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Yuletide: Nigerian Govt. repairs, rehabilitates 24,000 km roads nationwide

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Yuletide: Nigerian Govt. repairs, rehabilitates 24,000 km roads nationwide

Yuletide: Nigerian Govt. repairs, rehabilitates 24,000 km roads nationwide

Federal Government says it is carrying out repairs and rehabilitation intervention on 24,000 km roads nationwide to ensure ease of traffic and movement of goods and services during the yuletide.

Mr Adedamola Kuti, the Director, Highway South-South, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, (FMWH), made this known on Friday during the Annual Public Sensitisation on Ember Months in Abuja.

The sensitisation is to highlight all the activities proposed and being undertaken by the ministry and the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) to improve the experience of road users during the yuletide season.

Kuti, giving an update on the activities of the ministry for the yuletide said the ministry had 24,000 km of major repair and rehabilitation of roads.

“We have all together 24000 km. Major repair works, major rehabilitation, and special repairs. We have at least 156 roads, totaling about N97 billion.

“We have identified them along the major alignment of A1 to A9 routes, we have specifically restricted ourselves to A1-A6; that’s the North-South bank and then the east to west.

“A1 is starting from Lagos. Supposed to start from the port, but we are starting from the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The dual carriageway starts from Oyo-Ogbomosho road.

“Working on the Warri-Benin road and continues towards Benin-Auchi road. Lokoja to Zuba and from Zuba – Kaduna-Zaria-Kano, there’s a major work going on there by Julius Berger and then off to Kano-Daura.’’

Kuti said that other roads receiving intervention are Aba-Owerri road, Aba-Umuahia up to the Enugu State border, and Makurdi – Akwanga-Lafia Road.

“And from Jos to Bauchi to Potiskum is in fairly good condition and from Potiskum to Maiduguri, already completed and commissioned.

“From Jos to Bauchi to Potiskum is in fairly good condition and from Potiskum to Maiduguri, already completed and commissioned.

“The strength between Otukpo-Otukpa- Enugu, that is bad contractors will soon be mobilised to start rehabilitation there to make room for enjoyable travel experience for those traveling through his route to the east,’’ Kuti said.

The Director Overseeing the Office of the Permanent Secretary, Mr Uzo Chukwuwike, speaking further on the efforts of the government to provide infrastructure for citizens said the government was doing all it could in that regard.

“The ministry always anticipate that there would be a massive movement of goods and services in both directions nationwide.

“We always gather like this to brief the public and road users on where we have hiccups before what we have done and what they should expect.

“We also plan to collect data so that we can get to know where they spend longer journey hours before what is their experience now so that we know.’’

Explaining the alternative funding for the roads said the SUKUK fund had brought about enhanced funding.

He said this had helped to complete two sections of the Kano-Maiduguri road which would have still been ongoing if they had relied on budget allocation.

“We also have completed the Ikom bridge, which would have been an impediment, which was affecting conveying goods from Calabar port to the northeastern part of the country.

“So far, we have got the notice from the Debt Management Office for this year’s SUKUK; we have not yet applied to them to know which project will be there.

“But it runs across the six geopolitical zones and the money would be evenly distributed to critical roads.

According to him, the tax credit scheme was based on the executive order signed by the president.

He said the scheme had been a successful model for financing road infrastructure.

On his part, Mr Umar Rafindadi, the Managing Director, FERMA said the agency had identified 17 interstate economic routes corridors for repair works of which Abuja-Keffi-Makurdi was part and contractors ready to begin work.

He added that Lagos-Shagamu, Onitsha-Asaba-Enugu-Abakaliki, Benin-Shagamu, Apapa-Oworoisoki, and Shagamu interchange in Ogun were all areas where the agency was making interventions for ease of traffic for the Yuletide.

Mr Kumven Rindom, representing the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) said FRSC had conducted a road safety audit of all the critical roads nationwide and the reports would be delivered to the ministry and all stakeholders

“All FRSC commands have been directed to cooperate and collaborate with all stakeholders to implement the presidential directive, which was conveyed from the office of the chief of staff to ease on presidential infrastructural development sites.

“We had a meeting with all the commanding officers; they have come up with their programmes on what to do to ease traffic having identified flash-prone areas and the challenges within those justifications and those areas will be given palliative treatment.

“We have also flagged off the ember months sensitisation in all the states to create awareness among the motoring populace with this we hope to have a bunch of free traffic movement.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola reiterated that the 2nd Niger Bridge would be opened to traffic to ease movement for the Yuletide from Dec. 15 to Jan. 15, 2023.

Other stakeholders in attendance that pledge their cooperation and collaboration include FRSC, the Nigerian Association of Road Transports, contractors among others

Yuletide: Nigerian Govt. repairs, rehabilitates 24,000 km roads nationwide

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

By: Michael Mike

Vice President Kashim Shettima has expressed deep grief over the passing of prominent Nigerian businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, saying the nation has lost an irreplaceable institution.

The late Dantata, an uncle of Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, passed away at the age of 94 in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Saturday in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), according to Mustapha Abdullahi Junaid, his Personal Private Secretary (PPS), who confirmed the death.

In a condolence message, Vice President Shettima praised the late businessman for his lifetime of service, describing him as “a living bridge that connected us to our past.

“We have not just lost a leader; we have lost an irreplaceable institution,” Senator Shettima said, describing Dantata as “one of the greatest titans in Nigeria’s philosophical history” whose departure marks the end of a vital chapter in the country’s economic and democratic evolution.

“In African tradition, when such an elderly person transitions, a vital chapter of our history departs with them. He was indeed among the great titans, a living bridge that connected us to our past,” VP Shettima added.

The Vice President extended heartfelt condolences to the Dantata family, expressing hopes that they would “find the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss,” even as he prayed that Almighty Allah would grant the deceased Jannatul Firdaus.

Born into the legendary Dantata family of Kano, Alhaji Aminu built on his father’s commercial legacy to become one of Nigeria’s most influential business figures. His empire spans construction, manufacturing, banking, agriculture, and the oil and gas sectors.

Beyond business, Dantata was renowned for his extensive philanthropic work, funding schools, mosques, health centres, and supporting widows and the underprivileged across Nigeria.

VP Shettima Mourns Late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, Says Nigeria Has Lost An Irreplaceable Institution

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

By: Michael Mike

The Senior Officials Meeting between Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.

A statement on Saturday by the Press Officer, EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Modestus Chukwulaka, read: “The Delegation of European Union to Nigeria and ECOWAS wishes to inform that the Senior Officials Meeting between the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the European Union (EU) will be held on Tuesday 1st and Wednesday 2nd July 2025 in Abuja.

“The agenda of the very important meeting is to prepare for the upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting and to explore areas of cooperation.”

According to the statement, the Senior Officials Meeting will be co-chaired by the Regions, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nigeria, Ambassador Janet Olisa, Director, and the Deputy Managing Director for Africa Department, European External Action Service, European Union, Mr Mathieu Briens.

The statement revealed that the agenda of the meeting is expected to entail wide-ranging discussions that would focus on various aspects of the Nigeria – EU partnership, such as: Cooperation on multilateral and regional issues; Peace, Security and Governance; Humanitarian situation; Trade and Investment; Human Development: Health, Education, Social Protection; Science, technology, innovation and digital transition; Migration; Energy, climate change and green economy transition among others.

Nigeria and the European Union share a deep, long-standing partnership inspired by mutual values and interests as well as support for multilateralism and rule-based international order, the statement said.

Nigeria-EU Senior Officials Meet in Abuja to Prepare for Upcoming Nigeria – EU Ministerial Meeting

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People


…. Donates relief materials to displaced persons in Yelwata, IDP camp

By: Michael Mike

Former Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Mrs. Farida Waziri has charged former governors, legislators, traditional rulers and other stakeholders in Benue state to set aside rivalry, unite and act with urgency to save their people from incessant attacks and killings.

Waziri, a retired Assistant Inspector General of Police and Principal Partner, Brookfield Chambers Abuja stated this on Saturday 28th June 2025 while donating relief materials to victims of the recent gunmen attacks in Yelwata community and displaced persons at the internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Makurdi, the Benue state capital.

Some of the items donated under the banner of Women, Youth, Children and Crime Organisation (WYCCO), a non-governmental organization founded by her, include: bags of rice, sugar, tubers of yam and other household items.

She said: “This is no time for division. It is no time for political squabbling or ego-driven manoeuvring. Among us are men and women who have led this state — former governors, legislators, traditional rulers — individuals with influence and authority. The time has come to set aside our differences and stand united, for the sake of the ordinary Benue man, woman, and child.

“That is why I stand here today to make this urgent and heartfelt appeal to our leaders: cast aside rivalry, unite, and act. Act with urgency. Act with purpose. Because what we face now increasingly resembles a deliberate, coordinated effort to erase our people and our heritage.

“We must take heed of the words of Sir Winston Churchill, who once said:
‘Our difficulties and dangers will not be removed by closing our eyes to them.’
Another of Churchill’s warnings is just as relevant to our present predicament:
‘If you will not fight for right when you can easily win without bloodshed… you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all odds against you and only a precarious chance of survival.”

Waziri, while stating that her call was a build up to the earlier proposal by President Bola Tinubu during his recent visit Beforehand Benue, noted that meetings alone would not solve the problem, urging that: “But let us be sincere: peace will not come from meetings alone. To end the cycle of violence, we must confront its roots. Before the Yelwata massacre, communities in Gwer West, Apa, and Guma had already endured weeks of killings, kidnappings, and raids. These horrors did not emerge in a vacuum; they are symptoms of deeper issues.

“We must therefore confront the real causes — ethnic and religious tensions, unchecked banditry, and the rise of cultism as well as the abuse of illicit drugs. These forces must be tackled, along with the herder-farmer conflict, with honesty and courage. We cannot afford to keep going in circles. And there is no room for blame games. Our leaders — and indeed, all of us — must be pragmatic. So today, let us commit, as one people, to healing our wounds, reclaiming our land, and ensuring that never again will a child in Benue grow up in a camp instead of a home”

She said the development in Benue must be of “concern to all sons and daughters of Benue regardless of whether we live within its borders or far away in the diaspora to find out the root cause of these attacks with a view to proferring solutions that will bring an end to these barbaric acts”

Farida Waziri Tasks Benue Leaders to Unite, Act and Save Their People

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