TheNewsGuru

Tag: Abuja

  • Abuja-Kaduna road gets 8 additional FRSC out-posts

    The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) says it is establishing eight additional operational outposts on Abuja-Kaduna road to deal with expected rise in vehicular and human traffic on the route from March 8.

    The FRSC Corps Marshal, Mr Boboye Oyeyemi, disclosed this at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday.

    The Federal Government recently announced plans to close the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for six weeks from March 8 to pave way for repairs on the runway.

    During the period, flights would be diverted to neighbouring Kaduna Airport from where passengers to or from Abuja would travel by rail or road, aviation authorities said.

    The FRSC boss said this would, therefore, lead to increase in human and vehicular traffic on the Abuja-Kaduna road with an estimated driving distance of 199 kilometres.

    He stated that more vehicles and operational logistics would be deployed alongside adequate personnel on the route to boost the corps’ capacity to promptly respond to emergencies within the period and beyond.

    Oyeyemi assured travelers along the corridor and other routes across the country of the FRSC’s presence and preparedness to effectively manage the traffic.

    He solicited orderly conduct and cooperation from motorists and other road users with traffic management agencies.

    The corps marshal announced that full enforcement of the installation of speed limiter in commercial vehicles would now begin on Feb. 1.

    Speed limiter is a device installed in vehicles to limit their top speed.

    The official speed limit for buses in Nigeria is 90 kilometres per hour, but the device is calibrated to 95 kilometres per hour.

    Enforcement was initially scheduled to begin on Sept. 1, 2015, but postponed several times following pleas by stakeholders.

    The FRSC boss said different categories of commercial vehicles must calibrate their devices in accordance with the respective permissible speed limits.

    He noted that “Nigerian roads are not race tracks and the corps is determined to ensure that this remains so. There will not be any short-cut to this.

    “We count on the sensibilities of Nigerians to rise against national challenges; this is not expected to be an exception.”

  • Senate withdraws its opposition on closure of Abuja airport

    Senate withdraws its opposition on closure of Abuja airport

    The Senate on Tuesday suspended its opposition to the planned closure of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja for six weeks for repairs of its only runway.

    The closure is scheduled to start on March 8, 2017. While the airport will be reopened after six weeks, the rehabilitation project will last six months.
    While the lawmakers expressed their reservations for the diversion of flights from Abuja to Kaduna, they called on the Federal Government to put all advices into consideration.

    The Senate made its position on the matter known after its plenary on Tuesday.

    The Nigerian Society of Nigeria and the contractor, Messrs Julius Berger Nigeria Limited were however sharply divided over a total closure of the airport during the rehabilitation work.

    While the NSE called for a segmented repair model to allow landing at takeoff on the runway, Julius Berger stated that it would be dangerous to work on the runway while it is in use.

  • We made tremendous success in Abuja digital television switch over – NBC

    The National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), says it has achieved tremendous success in the recently launched television Digital Switch Over (DSO), in Abuja.

    The Director-General of the commission, Malam Ishaq Kawu-Modibbo, made the remark while briefing newsmen on the Success of the Abuja Digitasation in Abuja on Friday.

    He said that in the three weeks of DSO in Abuja, the commission had been able to distribute more Set Top Boxes than it did in eight months in Jos.

    The NBC boss added that over 100,000 boxes were in the residences of people in the FCT, adding that only eight boxes had so far been returned to the commission.

    He added that the NBC was still expecting a lot more boxes into the process to ensure a hitch free exercise in the FCT.

    Kawu-Modibbo, however, said that over the last three weeks, NBC had gone through some of the most incredible experiences of its professional lives in trying to do the DSO.

    “ I am aware that a lot of people have complained that they have problems in activating their boxes and that has been the most central point in terms of the work we have done.

    “ The major problem is communication.

    “ If you put on the box, you will notice some telephone numbers. We have stopped using those numbers. The numbers were imprinted in the system way before the Jos switchover.

    “ But some issues arose and we changed our Call Centre Operators but the numbers could not be removed from the set top boxes.

    “ That was why people are having problem in trying to reach those numbers but we have started a communication process to try to get people to understand that we have a new set of numbers.

    “ Nobody could have envisaged the level of enthusiasm that came with Abuja switchover.

    “In the first weeks of the rollout, we were getting more than 150,000 calls to make enquiries about how to activate their boxes’’, he said.

    He said that at the inception of the process, the selected Call Centre Operators engaged 30 call centre agents to handle calls from the public.

    The DG, however, said the number of Call Centre agents had been increased to 90 and it would be increasing as DSO moves to other parts of the country.

    He said that some of the new numbers were toll free, adding “ we are collecting data on daily basis, and doing analysis.

    He said that 27 channels were currently operating in Abuja and assured that the remaining three channels would eventually come up to make them 30.

    He expressed optimism that with the support the commission was getting from the Federal Government; the country would meet up with the June, 2017 switchover deadline.

    “We think that June 2017 is a very challenging date for all of us but if you notice last year I was saying that for me I remain an incurable optimist.

    “ I think the government is determined to make sure that we succeed and I have very high hopes that we would achieve DSO all over the Federal Republic of Nigeria.“

  • Closure of Abuja airport runway will be counter-productive – aviation unions

    The unions in the aviation sector on Friday kicked against the plan by the Federal Government to close the runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, for repairs.

    The unions said the planned closure of the airport scheduled to begin from March 8 for a six-week period would be counter-productive for the nation’s economy.

    They made their position known in an open letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The letter was signed by Mr. Olayinka Abioye, General Secretary, National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE) and Mr. Frances Akinjole, General Secretary, Air Transport Senior Staff Services Association of Nigeria (ATSSSAN).

    It was also signed by the General Secretary of the National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers (NAAPE), Mr. Aba Ocheme.

    A part of the letter read: “Your Excellency, we hasten to use this open medium to draw your attention to the proposed closure of the Abuja airport for turnaround maintenance of the runway for six weeks out of the six months that work shall continue at the said airport.

    “The necessity for the proposed exercise could not only be due to the audit findings against our country but, more importantly, as a long-overdue safety measure, which we appreciate.

    “While we accept that the Abuja runway has turned bad and requires a quick fix, our unions are of the opinion that total closure of the airport should be the last ineluctable option in repairing the international airport’s runway.’’

    According to them, stakeholders were not carried along by the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) before the decision to close the airport was taken.

    The unions suggested that instead of a total closure of the airport, an additional runway should be effectively considered for construction as a long-term measure while the subsisting one continues to be put in use, under some phase reconstruction.

    They said: “Skeletal repairs of the runway could be adopted by allowing the airport for use likely between 6.00am and 6.00pm while fixing of the major damaged portions of the runway continues during the nights.

    “This has been done in several parts of the world. Why should Nigeria’s case be different?

    “Our opinion is premised on the fact that the proposed exercise, being a reactive formula, can be achieved without total shutdown of the international airport.

    “The consequential effect of such total closure will impact so grandiosely negatively on the already dire economic environment of Nigeria, given the dependence of several low and middle-income earners on aviation business in and around Abuja airport,’’ the union leaders said.

    According to them, the aviation agencies will also be deprived of their internally generated revenue during this period while some low business operators will lose their businesses completely and forever.

    The unions said: “we do not wish to believe that your government will set out to jeopardize the livelihood of its citizens at such dire time as this.

    “Total closure of an international airport, particularly Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja in an ailing economy like ours will be counter-productive at this period.

    “It is obvious that the volume of operations at the Abuja airport cannot be accommodated by the size and facilities of Kaduna Airport (Domestic and International).’’

    They further argued that other issues such as operational cost to airlines, sales of tickets to passengers as well as passenger insurance have not been well thought out.

    “Therefore, sir, it is our candid submission that the whole hoopla about Kaduna being an alternate airport to Abuja is all but a hoax.

    “In reality, most persons, especially international travellers, but also senior important local personalities, will simply shelve all activities in Abuja for the six weeks of closure.

    “Then the whole investment in Kaduna airport will be in vain. The airlines, aviation agencies and other businesses around aviation will lose colossal sums of money.

    “Some businesses will fold up and be unable to recover. This situation must be avoided by all means in our considered view,’’ the unions said.

     

  • Buhari meets family of baby named after him in Abuja

    …commissioned Kuchigoro Primary Health Care Centre

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met with the families of a baby boy named after him after delivering successfully at one of the newly commissioned Primary Health Centres (PHC) in Abuja.

    This baby boy was the first child to be delivered at Kuchigoro PHC when it opened on Dec 15, 2016. As a sign of appreciation, his mother named him ‘Muhammadu Buhari’

    The president carried the baby and also congratulated the mother and medical personnel on ground for a successful delivery while also promising his administration’s determination to provide quality health care across the country.

    The president also used the opportunity to officially commission the Kuchigoro Primary Health Care Centre.

    In a twitter message on his twitter handle @NGRPresident, Buhari said:

    ‘This morning in Abuja I flagged-off one of the cardinal programmes of our Administration – the Revitalization of Primary Health Care Centres

    As part of the flag-off I commissioned the Kuchigoro Primary Health Care Centre, renovated as a model PHC, & a demonstration of our vision.

    Our vision is to revitalise 10,000 PHC facilities across Nigeria—in phases. In Phase 1 we will deliver 109; one in each Senatorial District’.

  • FG commits N550m for revitalization of 110 PHCs – Minister

    The Federal Government on Thursday said it has committed N550 million to renovate 110 primary healthcare facilities in the country as a pilot programme for the revitalization of Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs) in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, made this known while briefing newsmen after inspecting the renovation of Kuchingoro PHC in Abuja.

    Adewole said that the revitalization of the PHCs was one of the key components of the Rapid Result Initiatives (RRI) of the government.

    He said the pilot phase comprised of 109 of the clinics across the country, stressing that we will pick one per senatorial district.

    He added that additional one centre was in Fuka village of Niger where Lassa fever case was first recorded in 2015.

    He said the government has spent N7 million on the renovation of PHC Kuchingoro in Gwarinpa Ward of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC).

    He added that the revitalisation of the PHCs is the cardinal agenda of the Buhari administration.

    “We want to bring the healthcare services to the door step of our people and the only way to do that is to deliver health through a network of functional PHCs.

    “We are working with the state governors and development partners to replicate it in 10,000 electoral wards in Nigeria during the second phase of the initiative.

    “When we have them working across the country we will be able to serve the majority of Nigerians and provide an improved access to healthcare services to them,’’ Adewole said.

    According to him, many of the ailments that take people to hospitals can be addressed at the PHCs, thereby decongesting the tertiary health facilities.

    He said it is a partnership between the ministry, National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and General Electric.

    He said that general electric would supply the equipment such as radiotherapy machines, warmer and other accessories.

    “In addition to this, the ministry would ensure that each of the rehabilitated PHCs has a small laboratory for common investigations,’’ the minister said.

    Besides, the government would also ensure that the PHCs deliver immunisations and there is provision for living quarters for the midwife to provide 24-hour services, Adewole said.

    He said through this “we can save life and deliver essential care to reduce maternal mortality in the country’’.

  • FG to close Abuja airport for 6 weeks

    The Federal Government has announced that the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will be closed between February and March next year in order to carry out total reconstruction of its runway.

    According the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, who spoke with journalists yesterday, the airport runway would be shut for six weeks between February and March, 2017, when its mid-section would be reconstructed.

    He stated that the President had approved the reconstruction through the emergency procurement procedure for work to commence on the facility due to its economic and administrative significance to Nigeria.

    Sirika said, “From start to finish of the runway, it will take six months. However, we will be using the runway almost throughout the period except for about six weeks when the runway will be closed. That is when we are going to do the mid-section of the runway.”

    On the six weeks closure of the airport to passengers, the minister said Abuja bound passengers from any part of the world would use the Kaduna airport as an alternative.

    Sirika added, “It will cost the government a substantial amount of money but we thought in our wisdom that palliative approach is wrong because three years down, we will come back to do the same repairs. Therefore, we decided to go for the bigger option, which is to do structural repairs of the runway, which will take about six months to complete.”

    The minister stated that the Federal Government was not unaware of the pains passengers were going through due to the non-availability of aviation fuel and the scarcity of foreign exchange, which had also impacted negatively on the country’s finance.

    While pleading for understanding, he said consultation was ongoing with oil marketers, the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Central Bank of Nigeria to resolve the crisis.

    “Very soon, the country will be out of this as we cannot be relying on Ghana for aviation fuel,” Sirika said.

    On the Bilateral Air Service Agreement with other countries, he stated that the government had signed BASA with 18 nations that Nigerians frequently visited and did business with.

    “With this we have the freedom to fly and land safely in other air spaces and this will assist in opening up our market,” Sirika added.