News
Buhari Has Approved Two More Seaports- Amaechi
Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, says President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the building of two new seaports
Speaking on “Railway Infrastructure: Progress and Plan” at the 2020 national economic outlook in Lagos, on Tuesday, the minister said the new seaports will in Bonny, Rivers state, and in Warri, Delta state.
He added that Buhari has also assured him that a railway will be constructed from Port Harcourt, Rivers state, to Maiduguri, capital of Borno state.
He said the current administration is more business friendly, saying several infrastructures wil be completed before the end of the tenure.
“We will provide railway for Port Harcourt to Maiduguri, the President has assured me. We are discussing and announcement would be made on the project soon,” he said.
“The president has also approved the construction of two new seaports. One in Bonny and another in Warri. The first deep seaport we will have in Nigeria is already being built in Lekki. There’s one being proposed by the Akwa Ibom State government. I think they call it Ibom Seaport. I have told them to bring it and I will give them all the backing they need.
“I tell people that this government is by far more business friendly. We would leave as much infrastructure for Nigeria.”
Amaechi said the Buhari administration is committed to boosting economic activities and enhancing trade.
He said the area of cargoes will be looked into to ensure adequate transportation of goods across the country.
“Nigerians are mostly particular about human transportation, how they can commute from Lagos to Ibadan daily, but the most important is actually for moving cargo to enhance productivity,” he said.
“Lagos to Kano rail is capable of moving 30 million tons of Cargo from Lagos to Kano, while Port Harcourt to Maiduguri can take 11 million tons of cargo.
“We would also look at policy to ensure that after building the railways, there are certain cargoes that will not be allowed on the roads, to encourage movement of cargo on the rail lines and to ensure that our roads last longer… Moving cargo across the country through rail would be cheaper and faster than the roads.”
He said the security of Nigerian waters and goods moving on it will be catered for.
Amaechi disclosed that three helicopters, two airplanes, and four to six drones will be provided for maritime security.
“We are trying to put in place, 3 helicopters, 2 airplanes, 4 to 6 drones, 24 hours, we will be in the air, watching Nigerian waters from Lagos to Calabar,” he said.
“We will be training soldiers, because this time we said not just the Navy, we want soldiers to come in, we want SSS, police, we want Airforce to come in.
“So for 24 hours, from my office, I can see Nigerian waters from beginning to the end.”
The Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Resources Authority says it has commenced a clampdown on illegal LPG retail outlets in Akwa Ibom State.
The state Coordinator, Ikechukwu Eseka, disclosed this on Thursday while receiving the state commandant of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps, Bakshar Hussaini, in his office on a courtesy visit.
He said, “We have started enforcement of LPG retailers embarking on illegal decanting of LPG, filling stations, LPG refilling plants and other illegal downstream operations in the state.
“We are currently working on the illegal proliferation of decanting of LPG in the state, Eseka stated, adding that gas is very volatile, and some of them are using gas that is not meant for the purpose.”
He said he has directed that gas plant owners should not load gas on people who don’t have licenses NMDPRA in the state, warning that “decanting of gas from cylinder to cylinder is an illegal activity which is punishable by law.”
He also called on marketers to register and renew their licenses before operating LPG in the state.
“We used the opportunity to talk on the aspects of the downstream which has to do with our enforcement, sealing of filling stations and those who are using diesel for industrial purposes that are yet to register with NMDPRA.
“We have also commenced engagement with individuals and organisations using storage tanks that are over 500 litres, to come and register with the Authority in the state,” he added.
Eseka thanked the Commandant for coming to re-strategise and collaborate with the Authority in the state.
Earlier, the State Commandant of NSCDC, Hussaini, explained that the purpose of coming was to collaborate with NMDPRA on how to checkmate indiscriminate decanting of LPG in the state.
“I know with the present situation in the country, a lot of them are going to cry and you have to use human face to handle their cases so that we don’t injure the government and the public themselves,” he said.
He lamented that some people used their houses to sell cooking gas which can cause environmental hazards to the public.
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has announced plans to phase out the Permanent Voter Cards, PVC.
INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, made this known at a meeting with the Resident Electoral Commissioners RECs, held at the INEC Conference Room, Abuja on Thursday.
This was part of the identified 142 recommendations released by the Commission which deals with the general state of preparedness, voter management, voter education and public communication, political parties and candidate management.
Other areas of recommendation include electoral operations and logistics management, election officials and personnel, partnership and collaboration, monitoring and supervision, election technology, voting and result management, election security, electoral offences and the electoral legal framework.
The Chairman said there are eight recommendations among the 142 which require legislative action by the National Assembly.
“The Commission also believes that with the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, the use of the Permanent Voters’ Cards, PVC, as the sole means of identification for voter accreditation on Election Day should be reviewed.
He, however, said that those who already have the Permanent Voter Cards can still use them to vote.
He added, “But going forward, computer-generated slips issued to the voter or even downloaded from the Commission’s website will suffice for voter accreditation. ”
Yakubu said this new development will save costs and further eliminate the issues around the collection of Permanent Voter Cards.
He also said the practice of buying up the Permanent Voter Cards from voters to disenfranchise them, would be reduced.
President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to present the 2025 proposed budget to a joint session of the National Assembly on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.
The announcement was made by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during a plenary session, revealing that the President has sent a communication to that effect.
“The president has made his intention known to the National Assembly to present the 2025m budget to the joint session of the National Assembly on the 17th of December, 2024,” he said.
The proposed budget, totalling N47.9 trillion, was earlier announced by the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning Atiku Bagudu.
NMDPRA begins clampdown on illegal LPG retail outlets in Akwa Ibom
Elections in Nigeria: There’ll be no more need for voter cards – INEC
BREAKING: Tinubu to present 2025 budget proposal to National Assembly Tuesday
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