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Umahi: Phase 1 of Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway to be completed next year
Engr. David Umahi, the Minister of Works, has disclosed that the first phase of 47 kilometres (km) of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be completed in May 2025.
Umahi stated this while holding a meeting with directors of the ministry and some contractors on Tuesday in Abuja.
He said there was no truth on insinuations that work has stopped on the project site, adding that the federal government had so far disbursed a total sum of N10 billion as compensation to property owners affected by the demolition necessary for the construction of the Highway.
The Minister said the ministry had reduced the project’s size from ten lanes to six as a cost-saving measure for the legacy project.
“Some people have been writing that we have stopped the project. No project is stopped. As we are talking now, over four kilometres of concrete road has been completed on six lanes.
“We had to establish a new path due to complaints made by MTN on its subsea cable and Okuaja community, we had to reroute not to the new alignment, not to the gazetted alignment but far away from the two, and we came back to a new alignment at kilometre 25.
“So the work is going and it is moving smoothly. We have paid the total compensation of close to N10 billion. we are not owing and the contractor is highly commended for a very beautiful job, commitment and being very reasonable.
“These projects are investments, and they have inherent returns. By May 29, 2025, we will have completed section one of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal highway.
“Apart from the land, we are going to acquire for tourism, factories and industries, when we tow the road within ten years, we would recover the cost of the money so it is an investment,” the Minister said.
Umahi, however, lamented that most contractors don’t have the required personnel and equipment to execute the job, hence they will resort to delay tactics to keep getting easy money from the ministry using the variation of price.
Hinting the contractors that variations in contract prices would no longer be entertained, especially when the project has not been reviewed, Umahi noted that “the government can’t keep giving out different prices for similar projects.”
The Minister said the new policies being introduced are necessitated by the current economic realities of the country, especially considering the paucity of fund and the plethora of demands from other sectors of the economy on the federal government which must be met also.
He warned that in as much as the government will do all its best in funding the projects amidst the fund crunch, any unnecessary delays by contractors in mobilising to site or executing project will not be acceptable.
News
Breaking: Court of Appeal rules in favour of Turaki -led PDP candidate for Osun governorship election
The Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, on Thursday, ruled that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Gubernatorial Candidate in Osun State was validly nominated by the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee.
The court also ordered INEC to list the PDP logo on the ballot ahead of Saturday’s gubernatorial election.
The Court held that access code is neither a creation of the Constitution nor the Electoral Act; rather, a creation of INEC’s guidelines and cannot, in any way, override the provisions of the Constitution.
Section 288 of the Constitution does not specify the method for nominating candidates; it only states that the names of candidates should be forwarded to the Commission.
The court further held that the defendant (INEC) should take steps to include the name of the appellant on the ballot paper.
Additionally, the court ruled that the primary election conducted by the Tanimu Turaki-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP was a valid primary election in law.
The three-man panel of justices—Justice Mahmud, Justice Jaro, and Justice Ankawere, was unanimous in its judgment.
News
Breaking: NHRC sets up situation room to monitor and document hate speech, intimidation, threat to life ahead 2027
The national Human Rights Commission, NHRC, has set up a situation room to monitor and document all incidences of hate speech, intimidation and threat to life by politicians and other actors ahead of the 2027 general election.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concerns over rising incidences of hate speech, intimidation and outright threat to life by highly placed individuals, especially politicians and religious leaders.
The Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chef Tony Ojukwu, SAN, revealed this on Thursday in Abuja at a press conference.
He said the situation room would enable the Commission harvest data, analysis and document persons, agencies and others involved in the negative statements in order to ensure they are properly tracked and brought to book by relevant agencies.
Ojukwu also took journalists on a tour of the newly set up situation room.
Details later…..
News
Breaking: NHRC expresses concern over rising incidences of hate speech, threat to life ahead 2027 elections
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has expressed concerns over rising incidences of hate speech, intimidation and outright threat to life by highly placed individuals, especially politicians and religious leaders.
At a press conference in Abuja Thursday, the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Chef Tony Ojukwu, SAN, recalled statements credited to Senator Francis Fadahunsi and Sheikh Yahya Jingir and described the das dangerous with capacity to set the nation ablaze.
He called on politicians, religious and traditional rulers, among other stakeholders to call their supporters and faithful to orders.
He urged government to act before rhetorics turn to violence, saying the forthcoming election in Osun State should serve as example of Nigeria’s capacity to conduct political contest in compliance with international best practices.
Details later…..
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