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FRSC officer decries non-usage of pedestrian bridges

By Emma Elekwa

The Zuba Unit Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, (FRSC), Muta’a Chorrie, has lamented the non-usage of pedestrian bridges provided by the government across the major highways in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The FRSC boss, who stated this at the flag off of the 2015 Ember Months Road Safety Campaign in Zuba, said the huge resources invested in such projects could only be justified if they were made use of.

Chorrie, who was particular about the one in front of the Federal College of Education, Zuba, described as insignificant the percentage of students and other pedestrians that make use of the bridge, insisting that appeal, rather than force, remains the approach.

“When there was no bridge there, people were complaining. Now it has been provided and at a huge cost for that matter, they are not making use of it. There is absolutely no reason why people will keep risking their lives by dashing across the highways” he stated.

The Unit Commander also advised commuters to always board vehicles at the designated motor parks rather than stand to wait for vehicles along the road which he said not only exposes them to all kinds of dangers, but causes obstructions on the highways.

“The commercial motorists can only block the road when they stop to pick passengers. But when nobody is standing on the road, they would be forced to enter the park. Besides, someone can fall victim of ‘one-chance’ syndicates when one boards vehicles along the road” he added.

He explained that the event with the theme: “Operation Sanity: Drive Safely into 2016” provides an opportunity for consistent collaboration with relevant stakeholders and to further intensify public enlightenment campaign on the proper use of highways by road users.

Man, 20, dies of snake bite at Yangoji village

By Abubakar Sadiq Isah

Residents of Yangoji community in Kwali Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were yesterday thrown into mourning after a twenty year-old man, Mustapha Mohammed, was killed by a snake while hunting for frogs in the area.

One of the deceased brothers, simply identified as Suleiman, who spoke when our reporter visited the compound yesterday, said the incident happened on Tuesday night at about 8:23 pm when the deceased and some of his friends went to hunt for frogs at a stream.

He said the deceased would lunge a spear in the stream and when he hits the frog, he would use his hand to catch it and put in a basket, adding that when his late brother thrust the spear that time, he mistakenly hit a snake and as he put his hand in the stream to bring out his catch, the snake bit him.

He said that some of his friends immediately went and killed the snake, before rushing the deceased to a clinic at the village, saying the deceased was administered drugs and injection, but later gave up around 2:12 am yesterday.

City News learnt that the deceased, who was a member of the Peace Corps of Nigeria (PCN) in the area, used to hunt frogs and sell.

The remains of Mohammed have been buried according to Islamic rites at the village, where the funeral prayer for was presided over by the Chief Imam of Kwali central mosque, Alhaji Mohammed Suleiman Pai.

Nigerian outstanding entrepreneurs to be honoured in Abuja

By Hussein Yahaya

Corporate organisations and individuals that distinguished themselves in entrepreneurship are to be honoured in Abuja, the nation’s capital next Wednesday.

The event, which is being organised by Nigeria Entrepreneurs Award, is an exclusive award that seeks to reward outstanding individuals, corporate organisations that are involved in the development of the nation’s economy.

The co-founder of the organisation, Joshua Uwabor, told journalists yesterday that the event is aimed at stimulating other Nigerians to embrace entrepreneurship in the interest of their economy growths.

‘’We want to bring the already known names in the entrepreneurship sub-sector in a roundtable with other Nigerians so that they can be inspired,’’ he said.

On the method used in selecting the beneficiaries, Uwabor said members of the public were called to nominate both the corporate organisations and individuals outstanding in entrepreneurship and that from the pool that came in, the public were also asked to vote among the nominated beneficiaries.

He listed Julius Berger and Real Estate Investment among the beneficiaries.

The co-founder said the event with the theme, ‘Entrepreneurship as panacea for building a prosperous Economy,’ would hold at Ladi Kwali hall in Sheraton Hotels, Abuja beginning by 6pm.

SCC restores bumps on Dutse-Bwari road

By Terkula Igidi

Setraco Construction Company (SCC) has restored the speed bumps it removed on the Dutse-Bwari road last month during the commissioning of its steel pipe factory.

Communities around the road had cried out that speeding vehicles have been knocking down and killing their people since SCC removed the bumps.

But the construction company had explained that the bumps were removed under the instruction by the presidency when President Muhammadu Buhari was billed to commission the steel pipe factory at Ushafa.

Head Public Information and Operations of SCC, Mr Umoh Samuel in a text message assured that the bumps would be reinstalled within the week.

“Yes, the speed bumps were removed by SCC under the instructions of the presidency as the bumps had security implications as the President was expected to ply the road. SCC is reinstalling the bumps this week surely,” Umoh said in a text message.