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Tinubu To Inaugurate Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway Next Phase, August
The Federal Government has announced plans to inaugurate the next phase of Lagos- Calabar Coastal highway from Cross River to Akwa Ibom.
This is in continuation of the government’s efforts to sustain the on-going infrastructural developments drive in line with its Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Minister of Works, David Umahi, disclosed this at the stakeholders engagement meeting held at Ibom hall in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Saturday.
In a statement by the ministry’s Director of Information and Public Relations, Edet Ekpenyong, yesterday, the minister was quoted as saying, “We are here to introduce Section Three and Four of the famous Lagos- Calabar Coastal Highway.
“We started and awarded Section One which started in Lagos and terminated at deep port in Lagos and is at 47.4km.
“There is Section Two that is starting at Lekki Deep Sea Port and taking it to the famous Dangote Refinery.
“The President has graciously directed that Section Three and Four must start at Cross River and stop at Akwa Ibom.”
Umahi added that “Section Three has 27 km on Akwa Ibom land 38 km on Cross River State. While Section Four is entirely on Akwa Ibom that is 80km. When you add 27km and 80km, you have 107km. So, you are benefiting from maximising this coastal highway.
“When we complete the procurement process and award this Section Three and Four, work will start in many sub- sections of this section all at the same time.
“Tinubu is a man who matches his words with actions. So we are happy with the level of commendations and support we received from Nigerians and so many benefits of the coastal highway.”
Meanwhile, Umahi has asked construction giants, Julius Berger, China Civil Engineering and Construction Company and the Raynolds Construction Company to mobilize to the site or risk termination of their contracts.
Umahi said this while speaking during the Stakeholders’ Engagement on Alignment of 3b and 4 of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway held at Ibom Hall, Uyo Akwa Ibom State, on Saturday.
The minister said after the expiration next week of the 14 notices earlier given to the contractors, any of them who failed to mobilize to the site will have its contract terminated.
Umahi expressed disappointment that the contractors had been giving excuses of non-payment of compensation as reasons for not mobilizing to the site while noting that the Akwa Ibom State Government had already settled the compensation issues as it concerns Calabar-Itu road.
He said, “If you talk to them, they will say it is because of compensation and this governor, Akwa-Ibom State, had settled compensation issues, so we are giving them a marching order to ECECC to mobilize at least 3 sections of that road.
“Mr President has given enough money to fund the projects. The same thing with Julius Berger, by the end of this coming week, if Julius Berger fails to remobilize to the site and the ECECC fails to mobilize to at least 3 sections of the road, the jobs will be terminated.
“The worst of the road in the entire South-South remains this Akwa Ibom to Cross River through Itu and Odukpani and also the section that is being done by RCC. RCC had collected over N40bn on that road 15 kilometres of roads, N156bn inherited from the past administration, they are playing tricks. We have been on them to change their mindset, and by the end of next week, our 14 days notice of termination of the contract will elapse, and we will terminate the projects and give to those who have mastery of laying concrete.”
Also speaking at the event, the Senate President, Senator, Godswill Akpabio, expressed his appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for listening to his plea to start Section Three and Four of the coastal highway in Cross River State to Akwa Ibom.
He called on the Akwa Ibom State Governor , Pastor Umo Eno, to give maximum support to the Federal Government.
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.