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I did not authorise closure of Lagos Independence Bridge – Umahi

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The Minister of Works, Sen. Dave Umahi, on Thursday said the closure of Independence Bridge in Lagos for urgent rehabilitation of the collapsed retaining wall was made without his knowledge or authorisation.

Umahi said this while apologising to Lagos residents and President Bola Tinubu for the disruption caused by the sudden closure of the bridge on Wednesday.

Umahi who spoke when he toured the bridge in Lagos said: ” Unfortunately, when the bridge was to be closed, I was not informed. It is very unfortunate because for a bridge to be closed, especially in Lagos, as has been the tradition, I should be informed as the minister.

“We should also have studied the implication of it even in an emergency situation. We would have deployed emergency evaluation of the implication of closing the bridge.”

Umahi warned that controllers of works and engineers would face disciplinary action if such an incident would happen again.

“I use the opportunity to warn all controllers and engineers all over the country. Never you close a road or close any bridge without running through the permanent secretary, who will seek for permission from the honourable minister of works,” he said.

The minister acknowledged the efforts of Lagos State Government in managing traffic flow during the closure.

He also took responsibility for the error, saying: “I take responsibility for it, even though I did not order it, but every action by any staff of the ministry of works, I take responsibility for it.”

Umahi said that the closure, which caused significant traffic congestion, was avoidable.

He said: “If we were to do this properly, there would have been a different kind of method deployed and it wouldn’t have necessitated the total closure.”

According to him, even if closure was necessary, it would have been done in a way that it would take three days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and necessary remedial work would have been put in place.

“What we are doing now is to restore the bridge temporarily within the next three days. By Sunday, this place will be totally open.”

He added that a permanent solution would be implemented after a two-week assessment.

“Then, after two weeks, we will look at the settlements, and then we will take out three days to put the permanent structure. That is what we are going to do,” he said.

The minister emphasised the competence of the contractor handling the project, Build Well.

“Build Well is a reputable company, and they have been restoring a lot of failures on our bridges in Lagos, some of them 53 years old.

“Some bridges’ spans have been lifted, especially Eko Bridge, Marina Bridge, and even the Lagos-Ibadan Bridge. They are also intervening in all of them,” he added.

The minister also said that the design of the bridge would be varied to address the emergency situation.

He said: ” The design will be varied according to the emergency situation we have on ground, and the contractor is going to cooperate with us.”

He pledged to personally oversee the restoration efforts, saying, “I am not going until the bridge is fully restored by Sunday, we will work day and night to restore it, and then we will evaluate it.”

The bridge was initially closed on April 1 for essential maintenance and rehabilitation works, with the government planning to complete the repairs by May.

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Bianca Ojukwu’s Daughter Joins Her Mother at the ECOWAS Council of Ministers Session in South Africa

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Following a recent post by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, on her official Instagram account on Monday, 15th December, 2025, the minister shared a noteworthy moment from the ECOWAS 95th Session of the Council of Ministers held in South Africa.

In the post, Ambassador Ojukwu revealed that her daughter, Chi, who works with UN Tourism, accompanied her to the high-level regional meeting to gain firsthand insight into the demands of diplomatic service. According to the minister, the experience offered her daughter a clearer understanding of the intensity and dedication required in her role as Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs.

She explained that the council’s deliberations often stretched late into the night, sometimes well past midnight, with long hours spent in the conference hall and sustained by endless cups of tea. The demanding schedule, she noted, was far more intense than her daughter had anticipated

The post has since drawn reactions from followers, many of whom praised Ambassador Ojukwu for mentoring the next generation through exposure to international diplomacy and commended her commitment to regional cooperation and public service within ECOWAS.

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Late Ambassador Demola Seriki’s last wife accuses family of denying her and their children access to his graveside

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All appears not to be well with the family former Nigerian Ambassador to Spain, Late Demola Seriki, left behind. The Lagos politician and former minister passed away on Thursday, December 15, 2022, in Madrid, Spain at the age of 63 leaving behind three wives and his children.

Today marked three years since he passed away.

His last wife, Princess Sholape and her children had visited his graveside to pray for the repose of his soul. Sholape in a video she shared online this evening, said she and her kids were denied access into the vault to offer their prayers for the repose of his soul. According to her, a certain Biola has refused to grant herself and her kids access to the graveside and has instructed that visitation to his grave must be done only by her approval.

Sholape shared a video of herself and her two children at the grave.

‘’The keys for the vault has been seized and we have been refused access to it. Today we speak up and we will get on with things. It’s okay. It doesn’t stop up. We have done our prayers’’

 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSS3dopDVBM/?igsh=ZDQ1ZTJsYXlobTU3

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Alleged N2.2bn fraud: Ngige to remain in Kuje Prison till December 18

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Justice Maryam Aliyu Hassan of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting at Gwarimpa in Abuja has ordered that former Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Ngige, be kept at Kuje prison till December 18.

Ngige will be on remand till the date when his bail application would be decided by the court.

Justice Hassan issued the order on Monday shortly after taking arguments for and against the bail request of the former governor of Anambra State.

Ngige’s lawyer, Patrick Ikwueto, SAN, pleaded with the judge to admit the former minister to bail, mainly on health ground.

He submitted that the former minister would not jump bail or interfere with witnesses if admitted to bail.

However, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, represented by Sylvanus Tahir, SAN, vehemently opposed the bail request, insisting that Ngige was a flight risk.

Tahir told the judge that Ngige was granted administrative bail by the EFCC and allowed to travel abroad for medical care but never reported back to the Commission.

Besides, he said that the international passport released to Ngige; to facilitate the abroad trip was never returned till today.

The senior lawyer argued that it was when Ngige was re-arrested that he came up with a purported claim that he lost his passport.

He insisted that the claim of passport loss was an afterthought and should not be believed by the court.

After the submissions, Justice Hassan fixed December 18 to deliver ruling in the bail request.

Ngige was last Friday slammed with an eight-count charge bordering on corrupt practices.

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