The Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding of N621bn to construct 21 critical roads funded by the NNPC through tax credit.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja, Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the MoU emanates from the Executive Order 7, that ensures compliance to road infrastructure development in the country.
Fashola said, “This originated from Executive Order 7. The order we inherited from the previous administration had an expiration date and it expired. But two things, when we started there were lots of criticism but the goal is to serve Nigeria.
“This is not an order for one person; it is an order for all the Nigerian businesses. We are now seeing the oil sector steeping in fooy with over N600bn to address 21 roads that cover 1,800 kilometres.
“This is really massive; it is the first big show of confidence by NNPC. And we are even seeing them beginning to show interest in the telecom sector and we hope this will carry on as a strategic expansion of private sector interests in contributing to the development of Nigeria.”
Ahead of the yuletide celebrations, Fashola pleaded with motorists to not exceed the maximum speed limit of 100km per hour when on the highways and travelling for the Christmas and New year celebrations.
“The absolute maximum speed on the federal highways is 100km/h. It is not the minimum, it is the maximum. Motorists are not expected to exceed this speed limit when driving on highways. What this does if when that speed is maintained, when trouble comes, you would be able to put your vehicle under control.
“We appeal to you during this period, please do not exceed the speed limit of 100km/h. And drivers should desist from using their phones while driving.” he said.
Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, said the Company was pleased with the partnership with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing in funding the construction and rehabilitation of a number of roads in the country.
Kyari, who was represented by the Group General Manager Corporate Planning and Strategy of the NNPC, Umar Ajiya, said, “In our quest to participate in ending insecurity in Nigeria, we are charged with the responsibility of pointing the country to the right direction of national growth and development.
“It is on this note that we find this tax credit a very big step to support the Federal Ministry of Works in funding a number of these roads.”
Executive Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Muhammad Nami, said the agency would ensure the actualization of the 21 critical road projects.
“This came against the backdrop of the Executive Order 7, and to this effect, we would carry out these projects on the grounds made available by the executive order as well as the funding from the NNPC.”
Five children trapped inside abandoned car in Minna die
Five children have reportedly died of suffocation in an abandoned vehicle in the Albishiri area of Minna, Niger State.
The children were said to have gone missing on Sunday morning before they were found dead at 6pm on the same day.
One of the children was said to be a child of the owner of the car while another one was the child of a neighbour.
The remaining three were siblings, belonging to one Abdullahi Etsu of Etsu-tasha, from the Albishiri area.
Spokesman for the police command in Niger, Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident in a statement on Monday.
He said the children were between the ages of five and 13.
Abiodun said the children were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle in the area.
He stated, “On 21/4/2024 at about 6.30pm, based on information received at Kpakungu Div, five children of about 5-13 years of age were found trapped in a Honda Civic vehicle with Reg No. GO 778 ABC at Albishiri area of Minna,” the statement reads.
“They were found to have suffocated in the vehicle, while their bodies were later removed by the various Parents, as Police visited the scene.
“However, the owner of the vehicle was invited for questioning, as the unfortunate incident is under investigation.”
FG summons Abuja Chinese supermarket owner to tribunal over discrimination
Director of Surveillance and Investigation at the FCCPC, Boladale Adeyinka, disclosed this on Monday after sealing off the outlet.
She affirmed that the owner of the supermarket, Cindy Liu Bei, had fled before the arrival of the agency’s officials.
The FCCPC officials stormed the supermarket on Monday, April 22, 2024, barely 24 hours after the discriminatory practices of the outlet were reported on social media by Nigerians.
Four vandalised towers disrupt power supply to Gombe, Yola, Jalingo
The TCN General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, disclosed this on Monday in a statement shared on the company’s official X handle, along with pictures of the vandalised towers.
According to the statement, the TCN noted that when the 330kV transmission line tripped, its operators attempted to restore it to service but it tripped again, prompting the dispatch of TCN lines men to trace the line to detect and rectify the fault.
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It said, “While fault tracing, TCN’s engineering crew discovered that towers 288, 289, 290, and 291 were vandalised and that some tower members were carted away. Also, the towers had equally collapsed as a result of the incident. Presently, bulk power supply to Gombe, Yola, and Jalingo substations have been disrupted, affecting bulk power supply to parts of Yola and Jos Electricity Distribution Companies’ franchise areas.’’
The TCN however stated that it was trying to first backfeed Gombe through its 132kV transmission line from Bauchi and subsequently Ashaka, Potiskum, Damaturu, and Billiri/Savannah, to mitigate the effect of the incident on electricity consumers affected by the incident.
The company assured that it would do everything to ensure restoration of electricity to the affected areas, while efforts were made to reconstruct the four vandalised towers.
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