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FERMA begins rehabilitation of failed roads in Rivers

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FERMA begins rehabilitation of failed roads in Rivers

The Federal Roads Maintenance Agency has expressed its dedication to the systematic recovery of failed sections of federal roads in Rivers State.

The engineer in charge of FERMA’s Rivers State Field Office, Engr. Adoga Asikhia stated during the inspection of the ongoing road maintenance project of the new airport link road in Obio/Akpor and Ikwerre local government areas of the state on Tuesday.

Asikhia said, “Our major focus is the systematic recovery of the roads by patching the potholes and reinstating failed sections. Later on, we’ll embark on pavement strengthening of the roads, vegetation control and desilting of carriageways and shoulders.”

He added the agency aims to sustain the project which started last year to ensure that the road is always in good condition while cautioning motorists to shun bad driving habits and adhere to safety rules to avoid accidents.

He added, “This is definitely a continuous process. We started this thing last year. So the agency is truly working to ensure that the road, this particular road, at all times is in good riding condition for motorists.

“We want to advise motorists that the speed limit which the road safety has encouraged everybody to use, should be maintained, because this is not a major highway, that the speed should be cut down. Just this morning, an accident and a car overturned because of high speed and we have lots of bends around here.

“So we’re hoping that the motorists will exercise caution in seeing that whenever they are using the road, they ensure that their speed limit goes according to what is prescribed on the roads.”

On funding, he acknowledged that while funding remains a general problem in the county, the agency is doing well as the management ensures that funds are made available to the field office to carry out the maintenance.

Asikhia, however, decried the drainage on the road which he described as inadequate and one of the causes of road failures and major challenge affecting the project.

He added, “The poor drainage condition of the road has affected the road. The way the road is designed, there was no provision for drainages, so water does not find easy access, so the water now ponds on the roads, thereby resulting in the failure of the roads.”

He called on the state government to pay attention to the drainage situation saying, “We pray that the state will look into going into drainage facilities, providing drainage infrastructures on this road, because it’s going to be an extensive work.

“I don’t really know why no drainage was provided in the first place. Not that there are no drainages, it’s just that it is not properly done to adequately cater to the flow of water on the road. There are drainages, but it’s inadequate to cater for the road.”

The FERMA project in the state covers Port Harcourt-Isiokpo-Elele-Omerelu-Imo State border road and the Airport link road.

Sterling Bank, Lagos partner on ‘Ilera Eko’ health initiative

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Sterling Bank, Lagos partner on ‘Ilera Eko’ health initiative

Sterling Bank Limited has partnered with the Lagos State Government through the Lagos State Health Management Agency to launch the Ilera Eko healthcare booths.

A statement from the bank on Wednesday said the initiative was launched by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.

At the launch, which was held on Tuesday, Sanwo-Olu said, “Today signifies a major leap in our efforts to make healthcare both accessible and affordable. The Ilera Eko booths symbolise our dedication to bringing vital services closer to our people. This partnership with Sterling Bank showcases the power of public-private collaborations in driving transformative community changes. We envision a future where no Lagosian is deprived of basic healthcare.”

The Ilera Eko booths are designed to provide basic medical care, and telemedicine services, enroll residents in the LASHMA insurance scheme and serve as agency banks, enabling residents to carry out daily transactions and essential banking services.

The Chief Executive Officer of Sterling Bank, Abubakar Suleiman, represented by the bank’s Head of Government Fulfilment, Adewale Adebowale, expressed the bank’s continued commitment to its HEART strategy, which has seen the bank make extensive investments in the health, education, agriculture, renewable energy, and transportation sectors across states nationwide.

Suleiman said, “Our HEART strategy is central to our mission, focusing on health, education, agriculture, renewable energy, and transportation. The Ilera Eko booths embody our commitment to uplifting communities by integrating health and financial services. By making healthcare more accessible and affordable, we aim to enhance the quality of life for all Lagosians.”

The Permanent Secretary of LASHMA, Dr Emmanuela Zamba, stated that the first of five booths were currently operational across Lagos and located in Yaba, Epe, Ketu, and Ikorodu.

Zamba said that plans were at advanced stages to roll out 300 booths across the state for increased

Why Edo activist’s son killed father with sledgehammer – Police

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Why Edo activist’s son killed father with sledgehammer – Police

The Edo State Police Command on Wednesday said Arthur Angel Jr., the 17-year-old son of the 70-year-old deceased human rights activist, Arthur Judah Angel, killed his father with a sledgehammer over monetary demand at Ugboha, in Esan South East Local Government Area of the state.

The anti-death penalty advocate, Angel, was killed and buried in a shallow grave behind his house, on Sunday, According Metro gathered.

The spokesman for the command, Chidi Nwabuzor, told our correspondent on Wednesday that a preliminary investigation revealed that the deceased’s son had threatened to kill his father and carried it out when he hit him with a sledgehammer.

The PPRO said, “On July 15, 2024, at about 09.00 hours, the Divisional Police Officer in charge of Ugboha Division in Edo State received a complaint that one Arthur Angel Jr. (17 years old) brought a complaint of a shallow grave discovery at the backyard of the compound where he lived with the deceased.

“Immediately, the DPO mobilised his men and they moved out to the scene. On getting there, they saw a shallow grave and decided to exhume the body. When the body was exhumed, they discovered that it was the lifeless body of Arthur Angel, 70, and at a closer look, they saw a sharp injury on the back of the deceased’s head. The body was taken to the Uromi Hospital mortuary.

“According to the DPO, a preliminary investigation revealed that Arthur Angel Jr. had on several occasions threatened to kill his father because his father was expecting some money from Amnesty International.”

He noted that the suspect had a feeling that the money had been paid to the deceased and decided to use the sledgehammer to hit him behind the head while he was asleep.

“As we speak, the suspect has been successfully transferred from Ugboha to the homicide section of the Edo State Criminal Investigation Department for further investigation”, he said.

According Metro gathered that having been sentenced to death in 1986 for a crime he said he did not commit and was on death row for nine years, Angel, who was also a human rights defender, used his foundation, Life Wire International Foundation, to fight for the use of death penalty in the country.

He was said to have travelled to over 15 countries to speak out against the death penalty through his art exhibitions and drawings.

When our correspondent contacted Angel’s cousin, Michael Ihaza, on Tuesday, he confirmed the assassination of his uncle.

He said, “I cannot tell if he had any problem with anyone. He won several cases over family land but I don’t know if that brought issues between him and anyone.

“He never reported any threat to his life to me. However, his 15-year-old son who reported the case to the police in Ugboha has been taken into custody for questioning but I don’t think he has a hand in his father’s death.

“His son was arrested the same day he was killed. The narrative that is making the rounds within the police circle and in town is that the boy is also a suspect.

“My late uncle fought for humanity in his lifetime. He worked on prison reform and was a gentleman. I never heard that he had any problem with anyone. The police said they are investigating the matter so we don’t want to say anything that will jeopardise the investigation. Hopefully, the culprit will be identified and brought to justice,” he added.

Court remands man over alleged assault

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Court remands man over alleged assault

Thirty-year-old Adebayo Samson was on Wednesday arraigned by the Lagos State Police Command for alleged assault and theft.

He was arraigned at the Chief Magistrate Court, Yaba, before Magistrate O.Y. Adefope. The defendant was charged with two counts of assault and theft.

The charges alleged that the defendant, on July 13, 2024, allegedly assaulted one Uchenna Anita by beating her with a fist blow and also stole her purse, containing a Keystone Bank card, one Tecno POP 3 phone worth N40,000, and the sum of N5,000.

According Metro gathered that Uchenna has a child with Adebayo, and they live together, but the defendant is known for always assaulting the complainant.

On July 13, 2024, during a heated argument, Adebayo allegedly attacked Uchenna Anita. In the process of trying to grab her purse, he assaulted her by beating her with a fist and wounded her. He eventually escaped with her purse, which contained a Keystone Bank card, one Tecno POP 3 phone worth N40,000, and the sum of N5,000, and also hurt the baby on her forehead.

The case was reported to the Bariga Police Station, and he was arrested. The purse containing the stolen items was found in his possession and was recovered and given to the complainant.

He was questioned at the police station and confessed to assaulting the complainant. Our correspondent gathered that that was not the first time Adebayo would be assaulting the defendant.

Prosecutor Haruna Magaji informed the court that the alleged offence was committed on July 13, 2024, contravening Sections 172 and 287 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State 2015.

The prosecutor also said that the wound, the complainant’s statement, the recovered items, and statements from the investigating officer serve as evidence that the alleged offences were committed.

The defendant pleaded not guilty to the charges alleged against him.

Adefope ordered that the bail sum of N200,000 be paid and two sureties, who are residents of Lagos State, be provided.

She further ordered that the defendant be remanded until he had perfected his bail terms.

The case was adjourned to August 7, 2024.

End discrimination against PWDs, govt urges citizens

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End discrimination against PWDs, govt urges citizens

The Lagos State Government has urged citizens to support people with sisabilities and end discrimination against them.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Office for Disability Affairs, Adenike Oyetunde-Lawal, stated this on Wednesday during the 2024 Ability Expo: Showcasing Creativity event held at Ikeja.

Oyetunde-Lawal explained that the initiative was organised for PWDs to showcase their inherent skills and abilities through various works of art, vocations, trades, and also participate in various competitions.

She said, “I urge society to support persons with disabilities. Their creativity and potential are boundless when given the opportunity.

“Let us end discrimination and instead create an enabling environment that recognises their talents and contributions. You will agree with me that many PWDs excel in their fields despite their challenges.

“Recently, the agency supported 100 PWDs with N100,000 each to cushion the effects of economic hardship.”

Also speaking at the event, a retired Director at LASODA, Akintunde Oguntoye, urged the government to assist PWDs to establish business through loans and other means of financial support.

“Improve yourself by attending more workshops and seminars in order to attain more knowledge to scale up your business and let us try to encourage others to acquire a skill of their choice and discourage the art of begging on the streets,” he added.

In March, the Federal Government said it was determined to stand by the people with disabilities and protect their rights against discrimination, stigmatisation and marginalisation.

This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Special Needs and Equal Opportunities, Mohammed Isa, at the inauguration of the Leprosy Mission of Nigeria Wellness Connect in Abuja.

LASG partners FG to tackle child malnutrition

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LASG partners FG to tackle child malnutrition

The Lagos State Government, in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, has trained no fewer than 60 frontline health workers on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition to reduce the burden of malnutrition in the state and the country in general.

The state government expressed optimism that the training of the health workers with support from the World Bank through its Accelerating Nutrition Results in Nigeria Project, would check high infant deaths linked to malnutrition in the country.

Nigeria is ranked number one in Africa and second in the world in terms of malnourished children, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.

UNICEF also stated that 12 million out of the 35 million under-five children in Nigeria are stunted due to malnutrition.

Left untreated, experts say children with severe acute malnutrition are nearly 12 times more likely to die than a healthy child.

Speaking at the ongoing training of the health workers in Lagos, the Director and Head of the Nutrition Department, Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, said the nutrition workshop was more of a preventive approach and not treatment.

The workshop was organised by the Federal Government under the Federal Ministry of Health, Nutrition Department and supported by the World Bank ANRIN project.

Bako-Aiyegbusi, who was represented by a senior medical officer of the ministry, Maria Odey, identified malnutrition as a major contributor to an alarming number of infant mortality in the country.

Odey said, “This training is specifically for nutrition. It is complementary to some treatment courses like the integrated management of childhood illnesses and the integrated management of acute malnutrition.

“It talks more about nutrition because we know that malnutrition is contributing to over 50 per cent of infant mortality.

“So, it is more of a preventive course training and not treatment. It is to encourage mothers and caregivers to use commonly available rich foods to prepare meals for children and promote breastfeeding. We have 60 health workers for the training.”

The Director of Family Health and Nutrition, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Folashade Oludara, said stunted growth if not reversed by the age of two years could cause irreversible brain damage to the child.

Oludara explained that once the brain of a child was damaged, there was little or nothing anybody could do anymore.

She said, “So we are trying to change this narrative and ensure that none of our children (before they clock the age of two) has malnutrition and do not get stunted to the level that their brain will be irreversibly damaged.

“The objective of the training is to improve Nigeria’s nutritional indices in the state just as we know that right now, there’s food insecurity everywhere and the major group of the community affected are the mothers and children.

“Mothers especially when they are pregnant and children especially when they are under the age of five. So what we are doing today is to intensify the efforts, to improve the efforts of our health workers in providing correct information to the caregivers or pregnant women on the type of nutrition, food or diet that they are supposed to take.”

Illicit financial outflows cost Nigeria, others $50bn annually – Shippers’ Council

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Illicit financial outflows cost Nigeria, others $50bn annually – Shippers’ Council

Nigeria and other African nations are losing $50 billion a year to illegal financial outflows, according to the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.

The Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of the NSC, Pius Akutah, stated this in Lagos recently during a debate competition organised by some members of the National Youth Service Corps in collaboration with industrial trainees of the council.

The event was themed “Effective whistleblowers protection mechanism: A critical tool in the fight against corruption’.

 Akutah, represented by the Director of Human Resources at the NSC, Mrs Ada Okam, explained that illicit financial outflows negatively impact the quality of life in Africa.

He reiterated that every effort at lifting Africans out of poverty and the provision of basic services to Africans had been retarded.

“From research, it is noted that Africa loses more than $50bn annually through illicit financial outflow,” the NSC boss stated.

According to Akutah, illicit financial outflows make it difficult for Africa to grow as a continent and achieve the African agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.

He added that corruption was a phenomenon that had been affecting the generality of humanity.

He said that corruption has no gender and that “its effect is negatively permeative and all-encompassing, touching on every facet of human society, as it retards national advancement, stability and prosperity.”

“It is on this premise that the African Union has set aside July 11 every year as a day to remind everyone of the menace of corruption. This is according to the United Nations’ campaign to ensure a reduction in corruption and the promotion of transparency,” he stated.

 Akutah stressed the need for the continent to start engaging young ones in discussing issues of national, continental and global interests, adding that they are an integral part of society.

He added that the theme of the competition helped to reflect on the importance of the whistleblower and the need for protection.

According to Akutah, it is an advocacy for effective coordination between investigative, prosecution and judicial systems to ensure the protection of the whistleblower and an effective whistleblowing mechanism as a tool for combatting corruption in society.

 “Recognising whistleblowing as a critical element for combatting corruption, there are institutions, laws and policies put in place at the national, regional and global levels to protect the whistleblower,” he explained.

He disclosed that the council had a policy to protect the whistleblower as provided in the NSC Code of Conduct.

“The NSC Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit is also responsible for the protection of whistleblowers in the council,” he said.

He maintained that through the efforts of the whistleblowers in the country, there had been recoveries of billions of naira, which had been plunged into the development of critical infrastructure.

Chappal Energies acquires Total E&P 10% stake in SPDC

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Chappal Energies acquires Total E&P 10% stake in SPDC

Chappal Energies has entered into a Sale and Purchase Agreement to acquire TotalEnergies Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited’s 10 per cent non-operated interest in its onshore and shallow water assets within the Shell Petroleum Development Company Joint Venture in the Niger Delta.

The According learnt that the transaction is expected to close by December 31, 2024.

The acquisition includes a 10 per cent interest in 15 Oil Mining Leases and two main export terminals in Nigeria, specifically the Forcados and Bonny Terminals that are part of the Shell Petroleum Development Company Joint Venture.

In the joint venture, Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited holds a 55 per cent stake, Shell operates a 30 per cent stake, and Nigerian Agip Oil Company has a five per cent stake.

According to a statement by the company, the transaction will also see Chappal Energies acquire a 10 per cent participating interest in the three other OMLs within the SPDC JV, which are mainly gas-producing, specifically OML 23, OML 28 and OML 77.

It added that TotalEnergies would retain an economic interest in those licences, which currently account for 40 per cent of Nigeria’s liquefied natural gas supply.

“Chappal Energies will have rights to the standalone undeveloped oil reserves within these three OMLs,” the statement read.

The aggregate consideration for the transaction was said to be $860m.

“Financing will be provided by a TotalEnergies company entity and/or any financial institution selected by TotalEnergies, Trafigura and a syndicate of international banks.

“This strategic acquisition increases Chappal Energies’ asset base and adds significant reserves to the company’s balance sheet. The portfolio includes over 40 producing fields with a network of pipelines, flow stations, processing facilities and two major terminals,” the company noted.

The Managing Director of Chappal Energies, Ufoma Immanuel, said, “This acquisition marks a significant expansion in the Niger Delta, thereby diversifying our Nigeria footprint between the offshore and onshore basins.”

Immanuel added that the transaction was poised to bring substantial benefits to stakeholders, including shareholders, employees, local communities, and the national economy.

“The closing is subject to certain conditions, including all regulatory and contractual approvals,” he added.

The According recalls that Shell announced in January that it had reached an agreement to sell its Nigerian onshore subsidiary, the SPDC, to Renaissance, a consortium of five companies comprising four exploration and production companies based in Nigeria and an international energy group.

Total Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited has a 10 per cent stake in the SPDC.

Govt boosts cadets’ capacity

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Govt boosts cadets’ capacity

In line with the recommendations of the International Maritime Organisation and the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the Federal Government has commenced a mandatory training programme for marine cadets. The government said that the three-day training would equip the cadets with essential skills in social responsibility, survivability, first aid at sea, security, and firefighting to make

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FG inaugurates power sector working group

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FG inaugurates power sector working group

The Federal Government, through the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has inaugurated the Ministerial Power Sector Working Group, involving different agencies and commissions.

In a statement by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, the inauguration took place on Tuesday in Abuja with directors and agencies under the supervision of the ministry signing performance contracts to ensure proper tracking and supervision of projects.

He disclosed that the agencies forming the working group included the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Rural Electrification Agency, the National Power Training Institute, the Nigerian Electricity Management and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading.

Speaking at the event, the minister said the inauguration of the working group would serve as a platform for supervision, monitoring and oversight control.

He added that it would also help to clarify issues with a detailed explanation of happenings in the sector.

Adelabu, who acknowledged the existence of the meeting in the past, noted that it was necessary to re-introduce and improve on it, emphasising that the major reason for re-introducing the meeting of the working group was to create a platform for information sharing, dissemination and sector-wide communication, which he described as key to greater productivity.

 He revealed that the meeting of the working group would serve more like a backup for sectoral coordination and centralised project management.

The minister added that the meeting would further serve as a training platform and a “refresher opportunity for optimum representation of the power sector”.

 He enjoined the working group to work hard to achieve the set target.

 “What we are doing at the end of the meeting is to ensure the signing of the performance contract which is like a bond that will compel every one of us to deliver on our target.

“In November 2023, as the minister of power, I signed a performance contract with the President, which actually summarised what the President expects from us.

“Now, we have cascaded that contract down to the departments and agencies that will contribute to the overall achievement of what we signed with Mr President,” he stated.

The According reported earlier that Adelabu has threatened to sanction nonperforming agencies.

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