In a bid to show commitment and further reform the Aviation sector, while improving livelihood, the Wachakal airstrip, Nguru in Yobe State, a project by the Federal Government of Nigeria is now 85 percent completed.

This was revealed by the Permanent Secretary, of the Ministry of Aviation, Dr. Emmanuel Meribole, during a test flight conducted on the airstrip by the Permanent Secretary and officials of the Ministry recently.

Director of Aerodrome Development, Engr. Clement Olayinka Awogbami  who represented the Permanent Secretary said despite the inflations that  caught up with the project , which led to its  review, coupled with  challenges  of limited resources, the Federal Government started the project about a year ago and, a significance progress has been recorded.

This he attributed to the level of commitment and concern to reform in the aviation sector.

According to the Director of Aerodrome of the Ministry, the design for the airstrip is expected to have Doppler Very High Frequency Omni Range (DVOR) equipment which would guide aircraft coming into the runway.

However, he added that because of the foreign component involved in its manufacturing, it will take some time to acquire it and would be installed as soon as it’s delivered. ‘’We are hoping that the DVOR will be installed in the next three months. Once that is done, then the airstrip will be officially ready for use’’ he said.

While stating the economic benefits of the project, he said: “This type of project is designed for the purpose of security; it will enhance security surveillance, it will also aid VIP movement, assist in medical evacuation in case of emergency and also for agricultural purposes. It is expected that the project when ready and in use will contribute to the country’s GDP’’

The Emir of Nguru, Alhaji Mustapha Ibn Mai Kyari expressed gratitude to the federal government for the project. He said the project will boost the economy of the community and also reduce unemployment rate amongst the youths.

On his part, the Vice Chairman of Karasuwa Local Government, Hassan Daliru thanked the former Senate President, and the Federal Government for attracting development to the State. He said: “This airstrip was not in existence some years ago but with the effort of the former Senate President, Senator Ahmed Lawan, we now have this project that will be completed soon. We hope to see more infrastructural development in our State”.

The Federal Government has suspended works on the reconstruction of the Lagos- Ibadan expressway to allow traffic flow on the facility during the Sallah celebrations.

The suspension was effective from Tuesday to Sunday, with work resuming on Monday. The construction works have been causing a traffic jam on the expressway.

The Expressway Is the Oldest In Nigeria, Commissioned In August 1978 During The Military Era, Under The Administration Of Olusegun Obasanjo.

The expressway is one of the busiest inter-state route in Nigeria and handles more than 250,000 passenger car unit daily and constitutes one of the largest road networks in Africa.

It is part of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) projects, concerned with road improvement and connectivity between the States of Nigeria.

Federal Controller of Works, Lagos, Olukorede Kesha, said it listened to people requesting that work be paused during the festive period to allow ease of travelling.

With the opening, All traffic from Kara Bridge on the Lagos bound carriageway heading to River Valley Estate, Isheri and Ogunnusi Road will now use the exit just immediately after Kara Bridge through Limson Road to connect their respective destinations.

Deputy Corp Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Joshua Ibitobi said the ongoing project was for the good of commuters.

Tsavo East National Park is considered to be one of the oldest and largest national parks that can be found in the Coast Province, within the southeastern part of the Republic of Kenya.

Forming one national park together with Tsavo West National Park, both parks are separated by the A109 road and railway, and they were named after the Tsavo River that flows west to east through Tsavo West, and a small part in Tsavo East which then with Athi River converges and forms the bigger Galana River.

The majority of the park is consisted of semi-arid grasslands and savanna, however, it is considered to be one of the world’s biodiversity strongholds, and its popularity is mostly due to the vast amounts of diverse wildlife that can be seen here.

The park was formed as such in 1948 and operated by the Kenya Wildlife Service which maintains different tourist facilities, as well as the roads leading to the park, bridges, and the promotion of this magnificent place.

As the park is generally flat, there have been signs of inhabitants living here back to the Early Stone Age and Middle Stone Age, as some archaeological sites could be found dating from those periods.

The population that inhabited the area as early as 8 century, traded ivory, catskins, and probably slaves with the Swahili inhabitants to the south, although there is no clear evidence that the area was occupied by the Swahili.

The situation was unchanged until the British and German explorers and colonizers came in 19 century, when the Orma and Watha people interacted as hostiles with them, and the colonizers put a bigger effort into colonizing the interior of Kenya by building and developing the area.

In 1898, the British started building the railway that would run through Tsavo, however, their construction was somewhat slowed when two lions started attacking their camps and construction workers, which resulted in 135 Indians and local workers falling victim to the two lions.

It was Lt. Col Patterson that finally killed the two lions which allowed for the railway to be finalized and trains would run to the city of Kisumu on Lake Victoria.

This also allowed nowadays the park to be visited by many tourists and be one of the more interesting natural features that should not be missed whenever in Kenya.

As the park occupies an area of some 13,747 sq km (5,308 sq mi), there are many attractions that visitors can see, such as the River Galana where different wildlife species gather, Yatta Plateau which is a relief feature that lies between the rivers Athi and Tavi characterized by plain wide valleys as well as shallow spaced valleys which were formed as a result of lava flows.

Furthermore, there are the Lugard Falls, Mubanda Rock that stands out from the rest of the park as it acts as a water catchment that supplies the natural dam below it, Aruba Dam, Kanderi Swamp, and the most important Tsavo River.

As this is an African national park, the African big 5 can certainly be seen here, and among the fauna, there are lion, black rhino, cape buffalo, elephant, leopard, yellow baboon, bushbuck, southeast African cheetah, African wild dog, several duikers, giraffe, hyena, and many other African species.

In addition, Tsavo East is home to more than 500 bird species, among which there are the black kite, crowned crane, lovebird, and sacred ibis.

As is the case with other African parks, this one too has issues with the poaching that is still present nowadays, and even though the poachers do not face serious consequences, they are being punished by the local community that lives and thrives in the park.

In conclusion, Tsavo East and Tsavo West National Parks, both significant in Kenya’s history as a site of important events, offer tourists the chance to witness the grandeur of Africa’s wildlife in their natural habitat and bask in the beauty of Kenyan nature.

The Deputy Governor of Kwara, Chief Kayode Alabi, has led the state government’s delegation to Odo-Ase community in Oke Ero Local Government Area over Friday night’s downpour that washed away the bridge linking it with other parts of the state.

This is contained in a statement issued by Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Saturday, June 24, 2023, in Ilorin, the state capital.

According to the statement, the delegation also visited the Orisa bridge, where the embankment was washed away, amid ongoing construction of a new bridge at the same spot by the administration.

“The delegation visited the communities on Saturday to commiserate with the people as well as assess the requirements for reconstruction.

“The Governor sends his commiserations to the people of the communities.

“He reassures them that immediate steps will be taken to reconstruct the bridge as soon as possible to reconnect the people to their neighbouring communities,” said the governor.

He added that on the entourage included the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works and Transport, Alhaji Ishaq Olorukooba, and other officials from the ministry.