Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, is set to commission the tallest Christmas tree in Africa, in Asaba.

The tree stands 123 feet tall.

The commissioning is one of the events put together by the organisers of Christmas In Delta, a 45-day Christmas extravaganza that kicked off on Friday, December 1.

In a statement release, the yuletide fiesta is aimed at giving Deltans and visitors alike a Christmas like no other.

The Executive Assistant (EA) to the Governor on Culture and Tourism, Dr (Mrs.) Josephine Odunze who embarked on an inspection tour of projects, noted that the initiative aligns with the vision of the state governor, Oborevwori to create a festive atmosphere that captures the spirit of the ‘’Big Heart’’ state.

Odunze said that the commissioning of the giant Christmas tree is part of the 45 days of unforgettable Christmas experiences in the state, even as she commended the governor and the organisers for the event.

‘’People have asked me why the Christmas tree is positioned where it is. I tell them that we cannot be selling Delta to Deltans by positioning the tree in town. We should be marketing Delta to outsiders.

It is happening here in Delta State; 45 days of endless fun’’ she said.

In his remark, a member of the organising committee, Fred Onojeta, said that the initiative was to explore the state’s tourism potential, even as he commended the Oborevwori administration for an enabling environment for such enterprises to thrive.

‘’When the team put this event together tagged ‘’Christmas in Delta: 45 Days of Fond Memories served daily’’ it was audacious to put the tallest Christmas tree in Africa here in Asaba. We thought it was impossible’’ he said.

Meanwhile, the EA also visited other sites that will add flavour to the Christmas experience. Sitters visited include the Floating Bar and Water Park at Grand Hotel Asaba and several other facilities located at the Maryam Babangida Leisure Park and Film Village, Asaba.

The Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara has signed a sign memoranda of understanding with two companies to commence the construction of 20,000 low cost housing units and a spare parts market in the state.

The agreement for the development of RIV/TAF City Housing Project on 1000 hectares of land and the spare parts market were signed for Rivers by the state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Prof. Zacchaeus Adangor.

The Managing Director, Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mustapha Njie signed for one of the contracting firms, TAF Africa Global.

On the development of a Central Spare Parts Market, Prof. Adangor also signed for the State government while the Chief Executive Officer, Okoh Jeff and Engr. Charles signed for GOSH Project Limited.

Speaking at the brief ceremony in Government House, Port Harcourt, Fubara charged the two investors to speed up the process for the development of the state.

He said the problem of housing for low income earners in the state remained a huge concern but was being addressed with the provision of 20,000 units of affordable houses.

Fubara said though people already knew the mantra of his administration, consolidation and continuity, they also needed to understand that it included expanding the existing structure of the current city status.

He said: “We told our people that we are not limited to the vision we inherited, but included expansion, we meant it with all seriousness and you can see with what we have done today. The city will gradually start expanding, and not limited to our present structure.

“I am happy to say this, one of our greatest problems is housing for the low income earners. Our vision as at today, is to provide for those level of people. What we have done is to give our people hope.”

On the spare parts market, Fubara said during the electioneering campaigns he promised dealers at Ikoku in Port Harcourt that he would develop a modern market for spare parts to demonstrate his care for them.

He said: “It is important because by the time the spare parts market starts up, we will have a central place where businesses that have to do with vehicles; repairs, sales and other associated activities will be established for the traders. It won’t be just a market, it will also bring about a level of development within that axis.”

He charged the investors to ensure immediate commencement of the projects and to carry out the groundbreaking without delay.

Speaking for TAF Africa Global, Mr. Mustapha Njie said a subsidiary of his company called Pricewise Home Nigeria Limited would develop 20,000 housing in phases on the 1000 hectares of land and thanked the governor for the confidence reposed in them to do the project.

Chief Executive Officer of Gosh, Mr. Okoh Jeff assured that they would be dedicated to delivering a central spare part market that would accommodate all traders in that business in one place.

Lagos State government has commenced talks with private investors for feasibility studies the construction of the Green and Purple rail lines systems to be completed in three and half years.

The Green Line is a 68 kilometers rail designed to run through Marina, Victoria Island, Lekki Phase 1, Ajah, Lekki 2, Ogombo, Elepetu, Eluju, Lekki Airport and Lekki Free Trade Zone.

It is projected to carry over 500,000 passengers per day for a start, rising to over a million in 2031.

Similarly, the Pueple line is a 60 km rail, designed to run through Redemption Camp, Mowe, Long Bridge, Isheri, Toll Gate, Omole, Ogba, Agege, Iyana Ipaja, Isheri Osun, Igando, Iba, Estate, LASU, Okokomaiko and Ojo.

Managing Director, MD, Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority, LAMATA, Engr. Abimbola Akinajo, who disclosed this at a briefing in Lagos yesterday, said the project was part of activities marking the 20 years of LAMATA’s operations.

LAMATA has outlined the routes and the projected daily capacity for the six rail systems designed to ease the transportation challenges in Lagos State.

According to Akinajo, the six rail systems that are differentiated by colours, namely Green line, Purple line, Yellow line, Orange line, Blue line and Red line.

He said: “The Green and Purple are the two rail lines we intend to tackle next after the Blue Rail-Line.