Nigerian press zooms in on collapse of bridge linking Nigeria, Benin, others

By Agence de Presse Africaine Last updated Aug 17, 2022

APA– Lagos The report that international trade between Nigeria and Republic of Benin was on Monday halted following the collapse of a bridge linking the two countries at Chikanda in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday. The Punch reports that international trade between Nigeria…

APA – Lagos (Nigeria) The report that international trade between Nigeria and Republic of Benin was on Monday halted following the collapse of a bridge linking the two countries at Chikanda in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State is one of the trending stories in Nigerian newspapers on Wednesday.

The Punch reports that international trade between Nigeria and Republic of Benin was on Monday halted following the collapse of a bridge linking the two countries at Chikanda in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the bridge collapsed after a downpour which started from last Sunday till Monday.

The collapsed bridge was constructed in 2010.

Some commuters, who spoke to journalists, appealed for quick intervention of both countries in the interest of sustainable business activities.

A resident of Yashikira, Mallam Lafia Gunu, said the situation was worrisome, as his mother, Hajia Halima Lafia, who travelled to Benin Republic, was stranded due to the collapsed bridge.

The Emir of Yashikira, Alhaji Umar Seriki, called on the Federal Ministry of Works, Federal Road Maintenance Agency, and the Kwara State Government to come to the aid of the people in the area.

The Federal Controller of Works overseeing Kwara North Central, Kayode Ibrahim, said his men had already embarked on a trip to ascertain the level of damage.

Ibrahim said the workers would check the environment, while the outcome of their visit would determine their next line of action.

The newspaper says that Nigeria’s power generation dropped by 502.7 megawatts on Tuesday as members of the National Union of Electricity Employees and their counterparts in the Senior Staff Association of Electricity and Allied Companies grounded the nationwide operations of the Transmission Company of Nigeria the same day.

It was observed that power generation on the national grid recorded an off-peak of 2,551.7MW on Monday and rose to a peak of 4,688.6MW the same day, but this dropped to 4,185.9MW as at 6am on Tuesday.

Also on Tuesday, members of NUEE and SSAEAC picketed the offices of TCN nationwide, shutting down operations at the facilities and threatening to begin an indefinite strike from today (Wednesday).

Speaking during the protest at the headquarters of TCN in the Federal Capital Territory, the NUEE Secretary in charge of Abuja, Niger, Nasarawa and Kogi Liaison Office, Kolade Ayodele, said TCN’s board, which had the power minister as member, had reneged on agreements reached with the unions.

He said, “The action today is happening all over Nigeria, not only in Abuja. It is because we have rules. There is the condition of service that binds the unions and the management together. You can see that the action here is being held by NUEE and SSAEAC.

“There was a directive given by the (TCN) board which contravenes the condition of service and that is why we are here to picket them. This is a warning, for if nothing is being done, tomorrow (Wednesday) we are going to withdraw our services nationwide.

“That means there will be total shutdown. Presently all TCN offices in Nigeria are under lock and key. Today, they wanted to carry the minister’s vehicle but we had already locked the office and we said no. They can’t carry the vehicle, and it is even good because the minister was part of the board.”

Ayodele said there was an agreement in 2019 for the Market Operator of TCN to pay some money to the staff of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria, “but they refused to pay the money up till now.”

The Punch also reports that the meeting between the Academic Staff Union of Universities and the Federal Government ended in a deadlock on Tuesday.

Sources familiar with the matter told one of our correspondents that the Federal Government’s team met with the representatives of ASUU at the headquarters of the National Universities Commission.

“The meet with the FG’s team was headed by Professor Nimi Briggs and it started by 12:00pm and ended by 3:00pm. There was no new offer on the table, they simply begged us to call off the strike”., the top ASUU official told The PUNCH.

Another source said, “ The lecturers left angrily, though we cannot really ascertain what was discussed with them as you can see, we were not invited, but the proposal presented was rejected”, a top ministry official also confirmed.

Also confirming the development, a member of the ASUU National Executive Committee who asked not to be quoted explained to our correspondent that the government was “unserious” with the negotiations.

“They are not serious. I can’t go over the details with you because the president is responsible for disseminating the information. The proposal presented was unreasonable. There is no hope in sight”.

The spokesperson for the ministry of education, Ben Goong when contacted told our correspondent that the minister of education would brief the press on Thursday

The Guardian says that the United Nations has stated that feedback from the 2021 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)-National Immunisation Coverage Survey Report (NICS) launched, yesterday, indicates Nigeria has a long way to go in ensuring the wellbeing of its children.

UN Resident Coordinator in Nigeria, Matthias Schmale, said this in Abuja at the launch of the report by National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in collaboration with United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The coordinator, who was represented by Peter Hawkins, the UNICEF Representative in Nigeria said: “The picture is a mixed one. While there has been good progress – and we should celebrate that – we still have a long way to go towards ensuring the wellbeing of children in Nigeria.”

The report, according to the UN, reveals that child mortality decreased from one in eight children dying before their fifth birthday in the 2016 MICS report to one in 10 children in the current report.

Hawkins said there has also been significant progress in exclusive breastfeeding and birth registration rates. According to him, the exclusive breastfeeding rate increased from 24 per cent to 34 per cent, while 60 per cent of Nigerian children are now registered at birth with authorities, compared to 47 per cent in 2016.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who launched the report, said it would serve as a major source of data for baseline analysis and national development.

Osinbajo, who was represented by Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, said the government has made concerted efforts to improve the well-being of its citizens, adding that the report will be an additional instrument for enhancing development.

Statistician-General of the Federation and Chief Executive Officer, NBS, Adeyemi Adeniran, said this round of survey has over 200 indicators, which recorded the highest response rate in the MICS series.

He said: “It is my hope that launch of the results today and subsequent deliberation on the results will lead to review, design and implications of policies and programmes that will positively impact on the lives of Nigerians, especially, on the lives of women and children.”

In goodwill message, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, and his Budget and Planning counterpart, Prince Clement Agba, said the report should, by no means, be an end, urging use of the data collected.

The Nation reports that President Muhammadu Buhari has said Nigeria would be saving about N687 billion in 2022 and N2 trillion by 2030 by ending malaria transmission in the country.

The President gave the projection during the inauguration of the Nigeria End Malaria Council (NEMC) at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

He told the 16-member Council headed by the founder and president of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that beyond improving the quality of life, health and well-being of Nigerians, the concerted strategy to tackle malaria had both public health as well as socio-economic benefits for Nigeria.

According to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, Buhari said: ‘‘Our inauguration today will therefore ensure that malaria elimination remains a priority on our agenda, with strong political commitment from leaders at all levels.

‘‘Additionally, the End Malaria Council will provide a platform to advocate for more funding to protect and sustain progress made so far by our country, and put us on a pathway to ending malaria for good.”

Expressing concerns that the age-long disease had remained a major public health challenge in Nigeria, the President cited the World Health Organisation (WHO) report of 2021, showing that Nigeria alone accounts for 27 percent of all cases of malaria and 32 percent of deaths globally.

GIK/APA