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OSSAP-SDGs Denies Paying N141.1m To Restaurant

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1 year ago

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.. Insists projects were duly executed by certified contractor

The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals (OSSAP-SDGs) has denied the report that it paid the sum of N141.1m to an Abuja based restaurant two weeks before the expiration of the Buhari administration.

The Office described the report by an online media as not only misleading but false and a calculated attempt to smear the good image of the Office.

A statement issued by the Head of Communications in OSSAP-SDGs, Rotimi Ajayi stated that the office wouldn’t have dignified the piece with a reply, but for the innocent readers who might not actually understand the crux of the matter, there is a need to set the records straight.

“This is to state clearly that the reports carried a distorted account of the procedure and shows the ignorance of the writer on how things operate in government institutions.

We wish to state categorically that the information contained in the said publication are inaccurate and very likely a deliberate attempt to misrepresent the issues with the intent to embarrass the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, as there was no issue of fraud or abuse of process in the execution of the said project.”

OSSAP-SDGs categorically refutes the allegations and insists that it has been transparent in the construction of the Skills Acquisition Centre and a Block of Classrooms in Lagos State, as well as many similar projects across the country.

The statement noted that according to records provided by the company during the bid process, the company in question is duly registered with valid incorporation and tax documents with the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC.

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The allegation of it being a mere restaurant is equally from the figment of the imagination of the author, as the project was executed by a team of professionals with the necessary qualifications and expertise in construction and engineering. The structures were built in accordance with specifications and industry standards, as confirmed by photographic evidence with GPS coordinates provided.

The Office noted that the decision to relocate the project from its original site in Ajeromi was necessitated by the insufficient space at the original location, to ensure the successful completion of the project.

Contrary to the claims in the report, the project was executed as specified, and the block of classrooms and skills acquisition centre were completed and commissioned for use.
Photographic evidence with GPS coordinates are available to substantiate this fact.

“In conclusion, we assert that the report is marred by inaccuracies, as
the award of the contract followed due process and was not arbitrary”‘. The statement said.

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Man Stabbed Neighbour Over Electricity Bill

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7 hours ago

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March 13, 2025

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ASharia Court in Kano State on Wednesday ordered a 29-year-old man, Abduljabar Nura, to be remanded in a corrections centre for stabbing his neighbour over an electricity bill.

The police charged Mr Nura, who lives in Fagge Quarters in Kano, with causing grievous hurt.

When the charge was read to the defendant, he pleaded guilty to the offence.

The judge, Umar Lawal-Abubakar, ordered that the defendant should be remanded in the Goron Dutse Correctional Centre in Kano until April 15 for sentencing.

The prosecution counsel, Zahradeen Abubakar, told the court that Haruna Kasim, the complainant, reported the matter at the Fagge police station on February 28.

He alleged that the defendant and Mr Kasim had an altercation over an electricity bill.

The police said that the defendant stabbed the complainant with a pair of scissors on his back.

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FG converts 750km Sokoto-Zaria road project to concrete pavement — Umahi

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8 hours ago

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March 13, 2025

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The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, said the Federal Government has converted the reconstruction of the 750km Sokoto-Gusau-Funtua-Zaria Road project to concrete pavement for greater impacts.

Umahi disclosed this during an inspection tour to the ongoing road project in Dange-Shuni Local Government Atea of Sokoto State on Wednesday.

He stated that the present government recognised that many constructed Nigerian roads lasted for below 15 years while the concrete road innovation was aimed at ensuring more durability of roads across the country.

The minister explained that President Bola Tinubu deserved people’s support ahead of the 2027 General Elections, adding, “because of his commitment on executing legacy projects that target at maximum impact to the people’s lives at all levels.”

He emphasised that Tunibu was executing a 47-year-old dream of former President Shehu Shagari, which was 1,068 klm Sokoto-Badagry Super Highway project which had reached an appreciable stage.

Umahi reminded the contractors and officials handling the project that complete maintenance of the existing road with asphalt was instructed while the concrete work is ongoing in the other side.

” This was the decision reached based on President Tinubu’s mission of reducing the hardships faced by Nigerians and ensure that roads are motorable at all times, ” Umahi said.

According to him, the Minister of State Works, Permanent Secretary and other ministry’s officials would by next week also inspect ongoing road projects from Sokoto, Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Kano States to ensure quality and seamless projects.

In his remark, the Minister of State, Alhaji Bello Goronyo, described the project as a commercial booster and life-saving on the citizens, adding that the road project would surely enhance security and social developments.

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The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Community Engagement (North-West), Alhaji Abdullahi Yakasai, said Tinubu was passionate toward ensuring massive infrastructural development in the region.

Yakasai said that security challenges had drastically reduce due to the president’s efforts and urged Nigerians to support him for his success and consideration for improve people wellbeing.

He also observed that the essence of leadership was to bring development to the people, adding that the president had brought uncountable developments to the people of the country.

Earlier, the Sokoto State Deputy, Gov. Alhaji Idris Gobir, thanked the ministers for the visit, describing the tour along with the project as a clear testimony of Tinubu’s concern to the people of the state.

Gobir reassured that the payment of compensation to the affected communities and structures would soon be completed to ensure hitch-free and hasten the project’s execution.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Rep. Al-Mustapha Ibrahim (APC-Sokoto) member representing Wurno/Rabah Federal Constituency and the contractor commended federal and state governments for the commitment on the project. (NAN)

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Prisoners on death row rise by 98 in 6 months- NCoS Acting C-G

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8 hours ago

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March 13, 2025

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The Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), on Wednesday, said that the number of prisoners on death row had risen from 3,590 in September 2024 to 3,688 in March 2025.

This represents a 2.73 per cent increase or addition of 98 prisoners within six months.

The Acting Controller-General of NCoS, Mr Sylvester Nwakuche, gave the figure when he appeared for screening before the Senate Committee on Interior, chaired by Sen. Adams Oshiomhole.

The NCoS also sought strategic collaboration with the Nigeria Police, Department of State Services (DSS); Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) to speed up the wheel of justice in the country.

Nwakuche said that the major challenge facing the correctional service in the country was that of inmates currently awaiting trials.

“That is our major headache we are trying to address on a daily basis,” he said.

The acting comptroller-general pledged to collaborate with other security agencies more strategically to ensure that the issues of awaiting trials inmates were permanently resolved to decongest the country’s prisons .

“This is very important for any establishment to forge ahead. An establishment like correctional centres cannot do anything without collaboration.

“We are the recipient of the products of all the prosecuting agencies,” the acting comptroller-general said.

In his remarks, Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, said the committee would submit its report based on the performance of the Acting Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS). (NAN)

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