The Federal Government cannot refund money spent on federal roads by state governments for now, says the Minister of Works, David Umahi.
Umahi made this known on Thursday when he visited Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the minister is on a two-day working visit to the state.
”The economy right now will not permit any commitment by the Federal Government.
”However, records of such road projects done by the states would be kept and could be revisited when the economy improves,” he said.
He commended Makinde for his administration’s intervention in road projects.
The minister said that the intervention was alleviating the suffering of people.
“Be it state or federal roads, we are one government. The aim and oath of office is to place the welfare of the people ahead of any other interest,” he said.
Umahi urged Makinde to embrace Concrete Pavement Technology in road construction projects, saying it was more durable and less expensive than asphalt roads.
He said road projects with concrete pavement in Lagos State had been successful, adding that he built almost 95 per cent of road projects on concrete pavement as Governor of Ebonyi State.
Speaking on the purpose of his visit to Oyo State, the minister said that he was touring Federal Government road projects in the South-West.
Umahi said he had met with all the contractors handling road projects in North-West, North-Central and South-West, in Abuja.
“After the meeting, I decided to visit these projects to know the quality of work done and other things on the ground,” he said.
He further sought more cooperation from the Oyo State Government in achieving success on the Federal Government’s projects in the state.
Responding, Makinde appreciated the minister for the visit.
According to him, Umahi’s track record while governing Ebonyi speaks for itself.
The governor said his administration prioritised roads as a project that is important to the economy.
“We are committed to rehabilitation and reconstruction of many road projects, be it state or federal roads.
“For example, the 34km Oyo-Iseyin Road took us two years to get approval from the Federal Government and we awarded it to the contractor immediately after we secured the approval because of its importance to the agri-business of the state.
“The road will be inaugurated on September 15 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo. We are not asking for a refund immediately but the records are there and we will give it to the minister,” he said.
Makinde further said his administration would continue to invest in road infrastructure for the development of the state.
He told the minister of his willingness to partner with the Federal Government to dualise the Oyo State portion of the Ibadan-Abeokuta Road.
The governor also informed the minister that he had agreed with his counterparts in Ogun and Lagos states to light up the Lagos-Ibadan Road.
He said the road is the busiest road in the country and that lighting the entire stretch of the road would enhance security on its corridor.
NAN
President Bola Tinubu has said all diplomatic options will be exhausted with the junta in Niger Republic before any last resort of military intervention comes into the picture.
He insisted that any forceful removal of a democratic government remains “wholly unacceptable.”
The president reissued the threat while receiving the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs led by the Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, at the State House, Abuja on Thursday.
In Tinubu’s words, the alternative of kinetic intervention in Niger Republic had not been jettisoned.
“I must thank you for your several visits to Niger Republic, Your Eminence, but you will still have to go back. My fear has been confirmed in Gabon that copy cats will start doing the same thing until it is stopped.
“We are neighbours with Niger Republic, and what has joined Nigerians together with their great people cannot be broken. Nobody is interested in a war. We have seen the devastation in Ukraine and Sudan. But, if we don’t wield the big stick, we will all suffer the consequences together,” the president warned.
President Tinubu noted that Nigeria, under General Abdulsalami Abubakar, instituted a nine-month transition programme in 1998, and it proved very successful, leading the country into a new era of democratic governance.
The president sees no reason why such cannot be replicated in Niger, if Niger’s military authorities are sincere.
“Your Eminence, please don’t get tired, you will still go back there. The soldiers’ action is unacceptable. The earlier they make positive adjustments, the quicker we will dial back the sanctions to alleviate the sufferings we are seeing in Niger,” the president affirmed.
READ ALSO: FUTO Emerges Africa Centre Of Excellence In Future Energies, Electrochemical Systems
On the hardship faced by many Nigerians post-fuel subsidy removal, the president assured that all ongoing reforms will liberate and reposition the economy, which will benefit the majority of the population in terms of opportunities, infrastructure, healthcare and education.
“Nigeria is headed for a promise. Our diversity will turn into prosperity, not adversity. We will build a country that our children will be proud of,” the president assured.
The president told the delegation that the Federal Government had opened talks with state governments to provide land for the proper sustenance of animals with a view to developing pan-national animal husbandry and agro-allied production and processing facilities for mass export, job creation and revenue generation.
“If Nigeria is still looking for vaccines for basic health issues; if infant and maternal mortality is rampant, then we should examine ourselves. I will commit to consulting with other leaders, like the NSCIA, and we will meet the needs of our people,” he said.
In his contribution at the meeting, Vice President Kashim Shettima said the president had budgeted N50 billion to support the ongoing rebuilding of lives and property in the North-West and North-East, and with a new focus on dialogue to address security challenges.
The Sultan of Sokoto pledged “one hundred percent loyalty” to the president, affirming that a leader can only reach a position by the will of God, and not man.
His Eminence assured the president that the NSCIA will be available to advice and support President Tinubu to realise his dream for the country, adding that “God will hold all leaders to account, in justice and fairness.”
He suggested that the distribution of palliatives across the country should be monitored and augmented, where it fails to reach some of the people who remain in dire need.
“I honestly believe we will come out of the challenges stronger,” the Sultan of Sokoto concluded.
It was a night of accolades for Africa’s foremost business conglomerate, Dangote Industries Limited, (DIL), as journalists in Lagos State conferred an award of excellence on the Group for its outstanding contributions to the economic development of Nigeria and Africa in general.
The award, according to the journalists, was because of Dangote’s aggressive employment generation drive, which has seen thousands of able youths, gainfully employed in the Group as well as the commitment to provision of critical infrastructure.
This award presentation was during the Gala/Awards Nite marking the end of the 2023 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Lagos State Council, where some corporate organisations and certain individuals were also recognised for their contributions to society.
The NUJ award for Dangote Group came barely a week after the conglomerate emerged as Nigeria’s Most Valuable Brand for the sixth consecutive year, an achievement that was announced by the brand and marketing firm, TOP 50 BRANDS NIGERIA, as part of its comprehensive 2023 Top Brands perception assessment.
Dangote Cement Plc, a subsidiary of DIL, is the leading producer of Cement in the country and employs more than 65,000 direct workers and over 100,000 indirect workers, across all its Plants.
The journalists specifically lauded Dangote Group over the leading roles played by the Company regarding backward integration in the cement and sugar industries with continuous expansion of its operations, both within and outside the country, which has transformed the nation from being import-dependent to self-sufficiency and thereby creating the much-needed jobs for the employable youths.
Human rights lawyer Femi Falana (SAN) says the high level of poverty on the continent is responsible for the wave of coups in Africa.
He spoke at a Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) national symposium held in Abuja on Thursday.
Falana accused Nigeria’s ruling class of taking the people for granted. According to him, despite the poverty in the country, the National Assembly allocated billions to itself.
The theme of the symposium was “Nigerian Economy and the Crisis of Survival, Robbing the Poor to Pay the Rich”.
His comment comes on the heels of recent coups in Africa. The latest was in Gabon where soldiers seized power, ending decades of the Bongo dynasty’s reign.
The development has triggered condemnations from within and outside the continent.
President Bola Tinubu had described the wave of coups in Africa as a “contagious autocracy”
The social media platform X will begin offering video and audio calling, owner Elon Musk announced on Thursday, a step towards turning the former Twitter into an “everything app.”
“Video & audio calls coming to X,” Musk wrote in a post on the platform, without specifying when the new features would be available.
The calling features would work on iOS, Android, Mac, and PC systems, and no phone number would be needed, he said.
“X is the effective global address book,” the billionaire added. “That set of factors is unique.”
Last month, Musk and his newly hired chief executive Linda Yaccarino announced the rebranding of Twitter as X, saying it would become an “everything app” inspired by China’s WeChat that would allow users to socialize as well as handle their finances.
X’s payment branch Twitter Payments LLC was granted a “crucial” currency transmitter license from the US state of Rhode Island on Monday, allowing it to “engage in cryptocurrency-related activities” such as exchanges, wallets and payment processors, the crypto website CoinWire reported this week.
The license allows X to “securely store, transfer, and facilitate the exchange of digital assets on behalf of its users,” according to CoinWire.
Since Musk bought Twitter last October, the platform’s advertising business has collapsed as marketers soured on his management style and mass firings that gutted content moderation.
In response, the tycoon has moved towards building a subscriber base and pay model in a search for new revenue.
Many users and advertisers alike have responded adversely to the site’s new charges for previously free services, as well as its changes to content moderation and the return of previously banned far-right accounts.
Musk also killed off the Twitter logo, replacing its globally recognized blue bird with a white X
A Benue State High Court in Gboko, presided over by Justice D.M. Igyuse has dismissed a suit seeking to set aside the suspension of Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and have him reinstated as National Chairman of the party.
The suit was filed by one Nongo Ordue on behalf of the 17 member executives of Dr. Ayu’s Igyorov Council Ward of Gboko Local Government Area, LGA, of the state, seeking an order setting aside the suspension of the former National Chairman of the PDP from the party.
The plaintiffs among other prayers, also sought an order of the court reinstating Dr. Ayu as the National Chairman of the PDP.
In his reply to the suit, counsel to the PDP, Clement Mue, submitted that the judgment of a Makurdi High Court in Utaan against Ayu, which was marked MHC/85/2023 had sufficiently addressed the issues raised in the claim of the plaintiffs.
Mue argued that the suit was therefore caught up by a bar known in legal parlance as ‘estoppel.’
Mue informed the court that “Senator Ayu had since filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal against the decision of the court.”
He argued that “hearing and determining the suit would amount to sitting on an appeal against the earlier decision of a court of coordinate jurisdiction.”
The PDP counsel urged the court to hold that the suit before it amounted to “an abuse of court process.”
In his judgment, Justice Igyuse pointed out that the plaintiffs had filed a similar claim in suit No. GHC/36/2023 between themselves as plaintiffs, including Dr. Ayu who was the 18th plaintiff and the said suit was struck out by High Court 3, Gboko on June 27, 2023 on the application of J.T. Injua who told the court that the said claim had been filed by the present plaintiffs’ counsel, Nongo Ordue.
Justice Igyuse agreed with the submission of Mr. Mue and accordingly dismissed the suit, describing it as “the worst form of abuse of court process.”
—Says his economic reforms ‘re anchored on ease of business, collaboration
As Nigerians continue to witness economic hardship occasioned by the removal of fuel subsidy, President Bola Tinubu on Thursday assured that with patience and determination, he will succeed.
The President said the “bitter pill” must be administered to an ailing nation and economy to build a better future for the country.
Speaking with members of the Board and Management of the Nigeria Economic Support Group, NESG, in Abuja President Tinubu reaffirmed his support for a robust public-private sector partnership to grow the economy, saying that his administration’s sustained, bold and coordinated reforms are anchored on a “strong adherence to accountability and transparency.”
The President reiterated his unequivocal resolve to fully implement the eight priority reform areas under the Renewed Hope Agenda within the next three years.
He emphasized that Nigeria is blessed with rich human and natural resources, in addition to deficit opportunities, which can quickly be leveraged into new prosperity, calling for the urgent exploitation of Nigeria’s diversity for collective gain, with an eye on new think tanks in the agricultural sector and the establishment of a commodity exchange.
According to him, “We have gone through the past. I will not look back. The focus of my horse and my race remains forward-looking. We have an abundance of knowledge and untapped mineral resources, and an agricultural sector that is God-given, but we tend to shy away from taking those gigantic steps that will result in prosperity for our people. We are not exploiting our diversity for prosperity, we are at each other’s throats, arguing about unnecessary things, instead of thinking and doing for our people. “
The President noted that he was elected on a “no excuses” platform for renewed hope and that he will not accept excuses from anyone in his government as they set out to deliver on his agenda.
“Looking backwards is retrogressive for any reformer. Looking forward can give you the leaps that will propel you in the right direction. We need think tanks in the agricultural sector. I don’t see why Nigeria will be so blessed with good soil and not have a commodity exchange. I don’t see why we have not been able to interrogate our real estate sector and propel it.
“I don’t see why we have not used consumer credit to build the purchasing power of our people and the capacity of our very own manufacturing sector,” the President assessed.
While commending the NESG for believing in the reforms of his administration, the President said the “bitter pill” must be administered to an ailing nation and economy to build a better future for the country.
“I am here and I believe we can do it together. No single person succeeds alone. The world is dynamic. We are confronted with climate change and other challenges, but somewhere in the eye of the storm, there is a quiet and peaceful corner for those who can toil well. With patience and determination, we will succeed,” the President assured.
The Chairman of NESG, Mr. Olaniyi Yusuf, welcomed the economic reforms announced by the Tinubu administration, specifically with respect to fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange rate harmonization, food security and palliatives to sub-national governments.
The NESG Chairman pledged that the NESG would work with the newly inaugurated cabinet to achieve the eight-point agenda of the administration.
“Your track record in the effective implementation of bold economic reforms as the Governor of Lagos leaves those of us in the private sector without doubt that you will achieve much greater feats as our nation’s president,” the NESG Chairman confided.
He used the occasion of the courtesy visit to formally request the President to declare open the NESG Summit in October, as well as to direct Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to partner with them and participate fully at the Summit as part of efforts to ramp up local and foreign direct investment in Nigeria.
The African Union (AU) has suspended Gabon’s membership in the wake of the coup in the Central African country.
AU’s Peace and Security Council said on Thursday evening that it strongly condemned the take-over of power by the military in Gabon, which deposed President Ali Bongo.
It suspended Gabon’s participation in all activities of the AU and its institutions “with immediate effect until constitutional order is restored in the country.”
The AU suspended Niger Republic’s membership just a few weeks ago after the military took power there at the end of July.
Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea and Sudan have also been suspended since the coups in those countries.
In Brussels, top EU diplomat Josep Borrell said the European Union “rejects any seizure of power by force in Gabon.”
“The challenges facing Gabon must be resolved in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, constitutional order and democracy,” Borrell wrote on Thursday in a statement.
“The country’s peace and prosperity, as well as regional stability, depend on it,” the statement added.
He called for “inclusive and substantive dialogue” instead of force to respect the rule of law, human rights and the will of the Gabonese people.
The military had seized power in Gabon early on Wednesday.
Officers announced on state television that state institutions had been dissolved.
They added that results of the recent election had been annulled as they were fraudulent and the country’s borders were closed.
Shortly before, the electoral authorities had declared Bongo, who had been in office since 2009, the winner of the Aug. 26 election.
Military leaders named the head of the Presidential Guard, Brice Clotaire Oligui Nguema, as the country’s interim leader on Wednesday evening.
[Vanguard]
Norway on Thursday announced it was closing its embassy in Mali, citing the “security situation” that developed after the ruling junta ordered out foreign troops helping it fight jihadists.
“The decision to close the embassy in Bamako was taken following an assessment of whether it is possible to safeguard Norwegian interests in Mali given the security situation in the country,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“Since the two military coups in 2020 and 2021, the political situation in Mali has been volatile.
“The military-led transitional government has terminated its security cooperation with France and the UN. When the UN mission ends, it will become more difficult to maintain normal diplomatic activity in the country.”
France, Mali’s former colonial power and ally in the jihadist struggle, fell out with the junta after it wove close ties with the Kremlin, bringing in paramilitaries that Paris says are Wagner mercenaries.
The 13,000-member UN peacekeeping force MINUSMA, which first deployed to Mali in 2013, is to leave the country by the end of the year at the junta’s request.
Norway’s embassy in Bamako also represents the country’s interests in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Chad.
The ministry said it was looking at options for how to replace the embassy’s role and provide substitute services during the closure.
The junta has promised to restore civilian rule after free elections that it says will be held by February 2024.
The embassy closure does not affect Norway’s aid to the Sahel, which last year amounted to more than $100 million, the ministry said.
Operatives of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) Joint Task Force Team have impounded over 400 commercial motorcycles for traffic violations in the Federal Capital City (FCC).
The seizure followed the combing of strategic spots that the okada operators use as their routes for operations, like Kpaduma II, Asokoro extension, Galadimawa by Primary School, Gudu market, Kabusa junction, and Apo mechanic.
Speaking before crushing of the impounded motorcycles at Area 1, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, Garba Haruna said the exercise was a sign that the law on the okada ban was still enforced.
“FCT residents are aware that motorcycles had been banned from entering the Federal Capital City since 2006, crushing of the okada is to show a signal that the city centre is not an area for them to operate.
“There are designated areas for them to operate, that is the suburbs of FCT, so the recalcitrant type will learn from this exercise. We don’t want to see any motorcycles in the city centre,” Haruna said.
On his part, the Director FCT Directorate of Road Traffic Services (DRTS), Abdulateef Bello said the new Minister of FC, Nyesom Wike has given the Directorate a marching order to ensure commercial motorcyclists and Keke NAPEP operators are taken off Abuja roads.
He explained that even though the DRTS has been working hard to sustain the ban on okada riders within Abuja metropolis since it was put in place in 2006, the recalcitrant operators keep returning to the roads.
According to him, the Administration had declared zero tolerance for illegal activities and would ensure the effort is sustained under the new administration.
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The Nigerian Army says bandits and some other criminals operating in the North West and North Central regions of the country are adopting some of the tactics being used by terrorists to wreck havoc in the country.
It said it was evident in their usage of the Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), which were aimed at sending shivers down the spines of law-abiding citizens, insisting that all their tactics would be deplored no matter how hard they try.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja, stated this at Army Headquarters, Abuja on Thursday while receiving the Under-Secretary-General, United Nations Office for Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov.
The Army Chief, however, said the service was ready to collaborate with the organisation to restore peace to troubled parts of the country, saying both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches would be employed to end the adversaries.
The senior military officer specifically sought the support of the UN and other organs of the organisation on the deradicalisation programme for the repentant terrorists.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, Vladimir Voronkov promised that his organisation would build Nigeria’s capacity to detect, investigate and prosecute terrorism-related offences.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has given reasons why he believes it is impossible for President Bola Tinubu to lose at the election petition tribunal.
Wike who supported Tinubu who was the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2023 presidential election said he believes God supports what they did during the election and won’t turn against them.
He added that the lawyers are also doing their work at the tribunal and he believes the outcome will not be against President Tinubu.
Naija News reports the former Rivers State Governor made the submission during an interview with Channels Television on Wednesday.
Also during the interview, Wike maintained that he and others with him did the right thing in not supporting the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the presidential election, Atiku Abubakar.
He reiterated that they did what they did in the interest of justice and fairness.
According to Wike, it is regrettable that Atiku refused to acknowledge he made a mistake and seek forgiveness before and after the elections.
Four former presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections have pleaded with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to include them in his ‘Government of National Competence’.
Naija News reports that the opposition presidential candidates met with the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday, begging for inclusion in the administration of President Tinubu.
Some of the presidential candidates who met with Ganduje at the National Secretariat of the party included those of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Action Democratic Party (ADP), National Rescue Movement )NRM) Action Peoples Party, APP, among others.
The presidential candidate of NRM, Felix Osakwe, who spoke on behalf of the Forum of Concerned Presidential Candidates, said they are for the peace and development of Nigeria, hence their refusal to challenge Tinubu’s victory at the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal (PEPT).
Recall that Tinubu, before his swearing-in as President, called for a Government of National Unity and would go beyond that to establish a ‘Government of National Competence’.
The Nigerian government has directed all international airlines to vacate the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos from October 1, 2023.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo made this known on Thursday, October 1, 2023, during a tour at the airport.
The minister who was accompanied by the Managing Director, Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria, Mr. Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, said said the move was necessary to give room for total maintenance work at the airport.
The minister maintained that the development would pave the way for airport expansion.
The minister further expressed his dismay about the airport environment that was unkept. He then issues various orders to keep the facilities clean.