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Senate makes a caricature of Abuja-Kaduna train, revives probe panel headed by Adams Oshiomole

Displeased by the “sorry state” of the entire train facilities; AKPABIO took a swipe at the sluggish nature of the Chinese trains when he said “bicycle-even keke is faster than Abuja-Kaduna train.

Published

7 months ago

January 29, 2026

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The Senate on Thursday called for a thorough investigation into the entire contract and execution agreements of the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano railway line, 10 years after it began full commercial operations.

Worried about the deplorable condition of both the railway line and the attendant poor service delivery by the Nigerian Railway Corporation, the Senate resuscitated its Ad-hoc Committee set up last November but was hampered by a lack of funds to commence the probe of the national asset.

One train ride from Abuja to Kaduna last week by Senator Abdul Ningi -who represents Bauchi Central was all it took to reveal -the deplorable state of Nigeria’s rail transport network-especially the tracks linking the Northern corridors.

Coming on Order 42-, NINGI laments how a journey that should have taken an hour at most took over three hours on a worn-out, second-hand train.

“A Nigerian tragedy”-that’s how the PDP Bauchi Senator refers to the situation as he recounts how the Abuja -Kaduna train service has diminished in quality -from transporting 10,000 passengers daily when it first started to running a single shuttle of less than a thousand passengers a day.

Ningi’s further laments how the revenue from the train service has dwindled over time and called on the Senate to treat the issue as “a national emergency”.

The Abuja-Kaduna railway line was completed in 2015 as the first phase of the Nigerian railway modernization project.

Constructed by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), the Abuja-Kaduna railway was largely funded by project-tied loans obtained from China.

But over the years -, the Abuja-Kaduna rail route has been at the receiving end of poor maintenance, vandalism, bandit attacks and derailments-with the most recent incident in last August in ASHAM.

Chairman Senate Committee on Transport, Senator Adamu Aliero backs the motion ; calling for a concerted effort to fix the “eyesore ‘ the Abuja -Kaduna rail line has become.

In his contribution, President of the Senate, Godswill AKPABIO questions the entire contract agreement and execution of the rail project and calls for a thorough investigation into every single KOBO spent.

The Senate subsequently revived its ad hoc committee set up since last November to investigate the matter but was hampered by a paucity of funds.

The probe panel headed by Senator Adams Oshiomhole was formally inaugurated at plenary on Thursday and given six weeks to complete the assignment.

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200 Kaduna varsity lecturers resign over poor condition of service

Most of the lecturers who left the institution secured appointments in newer universities within and outside Kaduna State.

Published

9 hours ago

August 17, 2026

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The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised concern over the departure of more than 200 lecturers of Kaduna State University, (KASU).

Chairman of ASUU-KASU, Dr Abubakar Abdullahi, disclosed this at a press conference on Monday in Kaduna, lamenting that lecturers, including professors, left the institution due to poor conditions of service and non-implementation of the 2025 Federal Government- ASUU Agreement.

Abdullahi said that most of the lecturers who left the institution secured appointments in newer universities within and outside Kaduna State.

Consequently, the Union has issued a two-week ultimatum to the Kaduna State Government and university authorities to implement and domesticate the agreement.

The union warned that failure to act within the period could result in a total and indefinite strike at the university.

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Edo House of Assembly Elect New Speaker Idiaye, Hints Why Agbebaku Resign

“Once the leadership is poor, it will drag the work of the governor backwards. So we decided to say no.”

Published

14 hours ago

August 17, 2026

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•The new Speaker of the Edo House of Assembly, Mr Yekini Idiaye

The Edo House of Assembly has sworn in a newly elected Speaker , Yekini Idiaye, following the resignation of the former speaker, Blessing Agbebaku.

Speaking in an interview after his swearing-in ceremony in Benin, Idiaye pledged the full cooperation of the house to the state executive, describing Governor Monday Okpebholo as a performing leader who deserved legislative backings.

“He is doing a lot for the people of Edo, so we have to cooperate with him to move the state forward,” he added.

Fielding question on the exit of the former speaker, Idiaye cited the challenges of corruption and poor leadership.

Idiaye said: ” There’s corruption here and there. Every now and then it is adjournment — we resume tomorrow, adjournment for another 30 days, 20 days — and we were all not too happy with this leadership style.”

The new speaker pointed out that a weak legislature directly affected the executive, adding that the house had to act to protect the governor’s performance.

“Once the leadership is poor, it will drag the work of the governor backwards. So we decided to say no.”

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Defence Headquarters say X Account Compromised

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement, describing the incident as a cybersecurity matter.

Published

18 hours ago

August 17, 2026

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The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has issued a notification to the public, media representatives, and relevant stakeholders regarding the compromise of its official account on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, disclosed this in a statement, describing the incident as a cybersecurity matter.

He said “appropriate technical measures had been activated to secure the account and prevent further unauthorised access.”

Uba assured the public that efforts were ongoing to fully restore control of the account, while advising members of the public to disregard any suspicious, unauthorised or misleading content posted from the account during the period.