The Federal Government has announced that the demolition of buildings situated within the right of way of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road will commence this coming Saturday.

According to Channels Television’ on Thursday, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Korede Keisha, disclosed this during a press briefing held in Lagos on Thursday.

Keisha urged all residents whose houses have been earmarked for demolition to visit the ministry’s secretariat in Lagos to address any necessary procedures required by the ministry.

She stated that the demolition team would commence the removal of the marked properties on Saturday.

Keisha said, “So this press briefing is just to create awareness for all those that may be involved or have one or two things to do along that project corridor.

“We’ve sent out demolition notices to as many as are within the right of way and we are using this medium now to say that everyone that has any concern within that corridor and have been served, the secretariat is opened to them from today, 3pm.

“We are welcoming them from today till tomorrow. Whatever you have to do along that axis, and then we’ve come to you and marked you down for demolition, we are asking that you see us at the secretariat from today till tomorrow evening.

“Thereafter, demolition squad will move to action by Saturday morning for the first three kilometres.”

The minister added, “For the first three kilometres, anything within the right of way of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway will be dropped down from Saturday morning.

“So, I want to use this medium to reach out to as many as we cannot put calls across to, that this will go a long way to let them know that their issues will be sorted out between today and tomorrow.

“Especially if you are within zero to three kilometres of the projects and you have been marked. You have been identified as standing in the right of way of the project corridors.”

Recently, Minister of Works Dave Umahi disclosed that the construction of the Lagos-Calabar coastal road is expected to span eight years and cost N4 billion per kilometre

The 700 km Lagos-Calabar coastal road will be constructed for N15 trillion, and a kilometre of the road will cost N4 billion.

It is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom states before culminating in Cross River.

Hamma Bello, the eighth posecution witness in the trial of a former Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, narrated before Justice James Omotosho of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, how the defendant and her subordinates diverted public funds into their private companies.

Oyo-Ita, the first defendant, is facing criminal prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission alongside her special assistants, Ugbong Effiok (seventh defendant),  and Garba Umar (fourth defendant).

Others are six companies: Frontline Ace Global Services Limited, Asanaya Projects Limited, Slopes International Limited, U and U Global Services Ltd, Prince Mega Logistics Ltd, and Good Deal Investments, on 18 counts bordering on misappropriation, official corruption, money laundering, and criminal diversion of funds to the tune of over N3bn.

The witness, while being led in evidence by prosecution counsel, Faruk Abdullahi, and H.M. Mohammed, told the court that Oyo-Ita used Slopes International Limited and Good Deal Investments Limited – fifth and sixth defendants respectively,  to fraudulently award government contracts to herself through the fourth defendant, Umar.

The first entry transaction of Good Deal Investment Limited in February 2019 showed that N42,748, 201.47 was paid into its Zenith Bank account.

The witness said, “We called for the account statements of these two companies, upon analysing them, we realised he (Umar) was paid several sums of money from the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing where he is an employee.

“And upon interviewing the fourth defendant, he admitted that he was also a contractor. He also admitted to have paid the first defendant on several occasions from the proceeds of the transaction.”

On April 27, 2019, the witness disclosed that a transfer of N20, 2027, 142 was made in the name of  Ibrahim Madu to the Zenith Bank account of Asanaya Projects Limited.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Mr Festus Osifo, has said that the much-awaited new minimum wage may not be announced on May 1.

Osifo  said this while speaking with newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

”The negociation by the Tripartite Committee is still on going. If you remember, the TUC earlier submitted N447, 000 as the new minimum wage but we have harmonised our figure with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) .

“It is now N615,000. Regarding the when for the new minimum wage, the committee is still working.

“So, certainly, May 1, will not work for the pronouncement of the new minimum wage. Except if the Federal Government wants  to pay the minimum wage of N500, 000 to workers,”he said.

He  however  said that the N615,000 demanded by the organised labour is not sacrosanct.

”The government also has its markup and so conversations and negotiations will start and end somewhere, ‘he said.

He also noted that before organised labour arrived at that amount, a proper study was conducted.

”If you look at the N615. 000, you will think that the amount is right but at about the time we did that computation, a  dollar was about N1, 700.

”I am hopeful that the committee will meet after May 1,” he said.

NAN reports that the 37-member tripartite committee on minimum wage set up by the Federal Government  to continue further negotiations and consultations on the new minimum wage.

The National Minimum Wage Committee is chaired by former Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Bukar Aji, with other members drawn from the Federal Government and State Governments, the Private Sector as well as the Organised Labour.

Shettima notes that though decisions made to salvage the economy remain inevitable, the Federal government is not oblivious of the short-term implications, assuring Nigerians of better days ahead

He urged the committee to be diligent and consult widely in arriving at a fair and decent wage that can alleviate the sufferings of the people.