Ondo secures World Bank support for 700km rural roads.

Ondo secures World Bank support for 700km rural roads.

Ondo state government said it has secured €3.5 million and about $500,000 from the World Bank for the rapid transformation of rural communities across the state.

It said the fund included N1.5bn counterpart funding would be used to construct 700km of rural roads under Rural Access and Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank-assisted programme.

The special adviser to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Rural and Community Development, Kolawole Babatunde, disclosed this in Akure at the weekend at an interactive session with Correspondents Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Ondo State.

Babatunde, who represented Akoko South East/Akoko South West Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives between 2015-2019, said the rural roads would be constructed in phases and funded through World Bank and the state counterpart fund.

He said the state government keyed into RAAMP for ease of transporting agricultural products to prevent frequent spoilage of farm produce, abd tackle food scarcity as well as grant access for the rural parts of the state for marketing and farming activities.

 

He said: “This projects will be broken down based on the roads we are intervening in and we’ve gotten

“This is aside the N1.4 billion governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu has released as counterpart fund to us. The way it works is that the funding has to get approval of the world bank. We write to them stating the roads we are intervening in, the cost, then the world bank will give approval.

“For every action we take as directorate and agency, we get the approval of Mr Governor first. Then, it comes to us, we finetune, then it goes to the world bank.

“As counterpart fund, we’ve gotten N1.4 billion and when a state pushes such amount, you could be rest assured of what will come in as world bank intervention.

According to him, “We are not limited to the €3.5 million and the US$ 500,000, it is a pool. It depends on how we are able to fast-track our construction that will determine the number the amount we will be able to access.

“We have about 20 states in the project but it has been my prayer that we access more fund than any other state in the country so that we can have more rural roads.”

Credit: The Nation Newspaper 

Ilebaye wins BBNaija All Stars edition.

Ilebaye wins BBNaija All Stars edition.

Ilebaye Precious Odiniya, simply called Ilebaye, has won the Big Brother Naija All Stars edition.

Ilebaye was announced last night during the grand finale of the TV show which held in Lagos.

She became the third female housemate to win the grand prize after Mercy Eke and Phyna.

The 22-year-old edged out Mercy Eke, CeeC, Adekunle, Pere, and Cross, at the end of the 10-week show, winning the ?120 million cash prize.

Before she was announced winner, Big Brother asked Ilebaye and the first runner-up, Mercy Eke, to walk out of the house to the stage.

The All Stars season ended in grand style with thrilling performances by Nigerian music artistes BNXN and Skales.

The BBNaija All Stars edition was the most competitive as it paraded most of the popular former housemates from previous editions of the reality show.

It premiered on July 23 with 20 ex-housemates competing for the N120 million cash, the highest ever since the inception of BBNaija.

Pere, CeeC, Alex, Kiddwaya, Mercy, Tbaj, Angel, Neo, Alex, Cross, Seyi, Whitemoney, Uriel, Doyin, Princess, Soma, Ike, Adekunle, Venita, and Ilebaye were introduced on the first day of the show.

Four more housemates joined them as guests after the third housemate was evicted.

The guest housemates were Sholzy, Kim Oprah, Prince, and Lucy.

Credit: The Nation Newspaper 

FCTA warns owners of revoked plots of land to stay off.

FCTA warns owners of revoked plots of land to stay off.

Owners of the plots of land revoked by the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Abuja have been warned to stay away from such properties.

Anyone found tampering with the revoked land will be severely dealt with, the FCTA warned at the weekend.

Officials of Development Control Department of the FCTA, led by its Director, Muktar Galadima, foiled an attempt by owners of some of the affected properties in the Maitama District to resume development on the sites.

The team, accompanied  by security operatives, confiscated building equipment found on the sites and chased away those found on site. Others were  arrested  for profilling.

FCT  Minister Nyesom Wike  revoked no fewer than 165 plots of land in the service districts  over non -development.

The revocation order placed on the affected plots according to the minister, was due to the continuous contravention of the terms of agreements as contained in Section 28(5) (a) &(b) of the Land Use Act.

Responding to questions from reporters during the operation, Galadima said that his office got the hint that some owners of the revoked land were going back to sites, in violation of the order.

He said: “Recently, FCTA has revoked some plots for non – development and also sent his last warning on abandoned buildings since December 2022, so, it is unfortunate that those revoked properties, some people are trying to come back and work on them particularly on weekend.

“So, we  are on this operation to ensure that all the revoked plots, nobody goes back and work on them and also to use this opportunity to call on the public that any revoked properties that  somebody is trying to work on, definitely the administration will not only remove such structures but will ensure prosecution of the person involved.

“The revocation just commenced last week and then we just got information that some people wanted to go back to sites, and we have already intimated our officials to be on the watch out to make sure that nobody goes back to work, because any officials found wanting will be severly dealt with in accordance with the laid down civil service rules and regulations”.

Concerning information that some of the affected property owners may have gone to court to seek redress, he said: “I am not aware of anything like that, if at all some have gone to the court as you said, then I will live it to the court to decide, but for now I am not aware of such, and even, the decision of court have to be communicated to the administration for it to study it and decide if there is any need to review it or not.”

Credit: The Nation Newspaper 

CJN set to inaugurate 23 judges for Fed High Court.

CJN set to inaugurate 23 judges for Fed High Court.

The Supreme Court has concluded plans for the inauguration of 23 new judges for the Federal High Court.

The court’s spokesman, Dr. Festus Akande, announced that the event, which will hold on October 4, will be performed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola.

Akande also said the apex court is planning a valedictory court session on October 10 in honour of the late Justice Chima Centus Nweze.

The new High Court judges, according to Akande, include: Dipeolu Deinde Isaac (Ogun State), Ogundare Kehinde Olayiwola (Ekiti), Agbaje Olufunmilola Adetutu (Lagos), Musa Kakaki (Kaduna), Abdullahi Muhammad Dan-Ige (Sokoto), and Sharon Tanko Ishaya (Kebbi).

Others are: Salim Olasupo Ibrahim (Ogun), Yilwa Hauwa Joseph (Gombe), Wigwe-Oreh Chituru Joy (Rivers), Owoeye Alexander Oluseyi (Kogi), Anyalewa Onoja-Alapa (Benue), Amina Aliyu Mohammad (Katsina), Abiodun Jordan Adeyemi (Kwara), Hauwa Buhari (Federal Capital Territory), and Aishatu Auta Ibrahim (Borno).

Also included are: Hussaini Dadan-Garba (Bauchi), Ibrahim Ahmad Kala (Gombe), Mashkur Salisu (Zamfara), Onah Chigozie Sergius (Enugu), Egbe Raphael Joshua (Bayelsa), Ariwoola Olukayode Jnr. (Oyo), Ekerete Udofot Akpan (Akwa Ibom) and Ogazi Friday Nkemakonam (Ebonyi). 

The statement added: “A valedictory court session will be held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, in honour of the late Justice Chima Centus Nweze at the main courtroom of the Supreme Court at 10 a.m.

“As customary, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, will preside over the session which will, among other things, feature the presentation of tributes by the Hon. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chairman of the Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria, and President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), in honour of the departed jurist.

"Justice C. C. Nweze died on Saturday, July 29, 2023, in Abuja after a brief illness at the age of 64 years.

“He was sworn in as Justice of Supreme Court on October 29, 2014. He was born in Obollo, Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State on September 25, 1958.

“He attended St. John Cross Seminary, Nsukka from 1972 to 1977, emerging with a Distinction in the West African School Certificate Examination.

“He gained admission into University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus in 1979 where he graduated with a Degree in Law in 1983.

“In the same year, he represented the Law Faculty and, indeed, all Nigerian Law Faculties, at the Philip Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition in Washington DC, as the Chief Oraclist.

“His Lordship did his NYSC between 1984 and 1985 in Bauchi, after being called to the Nigerian Bar in 1984. He equally had his Doctorate Degree in Law from the same University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.”

Tinubu Approves N35,000 Provisional Wage For Federal Govt Workers.

Tinubu Approves N35,000 Provisional Wage For Federal Govt Workers.

President Bola Tinubu has approved N35,000 provisional wage award for all treasury-paid federal government workers for six months, following further consultations with the Federal Government delegation that met with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) earlier this Sunday.

 It will be recalled that at the meeting between both parties, the Federal Government pledged its commitment to fast-track the provision of Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) buses to ease public transportation difficulties associated with the removal of petrol subsidy.

The Federal Government also committed to the provision of funds for micro and small-scale enterprises as well as waivers on VAT on diesel for the next six months.

 

Furthermore, the Federal Government announced that it will commence payment of N75,000 to 15 million households at N25,000 per month for a three-month period from October to December 2023.

It has earlier reported that during the meeting, which was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Sunday, several significant agreements and commitments were reached by both parties.

A statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orietation, Mohammed Idris, said the extensive discussions led to the following resolutions:

“It was stressed that the outstanding issues can only be resolved when workers are actively engaged in their roles and not during strikes.

“Labour Unions advocated for a higher wage award, and the Federal Government Team assured that Labor’s request would be presented to President Bola Tinubu for further deliberation.

“A sub-committee will be established to work out the implementation details of all items concerning government interventions aimed at mitigating the effects of fuel subsidy removal.

“The ongoing issue between the Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Lagos State was recognized as requiring urgent attention. Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who attended virtually, pledged to resolve the matter.

“The NLC and TUC agreed to consider the offers made by the Federal Government, with a view to temporarily suspending the planned strike. This pause will allow for further consultations regarding the implementation of the resolutions mentioned above,” he stated.

The meeting, presided over by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, saw the participation of Governor Abdulrazak Abdulrahman of Kwara State, Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), and Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who also attended virtually.

Key government officials, including the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong, were present alongside the leadership of the labor unions.

Chief of Staff to the President, Gbajabiamila, speaking to State House correspondents after the meeting, expressed his gratitude to both the government and Labour representatives for their dedication to finding common ground.

The meeting, which lasted approximately four hours, delved into a multitude of concerns affecting Nigerian workers.

Gbajabiamila highlighted several agreements reached during the discussions. These agreements encompassed crucial matters such as the wage bill, committees on salary increments, and the provision of CNG buses, among others.

“A lot of issues were addressed. Issues that concern the Nigerian worker, the average Nigerian worker. I can’t begin to reel them out here.

“But I am happy to say that after four hours, we have reached certain agreements that is for the benefit of the Nigerian worker. Agreements on wage bill, agreements on committees on salary increament, CNG buses, on several other things, I believe, both TUC Labour and government side?

“Importantly, he announced that all categories of workers, regardless of their income level, would benefit from the wage bill, addressing concerns raised on social media.

“There was a lot of chatter on Twitter about the issue of low-income workers only falling into the category of the wage bill.

“They spotted that and we communicated that to Mr President and he quickly say and agreed that all categories of workers will be given the wage bill. There’s nothing like low-income, mid-income or high-income. I think that’s worthy of clarification tonight,” he said .

The Chief of Staff was optimistic about the outcome and encouraged the Labour representatives to convene meetings with their respective branches and executives to present the agreements.

He expressed hope that the strike would be called off by Tuesday, providing relief to the affected workers.

Following Gbajabiamila’s statement, NLC President Joe Ajaero echoed the sentiment that the negotiations had made substantial progress, indicating that they had reviewed government promises and were committed to translating them into practical solutions for workers.

Ajaero emphasized the need for consultation with their labor organizations, indicating that a decision to call off the strike would require approval from the relevant labor organs.

He concurred with the Chief of Staff’s hopeful outlook and described the situation as straightforward.

BUA Cement reduces ex-factory cement prices to N3,500/bag effective October 2, 2023.

BUA Cement reduces ex-factory cement prices to N3,500/bag effective October 2, 2023.

We refer to our previous pronouncements regarding our intent to reduce cement prices upon the completion of our new lines at the end of the year, in order to spur development in the building materials and infrastructure sectors.

As per the commitment made to reduce prices and following a periodic review of our operations for efficiency, the management of BUA Cement Plc wishes to announce and inform our esteemed customers, stakeholders, and the public that effective October 2, 2023, we have decided to bring the price reduction forward. As a result, BUA Cement would now be sold at an ex-factory* price of 3,500 Naira per bag so that Nigerians can begin to enjoy the benefits of the price reduction before the completion of our plants.

Upon completion of the ongoing construction of our new plants, which would increase our production volumes to 17million metric tonnes per annum, BUA Cement PLC intends to review these prices further in line with our earlier pronouncements by the first quarter of 2024.

NOTE: all pending, undelivered orders which had been paid for at the old prices will be reviewed downwards to N3500/bag in line with the new pricing from October 2, 2023. Our licensed dealers are also enjoined to ensure that end-users benefit from this reduction in ex-factory prices as we will monitor field sales to ensure compliance.

Ekiti Now An Important Factor In Nigeria's Political Enterprise, Says Oyebanji.

Ekiti Now An Important Factor In Nigeria's Political Enterprise, Says Oyebanji.

....Counts Blessings of State Creation 27 Years Ago.

.....Appeals to Labour Not to Hurt Economy With Strike.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Biodun Oyebanji, has counted many blessings that have resulted from the creation of the state 27 years ago one of which is its acknowledgement as an important factor in Nigeria.

The Governor,  in a broadcast to the people of the state to mark its creation of the state on October 1, 1996 and the 63rd Independence Anniversary of Nigeria, noted that there are abundant reasons to say that the creation of Ekiti State was justified.

Oyebanji, as a young university lecturer, served as the Secretary of the Committee for the Creation of Ekiti State, a body that included prominent traditional rulers, statesmen, captains of industry, top bureaucrats, among others, that fought for the creation of the state before the dream was realized. He expressed delight that 27 years after, the state has moved on progressively.

The Governor congratulated all Ekiti people on the 27th anniversary of the state creation and also thanked those whose toil and sweats brought it about its realization saying "As we are thankful to God for how long we have gone as a people, we also need to reflect on the unity of the past that gave us the State and the need to do even far  more to achieve more."

He expressed satisfaction that Ekiti has excelled in many aspects of Human Development Indices and has become a front-liner in education, life expectancy, access to quality healthcare services, physical infrastructure development, access to water, peace, ease of doing business, gender equality, social inclusion, among others.

While noting that Ekiti is building a formidable profile of a progressive and development-oriented State that is poised for inclusive prosperity for all, Oyebanji expressed his commitment to the dreams of the founding fathers to utilize the abundant mineral resources for its economic development.

He disclosed that his administration is already collaborating with appropriate Federal Government agencies that will invest in the exploration of the state's God-given mineral resources to create wealth, increase the internally generated revenue and realizing the share prosperity agenda of the state.

The Governor used the auspicious occasion of the double celebration to appeal to the Organized Labour to sheathe its sword and exhaust the avenue of dialogue to resolve issues around the planned indefinite strike action slated to commence on Tuesday in protest against the removal of subsidy by the administration of President Bola Tinubu which has caused hardship in the country.

Oyebanji said: "On our part, we have undertaken some interventions to cushion the impact of the subsidy removal on our people. Apart from the direct food distribution and cash transfer to the most vulnerable,  Government has also made buses available to staff and students, especially in the state capital, to ameliorate the cost of transportation. We therefore appeal to our Local Governments to replicate this in their respective Local Government Areas.

"Beyond this however, is that, the Federal Government has promised that there will be a wage review across board soonest. The good news is that, even, for those not earning salaries directly from government, with more money available for workers as more disposable income and more money for government to undertake critical infrastructure development, more jobs will be available and the circular flow of money will ensure that the current monetary challenges will give way to the envisaged shared prosperity.

"I therefore want to appeal to the organized labour movement to exercise absolute patience and dialogue in resolving the current economic challenges. We cannot afford to compound the already tensed situation by shutting down this extremely fragile economy. It will be like cutting one’s nose to spite one’s own face. Whatever may be gained thereafter will be nothing but a temporary victory which would have done an incalculable damage to the economy and which may be difficult to reverse in the immediate."

Governor Oyebanji noted that his administration acknowledge that one of the dreams of our founders is that government is a continuum and that no administration is an island from those before it stressing that the philosophy serves as the motivation for the continuation of ongoing and abandoned projects met on ground which are useful to the socioeconomic development of the state.

He explained: "For example, we have completed the Ado-Ekiti Central Bus Terminal, the Ekiti Council of Traditional Rulers’ Chamber, ten Secondary Health Facilities, major street lights, re-connection of Ekiti East, Aiyekire and some parts of Ekiti West and Ikole Local Government areas to the national grid after many years of darkness. 

"We have also undertaken new projects such as rehabilitation of many roads in Ado-Ekiti. We are continuing with the Ikole township road, just as we are rehabilitating the Ilawe-Igede, Ado-Ilawe roads, Ikere-Ilawe, Erijiyan-Ilawe roads. We are also reconstructing the Igbara-Odo-Ikogosi road among others. More projects will be captured for execution in the ongoing budget preparation exercise."

He paid tributes to all former helmsmen of the state including the late Col. Inua Bawa, Navy Capt. Atanda Yusuff, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, Chief Segun Oni, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Chief Ayodele Fayose, the late Brig.-Gen. Tunji Olurin, Rt. Hon. Tope Ademiluyi and Rt. Hon. Tunji Odeyemi for the various roles they played in the development of the state.