Sanwo-Olu, Fashola seek support for proposed 4th Mainland Bridge – Newstrends
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Sanwo-Olu, Fashola seek support for proposed 4th Mainland Bridge

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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appealed for cooperation from Lagos residents and all other stakeholders toward the successful execution of the proposed 4th Mainland Bridge in the state.

Represented by his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, the governor made the appeal on Tuesday during a maiden stakeholders meeting on the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment for the Lagos 4th Mainland Bridge in Ikeja.
Sanwo-Olu said, “There is a need to review and evaluate the gains we have made so far, assess the bottlenecks we have encountered and recommend necessary steps towards achieving our desired objective, that is the delivery of the 4th Mainland Bridge.

“It is instructive to note that the commencement of the project will be another undeniably flagship project of this administration.

“We must therefore use this stakeholders meeting to consult amongst ourselves as we take steps to remove all the bottlenecks that may impede the delivery of the bridge.

“All the components of Lagos mobility must be considered.”

According to him, the proposed 4th Mainland bridge project has been well integrated into the overall Lagos Master Plan in relation to transportation infrastructure and will boost the economy of the state.

“The project allows for the first time direct access from the large suburb of Ikorodu to the Island and the Lekki Free Trade Zone area,” he said.

Sanwo-Olu said the meeting, which would be replicated in various local government areas where the project would be extended, was expected to boost the acceptability and implementation ratings of the bridge.

The governor recalled that the 4th mainland bridge project was conceived 15 years ago to complement the existing 3rd Mainland Bridge in addressing the transportation needs of the growing population.

Sanwo-Olu explained that government was working with other agencies and the private sector and had also appointed a dedicated advisory team, including KPMG Nigeria, to handle the financial aspects.

He added that Olaniwun Ajayi and AEC-Rendel were to handle the legal and technical areas respectively.
Sanwo-Olu said the team evolved strategies working through various stages of selecting a consortium to deliver the project, which was at the sixth and final stage for construction to begin.

The governor said in order to proceed to the next phase of the process, six consortia were selected, including Mota-Engil/CCCC Consortium and Power China International Group Limited/Power Construction Corporation of China.

Others are China State Construction Engineering Corporation Nigeria Limited, CGGC/CGC Consortium, CCECC/CCRICG Consortium and ICICTAS Insaat San ve Tic ASIConds INds and Trade Corp.
Sanwo-Olu explained that the various stages of negotiation and construction would be handled by different layers of experts, giving opportunity for replacement of under performing preferred bidders in the six categories on the project.

In his remarks, the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, assured Lagos residents of his “unalloyed support toward the construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge”.

He noted that the bridge would create job opportunities, both direct and indirect, for the people of Lagos and its neighbouring states.

He said, “It will empower a lot of its citizens and a lot of businesses will blossom.

“Currently, the 6 October Bridge, Cairo, Egypt, which measures 20.5km, holds the continent’s length-crown.

“When completed, the Fourth Mainland Bridge will be the longest in Africa.”’

Giving a brief of the project, Dr Peter Agunbiade of Advance Engineering Consultants said the project was redesigned to reduce the length of the bridge, travel time and number of houses to be demolished on the alignment of the construction.

According to him, the project is now a 37.4km freeway, subdivided into three sections, namely: Island Section, Lagoon Section and Mainland Section.

He said, “It starts at the Abraham Adesanya Roundabout in Lekki, where a free flow interchange will be constructed, as well as some traffic flow alterations to the existing Lekki-Epe Expressway so as to maintain traffic movements during construction.

“The freeway then proceeds north, toward the lagoon, passing through Ajah and Langbasa areas, crossing the Addo Badore Road, before arriving at the lagoon shoreline.

“The road crosses the lagoon via a 4.5km lagoon bridge and land between Bayeiku and Ijede villages.

“It continues northward, passing through the Ikorodu/Epe and Ikorodu/Sagamu expressways and then continue and turns northwest, within Ikorodu suburbs toward Isawo Road.

“The freeway continues west, where it briefly enters and exits Ogun State toward the Lagos-Ibadan expressway, where it will interfaces with the federal highway.”

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NCC extends NIN-SIM linkage deadline

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NCC extends NIN-SIM linkage deadline

The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has extended the deadline for the the second phase of SIM-NIN linkage.

Recall that the process to disconnect SIMs not linked to NIN was initiated in stages, with the second phase slated for today, March 29.

The first phase was on February 28, 2024, after NCC directed telecom operators to disconnect millions of subscribers who didn’t link their SIMs to their NINs.

The third phase is slated to commence on April 15, 2024, as previously announced by NCC in December, 2023.

However, the National Association of Telecommunications Subscribers (NATCOMS) said subscriber have been having difficulty linking their SIMs with their NINs, hence it would be unfair to bar them.

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NATCOMS’ President, Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, therefore, appealed to the NCC extend the deadline scheduled for the disconnection of telephone lines not linked to NIN beyond Friday, March 29, 2024.

Meanwhile, a senior official of NCC said the commission had changed the second phase deadline.

He disclosed that the change, which will now see the deadline extended by one week, was necessitated by the Easter public holiday.

The official, who spoke in confidence with Daily Trust, said the telcos had been directed not to bar any subscriber until after one week, from Friday, March 29.

He explained that, “The telecom operators will not bar any subscriber yet. We will only be talking about barring after a week from tomorrow. Yes, technically, we can say the deadline has been extended by a week.”

Another NCC top staff member who corroborated what the first official told our reporter added that NCC yielded to appeals by some CSOs and telecom right groups calling for deadline extension because of internet glitches experienced in the country two weeks ago

NCC extends NIN-SIM linkage deadline

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30,000 students benefit from Ogun Educash transfer

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Gov. Dapo Abiodun

30,000 students benefit from Ogun Educash transfer

Ogun State said has said 20,000 of its students in tertiary institutions have benefited from Educash transfer of N50,000 to cushion the economic crisis.

Also, it said 10,000 indigent pupils in primary and secondary schools in the state got N10,000 cash transfer.

Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Prof. Abayomi Arigbabu, spoke after monitoring the cash transfer to primary and secondary schools at Ogun West Senatorial District.

Arigbabu noted more would benefit from the scheme.

He said everyone captured would be paid.

“I can tell you that for the tertiary institutions, we have done 20,000 as at today, and the total for tertiary institution beneficiaries is a little bit less than 50,000. Hopefully, by end of next week, we will reach half of that, which is about 25,000 beneficiaries.

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“I want to assure those who have not received theirs, for instance, Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU), a list of a little bit over 12,000 was sent to us. As we speak, we have paid just a little less than 6,000. The same thing at Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), where we have a little bit less than 8,000. We have tried to make sure we are targeting between 45 to 50 per cent,” he said.

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Binance Executive drags NSA, EFCC to court, demands public apology

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Binance Executive drags NSA, EFCC to court, demands public apology

Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan has taken legal action against National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), alleging violations of his fundamental rights.

In a filing dated March 18 and presented by his lawyer Olujoke Aliyu from Aluko and Oyebode Law Firm, Gambaryan sought redress before Justice Inyang Ekwo, requesting five reliefs.

Similarly, Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager who escaped custody on March 22, initiated a separate suit before Justice Ekwo.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Gambaryan and Anjarwalla, in the suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24 and FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24, had sued the Office of NSA (ONSA) and EFCC as 1st and 2nd respondents.

Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, alleged that his detention and the confiscation of his international travel passport violated Section 35 (1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, constituting a breach of his fundamental right to personal liberty.

He further requested the court to order his immediate release and the return of his passport. Additionally, he sought an injunction preventing further detention related to any Binance investigations and demanded a public apology from the respondents, along with costs incurred.

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Gambaryan stated that he visited Nigeria on February 26 alongside Nadeem Anjarwalla, representing Binance, in response to invitations from ONSA and EFCC. Despite attending the meeting as requested, both were detained afterward without formal charges.

During the court proceedings, T.J. Krukrubo, SAN, representing Anjarwalla and Gambaryan, informed the court of the respondents’ absence despite being served. Krukrubo also mentioned their notice of withdrawal of legal representation for Anjarwalla, filed on March 26.

Justice Ekwo noted the withdrawal of legal representation and adjourned the matter to April 8 to allow the applicants to seek new representation and give the respondents an opportunity to appear.

In Gambaryan’s case, Krukrubo stated that although the processes were served on ONSA and EFCC, they still had time to respond. He requested an adjournment, indicating that the respondents’ deadline to file their applications would expire the following week.

Consequently, Justice Ekwo scheduled the next hearing for April 8 to continue proceedings.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government will arraign Binance Holdings Limited and its two top officials, Tigran Gambaryan and the fleeing Nadeem Anjarwalla, on April 4 on allegations bordering on tax evasion.

Binance, Gambaryan, and Anjarwalla, listed as 1st to 3rd defendants respectively, are expected to be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of a Federal High Court (FHC), Abuja on a four-count charge.

Anjarwalla, who had been in detention alongside Gambaryan, was said to have escaped from lawful custody. He escaped on Friday from the Abuja guest house where he and his colleague were detained.

Binance Executive drags NSA, EFCC to court, demands public apology

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