Live from Itakpe in Kogi State. This is one of the construction workers on #ItakpeWarriRail Line. “I praise the [Buhari Administration]. Before now we didn’t know there was a rail line in Kogi State. It’s Buhari that’s made it possible for us to see this. Make God bless am.”
Usman is a mechanical technician. He used to be a driver, then switched to technical work (which he says he learned from childhood, tinkering with cars.) He worked on the Obajana cement plant in 2015/16, and has now worked on #ItakpeWarriRail for 8 months.
Paul is from Kogi State. He is a Payloader operator, has been on the #ItakpeWarriRail project for about nine months. He’s looking forward to completing this phase of the project and starting work on the #ItakpeAbujaRail phase. #TheYearofInfrastructure
When this #ItakpeWarriRail is completed, you will be able to travel from Kogi State to Delta State by Rail, passing through Ajaokuta, Uromi, Agbor, and Abraka. In the next phase, the line will extend from Itakpe to Abuja. #TheYearofInfrastructure#RailUPng
Today we’re going to take a ride on the Train, from Itakpe, all the way to Warri. I’ll bring updates. #ItakpeWarriRail#RailUPng
Mohammed is from Ajaokuta in Kogi State. He’s a foreman on the #ItakpeWarriRail project. He’s also an inventor. Showed me videos of stuff he’s built. A drone, and a miniature payloader.
We’re boarding the Train. The next stop will be Ajaokuta Station. Final destination: Warri.
Please mind the gap between the train and the platform. (Or, as we’d say in Lagos: “If you like don’t mind the gap between the train and the platform.”) #ItakpeWarriRail#EnterWithChange
If someone had told me I’d travel eight hours through the heart of Nigeria, without any Internet on any mobile networks, I’d say izzalie. Phew. But it’s been a fascinating ride.
It’s a ~320km Rail Line that will form the Central Line of Nigeria’s National Rail Network. Currently runs from Itakpe in Kogi State to Warri in Delta State. There are plans to link to Lokoja, and then Abuja.
Testimony Time.
This is a youth leader in one of the communities where a Passenger Station is being constructed on the #ItakpeWarriRail Line. #RailUPng
PS. He has his views on 2019...
When this #ItakpeWarriRail Line was started by President Babangida circa 1987, it was planned as a freight-only Rail, serving the Iron Ore / Steel belt between Aladja and Ajaokuta.
It is now being reconfigured as a PASSENGER + Freight Rail, to maximize usefulness. #RailUPng
Time to start planning base stations for the #ItakpeWarriRail Route. It’s currently a service ‘desert’. 12 Stations in all, in Kogi, Edo, Delta.
Let’s start #TelcoWars, be the first to launch. You won’t regret it!
Traveling these 300 or so kilometers by Train across the center of Nigeria feels like touring an estate through the backyards of its houses. Very different feel from the ‘main road’ view.
Soon, hopefully, it’ll be an experience everyone is familiar with! #ItakpeWarriRail
Minister of Transport @ChibuikeAmaechi, on the #ItakpeWarriRail Inspection Tour, today. (still ongoing, we’re still on the Train, now approaching Warri)
My Warri brothers and sisters came on board to have a feel of (and photos on) the #ItakpeWarriRail Train 🚊
If you watch only one video from today: THIS. Oghenerume is from the Warri community where the final Train Station is. Tells me his late father was involved in the #ItakpeWarriRail project,and that his dream before he died was for it to be completed. “Thank you President Buhari!”
More of my Photos from today’s #ItakpeWarriRail Inspection Tour.
(All 📷: iPhone Portrait Mode)
Dignity of labour. #ItakpeWarriRail
Many of these men told me they’ve been employed for about 8-9 months.
This is one of the 12 Stops on the #ItakpeWarriRail Line. Earthworks and Construction of Passenger Stations in progress.
The biggest Station on the route will be in Agbor. Agbor is also home to a large Railway Village where the ‘control center’ of the line is located.
Brief interview with the Minister of Transport, on board the #ItakpeWarriRail Train. It’s been more than 30 years in the making; FG is planning to extend it to Lokoja asap, etc. #RailUPng#TheYearofInfrastructure
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
Been searching for National Anthem related stuff. And found this:
Competition Announcement for a National Anthem for Nigeria, published in FEDERAL NIGERIA Magazine, January 1959 edition
Closing: March 31, 1959. Prize: $280
Open to Nigerians & Non-Nigerians home & abroad.
🧵🧵
So, looks like there were 4 Competitions in all, in 1959, the year preceding Independence:
National Flag - Open to Nigerians only
National Anthem (lyrics) - Nigerians & Foreigners
National Anthem (music) - Nigerians & Foreigners
Independence Stamps
All with prizes attached.
Submissions came in for Nigeria's new (Independence) Anthem, from all over the world: USA, UK, Ghana, French Cameroons, Senegal, Algeria, Cyprus, South Africa, Belgium.
A #thread of departing Ambassadors talking about Nigerian Food (and Pepper!!!).
Let’s start with France’s Emmanuelle Blatmann (2024):
“I will be very honest with you and blunt, I will not miss the pepper soup because it’s too peppery. You people tried to kill me several times. I will be eating all sorts of things with my eyes red and crying, I have smoke coming out of my ears. I am exaggerating but honestly, why do you put so much pepper? In the North, it’s better but in the South West, my God! But I like the jollof rice, I like the moimoi and the puff-puff.”
“Nigerian food in general is spicier than food in Finland, but I do really enjoy suya, jollof rice, and pepper soup. My family has even ventured into things like giant snails and goat’s head (laughs).”
“Great food. You know everybody loves their Suya and their jollof rice. And I am a big fan of pepper soup; I really like a lot of spice so I will bring that with me.”
“Nobody ever believes me when I say I like spicy food and a bit of pepper soup. But of course, you can’t be a Nigerian and not appreciate suya and jollof rice. I can say I had fun eating amala at Amala Skye in Ibadan with our visiting pianist who came last year. It was lovely.”
Would like to share excerpts from this recent speech ON INFRASTRUCTURE from Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, delivered at a Dinner in Lagos a few days ago.
He opened it guns blazing. Hit the ground firing.
This is a thread, so, stay with me.
But lest you think the speech was primarily about gbajue presidential candidates, it wasn’t.
It was instead about the power of infrastructure, why the @MBuhari Administration focused obsessively on it, and how heartwarming it is that @officialABAT is equally prioritizing it.
BRF outlines some of the prioritizing principles behind the Buhari Infrastructure Program:
—Roads leading to and out of Airports and Seaports
—Roads leading to international borders
—Bridges (the Buhari Admin delivered new bridges across Nigeria’s two main Rivers, Niger and Benue)
I want to tell the story of how this State House / Presidential Villa logo came to be. You may have seen it on some publicity materials (State House Press Briefing banner from prev admin, etc) from the State House.
It’s a thread.
Sometime in Feb 2016, shortly after I was appointed by PMB, I thought, everyone knows what the White House looks like, why isn’t there a similar visual equivalent - a symbol - for the Aso Rock Villa, seat of the Nigerian Presidency since 1991.
Good question, eh. Then a challenge came up. The White House is a single building, that houses both the residence and the office of the US President.
Aso Rock on the other hand is a sprawling assemblage of buildings. President’s residence and office are separate buildings.
Some History:
In 1999 Obasanjo created a "Ministry for Cooperation and Integration in Africa."
Didn't last very long.
OBJ also created the Ministry of Environment, in 1999.
In 2011, GEJ created "Communication Technology" and "Trade and Investment" ("Industry" added in 2013)
PMB created the new Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development in 2019
—Added "Digital Economy" to "Communications" also in 2019
—Added "Innovation" to "Science and Technology" in 2021
—Added "Aerospace" to "Aviation" in 2023
PBAT has:
—Created a new "Ministry of Art, Culture and Creative Economy."
—Added "Ecological Management" to "Environment"
—Split "Finance" and "Budget/Planning", and renamed "Budget & National Planning" -- now "Budget & Economic Planning"
—Added "Sanitation" to "Water Resources"
Taiwo Oyedele an excellent candidate to lead this Tax work. Was Vice Chair of the National Tax Policy Implementation Committee(NTPIC) set up to implement the 2017 National Tax Policy(NTP) for Nigeria. It was that work that led to introduction of the Finance Acts 2019—2022
#Thread
The then Minister of Finance, @HMKemiAdeosun set up, Aug 2016, a National Tax Policy Review Committee (NTPRC), chaired by Prof Abiola Sanni. NTPRC produced a revised National Tax Policy for Nigeria (FEC approval Feb 2017) updating the original Tax Policy first developed in 2012.
Following the FEC approval of the revised Tax Policy 2017, @HMKemiAdeosun set up a National Tax Policy Implementation Committee (NTPIC) in April 2017. That Committee submitted its report on February 2, 2018. Its work produced drafts of 2 Executive Orders and 5 Amendment Bills.