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FG Recommits To Road Infrastructure Dev
The Federal Government has listed road infrastructural development in the South-West zone and other zones in the country as its topmost priority.
The South-West Director of Highways, Federal Ministry of Works and Housing, Mr. Adedamola Kuti, made the disclosure while addressing newsmen at the end of a two-day inspection tour of ongoing Federal Government road projects in Oyo State on Monday.
The director, who was accompanied by the Oyo State Controller of Works, in the ministry, Mr. Kayode Ibrahim, said it was the policy of the Federal Government to complete all the road projects soonest.
He said completion of the road projects would link up the various sections of the country and make vehicular movement smooth, adding that the present administration is much committed to infrastructure development He noted that there were infrastructural projects going on everywhere across the nation, stressing that virtually every where in the country has one ongoing project or the other.
Kuti said Nigerians were happy with the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s giant strides in massive road construction/rehabilitation projects across the length and breathe of the country.
The director admitted scarcity of funds, saying: “every project has funding challenge but government is trying its best to ensure that all its projects are funded, to encourage contractors that are committed.
“Government is trying to raise money here and there, for some of its projects, result of part of the money raising is what we are seeing.
“Is not for government to borrow money and people won’t see what they have used it for, this is part of what they are using it for.”
He urged the media to do more in letting Nigerians at large know about the infastructural development projects being carried out by the present administration.
The director and his team, inspected the 52-kilometer Oyo-Ogbomosho Highway, Liberty Stadium Road Ibadan, construction of bridge across Ogun river at Km 37 Maya – Iseyin Road and 28.65km Okeho -Iseyin Road.
Kuti, who said the tour was a continuation of an inspection of projects in South-West zone, expressed satisfaction with the performance of the contractors handling the respective projects.
“So far so good we are happy with what we have seen. The Liberty Road project is special repairs in the township, no serious work has started there, they’re just working on the drainage structures.
“At Maya- Iseyin Road, the bridge is already in place, though the contractor – Preconsmith Construction Limited, was not on site, but we are impressed with the ongoing work there.
“On Iseyin-Okeho 28.65km road, handling by indigenous contractor, HMF Construction Ltd, the project is barely six months old and we have seen the level of completion within this short time.
“I’m very impressed that within six months, he has worked to appreciable level, unlike some contractors that would still be struggling to mobilise to site.
“The people of Oke-Ogun in Oyo State are seeing the impact of government, by these projects, nobody will complain of abandonment, here is a border town – Nigeria share a boundary with the Republic of Benin, so the people have not been forgotten.
“Despite the fact that people of this area are further off from city, presence of government is still felt in this place.
“And we have a lot of agriculture products that come out from this environment so by the time this road is completed agriculture products can move out of this axis with ease; that is the essence of this project.
“We do hope that the nation economy would be better, to be able to secure more funds to execute some of these projects,” he stated.
On the Oyo – Ogbomoso road, the director recalled that the Federal Executive Council, recently approved augmentation of the road initial contract sum from N47.50billion to N105.04billion, as a result of adjustment in the scope of work; such as increase in the bearing strength on the road pavement and volume of thickness of the road.
He said the work done so far on the road was of high quality and could stand the test of time, adding that the approval for the increase contract sum would enhance speedy completion of the project.
The dual carriageway which is being handled by the Reynoids Construction Company (RCC) is the second section of Ibadan – Ilorin Road and a subsection of a major trunk A1 road which originated from Apapa Wharf in Lagos and terminate at Sokoto State.
The road is very vital in the socio-economic important of the country, since the country basically depended on roads as the major means of transportation, thus the road links the Southern part of the country to the North.
In their separate remarks, the RCC Project Manager and Managing Director of HMF Construction Ltd, Mr. Yuri Visman and Mr. Ayedesi Adeoye, respectively, promised to delivered quality jobs.
The duo said fund was the major challenge being faced in the course of executing their respective contracts.
According to Adeoye, the contract sum for Iseyin-Okeho road project that was awarded in April is N6billion “and we are working to ensure that the project is delivered on time.
“Our completion time is 18 months and our mission is to be at 60 per cent of completion stage by April next year provided government make funds available for the project.”
Visman, who expressed satisfaction with the augmentation approval by the Federal Executive Council, urged Federal Government to promptly release fund for the project to fastrack timely completion of the project.
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.