News
Fourth Mainland Bridge cost reviewed to $2.5bn
Construction of the proposed fourth mainland bridge will now cost $2.5 billion, Director-General, Office of Public Private Partnership (PPP) Ope George has said.
The government in September 2020 said the construction would cost $2.2 billion.
George addressed reporters as part of activities to mark the second year in office of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The 38km bridge is expected to connect Lagos Island through Lekki, Langbasa and Baiyeku towns and across Lagos Lagoon to Itamaga in Ikorodu.
It is expected to be the longest bridge in Africa.
George said: “The preferred bidder, of the six bidders who tendered their bids, will be determined in October.
“The project will be funded under PPP and is presently undergoing technical processes to eliminate glitches.
“The state is at a critical point where glitches have been identified and are being addressed to finalise processes so the project can start.”
George stressed the state would continue to ensure a friendly environment for private sector engagement to thrive in partnership with the government to drive development.
According to him, some iconic projects funded under PPP arrangements are Ilubirin Estate, a public foreshore housing project being built on reclaimed land in Ikoyi Island at the foot of the third mainland bridge, facing the Lagos Lagoon waterfront.
George added: “Also on housing, are the development of luxury apartments at GRA Ikeja, to replace the Old Lagos secretariat with multipurpose apartments on 6,2894Sqm, FBT Coral Estate Limited, a PPP arrangement to reclaim 775,120Sqm of land for the proposed mixed use development; provision of cloud infrastructure and web portal for online gathering and registration of real estate agents and transaction — landlord technologies — to regulate the real estate sector.
“There is also the proposed ring road which is expected to provide alternative traffic resources from Lekki to Ikorodu, Ikeja to Ajah, relieving the third mainland bridge of its overstretched capacity. It is a four-lane carriageway, cross-sectional road with permission for Bus Rapid Transit, BRT lane and future road construction.”
News
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has directed the immediate freezing of all state-owned bank accounts.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Fred Itua, the governor stated that the accounts would remain frozen until further notice.
He instructed commercial banks, ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) to comply with the order immediately or face severe consequences.
The statement reads: “All state bank accounts with commercial banks have been frozen. Commercial banks must comply with this order and ensure that not a single naira is withdrawn from government coffers until further notice.
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“Heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies must ensure full compliance without delay.
“Following necessary investigations and reconciliations, the governor will take appropriate action and decide on the way forward. For now, this order remains in effect.”
Okpebholo also directed relevant agencies to revert the name of the Ministry of Roads and Bridges to its previous title, the Ministry of Works, a change made during the Godwin Obaseki administration.
“It is odd to name a government institution the Ministry of Roads and Bridges, especially when not a single bridge was built by the previous administration — not even a pedestrian bridge.
“In the coming days, we will examine further actions taken by the previous administration and make decisions that serve the best interests of the state,” the statement added.
Edo Gov Okpebholo freezes govt accounts, reverses ministry’s name
News
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
Prominent Islamic scholar Dr. Ahmad Mahmud Gumi has criticized the widely discussed two-state solution for the Israel-Palestine conflict, calling it a “deception.”
His remarks followed a recent summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in Riyadh, where President Bola Tinubu and other leaders condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza and urged an end to hostilities.
In an interview with Daily Trust at his Kaduna residence, Gumi argued, “This Two-State Solution is a deception. No Israeli will allow a Palestinian to survive, and Palestinians will never allow Israel to survive.
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The only solution is to dissolve the two states and create a democratically electable region.”
Gumi commended the OIC’s support for Palestine, noting that Muslims and Arabs worldwide increasingly see the treatment of Palestinians as “genocide” and accuse Israel of human rights abuses.
He also called for a return to the pre-1948 structure, where Palestinians, Jews, and Christians lived together, suggesting a single, inclusive state that allows peaceful coexistence.
“When I hear people talking about Two-State Solutions, I know they are just deceiving themselves,” Gumi added, advocating for a unified region where people of all faiths can live together, similar to the multi-faith coexistence seen in countries like the United States.
Israel-Palestinian conflict: Two-state solution is a deception, says Gumi
News
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
The Labour Party candidature of Olusola Ebiseni for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Ondo State has been nullified.
The nullification follows the sacking of Ebiseni by the Court of Appeal, sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday.
The governorship election of the southwest State will hold on Saturday, 16 November 2024.
The judgement disqualifying Ebiseni was unanimously delivered by the three members of the panel and read out by the chairman of the panel, Justice Adebukola Banjoko.
The judgment granted the prayer of the Labour Party who preferred the case against Ebiseni.
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Justice Banjoko held that, “the appeal marked CA/ABJ/CV/1172/2024 brought by the Labour Party against Chief Olusola Ebiseni and two others is allowed.”
Justice Banjoko further stated that the Certified True Copy of the judgment would be provided to the parties involved in the appeal as soon as possible for their review.
Recall that Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja had ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to accept and recognize Olusola Ebiseni and Ezekiel Awude as the Labour Party’s governorship and deputy governorship candidates for the November 16 Ondo State governorship elections.
Justice Nwite confirmed that the second primary election conducted by the Labour Party, which resulted in Ebiseni and Awude being selected as candidates, was valid and should be upheld by INEC.
However, the appellate court has now overturned the judgment of the trial court’s judgment.
Court sacks Ondo LP candidate, two days to governorship poll
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