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BREAKING: Minister of Works, David Umahi responds to Atiku over Lagos-Calabar Costal Road contract, says the contract followed due process

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Minister of Works, David Umahi, in a note, said the 700-kilometre, 10-lane Lagos-Calabar highway was conceived as an Engineering, Procurement and Construction plus Financing (EPC+F) project.

– Umahi said the model (EPC+F) entails part-funding by the Federal Government.

– Umahi said the approval process went through the Bureau of Public Procurement (BBP) after consideration by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) as prescribed by law.

– Umahi added that the project is an unsolicited bid on EPC+F.

– Umahi explained that under this model, the investor provides all designs, part of the financing and construction while the Federal Government provides the counterpart funding.

– Umahi revealed that the ministry received such a bid, worked on it and sent it to BPP.

– Umahi added that the BPP worked on it according to the Procurement Act and came up with a price slightly lower than the ministry’s price and even lower than the cost of similar projects awarded five years ago like the Bodo-Bonny project.

– Umahi said BPP issued a certificate of no objection on the project to the Ministry of Works in line with the Procurement Act.

– Umahi added that the Ministry of Works took the certificate of no objection to FEC and FEC debated and approved it.

– Umahi also cleared the air on the Environment and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) report, saying that preliminary approval was issued in December 2023 by the Ministry of Environment and renewed in January.

– Umahi said the ESIA certification is progressive and they have a certified ESIA to start the project.

– Umahi added that they redesigned the route to put a human face to the decision and to minimise demolition of permanent infrastructure.

– Umahi said the process of ESIA involves constant stakeholders’ engagement of which many have taken place and he even participated in two in Lagos.

– Umahi maintained that the removal of properties along the route is subject to the rule of law and clarified that only property owners with proven titles will receive compensation.

– Umahi said shanties and those with property within the 250-meter shoreline setback without a Federal government title would not be compensated as it is a legal matter.

– Umahi added that the committee is not in charge of ramp or anything else but to verify those to be paid compensation, authenticate and pay. He said where there is a title problem, it will need a presidential waiver for such to be paid.

– @ThisIsAdemuyiwa (X)

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Bauchi gov accuses FG of discrimination against opposition-led states

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Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has expressed frustration over what he described as the Federal Government’s alleged discrimination against states governed by opposition parties.

This is as the governor alleged that his state has been sidelined in the distribution of financial interventions and grants.

Speaking at the opening of the State Executive Council meeting held at the Government House in Bauchi, the governor said, “The Federal Government has a lot of bias against states governed by opposition parties. Some states are receiving preferential treatment.”

The governor called on the Federal Government to adopt a fair and non-partisan approach in handling interventions, insisting that states should not be punished or rewarded based on their political affiliation.

Amid worsening financial challenges, Mohammed also cautioned cabinet members against unnecessary trips to Abuja or foreign countries, stressing the need to cut down the cost of governance.

“We must prudently manage our scarce resources. The financial pressure is high and we can’t afford wasteful spending,” he said.

On politics, the governor issued a stern warning: “It is not yet time for politicking. Let us focus on service delivery. Anyone eager to begin political campaigns should resign.”

He directed his commissioners to submit viable proposals for project execution, stating that unutilized funds would be redirected to sectors that need urgent attention.

“In the next couple of weeks, I’ll initiate a virement process to channel funds where they are most needed. We can’t sit back while critical sectors suffer,” he said.

Governor Bala Mohammed reaffirmed his commitment to delivering impactful governance till the end of his tenure.

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Nigerian senator defects to ADC

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Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory, Ireti Kingibe has officially defected from the Labour Party to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

She revealed this during a chat with journalists in Abuja, saying her defection to ADC was planned and would soon be celebrated publicly.

Kingibe stated that she now fully belongs to ADC and intends to formally make her move public in a way that reflects her new political direction.

When asked if she was satisfied with the new party and the group she has joined, she said the party is still developing and growing, and she is ready to be part of that growth.

On concerns that her defection could affect her position in the Senate, the lawmaker pointed to the current situation in the Labour Party, claiming it is divided into two separate groups.

She said this division fits the condition that allows a politician to leave a party without losing their seat, based on the Nigerian constitution.

Kingibe explained that even the electoral commission received different sets of results and candidates from the two sides of the party.

She stressed that she would not have left Labour if the party was still united, but since it is now clearly divided, she believed she was free to join another party without breaking any rules.

She made her first appearance with ADC during the public launch of an opposition coalition event held in Abuja on July 2.

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Sule Lamido caused PDP’s woes not Wike – Aminu Ringim alleges

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The New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 general election in Jigawa State, Aminu Ibrahim Ringim, has alleged that former Governor Sule Lamido, not the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, is the main cause of the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Ringim stated this while reacting on the recent comments made by the former Governor of Jigawa State at the party’s gathering in Kirikasamma Local Government area.

Ekwutosblog reported that, the former Governor who is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP said that he will remain in the party and at the same time work for the Coalition, ADC, in the coming elections.

 

In an interview with BBC Hausa, Lamido agreed to work with the coalition in a bid to unseat Tinubu’s government in the upcoming general elections.

However, Sule Lamido, said he would not leave his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and will work for ADC as what Nyeson Wike and Otom did for the APC in the 2023 general elections.

While Commenting, Ringim said, what Wike is doing he is copying it directly from the former Governor because he is the masterminder of the PDP’s failure in 2015.

He noted that, what ever Wike is doing he learnt it from the former governor, because he did exactly that in 2013 during PDP convention before the 2015 general election.

He explained that Wike was treated unjustly by the PDP leaders and he is now taking revenge.

Mr Ringim said, because of the former Governor, PDP lost Kwankwaso, lost Wike and because of that PDP lost about seven Governors, two from Kwankwaso (Kano and Jigawa) and five from Wike.

“Had it been PDP won these states in the 2015, no body will be talking about APC now. So you are the problem of PDP not Wike because he is following your footsteps he is doing what you did in the past”

According to him, “You said Wike will not expel you from the party, God is punishing you for the injustice done to him, and he is now fighting you back and God is helping him”

“You expelled Wike and Kwankwaso and how many states did PDP lose as a result of that, apart from those who were expelled in the country”

“In Jigawa State alone before, almost everyone is a member of the PDP, Ibrahim Saminu Tiraki, Ahmad Muhammad, Bello Maitama, Sabo Nakudu, Ubali Shiru, Amb. Malam Madori, Ojo, Ubali Hashim and I and other big politicians”

“But because of your behavior, everyone left therefore what you did was worse than what Wike is doing now” Ringim said.

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