News
FCTA to build 10,000 low-income houses – Wike
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, says the FCT Administration will build 10,000 low-income houses for the poor in the territory.
Wike disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday, during the Ministerial Sectoral Update on the performance of President Bola Tinubu’s administration in the last one year.
He said that the project would be captured in the 2025 budget, under President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Cities” project.
He explained that FCTA would provide the needed infrastructure to build the houses and allocate them to people who could not afford to build, stressing that they were not for the big men.
The minister described land allocation as one of the most difficult problems in the FCT land administration, adding that the department was infested with corruption.
“As I speak to you as a minister, it is one area that I have been battling with. But, I will defeat them.
“Even to make land affordable for people to build houses, which is what we are supposed to do, is a problem,” he said.
Wike frowned at the situation where developers ask for 300 hectares of land to build 20,000 houses and after getting the allocation, they would not build the houses but allocate the land to people to make money.
He said: “We cannot allow this. It is fraud and then the person brings politics and religion to the issue.
“But we are equal to the task. Just be convinced that we have the political will to implement and do what is right.” (NAN)
Another explosion occurred at a pipeline manifold in the Omwawriwa area of Ogba-Egbema-Ndoni Local Government Area of Rivers State on Tuesday.
This incident follows a similar explosion that shook the Trans Niger Pipeline, operated by Shell, in Bodo, Gokana Local Government Area just hours earlier.
The latest explosion reportedly took place at a manifold connected to a federal pipeline deep within the forest, which transports crude oil to Brass in Bayelsa State.
While the explosion has not yet been officially confirmed, community sources reported seeing massive flames and thick smoke rising from the oil installation in the forest.
Grace Iringe-Koko, the spokesperson for the Rivers State Police Command, stated that she would investigate the incident but had not provided a response at the time of this report.
A video obtained by our correspondent displays a large fire burning in a remote location.
In a separate development, Ijaw youths blocked the Ahoada section of the East-West Road leading to Bayelsa State on Tuesday in protest.
The demonstrators, numbering over 100, carried placards in solidarity with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara amid his political dispute with the state House of Assembly. Some of the placards read: “We demand Wike’s dismissal as FCT Minister” and “Martin Amaewhule and 26 lawmakers have defected and lost their seats.
The House of Representatives on Tuesday passed the four tax reform bills transmitted to the National Assembly in October 2024 by President Bola Tinubu.
Recall that the House had on Thursday last week, considered and approved the report of the House Committee on Finance which made some recommendations, particularly in controversial areas such as the Value Added Tax and inheritance tax.
While awaiting the Senate to similarly pass the bills, the proposed reforms are expected to be transmitted to the President for his assent in the days ahead.
Details shortly…
Two members of the house of representatives have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house, announced the defections in a letter read on the floor of the lower legislative chamber on Tuesday.
More to follow…