I travelled between the Island and the Mainland in Lagos taking the Third Mainland Bridge. The 11.8 km Bridge had been shut down for repairs since Tuesday, January 9 according to an announcement by the Federal Ministry of Works. We were told that the Bridge would be open for mainland inbound island travels between 12 am to 12 noon, while those travelling from the island to the mainland should go through Eko Bridge, and only use the Third Mainland Bridge from 12 noon. I was very skeptical. 

On many occasions in the last eight years, the same Bridge had been shut down for rehabilitation at various occasions, either to fix the ramps or some engineering defects. Lagosians paid the price in terms of time lost to traffic hold ups on the alternative routes, and the hardship of commuting in a city where the island seems to be the centre of gravity. Despite the various delays of the past, the Bridge remained largely a poor stretch of road. The potholes never seemed to disappear. There was even a time this same Bridge was vibrating and you could feel it. The rails had been removed in parts. The managers of the road provided street lights at a point, but those lights didn’t function for up to a month. Based on past experience, I was convinced that the Tinubu administration and the team at the Federal Ministry of Works were back to their old game. But this time around, I was mistaken. My skepticism is misplaced. 

Having confirmed that it was now possible to take the same route from 12 noon to the Mainland, the other day, I shrugged off the stress of more than a month and headed towards the Mainland. I saw busy workers on the Mainland-bound side of the Bridge, but in a short while we were diverted to the other side which had been completed to some degree. I became excited. The other side of the Bridge had been thoroughly resurfaced, not the patch-patch work that we used to see oh, a complete make-over, and as we drove towards the Mainland, there was no vibration. No potholes. Even the lanes were properly marked with fresh, clean paint – black and white, and I saw painters giving the entire stretch of the Bridge a decent face lift. I didn’t know when I told the driver: “Wonders! In this same country? You mean this is possible?”

We had a very smooth ride all the way to Oworonshoki, where again there was another diversion towards Oshodi. But I had seen enough to justify my excitement. I noticed though that the lights had not been fixed – I hope they would get to that, and that all the broken rails will be restored. We may raise questions about cost later, and the Federal Ministry of Works must be prepared for that, but with what I saw, I believe that when that Bridge is fully rehabilitated, the people of Lagos would have every cause to thank the Tinubu administration for a job well done. Speaking for myself, I do not mind even if that Bridge is shut down for another two months until the make-over is properly done. This time around, the government seems to be doing a good job. You may not understand but those who know the way things are in this country will get the message: travelling on a good road in Nigeria is so unusual it calls for excitement, if not celebration.

Commissioned in 1980 by the Shehu Shagari administration and completed for public use by President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge is the longest bridge linking the Mainland to Lagos Island. The two others are Eko and Carter Bridges. Since 2012, the Bridge has been having issues; it is either it vibrates, or there are visible cracks on it, so wide the water below could be seen, it would in due course become a preferred spot for those seeking to commit suicide, which is why I think the side rails need to be raised so high that it should be impossible for anyone to jump into the Lagoon below by climbing over the barricades. In 2020, the Bridge was even closed for repairs for six months, and again in 2021. But for the first time, I see much improvement. 

I am tempted to think that this difference can be traced to the fact that the current Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, former Governor of Ebonyi State is a civil engineer. This is precisely what we mean when we say that President Tinubu and governments at all levels must learn to put round pegs in round holes.  If you appoint an accountant to supervise a construction project, he is not likely to know what it entails to build a road. He would be looking at figures and fail to see the road. Senator David Umahi, as a former CEO of an Engineering Company knows all the details about construction from design to finish. No contractor or official would go to him and give him a fake Bill of Quantities or try any trick – the same tricks that he himself must have applied as a young Engineer. We have seen the evidence in what he is doing with the make-over of the Third Mainland Bridge. President Tinubu should give him other assignments: give him more roads to fix – the Ibadan-Ife-road for example, and the road to Benin. Based on what I saw, I am inclined to say that Senator Umahi is doing well.

He has the potential to become one of the promising Ministers in Tinubu’s cabinet, but he must stay away from making political statements. The other day, he put his mouth into the labour crisis and accused labour leaders of being unpatriotic. I think he should concentrate on his PWD, wheel-barrow assignment and avoid moralizing about subjects he does not understand. He will get some response from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) when the deadline that the body gave the Federal Government expires, this week, by the way, tomorrow, March 13.

Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) is a ranking member of Nigeria’s National Assembly. He has been a member of that Assembly since the return to democratic rule in 1999, first as a member of the House of Representatives - elected in 1999, re-elected in 2003 and re-elected again in 2007.  In 2011, he continued his legislative career as a Senator of the Federal Republic representing Bauchi Central. He was re-elected in that capacity in 2015, 2019, and 2023. In the course of what is an obviously rich and fulfilling time in the National Assembly, Ningi has served as either Chairman or member of many committees including the Niger Delta Committee, Solid Minerals, Teachers Education, and NAFDAC Committee of the House. Between 1999 and 2002, he was Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association. He would later become House Majority Leader, 2003 – 2007, and Chairman of the ad hoc committee on the Niger Delta crisis, the committee on Jos crisis, and the Constitutional Review Committee. In 2011, he won election into the Senate and emerged as the Deputy Majority Leader, the Senate was then dominated by the PDP. He has been in the Senate since then. 

Thus, as far as experience goes, Ningi is one of the most experienced and most durable lawmakers in Nigeria today. His continual re-election shows that he is well appreciated by the people of Ningi, his constituency and Bauchi Central in general. As a person, he is a friendly, avuncular fellow with friends across the landscape and a charming sunny disposition. He is what you can call a very nice guy. But over the weekend, it would appear that Senator Ningi put a stain, perhaps inadvertently, on his otherwise sterling legislative credentials, when he alleged in his position as the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) that (i) President Bola Tinubu is implementing a version of the 2024 Budget that is different from what was passed by the National Assembly, and (ii) that budgetary allocations for projects and social infrastructure were skewed against the North in favour of the South. Was Ningi speaking for himself, or for Northern Senators as a group? Ningi alleges that the Budget that was passed in December 2023 was padded with N3 trillion, a budget of N25 trillion that suddenly became N28 trillion, and that out of the total, the Senate President inserted projects worth N4 trillion into the Budget, with “huge damage” done to the North. It will be recalled that President Tinubu presented a budget estimate of N27 trillion to the National Assembly on November 28, 2023.  The National Assembly eventually passed a Budget of N28.7 trillion, effective January 1, 2024. 

Four Senators have since dismissed Ningi’s claims as baseless and unfounded - Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), Titus Zam (APC, Benue North West), Kaka Shehu (APC, Borno Central) and Senator Ibrahim Jimoh (APC, Ondo South) who insist that Ningi is misinforming the public. The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu has also issued a statement to the effect that there was no budget padding, no varied execution, and the budget is a public document. Further, there are indications that when the Senate meets today, Tuesday, March 12, Senator Abdul Ningi would be called upon by his colleagues to defend his allegations, failing which he may be suspended under Order 67(4) of the Rules. Indeed, it is necessary to ask Senator Ningi to prove his own claims and provide relevant evidence, before his own colleagues. He is said to have back-tracked with an explanation that he was misquoted. He has to prove how that happened. It is a trite principle, and this needs not be explained to lawmakers that he who alleges must prove. Besides, the allegations are so weighty and capable of throwing the country into chaos and strife, that the Nigerian people need to know. 

In one broad stroke, the statements attributed to Senator Ningi call the integrity of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Tinubu administration into question. The Budget is a creation of law, that is why it is called the “Appropriation Act”. If the National Assembly made two different laws detailing the fiscal map for the year, one of which is unknown to the people, that would not only be illegal, it would be criminal. Where did the N25 trillion Budget come from and how did it become N28 trillion? Where was it discussed? Who signed it into law?   And what are the details of the implementation of that secret Budget? Senator Ningi owes us a duty to unveil that which is unknown. He says the Budget was padded. How? It is the duty of lawmakers to receive the Budget and go through it line by line, item by item, before approving it. What is called budget padding is actually a way of saying that both the Appropriation Committee and the entire Senate are made up of idiots. It amounts to self-indictment. And where was Senator Ningi when the Budget was being padded as he claims? Was he asleep or awake at the time? And why he is just speaking up now? 

He says “huge damage” has been done to the North in the Budget. He must be made to prove how. This kind of statement is potentially divisive and capable of causing chaos. It is even careless in the extreme for Senator Ningi, an opposition politician, to play such a divide and rule card. Even when politicians disagree with the government of the day, they must be careful not to burn down the country. This is the key lesson here.  Experience may not necessarily mean maturity. There was once a Senator in Nigeria who went about preaching the importance of commonsense. Opposition politicians must learn to play the politics of commonsense. The general elections ended in 2023. We are now in the season of governance, when we must all put Nigeria first. Politicians must be careful what they say. Ningi may want to discredit the Tinubu administration but he must do so, based on empirical facts and not in a manner that puts the same country that has been so generous to him, at risk. We are told that tension has gripped the Senate: the very reason why Ningi’s claims must be investigated and he must be made to prove his allegations in the open court of the Senate. His allegations cannot be covered by privilege, and must not be swept under the carpet. 

Other members of the Northern Senators Forum, a body that we assume includes other members from both the ruling party and the opposition also have a duty to tell us what exactly transpired. Is Ningi speaking for them or is he just on his own? One by one, every member of that body must tell us where he or she stands! For them, it must be a matter of honour. Senator Ningi granted an interview to BBC Hausa and he spoke in Hausa. After a fashion, he may come forward to say that what he actually said was lost in translation or that he was quoted out of context by journalists. One of the crass games that Nigerian politicians play, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, when they are caught out, is to blame the media.  Ningi’s statements in BBC Hausa must be played on the open floor of the Senate. Language experts, and other speakers of the language must be asked to review it. Nigeria is too important to be derailed on the basis of partisanship or rumours. If it is then established that Senator Ningi spoke out of mischief, every Senator not being entitled to immunity under our laws, the appropriate punishment for the Senator should not be under the Senate Rules – Order 67(4). When Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was suspended for 90 days under that same rule, he went to court, and he won. Just in case Senator Ningi is found to be fibbing, and unable to prove his grave allegations, he an Abdul, and an Ahmed, lying in the Holy Month, should be punished under the laws of the Sharia which apply in his home state of Bauchi, and whatever punishment the Court deems fit, should be applied publicly and televised! Even if he insists that he was misquoted, that too should be investigated. I don’t want to imagine what indictment or punishment may come the Senator’s way under the Sharia, for he is all things considered, ordinarily, a nice guy. But this is a matter that concerns us all.

Laetare Sunday, along with its elder brother, Gaudate Sunday, serves as an interjection to the Lent and Advent seasons, urging relaxation and rejoicing as Easter or Christmas draws near. Today marks Laetare Sunday.

This Sunday, the fourth of Lent in the liturgical calendar, signifies the midpoint of Lent and is often observed with a lighter tone compared to the other Sundays. "Laetare," meaning "rejoice" in Latin, highlights the Church's hopeful anticipation of Easter, encouraging believers to reflect on their Lenten journey with optimism.

Fr. Maximus expressed his desire not to turn his sermon into lecturing but ended up mixing both to the admiration of the congregation. As Fr. elaborated on today's significance, memories of the song "Regina Ceali Laetare" flooded back. He explained that Sundays are not counted during Lenten observation. It is a day children eat rice and make merry. On the significance of Sundays, he referred to “Sunday is our Weekly Easter,” a pastoral letter by the late Bishop of Awka, before he became an Archbishop.

During his sermon, he elucidated that most Church and papal documents derive their names from their first words, citing examples like "Gaudete" and "Laetare." He explained that "Gaudete" takes its name from the entrance antiphon for the Mass of that day, while "Laetare" stems from the opening words of today's liturgy, "Laetare Jerusalem – Rejoice, Jerusalem."

Indeed, Fr. was, as always, right. A rough check shows that most papal documents and encyclicals, such as “Laudato Si,” “Humane Vitae,” “Ut Unum Sint,” “Rerum Novarum,” “Divini Redemptoris,” “Mater et Magistra,” among others, followed the tradition. Papal Bulls, such as “Unam Sanctam,” “Ineffabilis Deus,” “Inter Caetera,” “Exsurge Domine,” “Cum Occasione,” among many, follow the same pattern. Decretals, such as “Quod Cuique Sit,” “Perpauca,” “Cum Tam Divino,” “Decet Romanum Pontificem,” followed the same pattern. However, some papal documents, some of which Father alluded to, such as the “Constitutiones Apostolicae,” “Motu Proprio,” “Regulae Cancellariae Apostolicae,” “Rescriptum Apostolicum,” and “Bulla Apostolica,” do not always follow the same pattern as they are named to reflect the topics they address.

While exploring today's readings, especially the story of the graven serpent, Fr. Maximus referenced figures like Einstein, Euclid, and Napoleon Bonaparte to convey his message. As an admirer of Napoleon, I recall visiting his tomb on the banks of the Seine during a trip to France. Napoleon, though short in stature for a General, believed that command lay in the eyes. Legend has it that during the signing of the Concordat of 1801 between Pope Pius VII and Napoleon, Cardinal Caprara, the Papal Legate wore "an immense pair of spectacles" to soften the glare of Napoleon's eyes. He expressed part of his strategy as a general in a mathematical formula: "The strength of an army, like the amount of momentum in mechanics, is estimated by the mass times the velocity. A swift march enhances the morale of an army and increases its power for victory."

Through Napoleon's defeat and the peculiar odyssey that characterizes philology, the saying "to meet one’s Waterloo" has become part of English. It was in the Belgian city of Waterloo that he was captured that eventually ended his life while in exile at St. Helena . At St. Helena, he lamented that the bedbug, which makes no distinction of human ranks, bit him unrestrainedly.

What is clear from Fr. Maximus's sermon and lecture today is the rich history of the Catholic Church and the importance of preparation. Let this be a guide to our priests. The congregation must leave with one lesson from sermons, whether moral, historical, or otherwise. It enhances the spirit and expands our knowledge.

As some Nigerians are calling for revolution, what was Napoleon's attitude towards that? He held ambivalent views on revolutions. On one hand, he recognized their potential to unleash the violent passions of the masses, stating that "collective crimes incriminate no one," and acknowledging that "never a revolution without terror." He acknowledged that revolutions could bring about regeneration in public customs. However, he ultimately concluded in 1816 that "revolution is one of the greatest evils by which mankind can be visited." He described it as a scourge that embitters the lives of those involved, and he believed that any advantages gained from revolution could not outweigh the misery it caused.

But among nations like Nigeria that had exhausted all reasons, what becomes their fallback position when all else appears to have failed?

President Bola Tinubu on Monday expressed readiness to end the perennial farmers, herders crisis in the country.

Tinubu vowed to draw up programmes that would end the crisis within two to three weeks.

He spoke during the inauguration of the mechanised agricultural project in Minna, Niger State.

The President, however, noted that state governors should provide lands that would help in facilitating his programme.

According to Tinubu: “We must reorient our farming population, including livestock programme.

“I don’t see why Nigeria can’t feed all our pupils with one pint of milk a day if the dairy system is well harnessed

“I know what it means as an economic sabotage for cows to eat up the crops and vegetations of our land.

“When we reorient the herders and make provisions for cattle rearing, governors must provide the land and I as the President is committed to giving you, in two to three weeks time, a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem.”

Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, NSF, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP-Bauchi Central) has insisted that projects worth N3.7 trillion in the 2024 Appropriation Act cannot be traced.

DAILY POST recalls that the BBC Hausa had, on Saturday, quoted Senator Ningi alleging that the Federal Government was operating an N28 trillion budget, contrary to the N25 trillion passed by the National Assembly.

However, the Presidency, in a statement issued on Sunday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga denied the allegation.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the lawmaker maintained his stand, insisting that the findings made by the Northern Senators Forum were accurate.

Ningi, however, said that the views he expressed during his interview were his own, and not those of the Northern Senators Forum.

The lawmaker also denied saying that President Bola Tinubu was operating two separate 2024 budgets.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has inaugurated an ad hoc committee of the red chamber to probe the N30 trillion Ways and Means secured under the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Last month, the upper legislative chamber resolved to probe the loan, secured during the two terms of Buhari.

The Ways and Means is a loan facility through which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provides short-term financing to cover the government’s budget shortfalls.

Before the ninth national assembly wound down, Buhari had asked the lawmakers in December 2022, to approve N22.7 trillion his administration had secured through the Wways and Means.

The figure has since risen to N30 trillion, according to a joint committee of the senate.

Speaking during the inauguration of the committee on Monday, Akpabio said it should remain open to constructive inputs and feedback.

“The success of this ad hoc committee hinges on collaboration, cooperation, and a steadfast commitment to the common good,” he said.

“Let us set aside personal and partisan interests, focusing solely on the task at hand.

“By working harmoniously, we can ensure that the Ways and Means in Nigeria are managed prudently, efficiently, and in accordance with the law.

“Moreover, confidentiality is paramount to your work. The information and data we gather during our investigations are sensitive and must be handled with the utmost care and discretion.

“Adhering to strict protocols will ensure the security and integrity of the information you uncover.

“In carrying out your mandate, it is imperative that you engage with relevant stakeholders, experts, and organizations.

“Their valuable insights and perspectives will strengthen the credibility and comprehensiveness of your findings and recommendations.”

The senate president said the country must work towards having responsible management of the Ways and Means in the country.

The United Kingdom (UK) has banned health and care workers from Nigeria and other foreign countries from bringing dependants to the country.

The UK Home Office made the disclosure in a post via its verified X handle (formerly Twitter) on Monday.

According to the UK government, the measure was part of its plan to reduce migration into the country, adding that overseas care workers brought an estimated 120,000 dependants to the UK in the year ending September 23.

It wrote: “From today, care workers entering the UK on Health and Care Worker visas can no longer bring dependants.

“This is part of our plan to deliver the biggest ever cut in migration.”

Recall that the UK Home Secretary, James Cleverly, had proposed new laws to reduce migration in the United Kingdom.

A report by BBC detailed that the UK intends to raise the minimum salary criteria for getting a skilled worker visa, currently set at £26,000, the new barrier will be extended to £38,700.

Cleverly told parliament that the previous year’s application of the restrictions may have resulted in a reduction of 300,000 migrants yearly.

According to reports, people with health and social care visas will be exempt from the higher wage requirement.

However, overseas caregivers will no longer be permitted to bring dependents, such as their partners and children.

The inference is that until their new spouse earns £38,700, a UK person who marries a non-UK citizen cannot bring them to live in the UK.

The immediate past President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has rated the performance of his successor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, barely a year in office.

According to Buhari, the former Governor of Lagos State, has done wonderfully well since the assumption of office nine months ago.

Naija News reports that the former president made this remark when he received the Comptroller-General of Customs, Bashir Adewale Adeniyi and members of the management team of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) in Daura, Katsina state, at the weekend.

It is no longer news that President Tinubu has faced wide criticism over some of his economic policies, including the removal of fuel subsidies and the unification of the exchange rate windows.

These policies, among others, have brought about untold hardship on Nigerians following the economic hardship, and the naira’s depreciation, which in recent times have led to protests.

Buhari, however, said Tinubu has performed well given the prevailing circumstances, but affirmed that Nigeria is a complex country to govern.

According to him, there is not much anybody can do about Nigeria. Buhari addressed Adeniyi and his team, emphasizing that Nigeria poses significant challenges, urging citizens to persevere through economic difficulties and back the initiatives of the present government.

“I thank you very much for coming. I very much appreciate it. I thought Tinubu has done very well.

“Nigeria is so complex. Really, there isn’t much anybody can do,” Daily Trust quoted the former president saying.

Adeniyi expressed his gratitude towards the ex-president for his exceptional support of the NCS Act 2023.

The CGC also visited the Emir of Daura, His Royal Highness, Dr Farouk Umar Farouk.

“This legislative milestone grants the NCS expanded authority to implement policies aimed at bolstering revenue generation and facilitating trade, thus contributing significantly to Nigeria’s economic growth trajectory,” Adeniyi said.

He also spoke about trucks carrying food items seized at the border, saying, “I will also use this occasion to brief you on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directives that all trucks of food carrying exports across the border that were seized by Customs be returned to the traders with the hope that they would plough them back into the Nigerian markets.”

It should be noted that this was not the first time Buhari had remarked that governing Nigeria was a tough job for leaders.

In November 2023, during an interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), Buhari said the country was difficult to rule.

“Nigerians are extremely difficult. People know their rights. They think they should be there, not you. So, they monitor virtually your every step. And you have to struggle day and night to ensure you are competent enough,” he had said.

The Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) and the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) have declared a 7-day warning strike.

Naija News understands that the strike was declared to demand the payment of four months of withheld salaries of their members, after the 2022 nationwide strike.

The decision was reached by the joint action committee of the two unions, after a meeting which held in Akure at the weekend.

This comes a week after the unions warned of potential disruptions to industrial peace in Nigerian universities.

The unions emphasized the unfair treatment and questioned the government’s rationale behind this selective payment.

According to the SSANU president, Mohammed Ibrahim, who read the communiqué of the meeting to journalists in Abuja on Monday, the decision to embark on the warning strike was taken as a last resort since several protest letters and other communications with the Federal Government did not result in the payment of the withheld salaries.

The statement added: “If nothing is done by the Federal Government to positively address this situation and respond to our previous letters to them, the members of the two unions may be forced to meet soon to take all lawful and stringent decisions on the matter”.