Wike To Commission Two Roads, Flags-Off 12 New Roads Construction

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, will on Thursday, commence the flagging-off of construction of 12 new roads and provision of solar lights in some major areas in the Federal Capital City (FCC) and Expressways under the Light Up Abuja Programme. The Minister will also commission the access roads in Sector Centre B, by Dakibiyu District and the newly constructed Roads ILS 11 (Esther Bali Street) and MAR 24 (Kez Udezue Street) in Mabushi District. Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communications and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement on Monday, that two road projects will be commissioned while 14 new projects will be flagged-off between Thursday, September 18, 2025 and Thursday, October 16, 2025. One of the projects is the procurement of integrated (hybrid) solar lighting in the District of Abuja City and Expressway under the Light Up Abuja Programme Lot 1: Maitama, Asokoro, Wuse, Central Business District (CBD) Airport Expressway, Lot II: Katampe, Garki I and II, Mabushi, Gudu, Jabi and Katampe Extension. Other projects to be flagged-off by the Minister include; full scope development of Arterial Road N1 from Wuye District to Ring Road II, construction of Northern Parkway from Ring Road II to Ring Road III, provision of access road to Bus Terminal at Mabushi District Cadastral Zone B06; Phase II of FCC, full scope development of Arterial N20 (Solomon Lar Way) from Arterial Road N5 (Obafemi Awolowo Way) to the Airport Expressway, provision of access road to the Renewed Hope Cities and Estates project site within Cadastral Zone D06, Karsana West District of the FCC and provision of access road bypassing Airport Second Runway from Bill Clinton Drive to Tunga Madaki Settlement with a four span bridge. Also to be flagged-off are; construction of access road to the FCT Fire Service Station and Erosion Control in Kaura District with three span Bridges, construction of transit way (2) to connect Central Area with Wuse District with two bridges, design and construction of Mohammed Isa Road Extension in Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, rehabilitation of 15km old Keffi Road from Kado Village to Dei-Dei Junction and provision of engineering infrastructure to outstanding layouts within Guzape A09 Lots I and II projects areas AIT Neighborhood Asokoro A04 District. Others are the construction of Collector Road CN2 (Emmanuel I. Ogala Street) from Arterial N16 (Yemi Osinbajo way) to N20 (Wole Soyinka way) including road ILS 5 within Katampe District, as well as design and construction of Residences for the Heads of Courts (President Court of Appeal, Federal High Court Chief Judge, Chief Judge of the FCT, Abuja and President Industrial Court). It should be recalled that four weeks ago, the FCT Minister flagged off the construction and expansion of water supply to satellite towns, beginning with Bwari Township in Bwari Area Council (Lot 1) and Karu town and its environs in Abuja Municipal Area Council (Lot 2). Two weeks ago, the Minister also flagged off the construction of a multi-purpose sports centre in Abuja’s Kafe District, construction of a new Magistrate Court complex in Jabi District of Abuja and the emergency reconstruction of the Karu road from the Karu interchange to Customs Clinic Junction (Karu site) within the Abuja Municipal Area Council of the FCT, with the scope of work expanded to include the rehabilitation of additional critical roads in Karu satellite town.

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SEDC, REA Partner to End Power Outages in South East Communities with Renewable Energy

SEDC, REA Partner to End Power Outages in South East Communities with Renewable Energy

The South-East Development Commission (SEDC) has finalized plans with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) to expand power supply to rural communities across the Southeast, utilizing the National Renewable Energy Project established under Section 127 of the 2023 Electricity Act. The announcement was made on Friday following a strategic meeting between the Managing Director/CEO of SEDC, Mark Okoye, and the Managing Director of REA, Abba Aliyu. Both agencies agreed to collaborate on extending electricity to underserved and unserved areas of the Southeast in a cost-effective manner, ensuring sustainable returns through appropriate tariffs designed to support the region’s social, industrial, and agricultural development. A key focus of the discussions was the deployment of renewable energy solutions, particularly Solar Mini-Grid projects, to power thousands of homes, especially in remote areas. Okoye emphasized the urgent need to attract private sector investment and engage key stakeholders to align with the Federal Government’s renewable energy drive. He also highlighted the significant power deficit in the Southeast, which continues to hinder the region’s economic growth and industrialization. Okoye urged the REA to support SEDC’s renewable energy initiatives, particularly those aimed at powering critical infrastructure projects set to launch soon. “Our discussions centered around deploying renewable energy solutions in unserved and underserved communities across the Southeast. We also explored how the REA can back alternative energy solutions for upcoming key infrastructure projects,” Okoye said. He reaffirmed the SEDC’s commitment to working with the REA to address the electricity shortages that are impeding the region’s development. In response, Abba Aliyu assured Okoye that the Southeast would fully benefit from the Federal Government’s energy initiatives. He reiterated the REA’s commitment to working closely with the SEDC to achieve its electrification goals. Aliyu also outlined several major projects under the REA, including the Rural Electrification Fund (REF), Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP), Distributed Access through Renewable Energy Scale-up (DARES), and several other initiatives aimed at electrifying rural and underserved communities to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life for Nigerians.

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₦47 Billion Yearly Power Bill Unsustainable – FG Justifies Aso Rock Solar Transition

₦47 Billion Yearly Power Bill Unsustainable – FG Justifies Aso Rock Solar Transition

The Federal Government has explained its decision to install solar panels at the Aso Rock Villa, the seat of power in the country. The Director General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Mustapha Abdulahi, said it is unsustainable for the Aso Rock Villa to continue to pay about ₦47 billion yearly in power bills. He said that this is why President Bola Tinubu approved ₦10 billion for the solar power grid to power the presidential villa. Mustapha, who gave the explanation while briefing the press on Friday, said the move is in line with the President’s agenda to diversify energy sources and also cut the cost of governance. He added that it will bring uninterrupted and clean energy, create jobs, foster innovation among Nigerian engineers and energy experts, and ultimately reduce pressure on the national grid. He also revealed that some innovations of the current administration have attracted interest from development partners who have earmarked about $5.3 billion of investment in Nigeria’s power sector especially grid expansion measures.

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Lagos State Allocates ₦14.9 Billion to Subsidize Public Transport Amid Economic Hardship

Lagos State Allocates ₦14.9 Billion to Subsidize Public Transport Amid Economic Hardship

As part of measures to cushion the effects of the current economic hardship in the country, the Lagos State government on Tuesday revealed that it has subsidised the public transport fare with N14.9bn to ease commuters’ burden. This was disclosed by the state’s Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Oluwaseun Osiyemi, during the 2025 ministerial briefing to mark the second year of the second term of the State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, led administration in office held at the state government Secretariat located in Alausa, Ikeja area of the state. Flanked at the briefing by the state’s Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, Special Advisers to the Governor on Transportation and Media and Publicity, Gboyega Akosile, among others, Osiyemi said the State Government established the Lagos Bus Service Limited (LBSL) to save commuters’ time and money and enhance socioeconomic development of the state. Osiyemi said, “LBSL moved 60,882,000 passengers from May 2019 to February 2025. LBSL currently moves over 42,266 passengers daily, averaging 1000 daily bus trips. “LBSL average fare for February was N542.66 while informal public transport fare was N1,097.73. “Since inception, the LBSL average fare has been N261.67 cheaper than the average fares in Lagos. LBSL has implicitly subsidised fares for the Lagosians transported to an estimated sum of N14.9 billion.” The commissioner further explained, “LBSL Driving School produced an additional 144 drivers for 3,537 certified high-capacity bus drivers as of 18 March 2025. He added, “Public transport is safer than private cars in terms of accident rates and severity. Public transport enhances the overall safety and security of passengers. Public transport moves more people with fewer vehicles. Reduces Congestion — Public transport reduces traffic congestion and travel time.” Harping on the state government’s bus reform initiative through the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority, LAMATA, Osiyemi disclosed that an additional three rolling stocks are expected in May to enhance service delivery with the increasing number of passengers on the Blue Line Rail. He said, “The State Governor inaugurated the Blue Line Rail in the state in December 2022. The first phase of the infrastructure works for the rail project (Marina to Mile 2) has commenced operation. “The Blue Line is one of seven Lagos metro rail lines, spanning from Marina to Okokomaiko. The first phase has already commenced with commercial passenger operations and has transported more than two million passengers. “The full Line is 27km from Marina to Okokomaiko. Construction of phase 2 from Mile 2 to Okokomaiko started in December and is expected to carry 500,000 passengers daily.”

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Enugu Signs Deal to Establish Industrial Hub, Eyes $30 Billion GDP Growth

Enugu Signs Deal to Establish Industrial Hub Eyes $30 Billion GDP Growth

The Enugu State Government has signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Lion Business Park Limited to establish a world-class industrial and commercial hub within the Enugu Industrial Park Free Trade Zone; a strategic step aimed at boosting the state’s GDP from $4.4 billion to $30 billion. Governor Peter Mbah, speaking at a brief event on Tuesday at the Government House in Enugu, announced that the project would leverage the incentives of operating within a Free Trade Zone to attract foreign direct investments. He added that the initiative would promote human capital development, stimulate innovation and technological advancement, and create employment opportunities, contributing to shared economic prosperity for Enugu State, the South-East region, and Nigeria as a whole. Governor Mbah emphasized that the industrial hub aligns with his administration’s economic blueprint, which aims to expand the state’s economy and position Enugu as Nigeria’s leading destination for investors. Government’s commitment to infrastructureHe further said that the state’s proposed exponential growth could only be possible with investment deals, such as the one executed with the Lion Business Park. “The Enugu State Government has committed to increasing its stake in this going concern by providing all the necessary infrastructure that is required in order for this business park to be fully functional,” he said. Strategic location for logistics and tradeThe governor highlighted that the location of the park was carefully chosen based on strategy, innovation, and due diligence by a team of economic experts in the administration. “The business park is strategically located three hours from Onne Sea Port in Rivers, less than two hours to Asaba in Delta, and less than 25 minutes to Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, “Mbah explained. Creating an investor-friendly climateGovernor Mbah assured that his administration will continue to make Enugu attractive for investors by offering key incentives such as reliable electricity, paved roads, and other critical infrastructure. He also appreciated the support of the host communities and urged them to continue cooperating with investors to ensure the project’s success.Earlier, the Chairman of the firm, Dr. Okechukwu Mbonu, commended Governor Peter Mbah for his visionary leadership, remarkable developmental strides, and the notable achievements of his administration within a short time in office.Speaking on the objective of the partnership, Mbonu stated that the company is committed to developing an industrial and commercial hub that will stimulate trade and industry, drive economic growth, and generate employment opportunities for the youth. “This strategic collaboration aligns with Your Excellency’s bold economic agenda to grow Enugu State’s GDP from $4.4 billion to $30 billion, ultimately benefiting the people of Enugu and Nigeria as a whole,” he said. Mbonu also urged the business community, private sector leaders, and global investors to seize the unique opportunities the park aims to offer and become part of Enugu’s unfolding economic revolution

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