is fast progressing on the road and we are all excited and amazed at the good work this women are doing."
One of the women leader also said that they are not in a hurry to leave the road site until some of the very bad spots are closed up. She said the road has made life very uncomfortable for residents coupled with hike in price fare due to the bad nature of the road. She solicited for the support of all in restoring the road back to normalcy.
Former Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Malam Abdulrasheed Maina, says he can recover ten billion US Dollars for the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari within the span of 30 days, if reappointed.
Maina reportedly said this in a statement from his hospital bed in Kaduna in commemoration of the 60th Nigeria Independence Anniversary .
The statement further claimed that Maina ‘has assisted successive administrations, especially that of Former President Jonathan where he recovered N1.6trillion and in President Buhari’s administration, where he recovered N1.3trillion and several movable and immovable properties.’
Recall that Maina was accused of diverting N100 billion pension funds and is facing trial for alleged money laundering. He is also being prosecuted by the EFCC on a 12-count charge and is also accused of operating fictitious accounts and carrying out other fraudulent activities.
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu says the 600 road projects initiated by the present administration, is a record for President Muhammadu Buhari. Shehu said despite the recent drop in revenues due to lower oil prices and the aftershock of the Covid-19 shutdown, Buhari Administration is resolute in continuing with its economic recovery plans which have as a key component the rebuilding of national infrastructures.
Shehu said: “The Administration is achieving this objective through the establishment of the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), in 2018, to fast-track the completion of critical infrastructure projects. In addition, President Buhari, in January 2019, signed Executive Order 7 (the “Companies Income Tax Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme) which is aimed at attracting PPP financing for road construction across Nigeria. It was through this laudable scheme that infrastructural funding is sourced from the Sukuk Bond.
“Some of the 600 on-going federal road projects whose completion will immediately impact economic activities include the Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway, which is being reconstructed as a concrete road, for the first time since it was built 40 years ago. This vital economic gateway can be likened to the nation’s spinal cord, the backbone of our import and export business. When this road is choked and vehicular traffic snarls in gridlock, as it often is, the economy of Nigeria, and indeed the entire West African region, is effectively paralysed. The Buhari Administration is committed to reconstructing the Expressway to benefit national and regional economic development. Both the Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway and the Bodo-Bonny Bridges and Road, (which was conceived in the 1980s, but actual construction started in 2017), were executed under the Executive Order 7 projects.
“Other projects being funded under PIDF include the Second Niger Bridge. Main construction for this vital gateway into the South-South and South East regions started in 2018, and completion is scheduled for 2022. As it stands today, the construction company, Julius Berger is claiming 57 per cent completion. There is also the reconstruction of the 375km Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway and its transformation to a six-lane configuration; reconstruction of the Benin – Ofusu – Ore – Ajebandele – Shagamu Expressway; the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway, and the Kano-Maiduguri Expressways. The Loko-Oweto Bridge, linking Benue and Nasarawa States, an important interstate project started by the Goodluck Jonathan administration, is being completed by President Buhari.
“In 2017, the Buhari Administration identified and marked out 63 roads across the country, including 44 Federal Highways. These roads which linked up trade, commerce, port, and agricultural centres across the six geopolitical zones of the country were classified under Critical Economic Routes and Agricultural Routes, and accorded budgetary priority.
“The roads include the Apapa/Tincan Port, NNPC Depot (Atlas Cove) to Mile 2 Accessed Road, Apapa-Oshodi Road, Third Mainland Bridge, Apapa/Tincan Island Port-NNPC Depot Access Road, Benin-Ofosu-Ore Ajebandele-Shagamu Road, Obajana Junction-Benin Road Phase 2: (Sections i-iv), Sapele-Ewu Road Sections 1&11, Second Niger Bridge, Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Amansea-Enugu State Border), Yenegoa Road Junction-Kolo-Otueke-Bayelsa Palm and Bodo-Bonny Road with Bridge.
“Included are the Abuja-Lokoja Road Sections i&iv; Suleja-Minna Road Section 11; Kaduna Eastern Bypass; Kano-Maiduguri Road Section 1-1V; Hadejia-Nguru-Gashua-Bayamari Road and Kano Western Bypass; Odukpani-Itu-(Spur Ididep-Itam)-Ikot Ekpene Federal Highway Sections 1&11; Ikom Bridge; Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Sections i-iv; Calabar-Ugep-Katsina-Ala Road; Vandeikya-Obudu-Obudu Cattle Ranch Road; Oshegbudu-Oweto Road; Oju/Loko-Oweto Bridge with approach roads; and the Nassarawa-Loko Road.
“Others are the Kano-Katsina Road (Phase 1: Kano Town at Dawanau Roundabout to Katsina State Border); Sokoto-Tambuwal-Jega-Yauri Road; Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Bokani Road; Ilorin-Kabba-Obajana Road (Sections 1&11); Ibadan-Ilorin Road, Section11 (Oyo-Ogbomosho); Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Dual Carriageway, Sections 1&11, and Lagos-Otta Road.
“Others are the Zaria-Kano Road, Abuja-Lokoja Road (Sections i-iv), Ilorin-Jebba-Bokani Road, Ibadan-Ilorin Road (Sections `1&11), Lagos-Shagamu-Ibadan Road (Sections1&11), Benin-Ofosu-Ore-Ajebandele-Shagamu Road, and Obajana-Benin Road (Sections i-iv).
“The Kaduna-Zaria Road, Otukpo Township Road, Kaduna-Katsina Road, Onitsha-Enugu Road (Section 1&11), Enugu-Port Harcourt Road (Sections i-iv), Calabar-Odukpani-Itu Road (Section 1), Calabar-Ugep-Katsina-Ala Road (Sections 1&11), Alesi-Ugup (Iyamoyung-Ugup) Road, Ogoja(Mbok Junction) Abuochichie Road, Kano-Maiduguri Road(Sections i-v), among others, were also among those listed.”
Yesterday brought an end to the 33-year-wait to complete and launch commercial operations on the Warri-Itakpe Rail Line. President Muhammad Buhari virtually commissioned the railway from Abuja, while the event was held at the Goodluck Jonathan Railway Station, Agbor, Delta State. Speaking during the commissioning, President Buhari said the Warri- Itakpe railway project, was part of his administration's resolve to build infrastructures capable of stimulating the Nation's economic growth.
Present at the Agbor were Governor of Delta State, Sen(Dr) Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa; Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Minister for information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. Others were Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyam and Minister of Police Affairs Alhaji Mohammad Maigari Dingyadi.
OKUWA RECEIVES AMAECHI, LAI MOHAMMED AT ASABA AIRPORT
Ahead of today's commissioning of Warri- Itakpe railway by President Buhari, the Honourable Minister of Transportation and his counterpart in the Information Ministry, have arrived Asaba Airport. They were received by the Delta State Governor.
Fifty-three-year-old Andrew Jones, is facing trial for killing father-of-three Mike O'Leary, 55, burning the body and attempting to stage his death as suicide. Jones, who ran building and farming companies, is said to have killed O'Leary over an affairs the deceased had with his wife Rhianon Jones, Dailymail reports.
Jones allegedly discovered his wife's secret phone which he used to lure Mr O'Leary to his farm. Jones posed as his wife Rhianon, and messaged Mike O'Leary for a meeting.
When Jones met O'Leary, a heated argument led to a fight before Jones shot Mr O'Leary, used a fork lift truck to lift his body into the boot of his Audi A6 and driving it to his home where he burned it.
Prosecutor at Swansea Crown Court said Jones further dumped Mr O'Leary's car by a river to stage his disappearance as suicide. The murder was however unveiled after O'Leary's disappearance prompted police investigation.
Former governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan, has defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the All Progressive Congress (APC).
Uduaghan left the PDP for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2009 where he contested for Senate but lost to incumbent Senator James Manager of the PDP.
The candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the just concluded Edo State governorship election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, seems to have accepted the outcome of the election he lost, as he is yet to file a petition challenging the victory of Governor Godwin Obaseki of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to Section 285 (5) of the constitution, Ize-Iyamu has 14 days left to file a petition at the Election Tribunal.
According to Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), “Section 285(5) of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides that an aggrieved party in a governorship election of a state in Nigeria must file his or her complaints at the State’s Governorship Election Petition Tribunal inaugurated to hear such matters not later than 21 days from the announcement of results of the governorship poll by INEC.
“In the event of failure to file the petition within 21 days after results were announced the petition would be said to have become statute barred, that is it is forbidden by law, dead, has no benefit to the petitioner or at best a mere academic exercise.”
While Ize-Iyamu had met with the Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extra-Ordinary National Convention Planning Committee, Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, and his Kogi State counterpart, Alhaji Yahaya Bello last wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari and the APC had congratulated Obaseki, adjudging the Election as being free and fair.
All is set for President Muhammadu Buhari, to commission the Warri-Ajaokuta-Itakpe Railway project. The 320 kilometers railway runs through Kogi, Delta, and Edo States. Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had earlier approved the naming of the biggest station at Agbor, after Former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.
Here are 27 facilities at the Goodluck Jonathan Station, you should know about:
1. Control Building 2. Refueling Point for Trucks 3. Refueling Point for Locomotives 4. Fuel Supply Control House 5. Fuel Tank Unit 6. Administrative Office Building 7. First Aid Clinic 8. Washing Siding 9. Specialized Workshop 10. Store and Loading Platform 11. Maintenance Workshop and Warehouse 12. Locomotive Depot Unit 13. Permanent way and Civil Workshop Unit 14. Vehicle Workshop 15. Steel and Woodwork Shed 16. Washing Station 17. Gate House 1 18. Gate House 2 19. Maintenance Vehicle Depot 20. Bus Stop 21. Sewage Treatment Plant 22. Water Treatment Plant and Water Tower 23. Monument of Locomotive
Igbochief001: Oh please can we stop this lies ...this road was already at am advanced stage before APC came to power Kaduna rail , warri rail and Abuja metro were over 70% complete each before APC took over ...it's a shame it took them this long to complete it
70% completion? Seems your memory needs factory reset. President Goodluck Jonathan only agreed to pay N33bn for the design and completion of the tracks but did nothing substantial about it.
History will be made Tuesday September 29, 2020, as President Muhammadu Buhari commissions the Warri- Itakpe Railway Project, passing through Kogi, Edo and Delta States. Roughly two years ago, the project wore the ruins of over thirty years abandonment.
Following an inspection tour by the Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi in 2017, work commenced in 2018 and was completed in 2020. The 320Kms railway, has 11 stations.
Between 2018 and 2020, under the supervision of the Ministry of Transportation and keen followups by Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, construction giants- Julius Berger, China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) and ZTE, brought the 30 years abandoned project to reality.
The Railway was strategically located to aid the transportation of cargoes and raw materials between Ajaokuta Steel Industry and the Warri Port. Recall that the Managing Director, Nigerian Railway Cooperation, had stated that there were plans for the commencement of pipeline transportation from Warri Port and also discussion with Dangote and Bua Cement companies, to transport products from Ajaokuta by rail.
The Honourable Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has lamented the rising spate of insecurity and political intimidation in Rivers State. The Minister who is a former Governor of the State, voiced his concern at the funeral service of late Justice Adolphus Godwin Karibi-Whyte. Amaechi said: "You have lost your voice. The sage has gone under and nobody is speaking. When I was Governor, I gave people voices, but they have blocked those voices. "I was happy with the sermon, the Bishop indicted us. If you are a Governor, have you governed well? If you are a politician, have you carried your people along?" "Everyone is scared. We are going back to when Ateke held sway. We are going back to the period where we run away from our people. We are back to a period when nobody can speak. But from next year, I will begin to speak, if nobody wants to speak." While giving tribute to the late Justice, Amaechi said, "We are all here because we need to bury a man God has blessed. I have stopped travelling because of bad weather, but I told myself I must be at here because of Justice Whyte. "If you knew Justice vey well, you will know I was close to him. I was one of the few people he mentored. He taught me that character was essential to life. I was a Governor at 42, and he told me, even in my 40s, I was the oldest person in Rivers State and that I must behave like a father to all"
The late Justice Karibi-Whyte, was born in 1932 in the present day Akuku-Toru Local Government area of Rivers State. He attended the University of Hull in East Yorshire, England in 1957 and the University College of the University of London in 1962, for the Master of Law (LLM) degree. Before his appointment as judge of the FederalRevenue Court on June 12, 1976, Justice Karibi-Whyte was an Associate Professor, Faculty of Law, University of Lagos and Acting Solicitor-General, Ministry of Justice, Rivers STate. Justice Karibi-Whyte CFR became justice of the Federal Court of Appeal in 1980, Justice of the supreme Court in 1984, and Judge of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, at Hague, Netherlands in 1993.
Politics / BREAKING: FG Approves Construction Of Eastern Rail Line by Asphericnews: 4:14pm On Oct 07, 2020