Connect with us

News

$100m Austrian Investment: Enugu residents to get water at minimum cost, Mbah assures

Published

on

Spread the love

…To establish Disabilities Commission

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, has allayed fears of Enugu residents over possible spike in water rate following the recent signing of a $100 million investment agreement between the state government and a consortium of Austrian investors to cover the last mile and ensure that water gets to every remaining home in the state capital and environs.

This was even as Mbah unveiled government’s plans to establish the Enugu State Disabilities Commission in 2025.

Governor Mbah gave the assurances at the weekend during a town hall meeting with the people of the state in Enugu, noting also that his administration had raised water production from occasional 2 million litres to 120 million litres a day in 180 days.

The governor said that the $100 million Foreign Direct Investment in the downstream water sector would boost and hasten the government’s effort at tackling the challenges of reticulation as well as relentlessly replacing old and asbestos pipes with ductile pipes.

“The only time you would have to appreciate the magnitude of challenges associated with those tertiary pipes is after you have allowed water to flow through them, and some of them after decades. That was when we started noticing burst pipes. We also started noticing that some of the pipes were still asbestos pipes and we needed to replace them.

Maduka College Advert

“So, in terms of production, we have been able to achieve 150 per cent of our daily production needs. What we are now dealing with is the last mile; making sure that we get water to the last mile.

“Doing that, especially given the magnitude of what we have observed, is also cost intensive. But we are now fortunate that we have investors – and this is not loans or grants – but investors, who have undertaken to play in the downstream of our water management system.

“So, these investors are going to invest a hundred million dollars to ensure that they replace all the pipes leading to the last mile. So, 1.5 million households have been targeted for a start. That work will start in January in earnest. And they would also ensure it is sustained because they will ensure that it is metered. They will metre these homes as they do the tertiary pipelines,” he stated.

Mbah, however, assured that the government had factored in safety nets that would ensure that water rate remained low by selling produced water to the investors at the cheapest rate possible.

“For those who may be worried about what the cost will translate to with the coming in of these investors, you should not worry about that because that is why we are not outsourcing the production. We are still going to be fully in charge of production. Government will own the production lines and will still be fully responsible for producing water.

“We know that this is a social service, and that it is not necessarily a money-making venture. So, the investors, of course, will have a return on investment, but the interesting thing is that we have built in all the safety nets to ensure that our people are not exploited.

“Because the cost at which they sell water to our people is going to be a function of what they buy from us and knowing that we want this to get to our people at minimal cost, we are going to also ensure that what they pay to get the water from us is reduced to the strictest minimum.

“So, for those of you that we are yet to get public water, you can be sure that when we connect all these pipes and metres to your homes, what you may be paying will be barely 20 per cent of what you are currently spending to source for water.

“But most importantly, you are guaranteed clean water so that once you turn on your tap, water will flow,” he stated.

Meanwhile, the governor reiterated his administration’s inclusive development model, noting that the state was taking steps to ameliorate the challenges faced by people with disabilities, saying he was determined to ensure that no one was left behind.

“We have already domesticated the Disability Act. So, we already have the Enugu State Disabilities Law. I am pledging here that we are going to inaugurate the Enugu State Commission for People with Disabilities within the first quarter of 2025,” Mbah assured.

News

APC Chairman slumps, dies during reconciliation meeting in Kogi

Published

on

Late Oyewole Mayowa Solomom
Spread the love

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State was thrown into deep mourning on Friday following the sudden death of its local government chairman, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon.

Solomon reportedly slumped during a peace and reconciliation meeting held at the Iyara Town Hall, the administrative headquarters of the local government area.

According to participants, the meeting was in progress when the late party leader suddenly collapsed, causing instant confusion, panic, and devastation among the political leaders and delegates in attendance.

Efforts were made immediately to resuscitate him before he was rushed to a medical facility in neighboring Kabba.

Unfortunately, he was pronounced dead shortly after his arrival at the hospital.

Maduka College Advert

Reports said the peace meeting was convened by Funsho Olumoko, a former chairman of the Ijumu Local Government Area who was recently tasked by the Ijumu Consultative Forum to harmonize political interests within the region.

The session aimed to reconcile factions, resolve internal disputes, and foster unity among stakeholders ahead of future political engagements.

The peace initiative followed an earlier meeting in Iyara where APC stakeholders endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kogi State Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo for second terms.

However, the previous initiative had experienced visible friction over local government leadership, culminating in a walkout by the deceased and several top government functionaries.

Friday’s follow-up meeting was meant to bridge those divides, bringing together selected political leaders, local government and ward executives, women and youth leaders, and government appointees representing all 15 wards of Ijumu LGA.

However, the sudden passing of Solomon has delivered a major shockwave to the political landscape in Kogi West, casting a heavy shadow over ongoing efforts to unify party ranks ahead of the 2027 general elections.

As of press time, the exact cause of his death has not been officially disclosed, just as no formal statement has been received from the APC state executive and local authorities on the development ..

Continue Reading

News

Another fake agency uncovered, FG suspends three perm secs, orders arrest

Published

on

Tinubu scraps Ministries of Niger Delta, Sports
President Bola Tinubu
Spread the love

President Bola Tinubu has ordered the suspension of three permanent secretaries over the discovery of another fake agency operating within the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The affected PS are M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah.

The President also ordered the arrest of one George Buchi Nwabueze.

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, disclosed this to State House correspondents on Friday after briefing the President for the second time in two days, following an earlier meeting on Thursday.The

Aliyu said the newly uncovered fake office, operating under the name “National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office,” had been illegally allocated office space within the premises of the OSGF, contrary to extant laws and without presidential authorisation.

Maduka College Advert

He said the discovery emerged in the course of the commission’s broader investigation, as earlier directed by the President.

The ICPC boss identified the promoter of the fake office as one George Nwabueze, who was said to be operating under multiple aliases.

“The fake agency office, National Brands Development and Made in Nigeria Special Project Office, was promoted by one George Buchi Nwabueze, with active suspected collaborators in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, contrary to extant laws and without authorisation of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The promoter was discovered to also operate under four other variations of his name: George Nathan, George Nathan Nwabueze, Honourable George Buchi Nwabueze, Prince George Buchi Nwabueze and George Nwabueze,” Aliyu said.

He revealed that the ICPC had engaged the OSGF to ascertain vital information relating to the fake office under investigation, and had comprehensively briefed the President on the new developments.

“I have briefed Mr President comprehensively on these new developments. ICPC will continue with its investigations accordingly,” he said.

Aliyu said following the discovery, “Mr President has directed as follows: the immediate arrest of Prince George Buchi Nwabueze; the immediate suspension of the following permanent secretaries; M.S. Danjuma, Nadungu Gagare, and Richard P. Pheelangwah,” he said.

Friday’s development is the latest in a scandal that began with the exposure of the fictitious Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, whose self-styled Director-General, Adeniyi Adeyemi, is currently facing prosecution on charges of forgery and impersonation.

The ICPC’s interim report, submitted to the President on August 6 after a 30-day investigation, had earlier disclosed the existence of two other fictitious bodies, the FCT Investment Promotion Agency and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency and Public-Private Partnership.

The National Brands Development and Made-in-Nigeria Special Project Office is the fourth fake agency uncovered after the PFIFC scandal since early April.

Continue Reading

News

Enugu ADC chairman allegedly murdered in his village

Published

on

Spread the love

Tension and grief have enveloped the political community in Enugu State following the suspected murder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu.

Ngwu, said to be one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, in circumstances suspected to be suspicious.

A family source, who spoke to our correspondent, said Ngwu left the house shortly after waking up on Wednesday morning but never returned alive.

“He woke up early in the morning on Wednesday and walked out and that was the last we heard of him,” the source said.

According to the source, the family became worried after discovering that Ngwu was missing, before his lifeless body was later found outside the compound.

Maduka College Advert

“When we woke up, we didn’t see him only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound. We saw scratches on his neck which was twisted backwards,” the source added.

The circumstances surrounding his death have continued to generate concern among family members, friends and political associates.

Meanwhile, two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.

However, their identities and the circumstances surrounding their arrest were not immediately disclosed as of press time.

The development has reportedly sent shock waves through the ADC in Udenu and the wider political community in the state, with calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Ngwu’s death.

Continue Reading

Trending

Maduka College Advert