The Governor of Osun State, Governor Ademola adeleke has approved instant suspension of Dr Niyi Oginni, the Executive Secretary of Osun Health Insurance Agency (OHIS) and Dr. Adebukola Olujide, the Head of the Primary Health Care Development Board in the state.

He also directed the Public Procurement Agency and other relevant government agencies to immediately kick-off the process to recover all outstanding tender fees on contract awards, JVAs, MOU etc, to which the state government is a party, in the last four years.

He further announced an holistic investigation of the Public Procurement Agency ( the Due Process Office) to determine the extent of its culpability in the non-remmitance of tender fees to the state treasury and contract manipulation in the last four years.

The suspension of the two Chief Executive Officers was sequel to the interim report of the Committee on Contracts and MOU chaired by Hon Niyi Owolade which indicted the two agency chiefs of gross abuse of office, mismanagement of public resources and serial violations of agency and public service regulations and laws.

The committee in its recommendation had unearthed the unethical practices of the suspended heads of the OSHIA and the Primary Health Care Board as manifested in contract awards without due process, non-remittance of actual tender fee collected from contractors, contracts without value for money like the PHCs, deliberate splitting of contracts.

It further found out that the suspended OHIS boss gave contracts to the tune of several millions of Naira to his own biological daughter and his own private Hospital in the Agency he is heading, while the Acting Career Head in the Primary Health Care lied on oath when she falsely denied knowledge of all contracts of infrastructures and supplies in the PHCs, resorting to bulk-passing and blame trading.

The planned $2.5billion Fourth Mainland Bridge to be constructed by the Lagos state government, would commence in the first quarter of 2023 and be completed in four years,Special Adviser on Works to Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Aramide Adeyoye, has said

Adeyeoye,who spoke at a joint press briefing organised by the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure and the Office of the Public-Private Partnership (OPPP) to announce the preferred bidder for the project,said that CCECC-CRCCIG Consortium won the bid for the project while MOTA-ENGIL emerged as the reserved bidder.

She disclosed that a total of 52 bidders initially indicated interest in the project out of which 32 were responsive.

Fifteen of the 32 bidders, according to Adeyeoye, indicated further interest out of which six met the criteria and were later rediuced to three before the winner was eventually picked.

According to her,800 structures would be affected by the construction of the 37km bridge, which starts from Abraham Adesanya, Ajah, in Eti-Osa Local Government Area and terminates on Lagos-Ibadan Expressway passing through Owutu/Isawo, Ikorodu and some parts of Ogun State territories.

She added that the bridge would have three toll plazas and nine interchanges, adding that the funding is a partnership between the state government and the construction company and would cost $2.5 billion.

She explained that the agreement is a 40-year plan for the concessionaire to operate and maintain the bridge, as well as recoup investments on the project.

According to Adeyeoye, “the planned Fourth Mainland Bridge would remove gridlocks on the Carter, Eko and the Third Mainland Bridges and open up the state for future developments.”

She urged Lagosians to have confidence in the administration of Governor Sanwo-Olu to deliver on its developmental promises.

Special Adviser to the Governor in the Office of Public Private Partnership (OPPP), Ope George, said that choosing the preferred bidder was a daunting task, adding:

“The bidding process took 1,129 days after it was opened in 2019 when the present administration came on board,” he said.

He stated that the bridge, when completed, would be one of the legacy projects of the Sanwo-Olu administration.

Kano state commissioner for religious affairs, Dr. Muhammad Tahar Adam,has been relieved of his appointment.

The state commissioner for information and internal affairs, Malam Muhammad Garba, who disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, December 31, said the removal was with immediate effect.

He said the sacking of the commissioner was sequel to his unbecoming attitude as a public servant holding sensitive office, as well as unguarded utterances.

He added that the commissioner was also found to be running the affairs of his office as personal business and even unilaterally reducing working days for the staff of the ministry, exempting Wednesdays and Fridays.

The commissioner added that apart from operating without due consultation, Baba Impossible has not been loyal to the government.

He disclosed that already, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has sent to the state House of Assembly the name of a nominee in person of Dr. Nazifi Ishaq Bichi of Bayero University, Kano as replacement for screening and appointment as new commissioner.