The federal government directed that the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway be reopened for public use on or before March 31.

Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, declared during an inspection of ongoing projects in Enugu, including the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway and the Eke-Obinagu Flyover.

Umahi said :

“I have given the controller the authority. By the 31st or before, he should call the press to open this road.

Call the people of South-East, let them know that this road is open for travel, and that will be our Easter celebration.”

Umahi expressed confidence that the era of frequent fatal accidents, endless traffic, and public frustration along the expressway is coming to an end.

“I’m going around the six geopolitical zones assessing what is possibly to be commissioned before May 29 by the president. There are mega projects that the president will be available for before May 29, and we mean it,” he said.

Once regarded as one of the region’s most dangerous highways, the Enugu–Onitsha Road had long been plagued by tanker explosions, fatal accidents, and economic disruptions. Umahi said decisive intervention by the Tinubu administration has changed the trajectory.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, announced a strategic partnership with the Government of Japan to change the 1979 Abuja Master Plan.

The move, aimed at aligning the city’s growth with modern realities through the year 2050, was the highlight of a courtesy visit by a high-level Japanese delegation to the FCT Ministry on Tuesday.

The delegation was led by the Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Suzuki Hideo, and the Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nigeria, Mr. Ishigame Keiji.

During the meeting, Barrister Wike expressed profound appreciation for Japan’s historical and technical contributions to Nigeria.

He emphasised that the original blueprint of the FCT owes much to Japanese expertise.

“On behalf of the FCT Administration, I appreciate the relationship between Nigeria and Japan,” Wike said.

“I am fully aware of the projects through JICA. It is very key for us because I know the design of Abuja was done by Japan, and now they need to look at it again in order to carry out further structural development.”

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over the prolonged and severe electricity outages recorded in recent weeks across the country.

He acknowledged the strain the outages have caused on households and businesses in key sectors of the economy.

“I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere,” Adelabu said at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday

He admitted that the ongoing blackouts has worsened living conditions, particularly during the intense dry-season heat.

“Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is due to some factors that are actually beyond our control, ”said Adelabu.

Despite the disruptions, Adelabu assured citizens that the situation would soon improve, offering a clear timeline for restoration of better power supply.

“I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” Adelabu said.