News
Lagos-Calabar coastal road project to cost ₦4bn per kilometre
Umahi says the current design of the road under construction is different from its original design which was eight lanes without train tracks.
The construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway has started from Victoria Island in Lagos.
David Umahi, the Minister of Works has disclosed that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar highway would cost ₦4bn per km.
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, had earlier criticised the project, alleging that the Federal Government planned to spend ₦8bn on each kilometre of the 700 km road project.
Atiku also raised questions on why President Bola Tinubu awarded the contract to his ally, Gilbert Chagoury’s Hitech without competitive bidding.
Reacting to this, Umahi in a statement on Tuesday, April 9, 2024, said Atiku lacked an understanding of figures, adding that he found the ex-VP’s comment degrading.
Also, while appearing as a guest on the Television Continental on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, the minister dismissed Atiku’s claim on the cost of the project.
He explained that the current design of the road under construction is different from its original design which according to him was eight lanes without train tracks.
“The coastal road we are constructing has a total of 10 lanes, you know, not only that it has a total of 10 lanes, it also have what we called shoulders. And the total shoulders can be put at about 23 metres. So when you put the total concrete pavement we are doing, it’s about 59 metres. When you put the total flexible pavement that he quoted it’s about 23 metres,” Umahi said.
“And so when you run the figures, you now find out that under his calculation, it is giving you about over ₦19bn per kilometre. Now if you divide it by the 23 kilometres that they are doing, it is about 2.225 times a standard superhighway carriageway, which is ₦11.55bn. Whereas what we are doing, if you divide it, you get ₦5.167bn, So when you now divide using our 1.067, you get about ₦4bn/km.
“If you go back to what he has quoted, you will get over ₦8bn. So using concrete, which should be more expensive because of the kind of terrain we have, and using flexible pavement, which shouldn’t stand the coastal route, you will find out that our cost is ₦4bn instead of the ₦8bn claimed by the former vice president.”
The former Governor of Ebonyi State disclosed that Hitech Construction would fund the project under the Public-Private Partnership model.
News
ASCON To Be Rebranded “National School Of Government”
Situated at Topo, Badagry Lagos, President Tinubu said that the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to approve a bill seeking to repeal the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Act and establish the National School of Government, Nigeria.
Situated at Topo, Badagry Lagos, President Tinubu said that the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the president’s letter transmitting the National School of Government Bill 2026 to the upper chamber during Wednesday plenary.
In the letter, Tinubu urged the Senate to give the proposed legislation expeditious consideration, stressing the need to establish a dedicated institution to strengthen leadership development and improve the capacity of public officials to deliver government policies.
The president invoked Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, to formally transmit the bill to the Senate for legislative consideration.“Pursuant to Section 58 (2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended, I forward herewith the National School of Government Bill 2026 for the kind consideration of the Senate,” Tinubu stated in the letter.
He expressed the hope that the lawmakers would give the bill the necessary attention and facilitate its consideration.
According to the president, the proposed institution would serve as a national centre for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
News
Sanwo-Olu Appoints Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo, 5 Others as Perm Secs
Ogunbanwo brings nearly three decades of experience in public service, strategic communication, public relations and information management.
•Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has appointed Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo, Director of Public Affairs at the Lagos State Ministry of Health, as a Permanent Secretary in the State Public Service, alongside five other senior officers.
The five other senior officers appointed as Permanent Secretaries as conveyed by the Head of Service (HOS), Mr. Bode Agoro, in Circular Ref. No. CIR/HOS/’26/071, dated October 13, 2026, are Dr. Olawale Mahadiyu Adegbite, Director of Medical Services, Health Service Commission; Mrs. Folashade Aina Thomas-Orogan and Mr. Adebayo Mubashiru Haroun, both Directors, State Counsel at the Ministry of Justice.
The rest are Mrs. Olayinka Margret Oye-Bamgbose, Director of Administration and Human Resource at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and Mrs. Bilquees Toyin Adekoya, Principal/Director of Education at Education District VI.
The appointments, which take effect from October 13, 2026, were aimed at reinvigorating the State’s policy implementation apparatus and strengthening public service delivery.
Mr. Olatunbosun Ogunbanwo
Ogunbanwo brings nearly three decades of experience in public service, strategic communication, public relations and information management.
Before his appointment, Ogunbanwo served as Director of Public Affairs at the Ministry of Health and previously held the same position at the Ministry of Agriculture.
He also played key communication roles in Lagos State’s responses to public health emergencies, including Ebola, COVID-19, Lassa fever and diphtheria.
News
NAF Crash: Residents Fear Disease as Body Parts Foul Community River
Residents of Igbokoda in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State are grappling with a severe public health and environmental crisis following the crash of a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) ATR-42 aircraft into a swamp near the community.
The aircraft, on a routine mission from Benin City to Lagos, crashed last Monday, killing all 25 people on board. Recovery efforts continue amid difficult swampy terrain, with large sections of the wreckage and human remains still unrecovered.
The traditional ruler of Igbokoda, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, said residents have been battling an extremely offensive odour caused by decomposing human remains floating in the river. “The odour is extremely offensive. So many parts of the human body are floating around in the river. Some of the bodies have not been recovered. They have decomposed, and it is affecting everything,” he stated.
He warned that the river — the community’s main source of water for drinking, cooking and fishing — has been polluted by the remains and aviation fuel spillage. Residents can no longer safely use the water, raising fears of a disease outbreak.
Ondo State authorities confirmed they are assessing the environmental and public health impact, with plans for decontamination. Recovery teams, including the Navy, Air Force and emergency agencies, are intensifying efforts to retrieve remaining wreckage and remains.
-
Business2 days agoDangote Refinery IPO Attracts N8.61trn in Subscriptions, Four Times Offer
-
Business2 days ago
Top 10 Highest-Paid CEOs in Nigeria
-
Business2 days agoNaira Exchange Rates To Dollar , Pound ,Euro, … Tuesday, October 13
-
Business3 days agoAI to eliminate 40% of global jobs – IMF boss
-
Business2 days agoGlobal smartphone shipments fall 20% in Q3 2026, lowest in 14 years
-
Sports2 days ago
Rwanda to host F1’s first race in Africa since 1993
-
International3 days agoJUST IN: Pope Leo XIV to Undergo Surgery for Early-Stage Lung Nodule
-
International2 days agoChild marriage in southern Germany: Over 350 cases recorded, some brides as young as 11
