Year: 2024

Umahi Gives Julius Berger Seven-Day Deadline to Fix Abuja-Kaduna Road

Iheanacho Confidence October 23, 2024

Julius Berger has been given a final seven days by Works Minister David Umahi to accept the Federal Government's offer of N740.79 billion to complete the 82km segment II of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano motorway, failing which the contract will be terminated. Frustrated by the drawn-out negotiations, Umahi demanded that the project be finished in the upcoming seven days.The ultimatum was given at the Ministry Headquarters in Abuja during a courtesy visit to the Minister by Dr. Pier Lubasch, the new managing director of Julius Berger Plc, and Dr. Lars Richter, the departing managing director. The visit was intended to introduce the new executive officer to the Honourable Minister of Works, Orji Uchenna, according to a statement signed by the Special Adviser (Media) to the Minister on Wednesday. This most recent event comes after Umahi threatened to cancel the contract, which was first given to Julius Berger in 2018 during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. The Abuja-Kaduna stretch has only made 27% development in six years, but the Kaduna-Zaria part has been finished and the Zaria-Kano section is almost finished. Julius Berger was accused by Umahi at an event last wee of politicising the project in order to damage the reputation of the current administration. Even though the Federal Executive Council had approved the cash, Umahi expressed worry at the discussion about the delay in mobilising to the site. He emphasised that road users are suffering greatly as a result of the delay, which also speaks poorly of the government. He said, “If Berger cannot do it, let’s find others who can...

PDP Governors Move NEC Meeting to November and File a Law to Promote Member Peace

Iheanacho Confidence October 23, 2024

Participants in the conference were the PDP Governors Forum, its Board of Trustees, the National Working Committee (NWC), the PDP...

“Obasanjo: Regionalism is the Root of Nigeria’s Challenges”

Cynthia Okonkwo October 23, 2024

Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria, has criticised regionalism as the root cause of the country's persistent problems. Speaking during the League of Northern Democrats' visit to Abeokuta on Tuesday, October 22, Obasanjo bemoaned the fact that the regionalism that was embraced at the country's independence in 1960 still impedes its development. Speaking to the delegation headed by Ibrahim Shekarau, the former governor of Kano State,Obasanjo underlined that a leader's background should not be important, but rather their contributions to government and national development. Obasanjo said, “Where a leader hails from does not matter.Rather, what he brings to the table in...

Farouk Lawan Released After Serving Five Years for $3 Million Bribery Case.

Cynthia Okonkwo October 22, 2024

Farouk Lawan, a former member of the House of Representatives, was released from Kuje prison today, October 22, after serving a five-year sentence.In 2021, Lawan was found guilty and given a prison sentence for taking a $500,000 bribe from Femi Otedola during a sting operation.At the time, videos showed Lawancramming wads of cash inside his clothing and beneath his cap had gone viral on social media.Lawan was charged with requesting $3 million from Femi Otedola in order to have Zenon Petroleum and Gas Limited, Otedola's former business, taken off the list of oil firms suspected of participating in the 2012 petrol subsidy scam.The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) arrested him and charged him with seven counts of bribery for obtaining a $500,000 bribe from Otedola.Three counts were eventually added to the charge.Lawan was found guilty on all three counts and given a seven-year prison sentence by Justice Angela Otaluka of the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Apo on June 22, 2021.After then, Lawan went to the Court of Appeal, which declared the former lawmaker not guilty on two of the three counts and fired him.Additionally, the appellate court shortened his seven-year jail sentence to five years.However, the court upheld his conviction for the lone remaining offence, for which the lower court imposed a five-year prison sentence.Lawan then appealed to the Supreme Court to have his conviction overturned, but the court rejected his request.

NECO Alerts Parents and Schools Against Proxy Registration of Candidates.

Cynthia Okonkwo October 22, 2024

School owners, parents, and other interested parties have been cautioned by the National Examinations Council, or NECO, to cease registering students for its exams through proxy.NECO said that such fraudulent practices frequently led to identity theft and the ensuing parade of phoney results in a statement made by its interim Director, Information and Public Relations, Azeez Sani.Read the statement below: “Determined to eradicate all forms of examination malpractice, the council has put in place some measures to...

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Kudus, West Ham, and Tottenham charged

Iheanacho Confidence October 22, 2024

Mohammed Kudus, a midfielder for Tottenham, West Ham, and Hammers, was charged by the Football Association after their Premier League...

Harvey Weinstein Diagnosed with Chronic Leukemia While in Prison.

Cynthia Okonkwo October 22, 2024

Harvey Weinstein, the film magnate, has been diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia. According to NBC News, the 72-year-old convicted rapist has been undergoing treatment at Rikers Island for chronic myeloid leukaemia, a rare form of bone marrow cancer.Weinstein was hospitalised for the majority of the summer due to a number of illnesses, including double pneumonia, Covid, and the necessity to remove fluid from his lungs and heart.Due to "severe medical conditions," Weinstein, who is incarcerated at Rikers Island for rape, was taken to Bellevue late on Sunday.'This person is going to die on your watch if you don't do something,' his attorney Arthur Aidala claims he told jail officials.He is still being held in New York until a retrial in Manhattan, which is reportedly set to starton November 12.On Thursday, he is scheduled to return to court for a pretrial hearing.Since coming back to Rikers Island from state prison in April, when an appeals court reversed his 2020 convictions for rape and sexual assault and mandated a new trial, Weinstein has beenin and out of Bellevue Hospital.After experiencing chest problems, hehad pericardiocentesissurgery at Bellevue Hospital in New York City in September.According to his representatives, he was admitted to the hospital in July with COVID-19 and pneumonia in both lungs.Additionally, Aidala said that Weinstein had "a lot of problems" and was "somewhat of a train wreck health-wise" during his ten days in Bellevue in April.Following his sentencing in February 2020, Weinstein complained of high blood pressure and chest problems as he drove to Bellevue in a ambulance. Later, a stent was implanted to clear an artery. A few weeks after being sentenced, he went back to the hospital with severe chest symptoms. A few days after being move to a state jail close to Buffalo, he subsequently tested positive for COVID-19.Weinstein's attorneys revealed a long list of conditions that had significantly deteriorated his vision when hewas being extradited to California in 2021 to face rape charges there.These conditions included diabetes, coronary artery disease, anaemia, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnoea, chronic lower back pain, sciatica, chronic leg pain, arthritis, and eye conditions.He has utilised a wheelchai throughout recent court proceedings.

CAF Set to Rule on Libya vs Nigeria AFCON Qualifier Incident on Wednesday

Cynthia Okonkwo October 22, 2024

On Wednesday, October 23, the Confederation of African Football will make its judgement about the disastrous AFCON qualifying Group D match between Nigeria and Libya, which was supposed to take place on October 15 at Benina Martyrs Stadium in Libya. Sunday, October 14, Team Nigeria arrived for the game, but their flight was rerouted to Al Abraq International Airport, which is almost three hours away by car from Benghazi, the match's location. They were traumatised when they travelled back to their homeland after being taken captive by Libyan police for about 17 hours. Take appropriate action against those who violate the regulations. The Libyan Federation claimed that the Nigerians did not collaborate with them in any manner during the first or second leg, indicating that their experience is a far cry from their time in Nigeria for the first leg. Nigeria had complained about their misery to CAF. The Nigerian squad's experience in Libya was deemed "extremely dangerous" by CAF, which also reported that it had contacted both Nigerian and Libyan authorities after learning that the team had been exposed to concerning conditions at the airport for hours. It sent the case to its disciplinary committee so that it may look into it and deal with the people who broke the rules.After declaring the match was cancelled just hours before kickoff, CAF removed the match from its schedule the day after the disastrous match and sent the case to the Disciplinary Committee for review. The top continental football organisation will now make the final decision about the players' ordeal during the October first leg in Nigeria, which ended 1-0 in favour of the Super Eagles, and the rematch that would have taken place at Libya's first all-seat stadium, which has a capacity of 10,550, according to Libya Al-Ahrar Channel. On Monday, October 21, the publication also disclosed that the Libyan Football Federation gave the Confederation of African Football all of the documents it had gathered, along with a professional attorney the organisation had designated to oversee the Libyan file.