Residents and motorists plying the Jebba/Mokwa/Kontagora road in Niger State have been advised to use alternate roads as the bridge in Tatabu and Gida Moin village collapsed due to heavy down pour with several vehicles trapped inside.
The alternative link road pending the time the bridge will be reconstructed is Abuja/Lokoja road.
Officials of the Federal Road Safety Commission, FRSC, have visited the scene for on the spot assessment of the collapse.
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A House of Representatives member, Salihu Adamu, narrowly escaped death following mass beating by aggrieved youths in his constituency.
According to an eyewitness who spoke under anonymity, the lawmaker representing Bosso, Paiko Federal Constituency of Niger State, was said to have been lured to one of the villages in his constituency in the name of attending a ‘crucial’ political meeting.
Once the lawmaker’s presence was announced, the youths who were said to have haboured resentment against the politician because he had failed to visit them since he was elected almost two years ago descended on him and began to pummel his body.
The eyewitness said: “One of the youths first slapped him and another hit him in the stomach making him to fall to the ground.
“ It then became a free for all as every youth there tried to take their pound of flesh from the politician.”
The vehicle in which the lawmaker traveled in from Abuja was also damaged by the angry youths.
It took the intervention of men of the Niger State Police Command who were invited by some people at the scene of the incident for the lawmaker to be saved.
When contacted, the State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Bala Elkana, confirmed the incident.
“It was a politically motivated attack,” Elkana said.
He added that three suspects had been arrested in connection with the incident.
The police spokesman also confirmed that the legislator was admitted to a private hospital in Minna before being moved to Kaduna.
The Special Adviser to the governor of Niger on Empowerment and Social Protection, Mrs. Afiniki Dauda, said on Sunday that the state government has so far trained and deployed 4,149 to the programme.
In her statement, Dauda said 2, 883 have been deployed to teach, 611 to the agricultural sector , 355 were posted to health sector and 299 others were to serve under N-Community.
She said other candidates were being trained and on completion will be deployed to the programme.
“We have opted to use our discretion in terms of posting based on the state’s personnel needs.
“The review of the posting of N–Power beneficiaries is ongoing and zero posting issues will be addressed.
“Thirty per cent of the deployment will be revisited to ensure success of the entire programme, ” Dauda said.
She urged all beneficiaries to report to their place of primary assignment immediately as payment of their stipend would soon be made.
The Niger state government has declared a three day mourning over the death of a former governor of the state, Alhaji (Engr.) Abdulkadir Kure.
The was made known by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa in a statement in Minna on Sunday.
He further stated that all flags should be at half staff through out the state during the mourning period.
According to the Commissioner, Governor Abubakar Bello has also declared a work free day on the day of the burial of the former governor to enable citizens accord the departed leader a befitting burial and respect.
Vatsa expressed that the government will miss the wise counsel of the former governor, who despite political differences never fail to offer meaningful advice to the present government.
The intervention of the former governor during the recent labour crisis in the state was not only legendary but showed him as an elder statesman, whose main concern was for the good, progress and unity of the state.
“Engineer Abdulkadir Abdullahi Kure remained a leader who out of office showed concern for the development of our state.”
A former Governor of Niger State, Abdulkadir Kure, is dead.
Kure, who was governor from 1999 to 2007 died on Sunday at the age of 60, in a German hospital.
His death was confirmed by the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Tanko Beji.
Details later…