News
FCT Minister Wike Slams David Mark’s Infrastructure Record, Defends Tinubu’s Achievements
FCT Minister Wike Slams David Mark’s Infrastructure Record, Defends Tinubu’s Achievements
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Thursday criticised former Senate President David Mark over his record on infrastructure development.
Eereporter.com
Wike argued that the administration of President Bola Tinubu has delivered more road projects within three years than were achieved during Mark’s years in national leadership.
He made the remarks at the commissioning of the Interchange at the Arterial Road N16–Ring Road II Junction linking the Jahi and Gwarimpa districts of Abuja.
Tinubu was represented at the event by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The minister’s comments followed recent criticisms of the Federal Government by the African Democratic Congress, which he noted had nevertheless acknowledged the administration’s achievements in road infrastructure.
“African Democratic Congress has conceded that in terms of road infrastructure, Mr President has done very, very well. Without roads, you cannot go to hospital, you cannot go to school, and you cannot go to farm. Roads are the bedrock of development in any society,” Wike said.
Turning to Mark, whom he identified as chairman of a faction of the ADC, Wike questioned the former Senate President’s contribution to infrastructure development, particularly during his eight-year tenure in office.
He cited the Akwanga-Makurdi road project, which he said remained in poor condition despite being awarded during Mark’s time in leadership.
“The poor people could not afford to travel to Makurdi because there was no road. But David Mark, as Senate President then, was flying helicopters.
“Today, because of the intervention of this administration, people can drive freely to Makurdi and Otukpo. The same David Mark, who once relied on helicopters, can now travel by road too,” Wike said.
According to him, the Jahi-Gwarimpa interchange project was awarded before the current administration assumed office but had received neither mobilisation nor significant progress until the present government intervened.
“One of the problems of development in Nigeria is that new administrations often abandon projects initiated by their predecessors. But President Tinubu has shown that the government is a continuum. What matters is completing projects for the benefit of the people, regardless of who awarded them,” he said.
Wike noted that many residents of the area had doubted the project would ever be completed, describing its delivery as another milestone in the ongoing transformation of the Federal Capital Territory.
He also dismissed claims that the administration’s development agenda was focused solely on roads, highlighting ongoing investments in water infrastructure across satellite towns in the FCT.
The minister recalled the recent commissioning of a water supply project in Karu and announced that another major water infrastructure project in Bwari would be inaugurated on July 14.
Wike
“It is not correct to say we are only doing roads. In Karu, we commissioned water supply infrastructure, and by July 14 we will commission another major water project in Bwari. These are projects designed to improve the lives of ordinary people,” he said.
Wike challenged critics to identify similar investments in satellite communities under previous administrations, insisting that the Renewed Hope Agenda was delivering tangible benefits to residents across the territory.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration under Wike has embarked on an aggressive infrastructure drive since the minister assumed office in August 2023.
Eereporter.com
NAF Activates Immediate Search and Rescue Following Aircraft Accident in Ondo Community
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has activated an immediate Search and Rescue operation following an ATR-42 aircraft accident in the Igbokoda area of Ondo State on 5 October 2026.
Eereporter.com
The aircraft was on a routine mission from Benin to Lagos when the accident occurred. Search and Rescue operations, in coordination with relevant authorities and emergency response agencies, are currently ongoing.
The NAF is committed to ensuring the success of the ongoing Search and Rescue efforts. Further details will be communicated in due course.
Helicopters crash
Ehimen Ejodame
Air Commodore
Director of Public Relations and Information
Headquarters, Nigerian Air Force
5 October 2026
Eereporter.com
News
Suspected Terrorists Kills Bus Driver, Abduct 18 Sokoto Health College Students Travelling to Oyo
Suspected Terrorists Kills Bus Driver, Abduct 18 Sokoto Health College Students Travelling to Oyo
Suspected terrorists have abducted about 18 students of Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto State, who were travelling to their home towns in Oyo State, SaharaReporters has learnt. The incident reportedly occurred within the past 48 hours along the route to Oyo State, with the driver of the bus allegedly killed at the scene.
Eereporter.com
A youth leader from Oke-Ogun, who confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters during an exclusive interview, said the victims were not students of Usmanu Danfodiyo University (UDUS), as earlier reported.
According to him, the students were travelling in a chartered bus from Gamji College of Health Technology in Sokoto to Oke-Ogun, particularly Igboho in Oyo State.
“Sadly, the unfortunate incident is being confirmed by me because I’m from Oke-Ogun too, and our people have confirmed that it truly happened in the past 48 hours.
“But it wasn’t a bus conveying UDUS students. It was a bus taking students from Gamji College of Health Technology, Sokoto, to Oke-Ogun, Igboho to be precise.
“The driver was killed and all the students were kidnapped. They have reached the Mokwa side,” the youth leader said. Other sources familiar with the incident told SaharaReporters that the number of abducted students could be as many as 18.
The sources said the students were travelling in a chartered bus arranged by their school to convey them to their respective home towns in Oyo State. They were reportedly all taken away by the assailants after the driver was killed.
The reported movement of the abducted students towards the Mokwa axis has raised concerns among residents and relatives of the victims, as the area has previously witnessed attacks and abductions along major roads.
The victims were travelling from Ibadan, Oyo State, to orientation camps in Abia and Akwa Ibom when gunmen reportedly attacked their two buses along the Owerri-Onitsha Road in Umunoha, Imo State, on Thursday.
Isiah Akpan, the Managing Director of Uko Akwa Ibom Motors Nigeria Limited, said the abductors had demanded N50 million for each victim, putting the total ransom at N950 million.
Reacting in a post on X, human rights activist and African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, said the incident reinforced his longstanding position that the NYSC had “outlived its usefulness in its present form.”
Terrorists Attack
“You cannot force young Nigerians to ‘serve their fatherland’ when the same country cannot guarantee their safety while they travel to their places of service,” he wrote.
Sowore called for the immediate suspension of the scheme and its eventual abolition, proposing that corps members should, in the interim, be allowed to serve within their states of origin.
Eereporter.com
Many Feared Dead as Helicopter Crashes in Ondo Community
Many persons are feared dead after a helicopter crashed in Igbokoda, headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State.
Eereporter.com
The incident, which occurred on Monday, October 5, 2026, threw the coastal community into panic, with residents scampering for safety.
Details surrounding the crash remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report.
It was yet unclear how many persons were aboard the helicopter, while the condition of possible survivors could not be immediately ascertained.
Sources in the community told SaharaReporters that efforts were underway to access the crash site and determine the extent of casualties and circumstances that led to the crash.
“Yes, it’s true. A helicopter just crashed now at Igbokoda, Ondo state,” a resident told SaharaReporters.
Ondo State Police Command spokesperson Abayomi Jimoh told SaharaReporters he was unaware of the incident but would make inquiries.
Helicopters crash
Igbokoda is a riverine community and commercial hub of Ilaje, one of the oil-rich areas of Ondo State, where helicopters are frequently used for oil and gas logistics operations.
Nigeria has recorded a series of helicopter crashes in recent years, many involving oil workers and military aircraft, raising fresh concerns over aviation safety and regulatory compliance.
Eereporter.com
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