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Kogi gov’t insists, no culvert, bridge failed in State, urges media to ignore opposition’s falsehood
Kogi State government on Wednesday insisted that there was no failed culvert or bridge as being insinuated in the media, saying that some national dailies have been hoodwinked by the opposition political parties into reporting falsehood.
In a statement by Abah Benjamin Treasure Eneojoh, Public Relations Officer, Kogi State Ministry of Works and Housing on Wednesday, reacted to a national daily editorial asserting failed culvert and bridge was untrue, and lacked substance.
The statement which was made available CAPITAL POST, said:
“The attention of the Kogi State Ministry of Works and Housing has been drawn to the Editorial published in the DailyTrust Newspaper on 17th Tuesday, 2021, titled: Investigate Collapsed Kogi Bridge.
“We wish to maintain like it was done few days ago by the Kogi State Commissioner for Works and Housing, Engr. Abubakar Ohere, that there was No failed culvert, bridge at Ozuma in Okene Local LGA.
“Ordinarily we would have allowed the Editorial to vanish naturally into the thin air because of its lack of substance and as one sponsored by an opposition Political party.
“But for the caliber of the medium and to the discerning minds who maybe hoodwinked into believing the trashed Editorial, the need to again put the records straight becomes paramount.
“How can a reputable medium like Daily Trust keep hyping the occurrence by calling a culvert a bridge just to seek for irrelevant attention?.
“How can the paper agree with the PDP that a culvert was constructed in an ongoing project, within a week and as well commissioned for immediate use within the expected engineering curing period?.
“It is unfortunate that the Daily Trust saw Government position on the matter that the project is an ongoing project and that it has not yet been handed over because work is in progress but would choose to be mischievous.
“For the records, Kogi State under the Administration of Gov. Yahaya Bello is reputed to have constructed and completed Projects adjudged as meeting international best Engineering practices.
“It is also on record that the present administration aside considered to have surpassed the previous administration’s it took over from in Project execution, is reputed to have equitably distributed the projects across the state.
“We are happy to also add that following its adherence to standards and ensuring integrity in the quality of Projects it has executed, Kogi State has won recognition at home and abroad for executing numerous Project that met Set standard.
“We’re however surprised that for a medium that has earned itself respect over time to have allowed its editorial to be swayed lives much for concern.
“For the umpteenth time, the alleged collapsed double cell culvert was due to the overzealous act of the company truck driver who violated the curing time of the project, that was just one week of construction.
“We make bold to say that all necessary engineering standards were followed in the construction of the culvert and wish to place on record that the failed culvert was occasion by the human error of the driver and not Engineering failure as is insinuated.
“This is because the State under the present administration has ensured full deployment of the best and qualified four Resident Engineers attached to the project, two at the working site and another two at the concrete mixing plant to ensure correct mix.
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That the Construction Company promised to reconstruct the culvert having admitted that it was there error, caused by the firm’s driver who violated the rule vindicated the position of the Ministry.
“For the contracting firm to have matched words with action by immediately penalizing the driver for his action again buttresses the information made by the State Government.
“In addition to this, government has also engaged consultants to improve on the monitoring and supervision capacity.
“Towards ensuring standard at the Working site the State Ministry of Works and Housing has two Engineers ensuring standard at the Working site. What happened which is now being hyped was purely an unintended accident from a truck driver who violated the “curing“ period.
“Probably the medium hyping the collapsed culvert should have called on the driver’s union to interrogate the driver as the fault is non of any engineering personnel on site. The driver has been sanctioned by his company, he is not an engineer.
“For the record, we wish to state that we have main and distribution bars of 16mm and 12mm respectively as the reinforcement bars and a spacing of 150mm by 150mm with a mixing ratio of 1:2:4 an information that is verifiable and wish to state that the accident is not an engineering failure.
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Without any ioata of exaggeration the company handling the culvert has executed several works across the state and began this particular job in July last year as such the issues of competence is not in doubt.
“We wish to once again restate the present administration’s commitment to continue to execute quality projects and to ensure value for money and to state that we would not be distracted by the antics of the opposition to slow down the pace of development ongoing in the State.
“We therefore wish to disabuse the minds of members of the public to disregard the mischief editorial as it is the brainwork of the opposition that there was never a failed bridge in the state.
Kogi State government expressed disappointment that a reputable news outlet could publish editorial to mislead the people into equating a culvert for a bridge.
The wife of Senator Isah Jibrin (Echocho), Hajia Aishat has offered cash and food items worth millions of naira to widows and vulnerable women across Dekina local government Councils, promises to take similar gesture across the nine local government in Kogi East.
The exercise which was tagged: “Widows Empowerment”, saw the Senator’s wife distributing cash and food items to cushion the effect of Ramadan.
Items distributed are bags of rice bags of salt, cartons of seasoning, maggi etc, which were evenly distributed to widows and vulnerable women across party lines.
A beneficiary who spoke with our correspondent at Odu in Dekina Local Government Council, Hon Fitumi thanked Hajia for her continuous effort in coming through for widows and vulnerable regularly.
She acknowledged similar gesture by Senator Isah Jibrin (Echocho), a fortnight ago at Ankpa when youths in their numbers from three Local Government Areas were trained in Agriculture and empowered, stressing that people are now living testimony to the effort of the lawmaker.
“”We are aware of several intervention projects, empowerment and developmental projects of Senator Echocho and we are not surprised seeing Hajia toeing the similar path.
“The distribution of food items and cash today is not only a rekindling of hope to the beneficiaries, but an encouragement that despite their condition, they were not forgotten.
Hajia Labran, and other APC Women leaders who spoke on behalf of women, applauded Hajia Aisha Echocho and pray Allah to strengthen her to carry on, urged others to emulate her sustainable initiatives.
The women advised other political office holders to emulate what is good and just, which they believed would strengthen the party.
As part of the activities to celebrate the golden anniversary of the University of Calabar, the wife of the President of the Senate, Mrs Ekaette Unoma Godswill Akpabio was on Saturday, March 22, 2025 conferred with an honorary doctorate degree in Education Management.
The ceremony held at the main campus of the institution in Calabar, Cross River State also saw the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Chief Nyesom Wike awarded the honorary doctorate degree in Law.
Other awardees included Major General Moses Bisong Obi (rtd) (Doctor of Peace and Conflict Studies) and Supreme Court Justice, Emmanuel Akomaye Obi (Doctor of Law).
In her acceptance speech after the conferment by the 15th Emir of Kano and Chancellor of the University, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, the wife of the Senate President, Mrs Akpabio thanked the Governing Council and Management of the University for finding her worthy of the honour.
A statement by the Special Assistant on Media/communication to the President of the Senate, Anietie Ekong quoted Mrs Akpabio as saying “I am happy to be honoured with this award from the prestigious University of Calabar that I have heard so much about from my dear husband, an alumnus of this great institution.
“I was wondering when I will join him as a great Malabress and that day has come and I am grateful to the University for this honour,” she said.
Mrs Akpabio promised to work with other awardees especially the Minister of the FCT to provide infrastructural assistance to the university.
In a citation the University extolled Mrs Akpabio for her philanthropic and humanitarian efforts towards uplifting the lives of women and the vulnerable of the society through her non governmental organisation, the Family Life Enhancement Initiative.
She was also recognized as a Champion of women’s rights and as one who used her position as the First Lady of Akwa Ibom State to fight for the inclusion of more women in governance.
On his part, Chief Wike said he was honoured to be among the recipients of award. He extolled the Visitor of the University, President Bola Tinubu for working tirelessly to promote tertiary education in the country.
Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed disappointment over the declaration of State of emergency in Rivers State, saying it discredits Nigeria’s image.
The declaration by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has sent Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara packing for six months, while the elected members of the State House of Assembly have also been suspended.
Jonathan stated this while speaking as the Chairman at the Haske Satumari Foundation Colloquium in Abuja on Saturday.
He said elected officials have been removed from office in a very disappointing manner.
Contrary to Jonathan’s view however, the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, expressed support for Tinubu’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers.
The party said no responsible government will allow a situation to deteriorate before taking decisive action in the best interest of its citizens.
NNPP National Chairman, Dr. Agbo Major, told newsmen: “President Tinubu is the Chief Security Officer of Nigeria.
“The information available to him as president from intelligence sources may not be in the public purview.
“The government in Rivers was suspended and no one can actually say what would have happened by now, judging from the deepening crisis.
“The crisis was further compounded by some leaders who, instead of offering advice or promoting peace during the turmoil, allowed it to escalate before later stepping in to criticize.”
But for President Jonathan, “These actions by key actors in the executive and legislative arms of government paint the country in a negative light.”
He said it was not the norm for former presidents to comment on issues, so as not to heat up the polity.
However, Jonathan said, his comment became necessary after calls from many Nigerians, urging him to speak on the events in Rivers State.
He added that the image of the country and how much investments a country attracts is dependent on the actions of the executive, legislature and judiciary of that country.
Goodluck Jonathan faulted the situation where an individual can dictate to the judiciary, noting that it makes it difficult for anyone to have faith in the judiciary.
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