NEWS
Reps Pledge Legislative Intervention on Abuja-Kaduna-Kano Road Project

The Ad hoc Committee of the House of Representatives has pledged to ensure speedy completion of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano road project .The Chairman of the committee, Rep. Aminu Jaji ( APC-) made the pledge in a statement issued on Sunday after an oversight visit to the Abuja-Kaduna axis of the project.
He expressed displeasure over the slow pace of work by the contractor, pledging that the committee would ensure work begins on the road to make it ready for use as soon as possible. He said that the project was awarded almost six years ago saying that the way and manner the contractors are doing the work was too slow.Jaji said that the committee would intervene and ensure all pending issues are resolved so that work can begin immediately.According to him, this is why the house, under the leadership the Speaker, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, deemed it very necessary to constitute this committee.“Whatever the case might be, whether it is funding, or it is the contractor, or it is technical, whatever the problem is, we started our journey today and by God’s grace, we will do the needful and we will ensure that whatever problem it is, it will be sorted out.“We will do our best to ensure that all things have been done in accordance with the contractual agreement.“Since there is an intervention from the National Assembly, all stakeholders should hold their positions for the necessary thing must be done in accordance with the contractual agreement.“For us, we do not know that condition are yet, until we get it formally and we have requested all necessary information from the Federal Ministry of Works.“We are going to write to all relevant agencies, including those that are responsible for this palliative exercise that is taking place on this Abuja-Kaduna road.“We will do our best to ensure that whatever needs to be addressed will be addressed in due course,” he said.The chairman appealed to the road users to be patient as efforts would be in top gear to ensure the road is in good condition for use as soon as possible.He assured that the National Assembly is ever ready to ensure that the road is completed in due course.Report says that on Oct. 17, the Federal Government threatened to revoke a section of the Abuja-Kaduna highway contract being handled by Julius Berger.The Minister of Works, David Umahi, said this during a visit to inaugurate the rehabilitation of the highway at the Zuba area of the Federal Capital Territory.The contract was awarded to Julius Berger in 2018 when former President Muhammadu Buhari was in power.While the Kaduna-Zaria section has been completed and the Zaria-Kano section is almost done, the Abuja-Kaduna section has recorded 27 per cent progress in 6 years.Again, on Oct. 24, the federal government issued a final seven-day ultimatum to Julius Berger to accept its proposal of N740.79billion to complete the rehabilitation of the 82km section II of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road or risk contract termination.Umahi, said the project, which has lingered for too long on the negotiations table, must be resolved within the next seven days.He gave the new ultimatum when he was paid a courtesy visit by the new Managing Director of Julius Berger Plc, Dr Pier Lubasch, who was accompanied by the outgoing Managing Director, Dr Lars Richter, at the works ministry headquarters, in Abuja. (NAN)NEWS
FG Imposes 7-year Ban on New Federal Tertiary Institutions

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved a seven-year moratorium on the establishment of new federal tertiary institutions.
Dr Tunji Alausa, Minister of Education announced the approval, after Wednesday’s FEC meeting, presided over by President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He explained the ban applies to all federal universities, polytechnics, and colleges of education.
According to Alausa, the decision aims to address systemic decay caused by unregulated expansion.
”What we are witnessing today is duplication of new federal tertiary institutions, a significant reduction in the current capacity of each institution, and degradation of both physical infrastructure and manpower.
”“If we do not act decisively, it will lead to marked declines in educational quality and undermine the international respect that Nigerian graduates command.”
“We are doing this to further halt decays in tertiary institutions which may in future affect the quality of education and consequently cause unemployment of graduates from some of these institutions.”
Alausa noted Nigeria currently has 72 federal universities, 108 state universities, and 159 private universities with similar trends in polytechnics and colleges of education.
He pointed to a growing mismatch between the number of institutions and available student enrollment.
He cited a northern university with fewer than 800 students but over 1,200 staff, calling it unsustainable.
The minister described the moratorium as a bold corrective measure by the Tinubu administration.
He said the government would now focus on upgrading existing institutions, improving infrastructure, boosting manpower, and increasing capacity.
“We need to improve the quality of our education system and increase the carrying capacity of our current institutions so that Nigerian graduates can maintain and enhance the respect they enjoy globally.”
The minister however announced that the Council approved 9 new private universities out of the 79 active requests pending applications.
”Several of these applications have been in the pipeline for over six years, with investors having already built campuses and invested billions of Naira,” he explained.
“Due to inefficiencies within the NUC, approvals were delayed. We have since introduced reforms to streamline these processes, and today’s approvals are a result of clearing this backlog.”
(NAN)
Foreign News
CAF Sanctions Kenya Again over Crowd Trouble

The Confederation of African Football (CAF) has sanctioned African Nations Championship (CHAN) co-host, Kenya, for the second time in as many weeks over security breaches.
In a statement made available on Monday evening, the continental governing body said that it has limited entry to the 48,000-seat Moi International Sports Centre.
It also said that, known as Kasarani Stadium, can accommodate 27,000 fans for Sunday’s Group A match between Kenya and Zambia.
CAF said only electronic ticket holders would be allowed into the stadium, with thermal tickets prohibited.
The governing body warned that Kenya’s matches could be relocated from Kasarani Stadium if organisers fail to prevent further breaches.
“We trust these measures will be applied swiftly to protect competition’s integrity, ensure fan safety, and uphold confidence in Kenya’s commitment to the tournament,” CAF said.
The sanctions follow incidents on Aug. 10 when Kenya defeated two-time winner Morocco 1-0 in spite of playing the entire second half with 10 men.
The win put Kenya top of Group A with seven points.
The debutants would reach the quarterfinals with at least a draw against winless Zambia.
Last week, Kenya’s football federation was fined nearly 20,000 U.S. dollars for security lapses during the team’s 1-0 win over DR Congo in the tournament opener on Aug. 3.
In the latest case, CAF cited major lapses, including stadium gates and restricted service areas being overrun by ticketless spectators and holders of government-distributed physical tickets.
It also accused security personnel of losing control at exit points and allowing breaches of the perimeter fence that enabled thousands of ticketless fans to enter.
CAF had expressed alarm over the use of tear gas and flash grenades, reports of live ammunition fired near spectators and staff, and violent incidents such as stone-throwing at security personnel.
It also cited unsafe vehicle movement in spectator areas, inadequate police response, and the lack of medical incident reports in spite of injuries being reported.
Organisers were further criticised for insufficient communication tools and the absence of CCTV coverage at critical entry points.
Education
Varsity Don Advocates Establishment of National Bureau for Ethnic Relations, Inter-Group Unity

By David Torough, Abuja
A university scholar, Prof. Uji Wilfred of the Department of History and International Studies, Federal University of Lafia, has called on the Federal Government to establish a National Bureau for Ethnic Relations to strengthen inter-group unity and address the deep-seated ethnic tensions in Nigeria, particularly in the North Central region.
Prof.
Wilfred, in a paper drawing from years of research, argued that the six states of the North Central—Kwara, Niger, Kogi, Benue, Plateau, and Nasarawa share long-standing historical, cultural, and economic ties that have been eroded by arbitrary state boundaries and ethnic politics.According to him, pre-colonial North Central Nigeria was home to a rich mix of ethnic groups—including Nupe, Gwari, Gbagi, Eggon, Igala, Idoma, Jukun, Alago, Tiv, Birom, Tarok, Angas, among others, who coexisted through indigenous peace mechanisms.
These communities, he noted, were amalgamated by British colonial authorities under the Northern Region, first headquartered in Lokoja before being moved to Kaduna.
He stressed that state creation, which was intended to promote minority inclusion, has in some cases fueled exclusionary politics and ethnic tensions. “It is historically misleading,” Wilfred stated, “to regard certain ethnic nationalities as mere tenant settlers in states where they have deep indigenous roots.”
The don warned that such narratives have been exploited by political elites for land grabbing, ethnic cleansing, and violent conflicts, undermining security in the sub-region.
He likened Nigeria’s ethnic question to America’s historic “race question” and urged the adoption of structures similar to the Freedmen’s Bureau, which addressed racial inequality in post-emancipation America through affirmative action and equitable representation.
Wilfred acknowledged the recent creation of the North Central Development Commission by President Bola Tinubu as a step in the right direction, but said its mandate may not be sufficient to address ethnic relations.
He urged the federal government to either expand the commission’s role or create a dedicated Bureau for Ethnic Relations in all six geo-political zones to foster reconciliation, equality, and sustainable development.
Quoting African-American scholar W.E.B. Du Bois, Prof. Wilfred concluded that the challenge of Nigeria in the 21st century is fundamentally one of ethnic relations, which must be addressed with deliberate policies for unity and integration.