News
Rehabilitation work on Tollgate section of Lagos-Abeokuta to be completed in three weeks – Abiodun
Commuters plying the ever busy toll gate section of the Lagos-Abeokuta road in Ado-Odo-Ota Local Government area of the state would soon heave a sigh of relief as the Toll-Gate stretch of the road is set to be completed in the next three weeks.
The Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun made this known during an on-the-spot assessment of the ongoing rehabilitation work at some sections of the road.
Abiodun had announced that rehabilitation of some bad portions of the express road, grouped into five sections would be awarded for for rehabilitation.
Speaking during the visit, the governor noted that the road would be rehabilitated to make life more suitable for the people.
“From toll gate to underneath the bridge, I am very confident that between two to three weeks, it would have completed the stretch of the road from Toll-Gate to the bridge.
“The last time I was here, I promised that this road will be reconstructed within two weeks and I have come back today to ensure that the promise we made to them has been kept.
“I also inspected the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta road, starting from the old tollgate section, which is completely non existent, it failed. I have since awarded the contract for sectional rehabilitation of that road, all the way to Ewekoro. Work has started. I am not happy with the speed of work, I have called the contractor, he will double up from tomorrow.
“The road to Ijoko-Alagbole, we have divided it into five sections, the road will be reconstructed in sections. Presently, we will do between two to three sections at the same time,” he said.
Abiodun, however, disclosed that transformers would be given to communities within the local government to solve the issues they have with lack of electricity, adding that the state owned road maintenance team would immediately begin palliative works on roads in the local government.
” For those areas without electricity, I have called the local government, the CDC and CDA, I will release between fifteen to twenty transformers for them.
“I have told my deputy and the council chairman to come up with the list of roads with pot holes. The immediate past administration constructed some roads which now have pot holes, once I get the list, between this week, our road maintenance team will be in Ota fully to cover the pot holes,” he said.
The governor who noted that youths in the local government area would benefit from a special programme, said that he has directed that about fifty-five youths should be picked from each ward depending on the number of polling units they have.
On the state of the Sango-Ota-Ijoko road, Abiodun noted that a section of the road would be completed all the way to Ifo, saying that the road which will be handled by a competent firm would be completed by the end of the year.
“This road is very bad, I have good news for you and the news is that the contract for this road was awarded two weeks ago to a first class contractor, I have only come here to see the state of the road before the contractor finally starts work.
“We will first ensure we complete one part of the road from the bridge to Ifo. After finishing that, we will now move to the other side, and by the time this year is coming to an end, you will begin to ply on a smooth road,” Abiodun submitted.
News
Stop using repressive laws to intimidate journalists – SERAP, NGE tell FG
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, and Nigeria Guild of Editors, NGE, have called on Nigerian authorities at all levels of government to stop using repressive and anti-media laws to target, intimidate and harass journalists, critics and media houses.
The groups made the demand after an interactive session on ‘the state of press freedom in Nigeria’ held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Ikeja.
In a joint statement, SERAP and NGE said that, “the government of President Bola Tinubu, the country’s 36 governors and FCT minister must now genuinely uphold press freedom, ensure access to information to all Nigerians, obey court judgments, and respect the rule of law”.
They expressed concerns about the escalating crackdown on the right to freedom of expression and media freedom and the flagrant disregard for the rule of law by authorities at all levels of government.
The groups note that the suppression of the press in recent times takes various forms ranging from extrajudicial to unlawful detentions, disappearances, malicious prosecutions and wrongful use of both legislation and law enforcement.
The statement read in part: “We would continue to speak truth to power and to hold authorities to account for their constitutional and international obligations including on freedom of expression and media freedom.
“Nigeria as a country has a long and unpleasant history of press gagging and clampdown on media freedom, which is evidence of extensive state censorship of media and in some cases, the utter control of state-owned media houses.
“This position has not changed considerably despite almost 25 years of unbroken democratic rule in the Fourth Republic.”
News
FG adds 625MW to national grid – Minister
News
Tax: Court orders FCT-IRS agency to seal off defaulting coys
A Magistrate Court sitting in Wuse Zone 2, Abuja, on Friday, ordered the Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS) to seal off a company, Ifedi A.K. Nigeria Ltd, over allegations bordering on non-filing of annual returns.
The Magistrate, Janada Balami, gave the order after lawyer to FCT-IRS, Michael Towolawi, moved the application to the effect.
Towolawi told the court that the company had failed to file its annual returns from 2019 to 2023 in breach of Section 81 of the Personal Income Tax Act, LFN, 2004, and amended in 2011.
He said all efforts to make the company comply with the law proved abortive.
The lawyer, therefore, applied that the company be compel to appear before the court to explain why it acted in breach of the law.
Balami, who held that the application by the agency against the company had merit, accordingly granted same to seal the No 6, Rudolph Close, Off Katsina-Ala Street, Maitama, Abuja.
She, consequently, ordered the company, the sole defendant in the matter, to appear before the court on May 16.
The Director, Legal Services of the FCT-IRS, Festus Tsavar, told journalists after the proceeding that the service would move against companies that do not file their annual returns as provided by law.
“You know that we have a new minister in FCT that is doing a lot of projects and that hinges on money.
“And of course, you are aware that FCT has come out of TSA.
“So it is the internally generated revenue that will make the government of FCT to be able to do those projects completely within required time,” he said.
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