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Umahi Commends Obaseki On His Committment In Constructing Durable Concrete Roads

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The Minister for Works and Housing, Engr. David Umahi has commended the state governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki for his commitment to constructing durable concrete roads, underscoring the importance of collaborative efforts towards national progress.

Engr. Umahi made this commendation when he paid a courtesy call on the Governor during his two-day tour of on-going construction work on federal roads in the state.

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He added that collaborative efforts and strategic planning are paving the way for a smoother and safer transit experience in the region.

He emphasized on the importance of concrete reinforcement in deteriorated sections and highlighted government’s focus on long-lasting solutions for road construction.

READ ALSO: Extend Loan Scheme To Students Studying Abroad, Nigerians In UK Beg FG

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The Minister, who was accompanied by Edo State Commissioner for Roads and Bridges, Hon. Ethan Uzamere, inspected the Benin-Ekpoma-Auchi road.

On the Benin-Ehor-Ekpoma corridor, Engr. Umahi revoked 10km of the road project from Dantata and Sawoe Nig. Ltd due to concerns that were raised, prompting collaborative efforts with the state government and relevant stakeholders to address road blockages to ensure seamless transit.

The Minister also inspected failed portions of the Auchi Road where he assured that work on the major artery road linking Edo State with neighbouring states will commence in due course.

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Engr. Umahi addressed protesters at Jattu junction assuring that work will resume within the next two weeks.

READ ALSO: NCC To Face Legal Action Over ‘Unlawful’ Directive To Block Nigerians Phone Lines

The minister who promised accelerated work on the road , added he would be on ground every two weeks to supervise and ensure the contractors handling the project sticks to design and quality, including the pedestrian bridge at Jattu junction.

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While commending the protesters for the peaceful manner deployed to vent their frustrations, Engr Umahi noted that this was one factor that made Mr. President to give directive that the four construction companies handling the project should return to site next week

Meanwhile, the state Commissioner for Roads and Bridges, Engr Ethan Uzamere in an interview revealed the state government’s proactive approach to enhancing road infrastructure for the benefit of the people.

He noted that the Minister’s visit was a great opportunity to showcase the state of dilapidated federal roads and suggest possible ways to address the problem.

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Engr. Uzamere commended the minister for his proactive steps ahead of the rainy season and pledged the state government’s collaboration to tackle Agbede-Ekpoma-Irrua motorability issues.

READ ALSO: Tinubu Can’t Separate Himself From Buhari’s Failures — Activist

He reiterated that immediate remedial actions are set for Benin-Auchi road with Dangote and BUA Cement. Additionally, Long-term plans involve road concessioning for sustainable infrastructure beyond the current administration.

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In response to the pressing issues on Ekpoma Road, Engr Uzamere said a comprehensive plan has been proposed to alleviate the ongoing challenges.

He added that a phased approach will be implemented, with one session dedicated to essential palliative measures, including the application of durable materials such as concrete.

He promised to contribute an official land for the development project, noting that efforts will be directed towards engaging relevant authorities and community stakeholders to ensure a smooth and uninterrupted execution of the proposed improvements.

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According to him, this collaborative approach aims to address the long-standing issues on Ekpoma Road and enhance the overall infrastructure for the benefit of the community.

The minister earlier inspected on-going construction work on Warri-Benin road where he threatened to revoke contracts of underperforming construct companies.

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Otuaro Lauds Tinubu For Backing PAP’s Peacebuilding Process In Niger Delta

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The Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Dr Dennis Otuaro, has expressed deep appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for his huge support for the programme’s peacebuilding process in the Niger Delta.

Otuaro spoke on Wednesday while delivering his remarks at the opening ceremony for the second batch of the Leadership, Alternative Dispute Resolution and Media Training organised by the PAP for its stakeholders in collaboration with the Nigerian Army Resource Centre in Abuja.

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The first batch of the three-day workshop took place from July 16 to July 18, 2025 at the same venue- the Nigerian Army Resource Centre.

Otuaro, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Igoniko Oduma, attributed Tinubu’s firm backing of the programme’s peacebuilding initiative to the president’s strong desire for sustainable peace, stability and development in the region and indeed Nigeria.

READ ALSO: PAP Conducts Verification For 3,171 Scholarship Beneficiaries, Presents 663 Laptops To Final Year Students

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Otuaro said the President’s massive support for the PAP stemmed from his concern for a better and assured future for the people of the Niger Delta, stressing that “a better tomorrow for our region must be secured today through a deliberate peace process that is massively supported by the President.”

He told the participants that they were critical partners for peace and stability in the region and that the workshop was aimed at improving their leadership and mediation capacity as peace ambassadors of the programme.

Otuaro, while declaring the worskship open, said, “I am very grateful to His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for believing in the peacebuilding initiative undertaken by the PAP in our villages and communities in the Niger Delta.

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“Mr President’s support has been tremendous, and it shows his profound commitment and dedication to peace, stability and security for the accelerated development and socio-economic advancement in our region.

READ ALSO: PAP Boss, Otuaro, Showers Encomium On Tompolo On His Birthday

“So, I want Niger Delta people and all stakeholders to thank Mr President for his remarkable support for the Presidential Amnesty Programme and the peace process that my leadership has embarked upon in our region.

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“As stakeholders of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, you (the participants) are worthy ambassadors in the peacebuilding project in our region, and I want you to know that we all have a responsibility to also support Mr President by working assiduously for sustainable peace in and around our communities.”

He also extended profound gratitude to the Office of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, for his “tireless efforts at providing valuable inputs and interventions in the implementation of the programme’s objectives.”

He assured the participants and other Niger Delta stakeholders of his commitment to his policy of inclusivity, adding that plans were ongoing to empower the region’s women “because they were also casualties in the struggle.”

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The PAP helmsman, therefore, urged the participants to shun all forms of distractions and take active part in the training so they could gain vital lessons that would be useful to them in their roles as peace ambassadors.

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BREAKING: Tinubu Appoints New Federal Fire Service Boss

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President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Adeyemi Olumode, as the new Federal Fire Service, FFS, Controller-General.

The appointment was announced on Wednesday on behalf of the Federal Government by retired Maj.-Gen Abdulmalik Jubril, Secretary of the Civil, Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB.

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Jubril said the appointment followed the retirement of the current Controller-General, Abdulganiyu Jaji, on August 13.

Jaji is retiring upon attaining the age of 60 by August 13.

READ ALSO: JUST IN: Tinubu Confers National Honours On Super Falcons

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Jibril further disclosed said that Adeyemi Olumode is qualified for the position, having attended and passed all mandatory in-service training, Command courses as well as other courses within and outside the country.

He brings a wealth of experience to his new role, having transferred his service from the FCT Fire Service to the Federal Fire Service and grown to the rank of DCG in the Human Resource Directorate of the Service Headquarters.

“He has served in various capacities and is equally a member/fellow of the following professional associations including Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, ANAN, Institute of Corporate Administration of Nigeria, Institute of Public Administration of Nigeria and Chartered Institute of Treasury Management of Nigeria.”

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[OPINION] Northern Amnesia: Governor Sani, The Table Shaker

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By Israel Adebiyi

When truth is buried underground, it grows, it chokes, it gathers such explosive force that on the day it bursts out, it blows up everything with it.”
— Émile Zola

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There’s a kind of silence that settles over the land after years of failure. A silence made of shame, denial, and carefully chosen half-truths. In Northern Nigeria, that silence has become an institution — polite, predictable, and profoundly dangerous.

Then came Uba Sani — with words that cut through like harmattan wind.

At a recent citizen engagement summit in Kaduna, Governor Uba Sani did what few northern politicians have ever dared. He faced the region and told it the truth: “We failed our people.” Not they. We. All of us who have held power in the North in the past two decades, he said, must offer the people an apology.

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In that single moment, he shattered the convenient forgetfulness the North has grown used to. He didn’t call out Abuja. He didn’t drag the South. He didn’t blame some vague colonial past or “outsiders.” He pointed the finger inward — and included himself.

That is no small thing. That is not politics. That is an act of courage.

MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: Protesting Police Pensioners And Fela’s Double Wahala Melody

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Because what Governor Sani spoke to is not just political miscalculation. It’s a generational betrayal. A betrayal that has left too many Northern children unschooled, too many women dying in childbirth, too many communities in darkness, and too many homes listening for the next gunshot.

Let’s stop for a moment and look at the evidence — not the emotion, but the math.

According to the 2022 National Multidimensional Poverty Index, nine of the ten poorest states in Nigeria are in the North. In Sokoto, over 90% of people live in poverty. Kebbi, Zamfara, Jigawa — same story. We’re not just failing; we’ve normalized failure.

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And yet, this is the region that has held the most power in Nigeria since independence. Presidents. Military heads of state. Senators. Generals. Governors. Ministers. National Security Advisers. We’ve produced them all. But not the outcomes.

We’ve built palaces in Abuja, but not a working school in Shinkafi. We’ve padded budgets but abandoned hospitals in Birnin Kebbi. In some states, over 60% of children aged 6–15 have never seen the inside of a classroom. What kind of leadership allows this?

Northern mothers still die in delivery rooms at three times the national average, according to the latest NDHS report. Some rural health centres don’t even have paracetamol. The elites fly abroad. The poor bury their dead.

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MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: [OPINION] BUHARI: The Man Who Missed Redemption

Security? Forget it. From Zamfara to Katsina to Niger, bandits have made homes out of forests. Whole villages are ghost towns. And yet, most of the top military chiefs in the last decade came from this region. Who, then, is to blame?

Let’s talk money. The North is land-rich but cash-poor. While Lagos alone contributes over 30% to Nigeria’s GDP, most northern states struggle to hit 1%. But the same northern governors go cap-in-hand for federal allocation and call it development. Where are the industries? Where is the productivity?

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This is what Sani is shaking — a region that has grown comfortable with underdevelopment and allergic to self-reflection.

Some elites have pushed back, of course. Former senators and political juggernauts who built their careers on recycled loyalty have tried to downplay his remarks. They say he was too harsh. That he forgot their “service”. That he shouldn’t “wash dirty linen in public.”

But if that linen hasn’t been washed for 40 years, where should it be aired?

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MORE FROM THE AUTHOR: OPINION: Protesting Police Pensioners And Fela’s Double Wahala Melody

Let’s be honest — it is easier to blame Buhari, or Tinubu, or the South. But Sani refuses the easy route. He says: we, the North, are not victims here. We are architects of our own decline.

He refuses to play the amnesia game.

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You can feel the discomfort in the air. He has stepped on toes — and many of those toes wear agbadas. But the truth is not about comfort. It’s about course correction.

This isn’t about just Uba Sani. It’s about whether the North still has the capacity to face its reflection. To see the rot — and clean house. To stop building dynasties and start building schools. To stop naming roads after ancestors and start giving roads to rural farmers.

Too many of our children are stuck in almajiri cycles while the children of the elite occupy UK universities. Too many of our mothers die in labor while wives of past governors set up foundations for photo-ops. Too many old names have stayed too long — and are grooming their sons for the throne.

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That is what Governor Sani is fighting: not just silence, but the inheritance of silence.

He says, “Let’s apologise.” But apology alone is not enough. It must be backed with a plan. A Marshall Plan for the North — real investment, not campaign slogans. Functional education, not workshops. Security that protects, not retaliates. Jobs that empower, not enslave.

It must come with the rethinking of what power is: not title, not convoy, not prayer photos — but legacy measured in lives changed, not lives lost.

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Governor Sani’s voice may be lonely now. But history listens to such voices. And perhaps, just perhaps, in that lone voice, the North might find a new beginning.

Because silence, when it becomes tradition, is nothing but consent.

And now, one man has dared to shout.

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