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Residents Protest Bad State Of Benin – Sapele Road, Vow To Stay Till…

Published

3 years ago

April 22, 2021

Vehicular and human movements were grounded at the very bad portion of the ever busy Benin – Sapele – Warri Road, near by-pass on Thursday as road users and residents in the area took over the bad portion of the road in protest of the bad state of the road and seemingly abandonment by both the federal and state governments.

They vowed to stay there until the government come to the place and rehabilitate the bad portion.

They said several petitions written to the state and federal governments have not been responded to positively.

Speaking to newsmen, a resident in the area who said he is the chairman of Sapele Road By-pass Axis, Daniel Omorogbe said their children can no longer go to school due to the bad road, just as he added that they go to mechanic workshop.

“Some of our children can no longer go to school. Our cars are bad. We are finding it difficult to use this road, and this road connects to the Niger Delta and those coming from the Niger Delta axis to other parts of the country also pass through here. Trucks coming from the north to the Niger Delta also pass through here.

The bad state of the Benin-Sapele-Warri road, near by-pass Benin.

“Three months ago, we wrote to the Senate, House of Representatives, we wrote to the Ministry of Works, the state House of Assembly and even the governor of the state, still nothing has been done so we are tired. We are going to stay here until the government listens to us. We are going to continue to remain here till they answer. They come here to be using labourers to work using head pans and wheelbarrows and once rain falls, the whole place will collapse and get flooded,” he said.

On his part, one Omo Osifo said due to bad state of the road public transport fare from By-pass to Ring Road has rised from N150 to N500 especially, just as he narrated how a woman who was being taking to hospital in labour put to bed.

“We now spend hours; from by-pass to Ring Road used to be N150, now we spend up to N500 because of the state of the road especially when it rains. They were rushing a woman to the hospital for delivery but because of the bad road, there was traffic and she delivered, it was a good Samaritan that now rushed her to a nearby hospital. What if that good Samaritan was not there?”

Another resident and road user Mrs. Sandra Otaigbe said “We want to make it known to the federal and the state governments that social amenities are not a privilege but a right. If it rains people are stranded, you see little children trekking with their launch bags after school because of the bad situation when it rains.”

When contacted, the Federal Controller of Works and Housing, Edo State, Razaq Aransiola declined comments, saying he would call back which he is yet to do as at the time of filing this report.

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Man, 38 Escapes Assassination Attempt In Benin

Published

9 months ago

July 22, 2023

Editor

Innocent Omoruyi

By Omokha Andrew

A 38-year-old activist, Innocent Omoruyi, narrowly escaped assassination in the early hours of Wednesday, July 19, 2023 as his residence at Obe Community,Sapele Road in Benin city was attacked by yet to be identified gun men.

The attack which eye witnesses say was viciously executed on Wednesday, July 19, 2023 bore the markings of a dreaded cult group terrorizing Benin City, the state capital.

The Obe, Sapale Road incident, it was learnt, happened soon after Omoruyi left the house to attend to matters of interest some few metres away from his home.

The assailants were said to have shot sporadically in their frustration as residents scampered for safety.

However, Omoruyi escaped unharmed.

One of the eye witnesses who craved anonymity said: “The felons apparently went for the kill, weilding guns and other dangerous weapons. “We are shocked that they didn’t see Innocent Omoruyi who was just some few metres away from home when they arrived”.

“How that happened, only God knows and it was obvious that it wasn’t his time to die yet and just before that not long ago his business place on Lagos Street, Benin City was burnt down in the middle of the night by unknown arsonists.

“This sequence of events is not ordinary. We know it’s politically motivated due to the role he played in the last general elections. He has been advised to go into hiding at the moment for his personal safety”, he concluded.

When contacted, the police Public Relations Officer Chidi Nwabuzor said he was yet to get any information as regards the latest incident. He promised to feed our correspondent with relevant details as soon as they become handy.

Our information source however revealed that the matter has already been incidented at the Love World Police station on Sapele Road, Benin city.

Business

Nigeria To Earn Over $4bn Revenue As FEC Okays Concession Of Abuja, Kano Airports

Published

11 months ago

May 18, 2023

Editor

Nigeria will earn over $4 billion in nominal revenue as the Federal Executive Council, FEC, on Wednesday okayed the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano, to the Corporacion American Airport Consortium, a Luxembourg-based company.

James Odaudu, the Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the Minister of Aviation, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

According to him, the Council also approved that the Federal Ministry of Aviation would be renamed the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace.

The statement noted that the company would make combined upfront payments of $8.5 million for the concession of NAIA and MAKIA.

He added that the development would spur evidential growth within the Nigerian aviation industry.

“In alignment with the Aviation Roadmap, approved by Mr President on 18th October 2016, the Ministry of Aviation and Aerospace is delighted to inform all stakeholders, both local and international, and the media, that the concession of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA), Abuja, and Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA), Kano has been approved by the Federal Executive Council,” the statement said.

In December 2022 and January 2023, Corporacion American Airport Consortium was announced as the preferred bidder for the airport’s concession after scaling through a series of evaluations of technical and financial bids.

Nominal revenues mean income not adjusted for inflation and decreasing purchasing power.

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Russia Expelled From Council Of Europe Amid War With Ukraine

Published

2 years ago

March 16, 2022

Editor

The Council of Europe says it has expelled Russia with immediate effect after 26 years of membership because of the Ukraine war.

The Committee of Ministers took the decision in a special session, the rights body announced in the French city of Strasbourg on Wednesday.

Earlier, Russia had already declared its withdrawal from the Council of Europe after it had taken steps to exclude it.

On Tuesday evening, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe voted unanimously in favour of Russia’s exclusion.

Russia joined the Council of Europe on Feb. 28, 1996.

Together with the formal notification of the withdrawal, the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe also received information from the Russian Federation on Tuesday about its intention to denounce the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the leaders of the Council of Europe once again condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

They expressed their solidarity with the Russian people, who continue to belong to the European family and share its values.

The body said it would continue to stand by Ukraine in the fight against the aggressor.

The Council of Europe monitors the observance of human rights in its 46 member states and is not part of the European Union.

The body reacted to the Russian invasion of Ukraine two weeks ago by suspending Russia’s membership, this decision was considered historic.