News

Vandalism: FG Tightens Security On Third Mainland Bridge

Published

2 years ago

June 10, 2024

The Federal Ministry of Works says it is working with the police to tighten security and stop vandalism on the Third Mainland Bridge to save the public infrastructure.
The Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Mrs Olukorede Kesha, gave the assurance in an interview with The Tide’s source in Lagos, yesterday.
The source reports that operatives of the Rapid Response Squad of the police command in Lagos State had on Friday arrested a suspected vandal removing LED road stud lights on the newly-renovated Third Mainland Bridge.
According to the police, the suspect had already removed 10 of the lights before he was caught by policemen on patrol.
Kesha said that the the ministry would not tolerate any vandalism on public infrastructure.
She said that police trucks had been stationed on the bridge to allow officers to quickly respond to incidents and check vandalism.
She said: “We have written to the commissioner of police to ensure more surveillance on the Third Mainland Bridge, and we have stationed police trucks on the bridge.
”Police officers now patrol the bridge more frequently; this increased security measures have led to the arrest of a number of miscreants, who were vandalising public property.
”We saw that the cat eye lights were vandalised, and the vandals were promptly arrested and taken to police custody.
”More miscreants were also arrested for vandalism even on Monday. This shows a strong response from the authorities.
“ Our eyes are on Third Mainland Bridge.”
The Tide’s source reports that cat eye lights are small reflective markers on the road that help with visibility at night.
Kesha also regretted vandalism on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
She said: “The newly-installed street lights on Kara Bridge on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway suffered vandalism as soon as the cables were completed.
”As a result, the street lights are now standing there but cannot be used because the cables are missing.
”We are waiting for the contractors to re-do the wiring and energise it. Once the repairs are completed, we ask the Lagos State commissioner of police to increase patrol in the area to prevent further vandalism.’’
She said that the Federal Government had replaced almost all manhole covers stolen by miscreants on federal roads in Lagos State.
She said that, to prevent further theft, the ministry used Polyvinyl Chloride. (PVC) on the Third Mainland Bridge, replacing iron gratings on manholes with it.
She said that PVC was cheaper than iron gratings but it reduced overall replacement costs.
She added that PVC was potentially easier to identify and less attractive to thieves.
The federal controller of works, who expressed worry at the rate of vandalism of public infrastructure, urged vandals to repent.
She warned that anyone caught vandalising public property would be dealt with by the police.
Kesha expressed the government’s determination to keep its projects on track in spite of setbacks.
She said, “The setbacks have not, in any way, affected project implementation; the government is doing what it is supposed to do.
“We are increasing surveillance to protect our common investments, the bridges and lights.”
She advised Nigerians to protect public property as if they were their private property.
She added that Nigerians should report any vandalism or potential threats on public property to relevant authorities.
Commenting, Mr Ayotunde Bally, the Chief Executive Officer of Dembally Ltd., a real estate development company, said that vandalism wasted resources.
“As a construction professional, I know that building infrastructure requires significant investments and efforts. Vandalism undermines these efforts,” he said.
He urged security agencies to do more to prevent vandalism.
He advised governments to engage local communities and educate them on the importance of protecting public infrastructure.
“There is need to work together to build a culture of ownership and responsibility for our national assets,” he said.
Bally said that vandalism of public property showed lack of civic responsibility, disregard for the common good, and selfishness.
He advised that law enforcement should be strengthened and more stringent penalties imposed on vandals.
Mr Chikezie Obioma, a mechanical engineer, said that vandalism had significant effects on project implementation.
He said that it could lead to delay in project implementation, as damaged infrastructure would need to be repaired or replaced, causing setbacks.
He said that vandalism would result in additional costs for repairs, replacements and security measures.
Obioma said, “Vandalism raises security concerns, requiring increased security measures to protect projects, adding to costs and logistical challenges.
”Repeated vandalism incidents can erode public trust in government projects and undermine confidence in government’s ability to deliver essential services.
”It can disrupt essential services such as power, water and transportation, negatively impacting citizens’ daily lives and the economy.
”It can deter investors and hinder economic growth, as it creates an uncertain and unstable business environment.
“It puts a strain on resources, diverting funds and personnel away from other important projects and priorities as well as undermine development efforts, hindering progress in critical sectors.”
He urged Nigerians to regard public infrastructure as theirs and take pride in maintaining them.

News

SERAP Drags FG To ECOWAS Court Over N78.8bn Cash Transfer

Published

1 day ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sued the Federal Government at the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice over alleged diversion, irregular expenditure and failure to account for N78.8bn allocated to cash-transfer and social-protection programmes.

SERAP, in a statement released by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, yesterday, said the allegations involved the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, the National Cash Transfer Office and the National Social Safety Nets Coordinating Office.

The allegations were documented in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2024 Annual Report, published on August 7, 2026.

According to the report, the findings covered various periods between January 2023 and December 31, 2024.

In the suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/42/26 and filed last week, SERAP is seeking a declaration that the government’s failure to account for the funds violates Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.

The organisation is also asking the court to order the government to provide a comprehensive account of the questioned funds, investigate the alleged irregularities, recover any money improperly spent or diverted where established, and strengthen financial oversight of social-protection programmes.

SERAP argued that the alleged financial irregularities could undermine the rights of vulnerable Nigerians to social security and an adequate standard of living, including access to food, clothing and housing.

The statement party read, “The funds were intended to benefit over 3.2 million households across 35 states, whose access to financial assistance has been affected by the allegations made by the Auditor-General.”

The suit, filed by SERAP’s lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Kehinde Oyewumi, stated that the government’s failure to investigate the allegations and recover any improperly spent funds violated its obligations to protect vulnerable households.

“The failure to investigate the N78.8 billion cash-transfer scandal, account for the questioned funds and recover any unlawfully spent amounts violates Nigeria’s obligations to protect the human rights of vulnerable households,” the suit partly read.

The organisation said it instituted the case to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit.

“SERAP brings this public-interest case to protect the interests of affected households and ensure accountability for public funds allocated for their benefit,” it stated.

The organisation maintained that cash-transfer programmes could help address extreme poverty and enable vulnerable people to meet their basic needs, but argued that the government had a duty to ensure the funds were properly managed.

“The right to social security cannot be effectively realised merely by establishing a formal cash-transfer programme where the State fails to maintain reasonable systems for identifying beneficiaries, maintaining records, reconciling disbursements, monitoring expenditure, investigating irregularities and remedying losses,” the statement further stated.

According to SERAP, the Auditor-General questioned approximately N33.751bn reportedly transferred to more than 3.2 million households across 35 states in 2023, noting that adequate records to verify the payments and reconcile beneficiary records were not provided.

The report also identified N36.744bn in payments allegedly made without prepayment audits, N4.616bn in unsupported expenditures, N350.182m for enrolment, N89.511m for store purchases and N17.422m in diesel advances.

SERAP said the suit was brought under Article 9(4) of the ECOWAS Court Protocol to protect affected households and ensure accountability for public funds intended for social protection.

“The issue is whether the government has discharged its obligations under applicable human-rights treaties to safeguard resources allocated for social protection, investigate documented financial irregularities, provide effective remedies and ensure that those resources are applied for their intended purposes,” it stated.

The organisation also cited the constitutional responsibility of the Auditor-General to audit and report on the public accounts of the Federation and the offices and agencies of the Federal Government, describing the findings in the annual report as important official records of public expenditure.

It relied on Articles 1 and 2 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, arguing that the government had obligations to give effect to protected rights and ensure that failures in administering social-protection programmes did not result in discriminatory exclusion or unequal access to benefits.

“The Nigerian government has the obligation to take effective measures to prevent and address corruption and related misuse of public resources. The government has failed to take appropriate measures in response to the allegations made by the Auditor-General”, the statement added.

SERAP said it had previously urged President Bola Tinubu and relevant authorities to account for the questioned funds, publish audit records, investigate irregular expenditures, recover any funds unlawfully spent or diverted and take appropriate action against those responsible.

Following the publication of the Auditor-General’s report, the organisation issued a public statement and sent a letter dated September 5, 2026, requesting action on the findings. It also sought payment and beneficiary records, verification documents and an explanation for the missing REMITA records.

“The deadline given to the government to address the Auditor-General’s findings had elapsed without adequate action,” it stated.

The organisation further cited Articles 1 and 21 of the African Charter, alongside Article 9 of the United Nations Convention against Corruption, as requiring effective measures to protect rights and resources, promote transparent public financial management, investigate irregularities and recover public funds where losses or improper expenditure were established.

SERAP also relied on the works of legal scholar Kolawole Olaniyan, including Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, published by Hart Publishing in 2014, and Ownership of Proceeds of Corruption in International Law, published by Oxford University Press in 2023. It said the publications provided persuasive academic authority on corruption’s effects on human rights, public resources, accountability and international legal remedies.

“SERAP accordingly submits that the Auditor-General’s findings cannot be treated merely as administrative irregularities where public funds allocated for social protection may have been lost, improperly spent or left unaccounted for, and the government fails to take effective corrective action,” the statement added.

SERAP is asking the court to direct the government to conduct an independent, prompt and effective investigation into the identified irregularities, recover public funds improperly spent, diverted or lost where established, and take appropriate legal or administrative action against those found responsible, in accordance with due process.

It also wants the government to strengthen financial accountability, beneficiary verification, auditing, reconciliation and oversight mechanisms to prevent a recurrence of the alleged irregularities and ensure that eligible vulnerable households receive their intended benefits.

The organisation is further seeking an order restraining the government from administering or disbursing cash-transfer and social-protection funds without adequate accountability and oversight mechanisms, as well as appropriate remedies for any established adverse effects on beneficiaries’ protected rights.

No date has, however, been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

News

FG releases N38.93bn to upgrade 166 tertiary institutions

Published

1 day ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The Federal Government has released N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund to address infrastructure deficits and improve teaching and learning facilities.

The intervention covers 79 universities, 46 polytechnics and 41 colleges of education, with universities receiving the largest share of the allocation.

The Federal Ministry of Finance disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday by its Head of Media, Efe Ovuakporie, explaining that the funds would support approved projects in beneficiary institutions.

The statement read, “The Federal Government has disbursed N38.93bn to 166 public tertiary institutions nationwide under the Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund.”

According to the ministry, the university component accounts for N28.5bn, while N5.8bn has been allocated to polytechnics and N4.7bn to colleges of education.

An analysis of the allocations by PUNCH Online showed that universities would receive approximately 73.2 per cent of the announced N38.93bn intervention, making them the largest beneficiaries.

Polytechnics would account for about 14.9 per cent, while colleges of education would receive approximately 12.1 per cent.

The ministry explained that the intervention was intended to address longstanding infrastructure challenges in public tertiary institutions and support the implementation of agreements reached between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.

It stated, “The intervention forms part of the Federal Government’s efforts to address the needs of public universities and support the implementation of agreed measures under the Memorandum of Understanding between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities.”

The Needs Assessment Revitalisation Fund is designed to support improvements in institutional infrastructure and other identified needs, particularly in public universities, where inadequate facilities have remained a recurring concern in negotiations between the government and academic unions.

The ministry said the latest disbursement would enable beneficiary institutions to begin new projects or continue previously approved interventions aimed at improving their operational capacity.

“The funds are expected to enable beneficiary institutions to commence or advance approved projects addressing critical infrastructure and other identified institutional needs, with the overall objective of strengthening the quality of tertiary education in Nigeria,” it added.

The government also emphasised the need for coordination among the Federal Ministry of Finance, Federal Ministry of Education and beneficiary institutions to ensure that the released funds produced measurable improvements.

It noted that effective collaboration would be necessary to translate the financial intervention into improved infrastructure, institutional capacity and learning conditions.

News

Senate Passes Bill For Establishment Of Federal University Of Agriculture In Rivers

Published

1 day ago

October 26, 2026

The Tide

The bill to approve the establishment of the Federal University of Agriculture, Emughan, Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State has passed third reading.

The Bill, titled “A Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal Universities of Agriculture Act, Cap. F22, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2024” was sponsored by Senator Ipalibo Harry Banigo representing Rivers West Senatorial District.

The bill seeks to amend the existing Federal Universities of Agriculture Act to provide for the establishment of the proposed institution in Emughan community in Rivers State.

The passage of the bill by the Senate marks a significant legislative milestone towards the establishment of the proposed university.

When established, the institution is expected to expand access to higher education, promote agricultural research and innovation, develop skilled manpower, and contribute to the economic growth of Rivers State and Nigeria at large.

According to a statement made available to The Tide, the bill, having passed the Third Reading in the Senate, will now proceed to the House of Representatives for concurrence as part of the legislative process towards its enactment into law.

The bill underscores Senator Banigo’s commitment to advancing educational opportunities and strengthening agricultural development in Rivers State.

By: Kevin Nengia