🇳🇬NigeriaWest Africa
Presidency addresses North West development claims, highlights infrastructure investments
via Punch Nigeria5 min read
The Presidency has countered claims that President Bola Tinubu is neglecting the North West, citing significant investments in infrastructure, health, and transportation. This rebuttal was made during a media briefing by the Renewed Hope Ambassadors RHA in Abuja, ahead of a nationwide project showcase tour starting in Kaduna. Tunde Rahman, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Special Duties and RHA’s Director of Media and Publicity, stated that the tour aims to demonstrate the administration's commitment to the region. Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, emphasized the need to publicize these achievements to address an information gap. Mr. Finbarr Zirra, Director of Rail Transport Service at the Federal Ministry of Transportation, provided a technical presentation on railway projects, noting the North West's role as a central point in a national rail integration program. He highlighted the 60% completion of the $2 billion standard gauge rail project linking Kano to Maradi in Niger Republic, and the advanced completion of the Kaduna-Kano segment of the Lagos-Kano corridor. Zirra also mentioned a branch line from Kano to Dutse under construction and the strategic importance of Kano as a future multi-modal rail hub. The RHA, chaired by Imo State Governor Hope Uzodinma, recently launched a website to serve as a verified information hub for the administration's achievements and reforms.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Punch Nigeria.
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Must ReadSix individuals have been sentenced to life imprisonment in Ivory Coast for their involvement in a 2020 jihadist attack that resulted in the deaths of 14 soldiers at a border post. The attack occurred overnight on June 10-11, 2020, in the northeastern village of Kafolo. Of the 45 defendants on trial, 17 received 20-year jail terms and were fined 50 million CFA francs. One person was sentenced to five years, and 21 were acquitted. While no group claimed responsibility, the attack was attributed to jihadists operating from across the border in Burkina Faso, believed to be in retaliation for a joint Ivorian and Burkinabe operation against extremists in the region. Ivory Coast shares its northern border with Burkina Faso and Mali, both of which have experienced widespread Islamist extremist attacks that have extended south towards coastal nations. In a separate incident, three Ivorian soldiers were killed in March 2021 during an attack on two army positions near the Burkina Faso border, including in Kafolo. Additionally, 19 people died in an attack on the seaside town of Grand-Bassam in March 2016.
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