By Yetunde Fatungase
The Federal Government says families of those who lost their lives in Saturday’s gas explosion at Ita-Oshin in Abeokuta, Ogun, will be compensated.

It also said that those who lost properties and others receiving treatment in the hospital would be compensated.

The Minister of State for Petroleum (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, made this known during an on-the-spot assessment of the situation on Wednesday in Abeokuta.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) laden truck had lost control due to a brake failure and rammed into the road barricade thereby causing an explosion which resulted in the loss of lives and property in the area.

Ekpo described the incident as regrettable saying the lives of every citizen is important.

He noted that effective standards must be maintained to avert any future disasters that might be connected to gas.

The minister, who was in the company of the Deputy Governor of Ogun, Noimot Salako-Oyedele, noted that anything below proper standard would not be tolerated.

According to him, it has become expedient to ensure standard before asking citizens to install the CNG in their vehicles.

He called on CNG companies to involve the regulators like the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) so as to ensure that whatever is used in all vehicles meet the necessary standards.

“What we’re emphasising on is maintaining standard; anything that falls below that will not be appreciated.

“We noticed cracks in the cylinders when we visited the junkyard and this may be because it wasn’t up to standard thereby causing a friction forcing it open.

“If this is not checked and we call our people to install it in their vehicles without ascertaining the standard, it’ll pose more danger.

“This is a wake up call to you and to us that we should rise up to the challenge of the day and involve regulators to make sure we stick to standards so that we don’t have a recurrence of this.

“We thank God that the cylinder didn’t explode; it would have been a different story.”

Ekpo thanked the state government for promptly providing adequate response when the accident occurred.

Also on ground was Mr Farouk Ahmed, the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigeria Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA, who expressed concern about the incident.

He noted that though the incident was regrettable but “luckily it was not too drastic”.

“We have training programmes for drivers of these vehicles including trucks and we are going to insist that they must be certified before they carry this kind of tasks,” Ahmed said.

Speaking earlier, the deputy governor said it was imperative to ensure that safety is not compromised to avert future accidents.

According to her, the government will ensure that the people do not have a bad impression about the usage of CNG. (NAN) (nannews.com.ng)
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Edited by Folasade Adeniran

By Lydia Ngwakwe

The Federal Government has disbursed N2.75 billion for the first phase of the compensation payouts and unveiled the new design routes for the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project.

The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, made the announcement at the commencement of payouts to property owners affected by the construction of the 700km highway project, on Wednesday in Lagos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the federal government had, on April 4, inuagurated a committee to review, evaluate and compensate land owners affected by the construction of the highway project.

According to Umahi, the goal of the committee is to ensure transparency in all undertakings.

He said, “It’s my pleasure to unveil the new design route, and I wish to flag off the compensation from chainage zero to chainage three in a total sum of N2.75 billion. That is very ambitious.

“It’s my pleasure to invite the Director of Design and the Controller to call the people and give them the symbolic amount agreed and to assure that before 1p.m. tomorrow, you will all get your alert as agreed.

“It will be difficult to show you all that we have done here to protect the claimants so that you don’t go to their houses, this one is private to us.

“But the smaller ones, we can do that symbolically, but no cash is paid.”

The Minister also announced that all tenants affected by the demolition at Landmark would receive compensation by the end of the day.

Umahi said, ” All tenants within the Landmark premises have been shortlisted for payments by 2 p.m. today. That closes the politics of Landmark.”

The Chairman, Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway compensation committee, Mrs Korede Keisha, while presenting cheques to deserving beneficiaries, corroborated what Umahi said.

She said, “Just like the minister said that this will be done in phases, so, the first 10 recipients would be called today. If you were not called today, don’t be afraid, we are going to call you in the next few days.

“The secretariat is open and we work 24/7 everyday. So, this is just the opening one.”

She named the beneficiaries as Moist Beach, Checkmate, Kingfisher, G12 Beach, Xchange Lounge, Kingston, Landmark Kids Club by Maxtivity, FX lounge and Bar, and Best Rock.

The Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway is designed to connect Lagos to Cross River, passing through the coastal states of Ogun, Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa, Rivers and Akwa Ibom, before culminating in Cross River.

Construction of each kilometre of the 700 kilometre highway will cost N4 billion. (NAN)

Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

By Bushrah Yusuf-Badmus

The Offa/Oyun Electricity Consumers’ Forum in Kwara has demanded for the establishment of an Offa Business Hub and improved power supply from the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).

The forum in a statement signed by its Secretary, Mr Tajudeen Iwalola, said this had become imperative because of the status of Offa town as the second largest in Kwara.

It also described Offa as the commercial hub of the state with over 15 industries as well as 13 public and private tertiary institutions.

The forum further requested the immediate replacement of the aluminum conductor in the Offa feeder with a 150mm conductor wire to enhance the reliability and capacity of the electricity distribution system.

”We also need the upgrading of two obsolete 7.5MVA transformers installed since 1963 to improve efficiency and prevent frequent breakdowns.

”We call for a revision of the electricity distribution schedule to guarantee a minimum of eight hours of uninterrupted power supply daily for all consumers.

”We demand the immediate metering of at least 50 percent of the 26,000 customers in our area between April and December 2024, to promote transparency and accountability in billing,” it added. (NAN)www.nannews.ng

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(Edited by AbdulFatai Beki/Mufutau Ojo)

By Bosede Olufunmi
The Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund) has completed the installation of transplant and urology equipment for the treatment of prostate and kidney stone worth N250 million in seven hospitals.

Alhaji Umar Ali, the contractor handling the supply, who also represented Tetfund, told newsmen shortly after the installation of the equipment at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Kano (AKTH).

He described the gesture as the first in seven government hospitals at a time for the benefit of those seeking health assistance.

He listed other benefitting health institutions to include: Aminu Kano (now Bayero Teaching Hospital University) (BUK), Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi, Ahmadu Bello University (ABU) Zaria, University of Abuja, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin.

Others are: University of Jos Teaching Hospital; and University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Maiduguri.

He said that those seeking treatment for kidney stone, and kidney failure are on the increase on daily basis, hence intervention by TETFund to find a lasting solution to their health challenges.

According to him, the fund has installed the equipment, tested and discovered to be in good working condition.

He added that “doctors have started using the equipment for research and practicals in the university, but all credits go to TETFund, because without their intervention, it may not have been possible.”

Prof. Sani Aji from Bayero University, Kano, said with the modern technology, there may not be any need to cut open any patient.

He said that “before now, after patients have been operated on, they will stay in the hospital for like between 10-12 days before discharge, but now, they can go the same day of the operation if there is no complications.

“Very few centres have the facilities and they are all private, but with TETFund intervention, this laser surgery will help a lot.”

On his part, Dr Przemyslaw Zugaj, one of the medical personnel invited from Poland to train doctors on how to handle the laser equipment on patients when conducting surgeries.

Zugaj explained that the surgery will destroy stones in the kidney and patients are checked properly, while it may not be necessary to repeat the surgery and it is cheaper.

He said with proper handling of the laser machine, there will not be need to open up patients, but carry out the operation successfully without bleeding.

One of the participants, Prof. Samuel Osaghae, also a Consultant Urologist from University of Benin, described the intervention as a special project.

He said the installation would facilitate indoor urology centre for kidney, urethra bladder and prostate, which would impact healthcare delivery in Nigeria positively.

Dr Haruna Usman from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Bauchi, said the gesture would be extended to other communities.

“This will reduce waste of resources and people will no longer need to travel out for surgeries,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Remi Koleoso/Hadiza Mohammed-Aliyu

The Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Malam Ali Muhammad Ali, says the initiatives put in place by his administration to boost the welfare of workers are already yielding results.

Ali said this on Wednesday in his congratulatory message to the agency’s workers on the occasion of this year’s International Workers Day with the theme: “Ensuring Safety and Health at Work in a Changing Climate”.

The managing director acknowledged the diligence, passion and contributions of the workers in the agency striving in diverse ways to create an agency we all desire.

Ali described this year’s theme as apposite, saying that his administration would continue to create a safe and conducive atmosphere for NAN workers to unleash their creative energy in order to attain the zenith of their full potential.

“Let me also restate management’s avowed commitment to repositioning the agency to meet up with global best practices and realisation of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” he added.

He expressed optimism that NAN would achieve the vision of its founding fathers with the management and staff members collaborating in its institutional interest. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

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Edited by Emmanuel Afonne