₦airaland Forum

MetaMatrix:
NFF should create University League. It will provide our national teams with quality players., create means of livelihood, foster friendship among schools, being back football interest and keep students more engaged

Nigerian Varsity Cup
https://varsitycup.org/

Video of the Port-Harcourt to Aba train service (2024).

Full service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7Z_7iwvdhk?si=PiWccGVyMtztNu8A

New train tracks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFLtKmgTLFU?si=KMVhGG8eOJOyEuM7

Test running the service (this is when they were running free rides with few test trains).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwvoy0EaQms?si=-B4AP44xIrO4bRWO

FIFPRO is the Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels. It is basically the international professional footballers' union.

Nigerian club, league and federation found negligent for player's death

17 April 2025

⚫️ Chineme Martins, who played for Nasarawa United, died after collapsing during a Nigerian Professional Football League match at which there was insufficient medical services in March 2020

⚫️ The National Industrial Court of Nigeria has found the club, league, federation, and match commissioner negligent for Martins’ death

⚫️The court’s ruling stated that it was “reprehensible” that Martins was allowed to play without complete medical tests and without the provision of adequate medical facilities at the Lafia Township Stadium

A Nigerian club, together with the league and the Nigerian Football Federation (NFF), have been found negligent for the death of a player during a game in March 2020.

Nigerian defender Chineme Martins, who played for Nasarawa United, died at the age of 25 after collapsing during a Nigerian Professional Football League match at which there was insufficient medical services.

A report published on the NFF’s website that year stated that Nasarawa United had ‘neither a medical doctor nor a physiotherapist’ at the game and that there was ‘no functional ambulance at the stadium’ at the time of the incident.

The National Industrial Court of Nigeria ruled that Nasarawa United breached their duty of care towards Martins and that the club must compensate his family. The court stated that the league, the NFF and the match commissioner of the day also had a duty of care to ensure that the club complied with the relevant regulation and that they breached it.

The court’s ruling stated it was “reprehensible” that Martins was allowed to play without complete medical tests – an echocardiogram was never conducted on Martins at the start of each of his three seasons with the club – and without the provision of adequate medical facilities at the Lafia Township Stadium.

FIFPRO lawyers assisted the family of Martins to pursue the claim of negligence. Martins’ brother Michael said: “The court has spoken and ruled that Nasarawa United, the league management company and the NFF did not take into consideration my brother’s safety, health and welfare which contributed to his death.

“I hope that the appropriate medical provisions are put in place for Nigeria’s footballers going forward, so that no family has to endure the pain we have suffered.”

https://fifpro.org/en/supporting-players/obtaining-justice/governance-and-representation/nigerian-club-league-and-federation-found-negligent-for-player-s-death

Photo 2) Chineme Martins (right) with brother Michael

Update:

Otti Calls For Quick Rehabilitation Of South-East Railway Corridor
https://www.nairaland.com/8402878/otti-calls-quick-rehabilitation-south-east

PUNANI01:
What is he doing there? We the southerners don't need him there.

Well, Governor Otti is a southerner and Governor Otti wants him to be there.

Otti Calls For Quick Rehabilitation Of South-East Railway Corridor
https://www.nairaland.com/8402878/otti-calls-quick-rehabilitation-south-east

Eastern Line Rehabilitation project.

There have been problems with the Eastern Line for a long time (as with many of the old railway lines in Nigeria). Some people have stolen the tracks, people have built on the tracks (in one case, a house had been built right across the tracks) and the train service was no longer running.

Outrage As Office Building Is Found On Abia Rail Track (video)
https://www.nairaland.com/8160025/outrage-office-building-found-abia

Picture Of A Building Built On A Rail Right Of Way
https://www.nairaland.com/8158787/picture-building-built-rail-right

Hoodlums In Abia Uproot Rail Lines, Sell To Recycling Companies
https://www.nairaland.com/6342720/hoodlums-abia-uproot-rail-lines

In 2021 President Muhammadu Buhari decided to rehabilitate the Eastern Line, so that it would be working in the meantime before a standard gauge line is built.

Buhari Launches Eastern Rail Rehabilitation Project
https://www.nairaland.com/6451130/buhari-launches-eastern-rail-rehabilitation

As Governor Otti said, the project began very well and the tracks were being relaid quickly and trains had started running on parts of the line.

However, the project later ran into many problems. There was the problem of insecurity that was caused by unknown gunmen and kidnappers. Thieves and vandals were also stealing parts of the tracks. The Chinese company handling the project complained to the government about attacks on its staff. The minister also complained that he had difficulty accessing the funds/loan that he wanted to use to execute the project. The government then suspended the project.

FG Suspends Eastern Rail Project Over Insecurity, Vandalism
https://www.nairaland.com/7314405/fg-suspends-eastern-rail-project

MASSOB Knocks FG Over Eastern Railway Project Cancellation
https://www.nairaland.com/7494328/massob-knocks-fg-over-eastern

The minister admitted that they wouldn't be able to complete the project before President Buhari left office.

$1.96bn Eastern Rail Corridor No Longer Feasible
https://www.nairaland.com/7491645/1.96bn-eastern-rail-corridor-no

However, work later resumed on the project and the security situation has improved. The NRC resumed the Port-Harcourt to Aba train service in 2024.

FG Commences Train Service On Port Harcourt To Aba Railroad (Pictures)
https://www.nairaland.com/8078069/fg-commences-train-service-port

FG Hands Over Completed Port-Harcourt-Aba Railway Section To NRC
https://www.nairaland.com/8280191/fg-hands-over-completed-port-harcourt-aba

Train Trip From PH To Aba
https://www.nairaland.com/8133752/train-trip-ph-aba



President Bola Tinubu has promised that he will complete it. He gave the promise when he visited Enugu (it was one of the requests that was presented to him).

I Will Complete The Eastern Rail Line - President Tinubu Reaffirms
https://www.nairaland.com/8309184/complete-eastern-rail-line-president

naptu2:
I'll explain this again.

1) Western Line: The Western Line was the first line that was built by the Colonial Government. The primary reason for building it was to transport raw materials and agricultural goods like Al-Hassan Dantata's groundnuts from Kano to the port in Lagos.

The line begins at the Lagos Terminus in Iddo (there's also a branch line to the Apapa Port) and goes through Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilorin, Kaduna and terminates in Kano. It is a narrow gauge line.

The Western line began with the Lagos-Ibadan line which was built between 1891 and 1896, it reached Kano in 1912 and it was later extended to Nguru in 1930.


2) Eastern Line: The Eastern Line was primarily built to move coal from Enugu to the port at Port Harcourt. Port Harcourt was also built for the same reason (to serve as a port for the shipment of coal). Coal was shipped to Great Britain and to the power plant at Ijora in Lagos.

The Eastern Line was extended to Jos, to move tin from the tin mines there and it was also connected to the Western Line in Kaduna. The Government of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa extended the Eastern Line to Maiduguri. It is a narrow gauge line.

The Eastern Line began with the Port-Harcourt to Enugu Line that was built between 1913 and 1916. It was extended to Kaduna in 1927 and it was later extended to Maiduguri between 1958 and 1964.

3) Central Line: The Central Line was constructed by the government of General Ibrahim Babangida (construction began in 1987). It was built to convey iron from the iron mines at Itakpe to the steel mill at Ajaokuta and to convey the steel from Ajaokuta to Warri Port. It is a standard gauge line. The line was not completed.


There have been plans to build new standard gauge lines on the western and eastern axis, along the same corridor as the old narrow gauge lines.

The government of President Goodluck Jonathan began the Kaduna-Abuja rail line on the Western Axis. The government of President Muhammadu Buhari completed it and also built the Lagos-Ibadan line on the Western axis. The Government is currently building the Kano-Kaduna leg of the Western Line. When that is completed, all that will be left is the Ibadan-Ilorin and Ilorin-Abuja segments of the line.


The Government of Muhammadu Buhari also completed the Warri-Itakpe Line (the Central Line). There are plans to extend it to Abuja.

The Muhammadu Buhari Administration had declared that it would focus on completing existing projects, rather than starting new ones and so it focused on completing the Western and Central Lines. There is also a plan to build a standard gauge Eastern Line (Port-Harcourt to Maiduguri) but that has not commenced yet (which has caused annoyance among people of the North-East and South-East).


There is a proposal to build a coastal line, from Lagos to Calabar, but it hasn't been built yet. Critics complain that the colonialists were only interested in exploiting resources from Nigeria, rather than giving Nigerians good infrastructure and that's why they built rail lines from the hinterland in the north, to the ports in the south. For example, the critics point out that if you want to go from Lagos to Enugu by rail, you'd first have to go all the way up to Kaduna, before you can get to Enugu.

When I heard this criticism back in the 1980s, I often asked, "So why haven't we built it? The colonialists have been gone since 1960, so why haven't we built a rail line from east to west? We can't keep blaming them".

naptu2:
The Buhari Administration began the Kaduna - Kano leg of the Western Line and the Tinubu Administration will finish it.

President Tinubu has gone to China to finalise the deal for the construction of the Ibadan - Ilorin and Ilorin - Abuja legs of the line.

The idea to build the Eastern and Western standard gauge lines was conceived during the administration of President Obasanjo. Yar'Adua did not follow through, but Goodluck Jonathan continued it.

The Central Line was conceived during the administration of President Shehu Shagari. It was started by the Babangida Administration and finished by the Buhari Administration. However, the Buhari Administration proposed that it should be extended to Abuja.

I'll tell you about Lord Harcourt later.

naptu2:
The Eastern Line goes through places like Port Harcourt, Aba, Umuahia, Enugu, Makurdi, Jos, Bauchi and Maiduguri.

The Western Line goes through places like Lagos, Abeokuta, Ibadan, Ilorin, Jebba, Minna, Kaduna and Kano.

The Central Line goes through Warri, Abraka, Agbor, Igbanke, Agenebode, Uromi, Ajaokuta and Itakpe.

In the first map below, the narrow gauge lines are in purple and the standard gauge lines are in red.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QLQQ-yDDZ8?si=GV1bRQmzczPEeuqh

Otti calls for quick rehabilitation of South-East railway corridor to boost economy

Godfrey Ofurum
April 17, 2025

Alex Otti, the governor of Abia State, has appealed to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to speed up the rehabilitation of the Aba-Umuahia-Enugu section of the rail line to improve transportation in the South-East corridor.

Otti, who made the call on Wednesday during a meeting with a delegation of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), led by Kayode Opeifa, the new managing director of NRC and re-emphasised the critical role of transportation in the economic development and growth of Nigeria.

The governor described transportation as a sector that is important to economic development and growth.

While expressing concerns that progress had stalled on the Aba to Enugu section of the railway corridor, as they were originally scheduled for completion by the first quarter of 2024, the Abia state governor, expressed confident that the trajectory of NRC work, would change positively under the new managing director.

“I have no doubt that the ideas that have been on the table even long before you came on board, may have been struggling, but I believe that as you get down to work, it would be done.

“The speed with which the other parts of the corridor were executed and the speed at which the execution is happening right now are different, but, I am sure you’ll change the trajectory soon.

On concerns raised about the security of NRC assets in Aba, Governor Otti assured that he would look into the issue and provide necessary support, including logistics, emphasising that his government does not discriminate between federal and state projects, but is always willing to partner with individuals or agencies that want to bring development to the State.

Otti reiterated his administration’s commitment to overhauling the state’s transport sector to enhance economic activities, disclosed that efforts are ongoing to modernise the transport system in the state.

“We felt it was important to replicate the Transport system we have seen elsewhere, not necessarily in Oshodi

“Actually, we were thinking of Paddington in the UK, where you have the bus terminal, train and everything converging in a place. Paddington never sleeps, that’s the kind of business we want to introduce in Umuahia”,”Governor Otti assured.

Kayode Opeifa, managing director, Nigerian Railway Cooperation, disclosed that the essence of the meeting was to deepen discussions and the plans on how best to revive the Aba – Umuahia rail line.

According to him, the corporation, which intends to add value to the nation’s economy, targets to reduce inflation, stabilise the economy and reduce the cost of transporting goods and services, adding that, they have the mandate to ensure that all major cities in the South-East are connected to the national rail line.

The meeting featured a presentation on the ongoing construction of Umuahia Railway and Bus terminal, by Kingsley Agomoh, general manager, Umuahia Capital Development Authority (UCDA).

https://businessday.ng/news/article/otti-calls-for-quick-rehabilitation-of-south-east-railway-corridor-to-boost-economy/

Previous thread:

Railway Corporation DG Tours Eastern District, To Collaborate With Abia State
https://www.nairaland.com/8400858/railway-corporation-dg-tours-eastern

Fembleez1:
There are no contradictions there. I was referencing your statement. The practice on the Island is to grind whole coconuts with beans.

"There is nothing like, but there is something like" is not a contradiction?? 🤣

My post mentioned many places, across West Africa and beyond and not all recipes are the same. That was clear in the post, yet you wrote "Nothing like" and "Something like".

Janosky:
Is today Nisan 14th?

All of una just dey waste una time.
Easter festivities are paganic & nothing to do with Nisan 14th.
April 12th this year was Nisan 14th & those who knows had a memorial commemoration to honor Jesus, Luke 22:19.
Please find out what happened on Nisan 14th?

I come in peace oooo !

Kai! Can you imagine that this guy just wasted his time by telling others that they are wasting their time? Do you think that anybody cares about your opinion? Do you think that anybody cares about Nisan 14th? Don't you have work to do?

Fembleez1:
We cook this over the course of 3 days max. There is nothing like adding coconut milk. After cooking the beans (which is exceptionally hard than the regular beans), you chop coconuts inside and take it to the grinders. Then use sieve to get the juice, which is then cooked to thickness, adding sugar and the major ingredients for taste is Clove. Nothing like flavored with cocoa (Well, like you said, 'in certain countries'.)

You contradicted yourself. You said "nothing like", then you said "in certain countries", which means that there is something like.