Headlines

Tinubu to inaugurate Sokoto-Badagry coastal highway construction in August

Published

7 months ago

July 4, 2024

President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to inaugurate the construction work of the 1000-km Sokoto-Badagry Coastal Highway in August.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi disclosed this during a stakeholders engagement on the project in Birnin Kebbi.

Umahi said that he was directed by the president to come to Kebbi with some ministers and members of the National Assembly to unveil the scope of the project.

“The project is the old West African Trade Route, and the processes for the commencement of the construction of the 1000km six-lane super highway are in progress.

“Kebbi State has the lion’s share of the project, the first phase of construction will start here covering three lanes on each side of the road.

“120 kilometres section of the road lay in Sokoto State while 258 kilometres passes through Kebbi State, which is the largest beneficiary in the country.

“The super highway extends to Illela border town with Niger Republic in Sokoto State and down to Badagry in Lagos state,” he said.

The Minister added: “The Sokoto – Badagry corridor boasts of 53 dams that would be developed for Agriculture and electricity and serve as trade routes with other African countries.

“The super highway like the Lagos – Calabar Coastal Highway, is an investment venture for Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

“There are lots of benefits, security, tourism, smooth transportation and industrial growth”.

Umahi also spoke on the construction of the 55km Gadar Zaima – Zuru road in Kebbi of which only six kilometres had been repaired.

According to him, though the road is an NNPC project, the progress of work has not been good.

“I have invited the contractor to Abuja for an explanation, it has been the behaviour of International contractors to abandon work after collecting payment, and we will no longer tolerate this unbecoming attitude.

“Any contractor who is given a project but cannot do it, the federal government will revoke the contract and re-award it to another company, we want to encourage our local contractors,” he said.

The minister explained that the government was also looking into the 87 km Koko – Mahuta – Dabai road of which only six kilometres were reconstructed.

“I have the power to revoke the contract, Gov. Nasir Idris recommended revoking the work and allowing the Kebbi government to carry out the work and seek reimbursement.

“The governor can lobby the President to seek for refund, you are dear to him,” Umahi said.

The minister said the federal government was also not happy about the pace of work on the Malando–Warrah road, explaining that appropriate action would be applied as a remedy.

(NAN)

Headlines

Kano inaugurates 14-member committee to review education policies

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

The Kano State Government has inaugurated a 14-member committee tasked with reviewing existing education policies in the state.

Inaugurating the committee on Thursday in Kano, the Commissioner for Education, Dr Ali Makoda, said that the committee was constituted by the Kano State Executive Council to assess the state’s education policies.

“This committee was originally scheduled to be inaugurated by the governor, but due to prior engagements, he has delegated the responsibility to me so that we can begin our work immediately,” Makoda stated.

The Commissioner outlined the committee’s terms of reference, which include reviewing the four existing education policies in the state to assess whether they align with the cultural and religious beliefs of the people.

“Evaluating the feasibility of implementing the policies, and making recommendations to strengthen the state’s education system.”

He noted that the four policies to be reviewed include the Kano State Girls’ Education Policy, Kano State Gender Equity and Social Inclusion Policy, Kano State Non-State School Policy, and Kano State Teacher Development Policy.

Makoda announced that the committee has been given three weeks to submit its report, and urged the members to leverage their expertise to produce recommendations that would enhance the state’s education sector.

In his response, the committee chairman, Malam Abdullahi Dutse, assured the commissioner of the committee’s commitment to work collaboratively to meet the expectations placed on them.

“Considering the diverse expertise of the committee members, I believe the government has selected individuals with the right skills to address the challenges facing education in the state. We will work diligently to provide the necessary report,” he said.

The committee’s members include Malam Abdullahi Dutse (Chairman), Prof Abdallah Uba -Adamu, Habibu Dan Almajiri, Alhaji Danlami Garba, Kano State Commissioner for Women, Children, and Disabled Affairs Hajiya Amina Abdullahi, and Isa Ahmad.

Other members are Prof Tijjani Naniya, Malam Kabiru Hanga, Munzali Mustapha, Prof Auwal Halliru Arzai, and Dr Bashir Aliyu -Umar.

The remaining include the representatives of the Emirate Council and Civil Society Organizations, and Ibrahim Bawa, Director of Archives and Publications, who will serve as Secretary of the committee.

Headlines

U.S commends Nigeria over Galactica funds repatriation efforts

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

The U.S. Deputy-Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, has extolled Nigeria’s partnership in the successful repatriation of funds linked to forfeited luxury real estate and Galactica Star Superyacht. (more…)

Headlines

Tinubu congratulates Nigerian scientists, engineers on making Biden’s honour list

Published

2 days ago

January 16, 2025

Saadatu Sahabo

Tinubu commiserates with Rashidi Ladoja over wife’s death

President Bola Tinubu has congratulated six Nigerians named by President Joe Biden among the 400 recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE) in the United States.

This recognition, established by former President Bill Clinton in 1996, is the highest honour bestowed by the United States government on outstanding scientists and engineers in the early stages of their careers.

This year’s awardees, announced by Biden on Jan. 14, are employed or funded by 14 participating United States government agencies, Mr Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

The Nigerian honourees include Azeez Butali, Gilbert Lilly Endowed Professor of Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Iowa; and Ijeoma Opara, Associate Professor of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Sciences), Yale School of Public Health, Yale University.

Others are: Oluwatomi Akindele, Postdoctoral researcher at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; and Eno Ebong, Associate Professor of Chemical Engineering, Bioengineering, and Biology at Northeastern University;

The rest are: Oluwasanmi Koyejo, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University; and Abidemi Ajiboye, Executive vice Chair of the Case School of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Case Western Reserve University.

Tinubu commended the awardees for their achievements in science, technology and engineering.

He noted that recognising the talents of the awardees underscored Nigerians’ vast potential to excel both at home and on the global stage.

Tinubu looked forward to the honourees sharing their multidisciplinary expertise to benefit Nigeria’s development efforts under the Renewed Hope Agenda. (more…)