The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has defended the Federal Government’s decision to divert the Ondo section of the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway, saying the original route crossed terrain with pits more than 100 metres deep and would have significantly increased construction costs.

The minister said he was aware of petitions accusing him of diverting the route in Ondo State but maintained that the decision was justified.

“I am aware of petitions against me saying I diverted the Ondo section. I welcome that. That is how it is supposed to be because we are serving the public. You are subject to public scrutiny.

“But the important thing is whether you are doing the right thing or the wrong thing. We have no regret for decisions taken in Ondo,” he said.

According to Umahi, the original alignment passed through terrain with pits exceeding 100 metres in depth and lacked suitable sharp sand for up to 300 metres, making construction along the corridor considerably more expensive.

“You want me to pass through a terrain that you have over 100 metres of pits deep, and I have no defined sharp sand to 300 metres, and you expect the cost of one kilometre to be the same cost with a road passing through normal terrain?” he asked.

He said the ministry consequently undertook a detour and redesign to avoid the difficult terrain.

“We had to take a very serious engineering decision by making a detour, redesigning it to avoid such route. We are doing filling of over 10 metres, which is 30 feet plus, with sharp sand, and filling is almost concluded,” the minister said.

The diversion affects Sections 4A and 4B of the coastal highway, covering 67 kilometres, comprising 27 kilometres in Ogun State and about 40 kilometres in Ondo State. The section will terminate around the Ondo-Edo axis.

Providing an update on the wider project, Umahi said Section 1, a 47.47-kilometre stretch from Victoria Island, Lagos, had been completed and was ready for commissioning.

He added that the dual pavement on Section 2, which covers 55 kilometres and terminates at the Lagos-Ogun boundary, would be completed next month.

The minister said the flyovers, overpasses and underpasses on Section 2 had required extensive redesign, particularly around the Dangote Refinery and Lekki Deep Seaport.

He explained that an 86-metre-span bridge, with 43-metre counterforts, had been designed to accommodate refinery trucks and resolve a traffic conflict involving the deep-seaport train, the Dangote tax-credit road and the 25-kilometre Seventh Axial Road linking Epe to the Sagamu Expressway.

“We have redesigned a very beautiful flyover to resolve that conflict,” Umahi said.

At the Calabar end, he said Sections 3A and 3B, covering 65 kilometres, had achieved more than 30 per cent completion.

He added that work was ongoing on Section 5, an 82-kilometre dual carriageway in Akwa Ibom State, alongside an 88-kilometre link from Calabar to Ebidi Beach intended to connect with the Trans-Saharan route.

Umahi also disclosed that Tinubu had directed that the continuation of the coastal highway from Ondo into Edo State should follow the existing East-West Road rather than a new alignment.

Describing the directive as a major development, the minister said the existing road had been constructed without adequate consideration for climate change and rising flood risks.

He cited flooding at Ahoada about two weeks earlier, saying the permanent solution would involve raising sections of the road to protect it from current and projected flood levels.

“The permanent solution is the decision of Mr President to align the continuation through the East-West Road. We now have to raise the road in many locations by two metres to be above present and expected flood levels,” he said.

Source: Vanguard

By Henry Ukazu

Dear Destiny Friends,

We cannot underestimate money’s importance. Money is good. Money is a blessing. Money is a leverage. Money is a therapy. It’s worthy of note that most people, who claim sick aren’t really sick; they are just in need of money. When a certain amount of money hits their account, they bounce back to life.

To show you how powerful money is, somebody once jokingly said, “Money can bring a dead man back to life”. There’s no doubt, money is good. Whoever tells you money is not good is from the pit of hell. Even the Book of Life says in Jeremiah 29:11, “My plan for you is to prosper in be in good health”. God, in his infinite wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, wants us to prosper because when we prosper, it helps to spread the gospel of the kingdom of God.

Think about it for a minute: if one does not have money, how can one do good? Even the good Samaritan had to provide money for the traveler who was attacked by robbers and left stranded on the roadside. It’s instructive to note that at that point in time, what the traveler needed was support and not words. Assuming the good Samaritan didn’t have money, he wouldn’t have been able to assist.

So, we all can agree that money is good and not evil, like some naysayers do to justify whatever narrative they have in mind. Even the scripture says in 1 Timothy 6:10, “Money itself is not evil; rather, the love of money is identified as ‘a root of all kinds of evil ‘” The word we need to focus on is the love of money. This is where lots of people get it wrong: loving money is not a crime; rather, the process of acquiring the money. Some people have literally sold their conscience to the devil, and as such, they are careless about the process of getting the money. These people don’t care if they engage in fraudulent and inhuman activities just to acquire money, instead of diligently working hard and smart.

The Book of Life further states in Proverbs 22:7, “The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender”. Do you see why we all must make money legitimately to avoid being slaves to unbelievers?

For the sake of clarity, this is not a gospel article; I had to use the Bible scriptures to pass on a message about the importance of money.

The focus of this article is to show you how we can make money. It should be noted that money is everywhere, and as such, we don’t have to struggle to make money. Just like sand and air are everywhere, money is also everywhere. The only difference is that money must be earned before we can get it.

To understand the theory behind money being everywhere, just look at every industry; you’ll see that some people are making money, while some people are not making money. Some people might be wondering why some people are making money, while others are struggling. Well, there are many reasons for it. Some may have developed themselves; some may be called to work in that industry as opposed to doing it for money, or it could be a case of someone who has understood the skill of doing the business.

Every profession has the capacity to attract wealth, whether you are a lawyer, doctor, engineer, mechanic, accountant, pastor, teacher, politician, entertainer, artisan, or even one who works for a non-profit.

It’s sad to see some people jumping ships because they feel it’s greener on the other side instead of maintaining their life and focusing on their craft. After all, just like our fingerprints differ, our destiny differs.

Let me share a practical example. When I arrived in the United States of America, the economy was in shambles. There were no jobs.  My late dad counseled me to read taxation law because, according to his friends, that’s the major that can secure me a job at the end of the day because human beings and corporations will always file taxes. My personal research also confirmed this to some extent.

It’s instructive to note that my late dad didn’t just love taxation because of the job security it may provide; his interest was primarily the monetary benefit he saw in one of my uncles, who is a tax practitioner. For the record, it was my uncle who convinced my dad to encourage me to study tax law, and that upon graduation I would make more money because I have a legal background as opposed to him, who has a finance background.

At the end of the day, I graduated, and the major began to irritate me because I wasn’t wired for numbers. It was only when I ventured into the social service and human capacity development space that I began to see great results in my work.

The moral of this analysis is to point out the importance of maintaining one’s lane because I have seen rich and struggling doctors, lawyers, engineers, entertainers, and artisans.

Furthermore, one can be in any state in Nigeria, Canada, the United Kingdom, the USA, and still make good money. While some people think they need to seek greener pastures in a foreign land, it’s important to note that while Canada, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Sweden, etc., have good economies, what works for one country might not work in another country.

Another point we should note is whether it is wise to travel abroad, because traveling is not for everyone. Some people might be better at staying in their home countries to develop or serve in different capacities, which they might be offered if they travel to developed countries. Moral: It’s better to be a king in your country than to be a servant in a different country.

Don’t get me wrong, Third World countries can’t be compared to developed countries; however, it should be stated that whatever has advantages also has its own disadvantages. When some people travel out, they might break even; some might regret why they traveled out because of the lifestyle, racism, and the associated rat race, while others may remain indifferent.

For me, the United States has been a blessing to me because it has afforded me the opportunity to publish three amazing trailblazers’ books, appear on television several times, meet globally respected people, and start a thriving human capacity development business.

So, it doesn’t matter where you are; what matters is for you to discover your path and the associated problems people are facing, then see how you can solve their problems. By doing this, money will locate you.

Furthermore, to make money, one doesn’t have to go to school. There are many professors who are struggling. Mr. Cosmas Maduka, a Nigerian businessman, philanthropist, and evangelist, who is the founder and chairman of the Coscharis Group, didn’t have a formal education. Today, he has employed professors and scholars to manage his wealth.

Also, there’s this group of people who pray their lives out in church, some trying to connect with a revered man of God for deliverance and prayer, instead of working on themselves and believing God for opportunities because, just like God is everywhere, money is everywhere. So, stay where you are and develop your craft and yourself.

In conclusion, as we all prepare to make wealth, it’s important to note we cannot make money on our own. I know we all love to make money; it’s instructive to note that despite all our efforts, knowledge, wisdom, connection, skills, capacity, competency, and capabilities, it’s imperatively important for us to look up to God and focus on him as the author and finisher of our life. We need divine intervention and support because it’s only God and him alone who has the power and capacity to grant us wealth, because he has the capacity, as stated in Sirach 11:29 (God can make a poor man to be suddenly and instantly rich). So, therefore, I will leave you with Deuteronomy 8:18, which says, “Remember then the LORD, your God, for he is the one who gives you the power to get wealth, by fulfilling, as he has now done, the covenant he swore to your ancestors”.

Henry Ukazu writes from New York. He works with the New York City Department of Correction as the Legal Coordinator. He’s the founder of Gloemi. He’s a Transformative Human Capacity and Mindset coach. He is also a public speaker, youth advocate, creative writer, and author of Design Your Destiny- Actualizing Your Birthright to Success, Unleash Your Destiny, and The Six Pillars of Success. He can be reached via info@gloemi.com

National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Davis Mark, has said the party will adhere to electoral rules during the 2027 elections but will resist any attempt to manipulate the process.

Mark spoke on Wednesday in Abuja when the governing council of the Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, led by Olukayode Ariwoola, former chief justice of Nigeria, visited him at the ADC headquarters.

“We hold ourselves to the highest standards of good conduct as a political party. We will play by the rules,” Mark said.

The centre’s governing council, known as the council of the wise, was reconstituted in June to engage relevant institutions and political stakeholders towards fostering peaceful, free and credible elections.

The meeting with the ADC chairman was part of the centre’s ongoing engagement with political parties ahead of the elections.