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President Tinubu Has Approved Funds For Second Niger Bridge Bypass Project — Works Minister Umahi

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Nigeria’s minister of works, David Umahi, says President Bola Tinubu has approved funds for the construction of the second Niger bridge bypass, Lagos-Ibadan highway, and Lafia bypass.

Umahi spoke on Thursday during the inspection of Lafia bypass and dualisation of the Makurdi-Otukpo-9th mile road.

The minister commended the president for approving the release of funds noting that the projects have been delayed due to issues related to finances.

“I want to thank Mr President, who about three days ago, approved that work should immediately commence in many sections of the Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road,” the minister was quoted as saying by NAN.

“We were having some problems with funding but the president has solved the problem and directed for immediate release of funds so that the roads construction will continue.

“The same thing with the Lagos-Ibadan highway and the second Niger bridge bypasses.”

The minister commended Benue and Enugu governors for ensuring that contractors work seamlessly on the Makurdi-Otukpo-9th mile road.

He said the project is being financed financed by China Exim Bank.

On December 3, 2023, the federal government took delivery of the second Niger bridge from Julius Berger, seven months after it was commissioned by former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Some days later, Umahi told the national assembly that the take off of the construction of the approach roads of the second Niger bridge leading to Asaba and Onitsha, is being delayed due to funding challenges.

Speaking during the project inspection, Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue, said the road project would benefit businesses in the state.

“We are pleased that you are beginning the second phase of the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia 9th Mile Road,” Alia said.

“We are very excited that you have already incorporated the prayers we presented to you.

“We thank Mr President for his thoughtfulness and good heart for the common masses. He is someone who does not want to see people suffer.

“Formerly, a journey from Abuja to Makurdi, is four and half hours but with this new road, it will take us three hours.”

BIG STORY

Family Raises Alarm As 27-Yr-Old UK Varsity Student Goes Missing In Nigeria

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The family of Daniel Ogoh, a 27-year-old postgraduate student in a foreign university, has raised concerns about his whereabouts after his recent visit to Nigeria.

Daniel’s uncle, Mr. Imade Osamede, revealed that Daniel arrived at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on May 5th, standing at 6.1 feet tall. His name was listed on the arrival manifest and cleared by relevant agencies, with no criminal records against him.

However, Daniel failed to reunite with family and friends upon arrival and has remained unaccounted for. Despite efforts to contact him through his phone numbers, all attempts have been unsuccessful.

Confronted with the alarming possibilities, the family initiated a desperate search and notified law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, ongoing investigations have yet to provide clarity on Daniel’s disappearance.

“This is really strange and unfortunate. I don’t understand how somebody will arrive all the way from Europe and disappear into the thin air in his country. This has thrown the parents and other family members into emotional trauma. This is a very dark and agonising moment for us.” Imade Osamede his uncle said in a tearful tone.

The source pleaded with anyone with useful information on the issue to report at the nearest police station or contact the family through the following telephone lines +2349035440301, and +2348167082786.

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Dangote Refinery Will Sell Petrol To Only NNPC, Distribution Starts Sunday — Federal Government

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The Federal Government has confirmed that Dangote Petroleum Refinery will start distributing premium motor spirit (PMS), or petrol, on Sunday.

Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, made the announcement Friday at a press conference in Abuja.

Represented by Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, Edun stated that all necessary agreements are in place for the loading of the initial petrol batch.

“I am glad to announce that all agreements have been completed and loading of the first batch of PMS from the Dangote Refinery will commence on Sunday, September 15,” Edun said.

The minister said the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited will supply about 385,000 barrels of crude oil per day (bpd) to the Dangote refinery starting next month.

“From October 1, NNPC Ltd. will commence the supply of about 385,000 bpd of crude oil to the Dangote refinery, to be paid for in naira,” he said.

“In return, the Dangote refinery will supply PMS and diesel of equivalent value to the domestic market, to be paid in naira.”

 

  • ‘Dangote Refinery Will Sell Pms To Only NNPC’

Edun also said the Dangote refinery will sell petrol to only the NNPC, noting that interested marketers would have to buy the product from the national oil firm.

However, the minister said the Dangote refinery can sell diesel to any off-taker.

“Diesel will be sold in naira by the Dangote refinery to any interested off-taker. PMS will only be sold to NNPC, NNPC will then sell to various marketers for now,” he said.

Edun’s statement contradicts NNPC’s claim on September 7 that it does not intend to be the sole distributor of petrol produced by the Dangote refinery.

In addition, the minister said all associated regulatory costs pertaining to the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and others would also be paid for in naira.

“We are also setting up a one-stop shop that will coordinate service provision from all regulatory, and security agencies, and other stakeholders to ensure a smooth implementation of this initiative. This will be located in Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), Lagos,” Edun said.

“The technical committee that worked to flesh out this initiative will transition to an implementation execution and monitoring committee that will be working out of Lagos for the next three to six months.”

 

  • ‘Crude Oil Sale In Naira Will Reduce Cost, Pressure On Local Currency’

Speaking on the approval to sell crude oil to local refineries in naira and purchase petrol from the refiners in the local currency, Edun said the decision would reduce pressure on the local currency.

On July 29, the federal executive council (FEC) approved a proposal by President Bola Tinubu directing the NNPC to sell crude oil to the Dangote refinery and other refineries in naira.

The minister said the move would also eliminate unnecessary transaction costs, and improve the availability of petroleum products in the country.

According to Edun, the implementation committee chaired by him, and the other technical committee had worked intensely with the NNPC and Dangote refinery to fashion out the details of the modalities for the implementation of the approval by the FEC.

Edun thanked Tinubu for championing the initiative and assured the president that he could count on the committee to implement his vision.

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I Met Native Doctor On TikTok; He Asked Me To Remove My Girlfriend’s Tongue, Eyes, Lungs — 21-Yr-Old Suspect Narrates Murder Of 100-Level Kogi Student

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The Kogi State Police Command has apprehended and paraded four suspects linked to the gruesome murder of 19-year-old Damilola Olowoyo, a first-year student at Federal University Lokoja.

The main suspect, Jeremiah Paul (20), was arrested alongside accomplices Emmanuel Otitoju, Banabas Olugbenga, and Ajayi Basit Ayomide.

Jeremiah Paul, from Chikun Local Government in Kaduna State, confessed to masterminding the killing as part of a money ritual scheme initiated through a native doctor he contacted on TikTok.

Paul shockingly revealed that he befriended Damilola with the intention of using her for ritual purposes.

“I met Damilola last Sunday and we started chatting. I already had it in mind that I wanted to use her for rituals,” Paul stated.

He lured her to his home after drugging her with a mixture of codeine and Sprite. Once she became weak, he led her to an uncompleted building where he strangled her to death.

Paul explained how he was instructed by the native doctor, based in Ibadan, to remove specific body parts.

“I removed her eyes, tongue, lungs, and other parts, placed them in a calabash, and sent them back to the native doctor via a driver,” he said.

Paul said the arrangement was facilitated entirely online, with the ritualist sending back a soap purported to grant wealth after receiving the body parts.

Parading the suspects at the Police headquarters, in Lokoja, on Friday, the Police spokesperson, William Aya, stated that Paul lured the deceased into the bush and killed her for a money ritual.

The image maker disclosed how the suspects were arrested, and said there was a complaint made to the Commissioner of Police (CP), over the disappearance of Olowoyo, a student in the Department of Biological Science, Federal University Lokoja.

He said, “The Commissioner of Police swung into action and assigned the matter to the State Intelligence Department. The operatives swung into action immediately and started working on the phone of the deceased since it could not be reached. With the help of the technical unit at the force headquarters, we were able to apprehend Jeremiah Paul in connection with the case.

“The suspect actually confessed to us that on 4th of September, 2024, that he met the deceased Olowoyo and lured her to the bush. At first, he pretended that he liked her. When she accepted, he took her to an apartment. Before then, he gave the deceased a drink. Unknown to her, inside the drink, he had put some codeine.

According to him, “This worked in her system which made her weak for the suspect to carry out his heinous crime. He took the deceased to an uncompleted building before strangling her to death and dismembered her body. He removed her eyes, lungs, liver, tongue and fleshy part of her buttocks with the purpose of performing some rituals.

“Initially, he called the parents of the deceased that he had kidnapped the lady and demanded for ransom, in which he was paid, before killing the girl. He collected a ransom of N400,000 from the parents.

It said, “Further investigation also revealed that one of the suspects here was the first person that approached the girl, but because he couldn’t provide what was being demanded from him, he withdrew. The main suspect, Jeremiah Paul decided to step in. He came with his friend from Kaduna State to commit this crime.”

“You may be seeing somebody as a human being but he is not. This act that Jeremiah Paul and his gang have carried out is an inhuman act. Imagine a 20-year old boy going this far; killing an innocent lady and removing her sensitive body parts, in the name of carrying out rituals.

“It shows that in the society we are living in, people need to be very careful. I am calling on students across the various institutions to be very careful with their friends, course mates and neighbours they are mingling with. Some people will be within the school environment but they are not students.

“Some may have admission and they are in school, but they have their own aim of being there. Students should be contented with what they have. Because of little things, this girl lost her life.”

He appealed to parents and students to be conscious of people they are moving with.

He added that the command will arraign the four suspects as soon as the investigation is concluded.

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