NEWS
Oborevwori Begins N78bn Star Projects in Delta
Gov. Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta has assured that his administration will continue to aggressively upgrade roads across the three senatorial districts in the state.
Oborevwori gave the assurance on Monday in Effurun, during the groundbreaking ceremony of the
N77.9 billion road and flyover projects awarded to Julius Berger Nigeria PLC in Delta.
The governor noted that road was a critical infrastructure driving the development of other sectors of the economy.
Reports says that the four projects were awarded to the construction giant
in Uvwie and Warri South local government areas of the state.
“The projects are as follows: the design and construction of flyover bridge from Enerhen Junction, Effurun to Marine Gate, Warri in Uvwie and Warri South LGAs.
“The design and construction of road expansion and improvement works on the Section Of DSC/NPA expressway from Effurun Roundabout To DSC Roundabout on the Effurun/Patani (East/West) highway.
The project includes construction of a three-quarter Cloverleaf Interchange at the existing Effurun Flyover Bridge as well as two pedestrian bridges in Effurun, Uvwie Local Government Area.
The design and construction of flyover bridge at PTI Junction, on the Effurun/Patani (East/West) Highway, Effurun in Uvwie Local Government Area.
Oborevwori said the cumulative contract sum for the four projects was over N77.99 billion, adding that the contractor had a completion period of 27 months.
“I stand here today filled with joy and excitement as we begin the process of giving Warri the desired facelift with this groundbreaking ceremony.
“This signals the commencement of construction of four key projects in the Warri/Effurun Metropolis.
“It is the fulfillment of a promise I made after my inauguration as Governor on May 29, this year. We have released the agreed sum as advance payment to the contractor.
“These four strategic projects are aimed at solving the gridlock often experienced between Effurun Roundabout, through PTI Road Junction, to DSC Roundabout on the Effurun/Patani (East/West) Highway at Effurun.
“They will also ease vehicular movement at the stretch from Enerhen Junction, Effurun to Marine Gate, Warri, in Uvwie and Warri South local government areas,” he said.
The governor added that the projects would not only change the face of Warri/Effurun metropolis but ease tragic congestion and by implication, alleviate the suffering experienced daily by commuters.
He said that because of the strategic nature of the roads in the region, construction works would result in traffic disruptions, diversions, and other inconveniences to motorists and commuters.
Oborevwori, however, said government and the contractor would take all reasonable steps to minimise the disruptions.
He appealed to motorists and pedestrians in the area to be patient, orderly, and obey traffic rules and regulations to facilitate ease of movement and reduce travel time through the construction area.
The governor further advised
motorists to use the alternative routes in the vicinity whenever feasible, to reduce the volume of traffic in the construction area.
“The State Government has commenced a programme of maintenance and rehabilitation of these alternative routes to reduce inconvenience to travellers and motorists.
“I urge the contractor to work relentlessly to meet the schedule we have agreed on,” he said.
Oborevwori, however, urged the
immediate communities and their leaders to appreciate the enormous investment government was making and solicited for their support to ensure the speedy completion of the projects.
Earlier, Dr Lars Richter, the Managing Director of Julius Berger PLC, assured that the project would be delivered within the stipulated period of 27 months
Also, the Ovie of Uvwie Kingdom, Emmanuel Sideso Abe I, thanked governor Oborevwori for the projects and promised to ensure their protection from the time of commencement to completion.
“Our youths need to be engaged. We will make sure the project is completed without any disturbances,” the king assured.
On his part, the Olu of Warri, Ogiame Atuwatse III, promised to ensure that the projects came to fruition.
Represented by Dr Rowland Oritsejafor, the royal father said that the projects were unique because they would unite the people.
In attendance were former Governor of Delta, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan, royal fathers and chiefs, among others. (NAN)
The Police Command in Anambra says gunmen have burnt its station in Umunze, Orumba South Local Government Area, killing two officers.SP Tochukwu Ikenga, the Police Public Relations Officer in the state, announced this in a statement issued in Awka on Monday.He said that the gunmen attacked the police facility with improvised explosives, shooting sporadically, which caused a fire to burn part of the station.
He said further that during the attack, two police operatives on duty were killed when they attempted to resist the gunmen. Ikenga stated that the bodies of the deceased policemen had been recovered and taken to the morgue.He also noted that joint security forces, including the police, army and navy, among others, had recovered five unexploded improvised explosives.Ikenga noted that the Commissioner of Police in Anambra, CP Nnaghe Itam, had visited the scene for assessment.He said that Itam called on anyone with information that could assist in the investigation to come forward, assuring then that such information would be treated confidential.(NAN)
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
The Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) has reiterated the Federal Government’s determination to maintain and operate a secure and efficient personnel and payroll system.In a statement by the Director of Press and Public Relations, Mr Bawa Mokwa on Monday, the OAGF maintained that the Integrated Personal and Payroll Information System (IPPIS) database has not been compromised, assuring that employees personal data on the IPPIS database is safe and secured.
The OAGF, which manages the IPPIS and other financial management initiatives of the Federal Government, said it is already implementing its ICT Security Policy that aims to ensure that its digital assets are secured in line with global best practices. The Office explained that no data is saved on its website, adding that the IPPIS uses the website to only share information and not for any transaction. “The IPPIS is not using the OAGF website for any transaction. The website is actually the medium to share information. Neither payroll nor payment is made through the website, therefore, no data is contained in the website”, it said. The OAGF stated that the IPPIS validation portal that was recently developed for updates of employees information was deployed for a period and after the exercise was over, the data were pulled out and the site shut down permanently.According to the statement, “the IPPIS Validation Portal was deployed on a secure platform. A secured database and application were purchased from the popular HELIX-FONS.”The Office acknowledged that the IPPIS is of utmost importance to Nigerian workers, thus it became imperative to assuage the fears of any loss or breach of employees personal data in the IPPIS database. The OAGF noted that the IPPIS has put in place necessary mechanism to resolve any problem that may arise in its operations and advised workers that observe anomalies in their salaries to follow the official procedures inorder to get such issues resolved.
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Nigeria’s headline inflation dropped to 32.15 percent in August, according to National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report
The report released on Monday said the inflation eased the second time in 2024 after a 19 month increase that peaked at 34.19 percent in June.
“Looking at the movement, the August 2024 headline inflation
rate showed a decrease of 1.
It however, said on a year-on-year basis, the headline inflation rate was 6.35 percent points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 (25.80%).
“This shows that the headline inflation rate (year-on-year basis) increased in August 2024 when compared to the same month in the preceding year (i.
e, August 2023).Furthermore, on a month-on-month basis, the headline inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.22%, which was 0.06% lower than the rate recorded in August 2024 (2.28%).
” This means that in August 2024, the rate of increase in the average price level is lower than the rate of increase in the
average price level in July 2024.”
The report added that food inflation rate in August 2024 was 37.52 percent on a year-on-year basis, which was 8.18% points higher compared to the rate recorded in August 2023 (29.34%).
It said the rise in food inflation
on a year-on-year basis was caused by increases in prices of; “Bread, Maize Grains, Guinea Corn, etc (Bread and Cereals Class), Yam, Irish Potatoes, Water Yam, Cassava Tuber, etc (Potatoes, Yam & Other Tubers Class), Palm Oil, Vegetable, etc (Oil & Fats Class) and
Ovaltine, Milo, Lipton, etc (Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Class).”
But on a month-on-month basis, the food inflation rate in August 2024 was 2.37 percent, a 0.10% decrease compared to the rate recorded in July 2024 (2.47 percent).
“The fall can be attributed to the decline in the rate of increase in the average prices of Tobacco, Tea, Coco, Coffee, Groundnut Oil, Milk, Yam, Irish Potatoes, Water Yam, Cassava Tuber, Palm Oil, Vegetable etc.”
It added that the average annual rate of Food inflation for the twelve months ending August 2024 over the previous twelve-month average was 36.99 percent, which was 11.98 percent points increase from the average annual rate of change recorded in August 2023 (25.01 percent).
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