₦airaland Forum

A few weeks to the end of the President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration, the nation’s capital is witnessing fresh installation of traffic lights, SUNDAY ABORISADE writes

Residents of Nigeria’s capital have suddenly discovered that major junctions of the city are sparkling with lights shortly after the declaration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari as the president-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Our correspondent observed the rehabilitation of old traffic lights, which had stopped functioning for years, and the installation of new ones at road junctions that previously had no light.

Some of the new traffic lights are at Jabi, Utako, Kado, Gwarimpa, Garki, Maitama, Asokoro, Kubwa as well as in the satellite towns.

But many residents are quick to attribute the action of the Federal Capital Territory Administration to the impending change in government because the contract had been awarded a long time ago with the contractors fully mobilised.

Some of the residents, who spoke with our correspondent, said that the installation of the traffic lights was belated, arguing that the project would have taken another two to three years to actualise if the Peoples Democratic Party had won the election.

For instance, Mallam Kabiru Sani, a taxi driver, alleged that the FCTA was rushing the project so that it would be able to retire the money already voted in its 2014 budget.

He said, “The FCTA claimed that it had installed Closed Circuit Television in every nook and cranny of Abuja, yet there were bomb blasts all over the place without the police being able to arrest the perpetrators.

“The management of FCTA knows that the incoming administration will probe its extravagant spending. I am sure this explains why the contractors are rushing the projects.”

According to a journalist, Mr. Taiye Odewale, the project is a welcome development because it will bring about orderliness and sanity in vehicular traffic in the city.

He said, “Most times, the traffic wardens are not always at their duty posts, especially in the afternoon and during downpours, thereby causing commotion”

Also, Mr. John Okafor, a businessman, urged the FCTA to extend the facility to the Arab Road area of Kubwa, one of the new satellite areas where the Federal Government is currently constructing rail lines.

He said, “The extension of the traffic light to the area would help to prevent accidents whenever the trains begin operation.”

But Amina Mohammed, who lives in Kubwa, reasoned differently. She told our correspondent that the government decided to execute the project in order to leave a lasting legacy after May 29.

She cautioned Nigerians against condemning the project because it was possibly awarded a long time ago while the contractors decided to execute it when the items they needed arrived in the country.

In his reaction, the Acting Director, Public Transportation in the FCTA, Mr. Vincent Igberaese, attributed the delay in the execution of the project to budgetary constraints.

He said that 74 new traffic lights were installed in addition to already existing 88. According to him, Abuja now has 162 traffic lights in the various major junctions across the FCT.

But the leadership of the All Progressives Congress accused the Jonathan administration of engaging in a last-minute project execution ahead of the May 29 handover date.

The party’s Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, in a statement, alleged that reports from the media as well as information gathered from reliable sources suggested that the outgoing administration was engaged in rushing award of contracts.

The party also alleged that the FCT Minister, Senator Bala Mohammed, had embarked on secret recruitment of about 500 fresh members of staff into the Federal Capital Development Authority.

The APC therefore asked Jonathan to caution his officials, lest they engage in actions that could later embarrass his administration.

Meanwhile, the minister has denied the APC allegation.

He said the installation of the lights was to drastically reduce traffic problems associated with those powered by conventional electricity supply.

Mohammed said the development would enhance traffic management and security of commuters within the FCT.

The minister said the Jonathan administration was doing everything possible to tackle all traffic problems in Abuja, noting that 20 additional new intersections had been earmarked for traffic light installation before the end of the year.

He also said that additional 1, 200 road traffic lights had been installed and were of various types and sizes.

He listed the new set of roads marked in the city to include the Tafawa Balewa Way; Lome Crescent Street; F.O.Williams Street; Babangida Aliyu Street; Nouchott Street; Kashim Ibrahim Way; Sabo Ago Way; Deji Omotade Street; Wada Aliyu Street and the Ahmadu Bello Way.

Muhammed described the reports that he was rushing the project as a campaign of calumny and mischief against the outgoing administration.

He said the project packaged by the National Planning Commission was conceptualised in 2012 between Nigeria and the government of China.

He added, “China is bearing the whole cost of the project – N780m – and as usual with such a partnership, it nominated the contractor, which is doing the work from China.

“The only thing we have done is to make sure that we provide the counterpart funding totalling about N81m as well as to supervise its execution.

“So, this is the project that we started a long time ago and we have reached a level where we start the implementation because we have had to get some waiver from Mr. President and the company. Poly Solar Technologies has started the implementation.

“The waiver was approved in January this year and we believe as a government we should continue to take projects and programmes to their logical conclusion.

“So it is deceptive and misleading for anybody to think that something that we are getting as a collaborative and multilateral assistance is something that we have conceptualised as a last-minute bid. It is a project the incoming administration, I believe, should cherish. The incoming administration will come and inherit a city that is witnessing transformation in all its ramifications.”

The minister added that the pedestrian bridges scattered across the city too were a multilateral assistance given to the country by the World Bank. He noted that their implementation was through the road sector-implementing agency recognised by the United Nations.

http://www.punchng.com/feature/nations-capital/massive-traffic-lights-at-the-11th-hour/

olasha1:
pls bro does it work? cant it work 4 bbQ10? am trying to get mine that was lost when they vandalized my car last friday and i have been trying to search for it from d said link but its not giving me any positive result

I use an Experia; its an android phone....don't know about BB

This is good; I just located my phone which I hid. It even rings and you can lock the phone phone forever.

This guy must be a Tokunbo spare part seller in Ladipo, the Police should go with him to apprehend the others in the ring. A colleague at work recently had to replace his Lexus R330 headlight's wiper washer twice due to their menace.

@Op, how much did you buy that LENOVO TAB

Whatever happened to a written paper showing N10Million for the pastor to pray over.

Yeah seen, and here is the Gala

A GROUP, United Nigerians In Diaspora, UNID, has called on the Federal Government to prevail on the Indonesian government to stay action on its plans to execute eight more Nigerian citizens for drug related offences.
Briefing newsmen in Lagos, the group’s president, Mr. Paschal Okolie, condemned what it described as the poor attitude of the government towards the recent execution of four Nigerians in Indonesia.
His words: ”Considering that the next batch of execution will take place in no distant time in Indonesia, we urge the good people of Nigeria and our government to rise up with the entire world to stop further executions of Nigerians. Enough of the killings. Nigeria should leverage on the strong bilateral relationship it has with Indonesia and negotiate to stop the execution of the eight waiting to be killed. In as much as we totally condemn drug trafficking and wish to sensitise intending traffickers on the consequences that awaits offenders, we also condemn capital punishment especially since it has not been able to quell the issue of drug trafficking in Indonesia.”
Okolie who gave names of those awaiting further execution as, Michael Titus Igwe, Kingsley Okonkwo, Uchenna Onyewuru, Eugene Ape, Hunphery Ejike, Obinna Nwajiagu, Benjamin Onuoha and Ikenna Abanukwu, said, ”Nigerian Embassy in Indonesia is longer concerned with passport renewals than the welfare or security of Nigerians. Those Nigerians killed were not giving fair trial, there is language barrier which made it impossible for them to defend themselves properly, Nigerian embassy did not even send representatives to court to assist them, so they were left at the mercy of Indonesia which was bent on killing them.”
‘’Most times Nigerians are thrown into prisons for more than four months without anyone knowing about it. They are tortured and some even die in the process. The way a country treats her citizens, is a reflection of how the citizens will be treated in foreign lands. Therefore, we feel it is high time our government rose to the occasion to ameliorate the plight of its citizens.’’
“we expected our government to show concern just like other countries whose nationals were involved. The way a government treats its citizens, is a reflection of how the citizens are likely to be treated in foreign lands. Therefore, we feel it is high time our government rose to the occasion to ameliorate the plights of its citizens no matter the circumstance.
We use this opportunity to appeal to the youth, to beware of the kind of friendships they keep as well as activities they engage themselves. One of the reasons there are many young Nigerians in prisons in different countries of the world today, is due to get rich quick syndrome, fast track. But in the end, they lose everything including their lives.”
http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/8-more-nigerians-face-execution-in-indonesia-diaspora-group/

We call it 'gators' as in for the sharp ridges.

The father of a 26-year-old pregnant woman, who was murdered in the Arepo area of Ogun State last week, has blamed President Goodluck Jonathan for the incident.

Mr. Babafemi Ojo, whose daughter Damilola Fajana, was killed on April 28, said this in a statement on Monday.

Ojo explained that his daughter was killed by a stray bullet during a gun battle between the members of the Odua Peoples Congress and pipeline vandals.

He said it was unfortunate that Jonathan could hire the services of the OPC and award the group a huge contract just because he wanted to win an election.

The bereaved father wondered why men who were not trained professionals were allowed to secure government facilities in residential areas.

He said, “The unconstitutional empowerment of ethnic militias has resulted in the deaths of many innocent Nigerians, particularly in Arepo area of Ogun State.

“My daughter was killed in a crossfire while driving back home after a hard day’s job. Damilola was a 26 year old pregnant lawyer. She was a graduate of the University of Ado Ekiti.

“President Jonathan is linked to her death by the reason of his patronage of people who have no basic training in arms and weaponry —in the business of pipeline protection, a very dangerous security enterprise which is supposed to fall under the purview of trained Nigerian security agencies.”
http://www.punchng.com/politics/man-blames-jonathan-for-pregnant-daughters-murder/

LuvSwollenPussy:
You want a tale?..sorry.

Scroll down and see her crying after being fvcked.

That television sha

An obsessive Arsenal fan made his girlfriend sit for a test he set, questioning her about his favourite football club.

Impressively, the girlfriend scored 43.5 out of 50 per cent, to which the man commented, “Well done Saskia! As a result, I will not be dumping you! (Lucky you).”

The elated girlfriend posted snaps of the test to her Twitter account, @saskiaisabxlla with the comment: “Boyfriend made me take an Arsenal exam.”

The test took the form of a school exam, with multiple choice questions, tables to complete, and ‘in your own words section, according to Daily Mail UK. There were even ‘helpful’ instructions including ‘read every question at least twice’ and ‘check your answers if you have time at the end’.

Questions in the test included: “What was the scoreline for the 2014 FA Cup Final vs Hull City?”, “What player scored the winning goal in the 2014 FA Cup Final?” and “Name the starting 11 squad of this season in their relevant positions.”

The young lady struggled to come up with the 11th player of the starting squad who is Koscielny, a defender and thought Ozil was in defence instead while Wellbeck was a midfielder, when in fact they are midfield and striker respectively.

The unnamed boyfriend was impressed with the end result, grading his woman an ‘A’ and rewarding her by saying he would not dump her.
http://www.punchng.com/feature/weird-planet/football-fan-sets-exam-for-girlfriend-about-his-club-arsenal/

Where are the cars, this one surely is a kerosene queue

timbros:
Lol...

That's my baby girl.

She's cute

Cry BABY

How did you INSTALL that baby on your phone

Nobody traveled from Nigeria to be with the Nigerian convicts until their death (execution); not even the high commissioner who's based in the country.

GREAT but this night, some Nigerians and other Nationals will be executed in Indonesia.......... Let's give a thought to them, ONE indivisible Nigeria despite the diversity. I weep and rejoice at the same time.

Fiilosofer:
Did you actually read through the thread? I wish I had more time so I could give you some...

I read all and saw the snapshot showing your Wifi SSID kapisch

Please add my amiable president-elect GMB. He is a success no doubt.

Goahead:
I'm just pointing out the obvious...


Good luck

Busted

Justcash:
Silvester Obiekwe Nwolise, 47, Nigeria:


Sentenced to death for smuggling 1.2 kilograms of heroin into Indonesia from Pakistan in 2004.

Obiekwe was reportedly running a drug ring while on death row, outraging authorities who ordered he face the firing squad as soon as possible.

His wife Fatimah claimed Obiekwe was unemployed in Nigeria's largest city, Lagos, before being lured to Pakistan on the promise of a quick-paying job but was duped.

According to his wife, once in Pakistan Obiekwe was asked to swallow capsules he was told contained goat horn powder, and fly to Indonesia.

Ms Fatimah, who is Indonesian, described Obiekwe as just a 'poor courier'.

The pair met in prison in 2007 when she accompanied a friend who was visiting another inmate, according to reports.

They married that year and have since had two children, now five and three.

Staying in 'No man's Land', Lagos is safer that loosing your life in Indonesia

The Federal Government, it was learnt, is set to make a two-month payment out of the N9.3billion contract sum to the beneficiaries through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

The exact amount to be paid could not be ascertained last night.

The security agencies will hand over to the militants today, a source said last night.

The contract was signed on March 16. The companies are owned by some former Niger Delta militants and prominent citizens, including founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) Dr. Frederick Fasehun who confirmed that his company was being considered for the multi-billion naira contract.

Mo gbe @ the boldened...............facepalm

That cannot be on a flight, where's the copilot

R I P, but how can a jogger be in tracksuit as well as having briefs (singlet) . Why should the policemen conclude he was jogging If he was jogging, quite a few would have seen him go-by early that morning; I am sick of the lazy police theories.

Bennymontana:
3rd...one day,i go make am.....

Dream on...........

You want to contrast this with an experience I had while in the university. Boarded a car from Ojoo in Ibadan; along the journey the driver apparently dozed off, hit a slow moving car and we somasaulted about four times.By the time the dust settled, we discovered a gravely injured driver who was in the spasm of death. Volunteers came and police also arrived. Now the issue arose that who among the two policemen will follow the seriously injured driver to the hospital and who will stay with the vehicle. They both argued until a military man ordered both to go with the injured driver to the hospital.Their insistence on staying with the car was borne out of the usual practice of cannibalisng accident vehicles especially when its apparent the driver won't survive. By the time the family get over the grieve and return for the car, all the vital components are already sold to parts sellers and personal belongings already distributed amongst themselves. Anyway, KUDOS to the FRSC.

opmoore:
Can someone said why Amaechi is sleeping or Just tired of Those Aides wahala.

When you manage people including the influences of Wike and Patience, you expect tireness to set in. Amaechi survived due to his doggedness and naps like this will always energize him. FYI, this may be a dead in the night pix.

aanumama:
PDP, the newest town crier

PDP should know that the shoe is now firmly on the other leg.