News
Auto Crash Claims 13 On Benin-Ore Road
No fewer than 13 passengers died in a motor accident on the Benin-Ore road, the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) confirmed yesterday.
In a statement issued by Deputy Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem, the commission stated that the accident happened at kilometre 53, before Ohosun town, zone 5.12 toll gate unit command in Edo State at 7.45 a.m yesterday.
Kazeem said the accident, which involved two vehicles, was caused by the driver of the Anambra Mass Transit Toyota Hiace bus, with registration number YB 610 EPE (Lagos), who for no reason, drove against traffic on the Benin-Ore lane.
The driver faced an oncoming Iveco truck descending a slope, resulting in head-on collision.
The bus was coming from Lagos carrying traders dealing in electronics and 13 out of the passengers in the bus died, while three people survived including the truck driver.
The victims, according to FRSC, have been taken to Shiloh Hospital, Ugbogui in Edo for treatment while corpses were deposited at the mortuary of the same hospital.
The commission said the obstruction caused as a result of the accident had been promptly cleared.
The Tide recalls that in the last 11 months, countless auto accidents have claimed hundreds of lives on the Benin-Ore Expressway.
For instance, on March 15, 2012, a middle-aged man, simply identified as “Nasco,” died in a multiple auto crashes on Kobape-Siun-Sagamu Expressway.
Thirteen soldiers were also injured in the accident.
Also, two persons were confirmed dead in multiple accidents that occurred on the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway, leaving many others injured.
The accident on the Kobape-Siun-Sagamu Expressway, The Tide learnt, occurred around 1.00 p.m, when a white Toyota Hiace, marked LAGOS CG 415 FKJ veered off its lane as a result of burst tyre and rammed into a truck with registration number OGUN XA 170 ABG and a Prado Jeep marked LAGOS EJ 57 LND.
The truck driver, who was conveying medical materials from Abeokuta to Ibiade in Ogun waterside area of the state, lost his life on the spot, while his body was still trapped in the vehicle.
The injured soldiers were taken to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Idi-Ada, Abeokuta, for medical attention.
The accident on the Sagamu-Ore-Benin Expressway, it was gathered, happened in front of Astok Petroleum, Ijebu-Ode, some few kilometres to the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED).
On Monday, January 23, 2012, 19 persons were burnt to death in an auto crash involving a commercial bus and a trailer along the Sagamu-Benin Expressway. The drivers of the two vehicles also died in the crash while four others in critical condition, were admitted at the Ore General Hospital.
On December 2, 2011, no fewer than 19 persons were killed in an auto crash, along Benin-Ore road as a diesel tanker collided with a commercial vehicle, killing all the passengers except one.
The bus, belonging to Hope Express Transport Company, was carrying 19 persons. It reportedly took off from Lagos, heading to the South-East when the accident occurred. Only one of the passengers survived and was rushed to a hospital in Benin City.
In a related development, few kilometres away from the scene, there was another ghantly accident involving a trailer and a Mercedes Benz car, which left property worth several thousands of naira destroyed.
Eyewitnesses at the scene of the accident claimed that serious cases of injury were recorded as the Mercedes car was terribly damaged.
On October 24, 2011, 11 persons died in an accident involving a luxury bus and an 18-seater commercial bus at Ore on the Benin-Ore highway.
The recklessness of the luxury bus driver, alleged to be driving against traffic on a portion of the road, reportedly caused the accident, which occurred at about 10.00a.m.
On September 14,2011, talented Nigerian musician, Nwaozo Obiajulu (a.k.a) MC Loph died in a tragic car accident along the often neglected Benin-Ore Expressway.
Mr Obiajulu was travelling to Enugu State for his traditional wedding ceremony along with his fiancée who reportedly died with him.
MC Loph popularised the song Osondi-Owendi, as a tribute song to the late highlife musician, Osita Osadebe.
The Nigerian music community are reacting to the news. Sound Sultan, a close friend and collaborator of MC Loph currently vacationing in the US said, “It is just so sad, it is not easy to lose someone like that. I worked with him in 2010 and we collaborated on a song with thirteen other artists for the World Cup. We were also very close friends.”
Nelson Chukwudi with Agency Report
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.