metro
FG can’t refund states money spent on federal roads now – Works Minister
FG can’t refund states money spent on federal roads now – Works Minister
The Federal government cannot refund money spent on Federal Roads by State Governments for now, says Works Minister David Umahi.
Umahi made this known on Thursday when he visited Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State in Ibadan.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Minister is on a twi-day working visit to Oyo 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.
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Umahi urged Makinde to embrace Concrete Pavement Technology in road construction projects, saying it was more durable and less expensive to 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.
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 quality of work done and other things on ground,” he said.
He further sought for more cooperation of the Oyo state government in achieving success on federal government’s projects in the state.
Responding, Makinde appreciated the minister for the visit.
Acoording to him, Umahi’s track records while governing Ebonyi speaks for itself.
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The governor said that his administration prioritised road as project that was important to 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 federal government and we awarded it to contractor immediately we secured the approval because of its important to the agri-business of the state.
“The road will be inaugurated on Sept. 15 by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo. We are not asking for 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 on road infrastructure for the development of the state.
He told the minister of his willingness to partner the federal government to dualize the Oyo state portion of the Ibadan-Abeokuta road.
The governor also informed the minister that he had agreed and his counterparts in Ogun and Lagos States to light up Lagos-Ibadan Road.
He said the road was the most busiest road in the country and that lighting the entire stretch of the road would enhance security on the road corridor.
FG can’t refund states money spent on federal roads now – Works Minister
(NAN)
metro
Cult war rages in Benue community, govt imposes curfew
Cult war rages in Benue community, govt imposes curfew
A dusk-to-dawn curfew has been imposed on Naka town, Gwer-West Headquarters, following an unprecedented rival cult clash that has resulted in the deaths of 2 members.
While justifying his action before announcing the imposition of the curfew on Thursday, May 16, 2024, the chairman of the LGA, Henry Agba, said he was left with no other option but to impose the curfew to thwart further escalation of the bloody war.
“There was a clash between rival cultists in the local government during which two persons from both sides were killed.
“As a result of that, the LGA became tense, so we had to place a night curfew to contain the situation. As of yesterday (Wednesday), movement ceased from 8 pm to 6 am, so at the moment there is a restoration of peace and normalcy,” Agba said.
Confirming the cult clash, an eyewitness who wouldn’t want his name mentioned said the crisis, which started as a minor disagreement between two young men, escalated into a full-blown cult war.
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“In the last three days, the situation became tense, gang members engaged in bloody street fights, killing two persons and injuring several others.”
“They also resorted to moving from house to house in search of members of rival gangs to attack them, despite the intervention of the police in Naka town.
“The development created tension in the town as people, particularly business owners, started feeling very unsafe, and some even locked up their shops for fear of being attacked,” he narrated.
Two rival cult groups, Black Axe and Red, have been engaging themselves in an all-out war for the past four days.
The clash took on a very dangerous dimension on Wednesday as members of the gangs were going about conducting house-to-house searches of rival cult members, resulting in heightened tension and the eventual imposition of a curfew by the council chairman.
Cult war rages in Benue community, govt imposes curfew
metro
Updated: Cameroonian, two Nigerians arrested over kidnapping
Updated: Cameroonian, two Nigerians arrested over kidnapping
The police have arrested a Cameroonian and two Nigerians in connection with multiple kidnappings.
The three-man gang was known for kidnapping unsuspecting residents in Orerokpe, Sapele and Warri axes of Delta State.
One suspect is Kaduna-based, while the others are from Kogi and Cameroun, respectively.
Their arrest came through a stint operation carried out by detectives from Force Headquarters, Abuja, and Operatives of Delta State Police Command.
Intelligence gathered on some kidnapping incidents carried out in the Warri axis pointed accusing fingers at Yakubu Ya’u, 20, a Kaduna resident who often visited Oha and Ughwagba communities in the Okpe Local Government Area of the state to kidnap for ransom.
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Led by the DPO of Orerokpe Division, DSP Paul Oboware, the detectives trailed the suspect to his hideout in Warri, where he was arrested.
Grilled, the suspect led the police operatives to two other members of the gang, Musa Yakubu, 25, from Kogi State and Abdulahi Mohammed, 38, from Cameroun.
The gang was allegedly responsible for several kidnapping incidents in Orerokpe, Sapele and Warri axes of Delta State.
Some victims of the crime duly identified the suspects who led the detectives to Ughwagba, where two pump action guns, one live cartridge and one knife buried in a bush were recovered by the police.
A statement issued by the command’s Police Public Relations Officer, SP Edafe Bright, said investigation into the matter has commenced with efforts to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang in top gear.
Updated: Cameroonian, two Nigerians arrested over kidnapping
metro
Police arrest suspected killers of Major-General, others in Imo
Police arrest suspected killers of Major-General, others in Imo
…Parade 435 suspects, rescue 13 kidnap victims
Parading the suspects including 435 others at the command’s headquarters, Owerri on Thursday, May 16, the state commissioner of police, Aboki Danjuma, said the syndicate was busted through intense intelligence gathering and sustained follow-up by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit.
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He said: “The suspects, Chukwunonso Emmanuel, Okoroigwe Goodness, and Innocent Ogu, were arrested in different locations in Imo and Anambra States. They confessed to the crime of kidnapping and murdering Major General Duru, as well as being members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) /Eastern Security Network (ESN).”
Aboki, who was represented by the police spokesman, Henry Okoye, disclosed that the police also recovered 48 different firearms, 552 various calibres of live ammunition, and several stolen vehicles from the suspects.
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