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  FG begins Kaduna-Kano rail construction in July – Amaechi Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi The Federal Government will begin the construction of the Kaduna-Kano rail line in July, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said on Friday. Amaechi said the government was currently rounding up the Lagos-Ibadan rail project billed for inauguration in June and based on that, construction work on the Kaduna-Kano line would commence in July. He disclosed this when he led a delegation of Nigerian Shippers Council and Nigeria Railway Corporation on a courtesy visit to Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, in Kano. The minister told his host that based on the economic viability of the state, the rail line and the Inland Dry Port would boost the business activities of Kano, as well as encourage import and export. Amaechi stated that even though there was no river in the state, maritime activities would be brought to Kano once the rail line becomes operational. He was quoted in...

  Customs intercepts fake drugs, recovers N426m The Comptroller General, Strike Force Unit of the Nigeria Customs Service, said the agency impounded some unregistered and fake drugs brought into the country through the seaport. He said this at the unit while showing journalists the seized items. Also speaking, the Coordinator of the unit, Deputy Comptroller, Ahmadu Shuaibu, said the unit also recovered N426.4m on cargoes that were under-declared at the port. He said, “Sequel to conscientious documentary checks, the ICT component of the team recovered the sum of N426.4m from demand notices raised within April till Tuesday.  The money recovered from demand notices could have been lost to unscrupulous importers.” According to him, the items seized were 575 bales of second-hand clothing, 1,440 cartons of supermarket goods, 664 cartons of drugs without NAFDAC number, 530 cartons of foot wears and 1,600 bags of foreign parboiled rice.

  Ogun engineer in pain, seeks N9m for kidney transplant Kindly share this story: The chance of a mechanical engineer in Ota, Ogun State, Adeyemi Odukomaiya, to have another shot at a healthy life and take care of his family now depends largely on his ability to raise N9m for kidney transplant. The father of two had been battling diabetes for 13 years but his condition worsened last year when he was diagnosed with a kidney problem. The 48-year-old told  City Round  that he had been on dialysis since October 2020, spending N70,000 on two sessions every week. He said, “I am diabetic and have been treating it for 13 years. It later affected my kidney. I am now on dialysis and I have two sessions per week. Each session is N35,000. The doctor has advised that I would undergo a kidney transplant. “I have been spending the little money I have on dialysis. My source of income has been dealt with because of my health condition.” Odukomaiya said he made enquiries at St Nicholas Hos...

  EFCC arrests alleged Ponzi scheme operator over N128m scam Kindly share this story: The Ibadan Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested one Amos Olaniyan for allegedly defrauding people of over N128m through an investment scheme. A statement by the anti-graft agency’s Head, Media and Publicity, Wilson Uwujaren, indicated that the 43-year-old was arrested based on a series of petitions by his victims. The petitioners alleged that Olaniyan through his company, DHIL Nigeria Limited popularly known as Crime Alert Security Network Investment, persuaded them to invest in a network scheme which offered monthly 30 per cent returns on investment. The statement read in part, “According to some of the victims, they were persuaded to invest after listening to the suspect’s weekly radio programme. However, after investing their monies they neither received the promised interest nor got a refund of their capital since 2020. “Exasperated, they petitioned the EFC...

  How truck crushed tricycle, killed three occupants in Lagos Kindly share this story: A commuter, Adebayo Olanrewaju, has narrated the moment a truck at Okegbegun, along Sagamu Road, Ikorodu, Lagos, lost control and climbed over a tricycle conveying four passengers. Olanrewaju, who claimed to have witnessed the incident, told City Round that the incident occurred around 3pm on Thursday when he was on a bus en route to Ogijo. He said the truck was ascending a steep portion of the road when it suddenly descended due to brake failure and climbed over the tricycle behind it. OIanrewaju said “The bus I boarded was about to reach the spot when the accident happened. The truck was heading towards LASPOTECH (Lagos State Polytechnic) and the tricycle was behind it. The road is bad. There were five people in the tricycle: three passengers at the back, and one in the front with the rider. “As the truck was climbing the road, it slipped and crushed the tricycle which was too close for the rid...

  Naira devaluation: BDCs get dollars at N393, sells for N494 Bureau De Change operators got the United States dollar from the Central Bank of Nigeria at N393 but sold it for N494 on Friday, an investigation by our correspondent has revealed. Sources from some commercial banks told our correspondent that the banks were asked to fund the BDCs at the rate of N393/$ as of Friday. A bank official, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said, “We are still giving them $10,000 per BDC twice in a week. As at today, we are giving them at the rate of N393/$. “The CBN funds the BDCs through the commercial banks. They go to their banks to collect it. The CBN has been funding them through commercial banks to make the process seamless. “We were asked to fund them at N393/$ in a circular to the banks as at today.” Meanwhile, the naira slumped further on Friday to 494.7/$ at the parallel market from 490/$ as of Thursday evening. Data obtained from the website of the CBN’s off...

  Obasanjo, Abdusalami, Ooni, Sultan, others to meet over insecurity Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo As insecurity worsens across the country,   former President Olusegun Obasanjo, traditional leaders and elder statesmen are set to hold a stormy session over the dire security situation and festering secessionist agitations in the country. The meeting was billed to hold on Thursday, May 27. No reason was given for its postponement. However,  Saturday PUNCH  learnt that the meeting is now expected to hold on June 10, 2021, at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja. Nevertheless, the Presidency had reacted angrily when it heard that a legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola (SAN), announced a plan to hold a conference on security and other issues in the country. Recall that the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, issued a statement on May 4 accusing those behind the conference of planning to pass a vote of no confidence in the President, Major Gen...