The Nation Newspaper

Tag: accelerated

  • 2018: Amosun assures of accelerated development in Ogun

    2018: Amosun assures of accelerated development in Ogun

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has assured the residents of accelerated development this year.

    In his New Year broadcast, the governor noted that the “Mission to Rebuild” Ogun State of his administration had continued to gather momentum and yielding good results across the state.

    According to him, his government will leave no stone unturned in developing the state and improving the lives of the people.

    Amosun said: “Our eyes are firmly set at finishing high, finishing strong and finishing well.”

    His administration, the governor said, would not relent at making positive, inclusive and lasting impact on the lives of our people.

    He added: “To achieve this, the consolidation of the Rebuilding Mission of our dear state will be vigorously pursued this year to ensure the completion of all ongoing projects.

    “No doubt, these projects and the developmental strides have made our state to rise to the top tier among the comity of states and made us the pride of our citizens at home and in the Diaspora.

    “Even, our most ardent critics have come to the conclusion that Ogun State has carved a niche of excellence for itself in the delivery of good governance to our people with the stamp of ‘Ogun Standard’ proudly imprinted on all that we do.”

    The governor thanked the people for their support, which he said contributed to the numerous achievements his administration recorded in the past six and a half years.

    He described them as invaluable partners in progress, saying their partnership manifested in the successes the administration recorded in the state’s economic development.

    Amosun said: “As we celebrate this New Year, let us use the opportunity of this festive period to reflect on the journey before us. We must map out improved and more workable strategies for better achievements. Without doubt, our tomorrow will be better than our today.”

  • Fashola: work on four power plants to be accelerated

    Fashola: work on four power plants to be accelerated

    The Federal Government yesterday said it will accelerate work on four hydropower plants in order to boost electricity supply in the country.

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), said government will increase work on Gurara hydropower plant phase one and phase two, Zungeru, Dadin Kowa and Mambilla power plants to solve the energy problem.

    Fashola said continuous vandalism of gas pipelines and infrastructure across the country had forced government to explore other alternative sources of energy.

    The minister, who spoke at the launch of Building Energy Efficiency Guideline (BEEG) for Nigeria, assured that developing alternative source of energy by government would make it impossible to hold Nigeria to ransom in future by controlling any particular source of fuel for electricity.

    Fashola said: “We have seen from events that started from around the 14th of February this year, repeated acts of vandalism on our gas pipelines and infrastructure that renders us clearly vulnerable to one source of fuel for our energy development.

    “That has challenged us to develop options, alternatives – solar in particular and of course hydropower plants in more quantitative response. So we will be accelerating work on project like Gurara hydropower plant phase one and phase two. Work has started on Zungeru hydropower plant. We will also be accelerating work on Dadin Kowa power plant, as we will on Mambilla power plant which will give us the biggest single electrification source over a period of seven years that it is estimated to take to conclude it.

  • I’ll ensure accelerated development of Rivers, says Peterside

    I’ll ensure accelerated development of Rivers, says Peterside

    Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr Dakuku Adol Peterside, has promised accelerated development of the state.

    The APC candidate also promised to promote love and unity, if he wins the April 11 election.

    He vowed to be a good ambassador of Opobo Kingdom, if elected governor.

    Peterside made the promises at the weekend when he visited the paramount ruler of Opobo Kingdom, King Dandeson Douglas Jaja.

    The PAC candidate, who is a member of the House of Representatives, hails from Biriye Polo, in the coastal Opobo, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area.

    The 44-year-old Chairman of the House of Representatives’ Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), said he would protect the interest of the people.

  • ‘Nigeria’s growth accelerated to 7.1% in Q4’

    Nigeria economy expanded 7.1 per cent in the fourth quarter, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has said. Growth was 6.9 per cent in the previous three months and 7.7 per cent in the same period the previous year, the bank said in a report on its website, citing figures from the National Bureau of Statistics.

    The pickup was largely driven by industrial growth, with the non-oil sector expanding 8.2 per cent and accounting for 87 per cent of all output, the bank said. Agricultural “areas adversely affected by the floods during the second half of 2012 were yet to recover fully from the impact.”

    The fiscal deficit of the country rose to N420.8 billion or 3.9 per cent of economic output, in the fourth quarter. That compares with a targeted deficit of N284.1 billion for the period and a gap of N489.5 billion in the previous three months, the bank said. “The deficit was financed mainly from domestic sources, particularly through the issuance of additional Federal Government of Nigeria Bonds,” it said.

  • Court grants operators accelerated hearing over ban

    A Lagos State High Court, Ikeja, yesterday granted accelerated hearing to a suit filed by commercial motorcycle operators against the Lagos State Government for banning their operations on some federal highways in the state.

    Justice Aishat Opesanwo who granted the order, however, dismissed an application for interlocutory injunction filed by the claimants. They were praying the court to restrain the government from implementing the new Lagos State Traffic Law.

    The suit was filed by Mr. Bamidele Aturu on behalf of the commercial motorcycle operators under the aegis of the All Nigerians Autobike Commercial Owners and Workers Association (ANACOWA).

    Joined in the suit as defendants are: the Lagos State Government, House of Assembly and the Attorney-General, Mr Ade Ipaye.

    When the matter was mentioned yesterday, Aturu told the court that they were withdrawing their application against the government for the court to hear the substantive suit in an accelerated manner.

    “We believe that there is a need for the court to urgently deal with this matter because it is in the interest of the generality of the populace. Many of them have been suffering from this draconian action of the state government which restricted the motorcyclists from operating on federal high ways. We are therefore, asking the court to strike out the application and grant us an accelerated hearing of the substantive suit,” he said.

    Mr. Ipaye, who is the third defendant and counsel to the government, informed the court that the law was already in force.

    “It was in reaction to its enforcement that the claimants on Monday went on the rampage in Lagos. The law in respect of which the state was sued had been in force since August 2. My Lord, please take judicial notice that the law came into effect on August 2,” he said.