NEWS
Over N300bn Spent in Infrastructure Devt in One Year – Wike
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike on Wednesday revealed that over N300 billion have been spent in infrastructural development in six Area councils, Abuja in the last one year.
The FCT Minister stated this in Abuja at the official commissioning of the newly reconstructed nine kilometres, Paikon kore – Ibwa Road in Gwagalada Area Council, FCT.
He said in Gwagalada alone over N50 billion has been spent on infrastructure development in the last one year.
According to Wike, “This was a road we flagged up sometime in January last year. Today is 22nd of January, 2025. You would recollect that, sometimes when we were in August last year, around October, November, we had a stakeholders meeting with the people of Gwagwalada.
And in that meeting, we said, what are your needs? Because I have the authority, I have the mandate of Mr. President, that whatever you want, we should give to you. In that stakeholders meeting, you requested two roads. One is the Aguma Palace Road and the Paikon Kore Road. We thank God we are here today to commission this Paikon Kore Road.“In May, God willing, during the second anniversary of Mr. President, we will also commission the Aguma Palace Road. Mr. Chairman, through the Vice Chairman, you have come here to tell us you need this and that, but you did that, but you didn’t tell us which ones you have done.
“I thought you would have told us, Mr. Minister, I have done this, we have done this, we have done that. Now, I want you to help us to do this, to do that. Well, since you refused to tell us what you did, because of the love Mr. President has for you, I will take one. Since you did not read out what you have done, and it does appear it’s very important, that this bridge has to be constructed”.
He therefore instructed the Coordinator Satellite Towns Development Department, STDD, Hon Abdulkadir Zulkiflu, to ensure it is included in the 2024 statutory budget.
He said, “Let me say this, I want you to go back home and check the records, check every administration, before the present administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. How much each administration has committed to each of the area councils of the FCT?
“Now, while I’m saying this, it is important, you know the importance that Mr. President attaches to the development of the satellite town. Mr. President is not only committed to the development of the city, but Mr. President is also committed to the development of the satellite town.
“And so that’s why I said, just within one year, the President came on board in May 2023, just within one year, this is just for Gwagwalada area council alone, not all the area council, this one alone, how much Mr. President has committed? This road, Mr. President committed N8.5 billion Naira to construct this road.
“So, when you ask, what has Mr. President done? Put it on record now, if you have your biro, write it down. See what he has done for the people of Gwagwalada area council. In Aguma palace, Mr. President has committed N22 billion, and that road will be commissioned in May this year.
“As I speak to you, we have completed and we are still renovating five secondary schools in Gwagwalada. The School for the Gifted Gwagwalada, Government Secondary School Gwagwalada, GSS Abagada (not sure about name), GSS Tungan Maje, GSS Giri. The total value for these is N16.5 billion.
“Now, if you calculate this total amount, I have not added the total police divisions that we are building in Gwagwalada. As we speak now, in order to enhance the security of this area.
“Now, if you add the total value of what Mr. President has committed to Gwagwalada alone, you are talking about over N50 billion for one area council. Now, if you add the six area councils, just take this as the base because this is the least of all the area councils. So, you will see that in a year, Mr. President has committed to the development of satellite towns, not less than N300 billion.”
In her vote of thanks the Minister of state for FCT, Mariya Mahmoud, tasked the residents and road users to continue to safeguard the infrastructure provided for them.
The Taraba House of Assembly has said that it’s approval for the Executive to secure a N350 billion bond from the Capital Market was in line with provisions of the 2025 appropriation law.Mr Jetro Yakubu, Majority Leader of the assembly, made the clarification on Friday while speaking to newsmen in Jalingo.
Yakubu revealed that the request to secure the loan was in tandem with the provisions of the 2025 appropriation bill passed into Law by the assembly. He stressed that Gov. Agbu Kefas of Taraba had already indicated in the budget proposals his intention to fund part of it through loans from financial institutions.According to him, the request could only become abnormal if it is outside the budgetary provision. Yakubu, who represents Wukari I State Constituency also noted that the assembly approved the loan because the governor had carried the it along right from the preparation of the Appropriation. “The governor is a leader that believes in carrying everybody along. He had already carried the assembly along right from when the appropriation was being prepared.“We don’t give approval for any loan that is not in the appropriation.“The governor is a very strategic thinker. The bond which is at N20 lbillion per year would be funded through Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) and not through Federal Accounts Allocation.“The governor is very passionate about stimulating the economy of the state so that the it can be viable to fund the bond,” he said.Daily Asset recalls that Kefas earlier requested an approval from the house of assembly to secure a N350 billion bond from the Capital Market.The legislators had since granted him the approval to borrow the funds. (NAN)
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has emphasised that legal advocacy on issues affecting the Niger Delta holds the potential to accelerate the region’s development.
Dr Samuel Ogbuku, Managing Director of the NDDC, made this assertion during the 2025 MOOT and Mock Trial Competition, which featured participation from 20 law faculties across universities in the Niger Delta.
This is contained in a statement issued by the commission’s Director of Corporate Affairs, Mrs Seledi Thompson-Wakama, in Port Harcourt on Friday.
Ogbuku, who was represented by Mr Boma Iyaye, NDDC’s Executive Director of Finance and Administration, underscored the role of legal advocacy in addressing the complex challenges facing the region.
“We are passionate about education, and as such, we remain committed to supporting the growth of education in the Niger Delta,” he stated.
He noted that the competition focused on key legal areas relevant to the region which included environmental law, oil and gas, and sustainable development.
Ogbuku also highlighted the commission’s investments in tertiary institutions, including the construction of hostels in various universities and polytechnics across the Niger Delta.
In his remark, Prof. Zaccheus Adangor, a former Attorney-General of Rivers, described the legal profession as noble, honourable, and learned.
He urged the student participants to demonstrate honesty, integrity, and good character throughout their career.
“Students must remain open to new ideas, as the legal profession requires deep and varied knowledge.
“Legal practitioners should also invest in continuous learning, acquiring both hard and digital copies of books, in their role as ministers in the temple of justice,” Adangor advised.
Also speaking, Justice Daketima Kio of the Rivers State High Court commended the NDDC for the initiative, expressing confidence that the programme would foster a more united and developed region.
He expressed optimism that the competition would serve as a springboard for aspiring legal professionals in the region to excel in their careers.
On his part, Mr Victor Arenyeka, NDDC’s Acting Director for Legal Services, explained that the competition was designed to prepare students to confront the specific challenges facing the Niger Delta.
He stated that participants were tested on environmental law, oil and gas, and sustainable development.
Arenyeka encouraged the students to seize the opportunity to broaden their legal knowledge and lay a solid foundation for successful careers in the legal profession. (NAN)
The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has hailed the fast-track disbursement of funds to 15 million households under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme of the President Bola Tinubu administration.The group said the fast-track disbursement was due to the delay in the full implementation of a scheme, which it said was central to the administration’s quest to lift millions of vulnerable Nigerians out of acute poverty.
Mr Emeka Nwankpa, the Chairman of TMSG, in a statement on Saturday, said with the newly inaugurated inter-agency task force in place, the stage was set for a wider coverage of the poverty-alleviation scheme. “We are aware that President Bola Tinubu formally launched the Conditional Cash Transfer programme targeted at 15 million households across the country soon after assuming office in 2023.“The idea was to improve on the same scheme introduced by his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, by reaching more Nigerians than the 1.6 million households (8 million individuals) who benefited from the Buhari administration’s disbursement of N10,000 bi-monthly as of 2021.“So, President Tinubu’s CCT initiative is clearly more ambitious, with the target of ensuring that 15 million households receive N25,000 per month thrice in a year,” said the group.But it said since the announcement, the process had been slowed down by financial inclusion bottlenecks, which had been addressed by an inter-agency task force.The task force includes the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), National Cash Transfer Office (NCTO), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS).“We view the composition of the task force as a statement of intent. The Tinubu administration is set to navigate issues of distrust that characterise the previous scheme and ensure that all beneficiaries have a digital footprint aside from bank accounts.“We still recall how state governments under the auspices of the National Economic Council (NEC), in July 2023, disowned the National Social Register (NSR), the database for vulnerable populations used by the Buhari administration for the CCT programme.“But now, with NIMC working with the Central Bank and other relevant humanitarian agencies, we are convinced that more of the intended beneficiaries would be able to have the NIN, which is now mandatory for benefitting from the CCT and other social services.“In addition, the issue of distrust in disbursement would be addressed, and the possibility of funds getting to intended beneficiaries would be higher with proper documentation and identification,” said TMSG.It commended the Tinubu administration for taking these additional steps against the backdrop of the alarm raised by the World Bank recently on increasing poverty in rural Nigeria and the need to ramp up social protection initiatives.“Recently, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, told Mr Ousmane Diagana, World Bank Vice President, West and Central Africa, that there was evidence that six million households were benefiting from the scheme.“So, we hope that in due course, the Tinubu administration’s target of reaching out to 15 million vulnerable households would be met,” said the group.It urged agencies involved in the process to live up to expectations by ensuring swift completion of the task of addressing the delay in cushioning the impact of economic hardship on vulnerable Nigerians. (NAN)
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