Connect with us

BIG STORY

Low Patronage As Lagos-Ibadan Train Service Begins, Only One Passenger Made Historic Trip

Published

on

Only one passenger turned up and made the historic trip from Ibadan to Lagos yesterday as the Lagos-Ibadan standard gauge train started operation.

The newly introduced service, according to the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), provides fully air-conditioned train services in the Economy, Business and First Class categories.

The corporation deployed only one Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) to kick-start the operation.

Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi had announced a price regime of N3,000 for the Economy, N5,000 for the Business, and N6,000 for First Class.

Nigerians had appealed for a reduction of the fares, which many saw as unaffordable for the masses.

According to The Nation, the inaugural train service, which originated from Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, left around 8.20 a.m and arrived in Lagos at 10.40 a.m with less than five passengers on board which includes the locomotive operator, an engineer, and NRC officials.

No Passenger Was Picked At Abeokuta, The Ogun State capital.

“We had one passenger from Ibadan to Lagos, and this is not unusual. The service is just commencing. I’m sure as time goes on, the patronage will improve. Don’t forget again that we are approaching Christmas and New Year when patronage is expected to drastically improve,” a source on the inaugural trip told The Nation yesterday.

The Railway District Manager for Lagos, Jerry Oche said: “The Lagos Ibadan standard gauge train affords members of the public the opportunity to leave Ibadan for Lagos at 8 a.m and return at 4 p.m the same day.”

The district manager confirmed that the journey time from Lagos to Ibadan is two and a half hours.

This, he said, “makes more sense, going by recent reports of traffic gridlock that has characterized Lagos-Ibadan road, due to ongoing road construction along that axis”.

Oche urged Nigerians to embrace the new service, which he described as a new dawn in railway modernization.

The district manager added that all major rules and regulations guiding train operations, like the use of nose masks and hand-washing in compliance with COVID-19 protocols, must be observed.

The train left Lagos at 4.10 p.m for Ibadan with five passengers. The NRC said it would run one schedule of commercial service until patronage picks up.

BIG STORY

Usyk Defeats Fury, Becomes Undisputed Heavyweight Champion

Published

on

Oleksandr Usyk emerged as the world’s undisputed heavyweight boxing champion adter defeating Tyson Fury.

On Saturday night, Fury and Usyk engaged in combat at the Kingdom Arena located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Usyk defeated the British fighter 115-112, 113-114, and 114-113 on the scorecards to win the fight by split decision.

In the first several rounds of the battle, Fury came out swinging, but Usyk was able to withstand the British fighter’s assault.

As the battle went on, the Ukrainian gained momentum because of his excellent movement and technical proficiency, which allowed him to block Fury’s strong attacks and land accurate shots of his own.

The highly anticipated battle took a turn for the better when the Ukrainian stopped Fury in the ninth round.

Despite Fury’s valiant effort to recover in the final rounds, Usyk’s dominance had already sealed the victory.

The 37-year-old Ukrainian is the first undisputed heavyweight champion of the world since Lennox Lewis 25 years ago. He has now unified the WBA, WBO, IBF, and WBC titles.

For Fury, it is the first loss in his 16-year professional career, but he will have a chance at a rematch before the end of the year.

In his post-fight interview, the British boxer accused the judges of giving the victory to Usyk because of the war in Ukraine.

“His country is at war, so people are siding with the country at war,” he said.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

Nigeria’s Boniface Scores As Leverkusen Make History With Unbeaten Bundesliga Season

Published

on

In the final game of the 2023–24 German Bundesliga season, Bayer Leverkusen defeated Augsburg 2-1 in the BayArena on Saturday thanks to an early goal by Victor Boniface.

In lieu of this victory, Leverkusen, who had already won the Bundesliga, would end the season unbeaten in the league.

In the 34-match league, the unbeaten streak that led to the league title consists of 28 wins and 6 draws.

It made history and cemented the names of Boniface and his colleagues in the Bundesliga as the first team to finish the season undefeated.

Boniface, who won the Bundesliga Rookie of the Year award earlier in the week, started the party atmosphere when he slotted home an Amaine Chadli pass inside the area in the 12th minute before Robert Andrich doubled the lead before the half-hour mark.

Mert Komur’s goal on 62 minutes proved only a consolation for Augsburg as Leverkusen sealed victory in front of their passionate fans.

The Levekusen side is led by Xabi Alonso, who is only into his second year but first full season as coach of a senior team.

The team remains unbeaten in all competitions, with the win over Augsburg extending the run to 51 matches.

They have the chance to finish the season unbeaten in all competitions with victories over Atalanta in the UEFA Europa League final on Wednesday and Kaiserslautern three days later.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

FBI Lauds EFCC, Promises Support As Agency Hands Over Recovered $22k From Convicted Fraudster

Published

on

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has handed over $22,000 recovered from Hakeem Olanrewaju, a convicted internet scammer, to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI).

The EFCC, in a statement on Saturday,said the money was handed over to the FBI in Lagos, as the victim, who was defrauded, lives in the US.

Nicholas Oweibo, the judge of the federal high court in Ikoyi, sentenced Olanrewaju to two years imprisonment for identity theft and impersonation in August 2023.

The judge also ordered that the money recovered from him be restituted to his victim.

Speaking during the handover ceremony in Lagos on Friday, Michael Wetkas, acting director of the Lagos zonal command of the EFCC, said the commission remains dedicated to combating crimes and restoring sanity to the nation.

“We are delighted to be handing over this proceeds of crime today,” Wetkas said, adding that “the EFCC is willing and always ready to do more”.

Charles Smith, FBI legal attaché in Nigeria, thanked the EFCC for facilitating the recovery of the money.

“This type of crime cripples businesses in the US, and for them to recover the money within one to two years gives hope to the affected companies and brings some level of justice, even if not all subjects have been identified,” Smith said.

“We hope our relationship continues and fosters a more cohesive partnership between the two agencies.”

Smith added that the FBI is willing to support the investigation in any way possible.

Continue Reading

Most Popular