Four students of the Federal University of Technology, Minna, and a driver attached to the Niger State Government House have died in a road accident involving a vehicle in the convoy of Governor Mohammed Bago.

The accident occurred on Monday at Gidan Kwanu, near Minna, when a Toyota Hilux conveying the Director-General of the Government House, Mr Dauda Chikuba, collided head-on with a vehicle carrying five students of the university.

According to a report by The PUNCH, four of the five students died on the spot, alongside the driver of the Government House vehicle.

The newspaper reported that the governor’s convoy was returning to Minna, while the vehicle conveying the students was travelling towards Bida when the crash occurred.

Eyewitnesses said the governor and his entourage were returning from a condolence visit to the Etsu Nupe and Chairman of the Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, following the death of the Sagi Nupe, Hajia Aisha.

One of the eyewitnesses described the incident as a head-on collision and alleged that the convoy was travelling at high speed when the crash occurred.

“It was a head-on collision. We learnt that the convoy was at high speed when the accident occurred. It was a terrible accident,” the eyewitness was quoted as saying.

The eyewitness added that Chikuba was immediately rushed to a hospital for treatment, while the bodies of the deceased students and the driver were evacuated to an undisclosed destination.

The spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the incident, saying the police had commenced an investigation.

“The accident occurred this morning, and we are investigating it,” Abiodun was quoted as saying by The PUNCH on Wednesday.

…As SEDC seals deal with GasSync, commits $3m

•  Tinubu says S’East must rise from potential to reality

•  Mbah, governors hail Tinubu, pledge support for 400km pipeline

The Federal Government, through the South East Development Commission (SEDC) has kicked off a $100 million gas distribution pipeline project to boost industrialisation, attract investments and create jobs in the South East.

The 400-kilometre pipeline, designed to connect gas resources to industrial and commercial centres across Enugu, Anambra, Imo, Abia and Ebonyi states, has about 150 potential customers identified, with projected demand of 254 million standard cubic feet of gas per day.

The investment agreement for the project was signed on Tuesday at the South-East Gas Infrastructure Investment and Project Development Ceremony held at Hotel Presidential, Enugu, marking a significant step towards establishing a regional gas distribution network.

Tinubu, represented by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, described the project as a strategic investment that would connect the region’s natural gas resources to industries, strengthen manufacturing and unlock economic opportunities across the five states.

“The Southeast’s entrepreneurial spirit is one of Nigeria’s greatest economic assets. I have always believed that the prosperity of the Southeast is inseparable from the prosperity of Nigeria,” the President said.

He said the project aligned with his administration’s commitment to building an integrated regional economy, stressing that gas infrastructure should support industrial development across state boundaries rather than serve isolated markets.

“Gas infrastructure must therefore serve industries and markets, not stop at political boundaries. That is the economic logic of regional integration,” he said.

The President said the pipeline would benefit manufacturers in Aba, strengthen industrial clusters in Nnewi and Onitsha, attract productive enterprises to Enugu, expand agro-processing and manufacturing in Ebonyi and connect Imo’s gas resources to the wider regional economy.

He, however, said the ambition extended beyond supplying existing factories to creating the conditions for new industries, industrial parks and investments that had stalled because of unreliable energy supply.

“Our ambition is not simply to deliver gas to existing factories. It is to make possible factories that do not yet exist, industrial parks yet to be developed, and investments that have remained on the drawing board because reliable energy was unavailable,” Tinubu said.

He described the South-East Development Commission (SEDC) as an institution established to deliver measurable development outcomes, urging it to assess its performance by the investments it mobilised, infrastructure it enabled, opportunities it created and lives it improved.

The President said the South-East Vision 2050 development framework, supported by Vice-President Kashim Shettima and the governors of the region, provided a foundation for coordinated economic growth.

He also cited his approval of the South-East Investment Company as part of efforts to attract private capital into strategic development projects, noting that governments could not finance every development ambition from public funds.

“This is the model I expect from our development institutions: identify strategic economic opportunities, prepare credible projects, commit public resources responsibly and mobilise private capital at a scale government budgets alone cannot achieve,” he said.

Tinubu commended the SEDC for committing $3 million to the gas project and establishing a framework to mobilise additional investments from state governments, institutions and private investors.

He said the project’s initial phase required approximately $100 million, describing the partnership between public institutions and private investors as essential to developing sustainable infrastructure.

“We are not investing in pipelines for their own sake. We are investing in the industries, businesses and jobs those pipelines will make possible,” the President said.

He urged the commission and its partners to uphold commercial discipline, transparency, environmental responsibility, community engagement and the highest safety standards throughout the project’s implementation.

“The true measure of government’s commitment is not what we promise, but what we deliver,” he said, expressing optimism that the investment would help create an industrial economy capable of competing in African and global markets.

Tinubu said the ultimate objective was to translate the region’s natural resources into productive economic activity, employment and improved living standards.

“Let the gas beneath our soil power our industries. Let that energy become production. Let production become employment. Let employment become prosperity for our people,” he said.

The President urged the SEDC, state governments and project partners to establish clear implementation timelines, measurable milestones and regular progress reports, stressing that the project’s success would ultimately be measured by its ability to attract investments, revive industries, create jobs and improve the economic fortunes of people across the five Southeast states.

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, commended Tinubu for establishing the SEDC, describing the commission as the institutional vehicle needed to realise the Southeast’s longstanding industrialisation aspirations.

“Tinubu loves the Igbo. The SEDC is a commission whose time has come. It was an idea conceived many decades ago, but it took President Tinubu to establish this long-awaited dream of industrialisation of the Southeast,” Mbah said.

He described the signing of the investment agreement as the commencement of the investment process, adding that the initiative would help realise the region’s aspiration for a common market and coordinated industrial development.

“What we have just signed here today is an investment agreement, meaning that investment has commenced,” he said.

Mbah, who said he was excited that the project was advancing less than 13 months after he publicly advocated the idea, praised the commission for adopting an innovative financing model that brings governments and private investors together.

He said the project would create opportunities for young people to build their futures in the Southeast rather than migrate to other parts of the country in search of jobs.

“Before now, it was our young people running out of the region in search of greener pastures. But with what we have now, our young people can sit back and find their future here in the region. This is all thanks to President Tinubu,” he said.

The governor assured the SEDC and its partners that the Southeast governors were committed to the pipeline project, promising to expedite right-of-way arrangements and environmental impact assessment approvals.

“We, the Southeast governors, are committed to this. We will ensure that the right of way and EIA are given accelerated approval,” he said.

Imo State Deputy Governor Lady Chinyere Ekomaru, who represented Governor Hope Uzodimma, commended Tinubu and the SEDC for initiating the project, noting that Imo’s substantial natural gas resources placed the state in a strategic position to benefit.

She said the project was coming at an opportune time, particularly as companies were seeking to become offtakers of gas from the Assa North–Ohaji South development.

Ekomaru urged residents to consider the Federal Government’s infrastructure investments in the Southeast in making their political choices ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“A vote for APC is a direct vote for the continuation of this project. A bird in hand is worth more than 10 in the bush. Let’s reason wisely,” she said.

Anambra State Deputy Governor Dr Onyekachukwu Ibezim, representing Governor Chukwuma Soludo, commended the commission but stressed that its success would ultimately be determined by its impact on the people.

“We will clap for you when we begin to feel the impact of what you are doing,” he said.

Ibezim noted that states across the region had gas resources that could support industrial growth if properly developed. He urged communities along the pipeline route to embrace the project and cooperate with its promoters.

“I want to urge the communities through which the pipelines will pass to have a buy-in. We are strongly behind the commission,” he said, while commending the enthusiasm shown by industrialists at the event.

Ebonyi State Deputy Governor Mrs Patricia Obila, representing Governor Francis Nwifuru, described energy as fundamental to industrial growth, lamenting that inadequate power supply had contributed to the decline of several enterprises in the region.

“Energy is power. Its importance cannot be overemphasised. With it, factories will produce, the economy will blossom and employment will be great,” she said.

Obila expressed the Ebonyi government’s readiness to support the project, promising to provide the necessary cooperation to facilitate its implementation and help moribund companies resume operations.

“We will give you all the support needed to operate in Ebonyi to ensure that our moribund companies return back to operations,” she said.

Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, Dr Mary Ogbe, said the SEDC was developing initiatives capable of improving living standards across the Southeast.

She assured the governors that the commission would complement their development efforts rather than compete with them, while urging investors to take advantage of the opportunities emerging from the project.

Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of SEDC, Mark Okoye, said the commission had conducted technical, financial and legal due diligence before committing funds to the project, which received approval from its governing board.

Okoye said the commission was targeting aggregate regional investment participation of up to $30 million, including its initial $3 million commitment, as part of efforts to mobilise the private capital required to advance the project.

He said the initiative aligned with the commission’s industrialisation programme and its commitment to developing infrastructure that would benefit the entire region.

Representing GasSync, the project promoter, Callistus Mba said the pipeline would connect gas resources close to the Southeast to industrial users across the five states, reducing dependence on the expensive transportation of compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied natural gas (LNG) by road.

Mba said the proposed network would originate from the Ohaji area of Imo State, run through Owerri and branch towards Aba in Abia State and Onitsha in Anambra State, with extensions to Enugu and Ebonyi.

He said the company planned to begin construction at two points simultaneously to accelerate delivery, following concerns raised by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah that constructing the entire network sequentially from Imo could delay gas supply to other states.

“We are going to start at Ohaji and Onitsha at the same time,” Mba said, explaining that the approach would allow construction towards Enugu and Ebonyi to progress alongside work on the Imo and Anambra sections.

He said the company had identified about 150 prospective customers across the region and was engaging industries to secure demand for the gas, including manufacturing companies, power-generation facilities and agro-processing businesses.

Mba cited Geometric Power in Abia State among the companies with which engagement was already underway. He added that the pipeline would support efforts to revive moribund industries in Enugu and develop agro-processing facilities in Ebonyi.

On the project timeline, he said procurement activities had commenced, funding arrangements were advancing towards financial close, and preparations for engineering, procurement and construction were progressing.

“We intend to start construction in the first quarter of 2027,” Mba said, projecting that the project would be ready for first gas delivery in the second quarter of 2028, subject to the completion of the necessary requirements.

He identified regulatory approvals, right-of-way arrangements, community engagement and coordination among federal and state authorities as critical to meeting the schedule, urging the governors and relevant institutions to facilitate permits and work with host communities along the pipeline route.

…Tells party faithful to campaign on performance, be unapologetically APC

…Says opposition shallow, has nothing to offer

…Sen. Nnamani, Nwobodo, Dr. Nnamani, Chime, Ugwuanyi, Prof. Nnaji, Arthur Eze, Madueke, Ogalla, Ezeilo make list

Governor of Enugu State, Dr. Peter Mbah, on Tuesday, inaugurated the All Progressives Congress (APC) Campaign Council for Enugu State, expressing strong confidence in a resounding victory for the party in all the 2027 elections.

The Campaign Council, comprising 51 Directorates, is chaired by the Governor of the state, Dr. Peter Mbah, while the Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Deputy National Chairman, APC (South); Dr Ben Nwoye, Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; and the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, are Vice Chairmen.

It is also headlined by an Advisory Council comprising former President of the Senate, Ken Nnamani; former governor of old Anambra State, Senator Jim Nwobodo; former military governor of old Anambra State and Chief of the Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Allison Madueke (Rtd.); former Minister of Power, Prof. Barth Nnaji; former Minister of Information and governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 governorship election in the state, Mr. Frank Nweke Jr.; business mogul, Prince Arthur Eze; Senator Chuka Utazi; and former deputy governors Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, Bishop Ralph Nwoye, Dr. Sunday Onyebuchi, and Chief Okechukwu Itanyi, among other high-profile personalities.

Chief Charlie Mbah is the Director-General, while Dr. Eric Oluedo served as the Secretary-General.

Senator Osita Ngwu, Senator Ikeje Asogwa, and Senator Kelvin Chukwu are Coordinators of the Campaign Council in Enugu West, Enugu North, and Enugu East, respectively.

Speaking at the event, which took place at the International Conference Centre, Enugu, Mbah said his administration had justified the mandate handed to him in 2023, while President Bola Tinubu’s bold reforms had greatly stabilised the macroeconomic indicators while also making funds available for the administration to embark on impactful projects across the state on a large scale.

He, therefore, urged party faithful to campaign hard on the administration’s achievements and be unapologetically APC in doing so, saying the opposition had nothing but propaganda to offer.

The governor said he was gearing up to campaign in each of the 68 Development Centres and also commission at least two projects in each of the 260 political wards in the state.

Mbah recalled that the 2026 Phillips Consulting State Performance Momentum Index ranked Enugu as the fastest-improving state, having recorded a Momentum Score of +1.15, the highest by any of the 33 states assessed.

He noted that, in terms of Ease of Doing Business, the state, under his leadership, had leaped from 36th out of 37 subnationals in 2023 to sixth position nationally in 2025, according to the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) report.

“So, you should be proud of Enugu. You should be unapologetically APC. I am really excited because we are going to go to all the 68 Development Centres. I will personally visit all the Development Centres. I will go to the markets with you.

“The people of Enugu cannot wait to see us. They are so excited. And as I go, I will also take time to go to every ward to commission both the Smart Green School and the Primary Healthcare Centre.

“As I go to every ward and Development Centre, I will commission all projects without exception, the Smart Green Schools and the Type 2 Primary Healthcare Centres in all the wards where they are cutting the ribbon. And so, it is indeed my honour and privilege to formally inaugurate this APC Enugu State Campaign Council,” he stated.

Dr Ben Nwoye

Mbah, however, reminded them that all the achievements could not have been possible without the economic reforms and support of the President Bola Tinubu administration, which had, among other things, made more funds available to the states.

“We must also campaign hard for the President because it also took those bold and courageous policies of his to achieve what we accomplished in the last three years. You can have all this vision and conviction, but if you do not back it up with money, you cannot do anything. Therefore, we also need to recognise and acknowledge that,” he stated.

Mbah also listed several major infrastructural interventions by President Tinubu in the South East, and Enugu State in particular, noting that although the region gave him a marginal percentage of its votes in 2023, he had nevertheless shown good faith towards Ndigbo in terms of development projects, strategic appointments, among others.

The Deputy Governor, Barr. Ifeanyi Ossai; Speaker, Enugu State House of Assembly, Hon. Uchenna Ugwu; Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC, Dr. Ben Nwoye; Senator Osita Ngwu, who spoke on behalf of all serving and aspiring National Assembly members; Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Dr. Kingsley Udeh, SAN; Chairman of the party in the state, Dr. Martin Chukwunweike; Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih; and former Ambassador of Nigeria to Switzerland and Liechtenstein, Mrs. Fidelia Njeze, charged the people to go all out for victory, enumerating the many achievements of the Mbah administration and the benefits of the Tinubu government to Enugu State.

In his remarks, the Director-General of the Campaign Organisation, Chief Charlie Mbah, while thanking the party leaders and faithful for the confidence reposed in him and his team, promised to lead a formidable campaign that would guarantee APC’s victory in the state.

“My commitment is to build an inclusive, organised, result-oriented and issues-based campaign that reaches every senatorial zone, local government area, ward, community, and polling unit across Enugu State,” he reassured.

*Other members of the Council Composition*

Deacon Okey Ogbodo, Dr. Dan Shere, and Hon. S.K.E. Udeh-Okoye are Deputy Campaign DGs for Enugu East Senatorial District, Enugu North Senatorial District, and Enugu West Senatorial District, respectively.

Barr. Steve Oruruo is the Campaign Spokesperson and Director of the Public Communication Committee, with Dr. Austin Okolie as co-spokesperson and Dr. Malachy Agbo as Secretary.

Mazi Uche Anichukwu and Dan Nwomeh, both drawn from the Governor’s media team, head the Directorate of New Media and Strategic Communication and the Directorate of Mainstream Media, respectively. Dr. Collins Ogbu is the Secretary of the former, while Dr. Reuben Onyishi is the Secretary of the latter.

Barr. Victor Udeh leads the Administration Directorate, while Dr. Ben Nwoye and Arc. Uche Nwatu are the Director and Co-Director of the Fundraising Committee, respectively.

Former Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ikechukwu Ogalla (Rtd.), chairs the Security Directorate, while former Inspector-General of Police, Ogbono Onovo (Rtd.), is the Secretary.

The Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology is in charge of the Directorate of Government Appointees Coordination (Federal and State), with Prof. Chidiebere Onyia as Secretary, while former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Eugene Odoh, heads Inter-Party Affairs.

APC State Woman Leader, Mrs. Esther Edeh, is at the helm of the Women Mobilisation Directorate, with the APC South East Woman Leader, Dr. Oby Ajih, as Co-Director and Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, as Secretary.

Senator Chuka Utazi heads the Directorate of Parliamentary Mobilisation, with former Deputy Minority Leader, Hon. Toby Okechukwu, as Secretary, while Senator Ben Collins Ndu is the Director of Contact and Mobilisation, with Barr. Peter Okonkwo as Co-Director and Mrs. Lovelyn Obioma Nweze appointed as Secretary.

Barr. Victor Udeh is the Director of the Directorate of Election Planning and Monitoring, which has the Political Adviser to the Governor, Chief Frank Anioma, as Secretary.

Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke, leads the Directorate of Welfare, which has Barr. Mrs. Amaka Alinta as Secretary, while Dame Rita Mbah is the Director of Event Management, with Ifeoma Azike as Secretary.

Commissioner for Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Charles Egumgbe, leads the Directorate of Monitoring, which has former Speaker of the Enugu State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Edward Ubosi, as Secretary.

Engr. Uchenna Nwobodo is in charge of the Directorate of Works and Venue, with Engr. Christian Enebe as Secretary.

Hon. USA Igweshi has returned to his 2023 role as Director of the Directorate of Support Groups, while Dr. Chiedozie Nwafor will serve as Secretary.

Nollywood star Rachael Okonkwo, popularly known as Nkoli Nwa Nsukka, is the Director of the Directorate of Creativity and Entertainment, while the General Manager of the Enugu State Community and Social Development Agency (CSDA), Monday Diamond, heads the Directorate’s secretariat.

The Town Unions Coordination Directorate is headed by Chief Arinze Ogbodo, while the secretariat will be manned by Hon. Charles Chime.