According to the sources, Akpabio “collapsed on the 10th of this month and was rushed to London in a private jet provided by billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote.”

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, is currently ill and receiving medical treatment at a hospital in London, the United Kingdom, after reportedly collapsing earlier this month, top sources from the National Assembly have told Ekwutosblog.

According to the sources, Akpabio “collapsed on the 10th of this month and was rushed to London in a private jet provided by billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote.”

The sources added that this development has kept the Senate President away from official duties, including the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) interactive session held on Wednesday.

SaharaReporters was informed that Akpabio’s condition is serious enough to warrant continued overseas medical care.

A source disclosed that “this is the second time he is being rushed to London for treatment,” raising fresh concerns about his health and capacity to continue leading the upper legislative chamber.

Multiple senators are said to have travelled to London to check on him. One of the sources said, “A number of senators have gone to visit me,” in reference to Akpabio’s hospitalisation abroad.

The sources further revealed that medical experts attending to the Senate President have reportedly advised him to reduce his workload.

According to one of the briefings received by SaharaReporters, “Doctors are advising him to step down from the Senate to attend to his health.”

Akpabio’s absence was felt at the flag-off of the MTEF and FSP interactive session, a crucial engagement between the executive and the legislature that outlines Nigeria’s medium-term fiscal and economic plans.

SaharaReporters gathered that he “has already missed today’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework presentation today.”

In his stead, the Senate President was represented by Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi at the event, confirming Akpabio’s inability to attend the session in person.

Further indications of Akpabio’s condition emerged from aides monitoring developments around his return.

One source was quoted as saying, “One of the aides just told me now that they are going to pick the guy from the airport,” suggesting ongoing logistical arrangements around his movement.

Akpabio’s last public appearance appeared to be on December 9 when the Nigerian Senate formally approved President Bola Tinubu’s request to send Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin to support efforts to restore peace and stability following an attempted coup.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, had announced the approval during the plenary, after lawmakers deliberated the request in the Committee of the Whole under section 5, Part II of the Constitution.

The Senators voted unanimously in favour, granting legislative backing for the regional security intervention.

Akpabio had described the decision as a critical move, emphasising that unrest in a neighbouring country poses risks to the entire West African region.

“An injury to one is an injury to all,” Akpabio had said, stressing Nigeria’s duty to support its ECOWAS partners in maintaining regional stability.

Nigeria’s healthcare sector just got a major boost! Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Muhammad Ali Pate, has announced that robotic surgeries are now being performed in several private hospitals across the country.

This marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s medical landscape, positioning the country as a hub for advanced surgical care in West Africa.

The Toumai Pro Robotic Surgery Platform, recently launched at Nisa Premier Hospital in Abuja, is a game-changer. This state-of-the-art technology enables surgeons to perform complex procedures with enhanced precision, reducing recovery time and complications.

Some benefits of robotic surgery include:

Minimally invasive: Smaller incisions, less pain, and faster recovery

Increased precision: Enhanced dexterity and accuracy

Reduced complications: Lower risk of infection and bleeding

Hospitals like Nisa Premier Hospital, Kelina Hospital, and Lagoon Hospital are already offering robotic surgery services. This development is expected to attract medical tourism, boost Nigeria’s healthcare sector, and improve patient outcomes.

As Minister Pate puts it, “This is not just a milestone for Nigeria, but for the entire African continent”.

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The federal government has temporarily opened a section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway for vehicular movement.

The 47-kilometre stretch runs from the Ahmadu Bello Way junction in Victoria Island to the Eleko junction.

The road was temporarily opened on Friday after a ceremony attended by David Umahi, minister of works; Gbolahan Lawal, Oniru of Iruland; Barinada Mpigi, the chairman of senate committee on works; Dany Abboud, managing director of Hitech construction company; Oluwaseun Osiyemi, Lagos commissioner for transportation; and officials of the ministry of works.

Olufemi Dare, federal controller of works in Lagos, said the government decided to temporarily open the section to ease traffic congestion during the Yuletide season.

Dare said the 47km section of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road was awarded to Hitech construction company for N1,067,887,381,148.61.

He said the contract sum covered the “construction of rigid pavement dual-carriage highway with accompanying drainages and culverts, median barriers, street lightings, and the relocation of public utilities like electric cables, poles, cable ducts, gas and water pipelines as required”.

“The stretch of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway that falls entirely within the Lagos State border is 103km in length,” he said.

“Up till date, a total of 30km of continuously reinforced concrete pavement (CRCP) has been completed, while sand filling has been completed on the remaining 17.474km, and the whole stretch of 47.474km is thus motorable.

“The total stretch in section 1 is projected to be completed before the end of the second quarter of 2026.”

Speaking during the ceremony, the works minister said it is untrue that the federal government is only concentrating on the Lagos-Calabar coastal road, adding that other projects are currently being executed.

He added that the federal government is ready to accept constructive criticism about the project.