The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has officially announced the availability of new contactless airport cards for access at major airports.
Under the banner of #OperationGoCashless, FAAN has deployed the new Contactless Airport Cards at access gates, starting with the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (NAIA) in Abuja and the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMA) in Lagos.
The initiative is expected to provide airport users with a faster, more seamless, and secure method of payment at various revenue points, including access gates, car parks, and VIP lounges. It’s feature, “Simply Tap, Pay n Move,” enables to navigate payment challenges, significantly reducing the delays associated with cash transactions and aligning Nigerian airports with global digital payment trends.
FAAN encourages all airport users to acquire and register their new cards immediately. Registration can be done by scanning a QR code or by visiting the dedicated portal at gocashless.faan.gov.ng, where users can activate and fund their cards.
This initiative aims at phasing out cash collections and ensuring greater revenue assurance and operational efficiency across its facilities nationwide. The policy is expected to be expanded to other airports in phases following the initial launch in Lagos and Abuja.
In a move to promote both health and safety during the critical end-of-year period, the Lagos State Drivers’ Institute (LASDRI) and the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) flagged off their Y2025 ember months safety advocacy campaign, providing free health services to over 150 drivers.
Highlighting the theme “Drivers Education, An Antidote To Road Accidents And Well-Being,” the event at Ketu Motor Park featured free eye screening, blood pressure and blood sugar tests, and health counselling by Lagos State Health Officials for union members.
The partnership, which drew various stakeholders from the transport sector, was organized in recognition of the significant strain on Lagos roads during the ember months. Speaking at the event, LASDRI General Manager, Mrs. Tiamiyu Afusat, stressed that the advocacy is crucial due to the increased risk from reckless driving and heightened vehicular movement. The collaboration is designed to specifically raise awareness about accident causes and educate commercial drivers on the dangers of speeding and aggressive driving.
The Lagos State NURTW Secretary, Comrade Teslim Usman, noted that the initiative focuses not only on safety but also on preventing economic losses from accidents, aligning with global efforts like the United Nations Decade of Action for road safety. Representatives from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) and the Vehicle Inspection Services (VIS) also spoke, urging drivers to view traffic officials as partners in ensuring their well-being and to maintain the condition of their vehicles to prevent posing a threat to other road users.
The persistent and decades-long difficulty in traveling between Abia and Akwa Ibom States is finally set to end, following the official flag-off of the 25-kilometre Umuahia–Ikot Ekpene Road reconstruction by Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti.
This critical intervention, announced on Thursday, addresses a federal highway that has been in a deplorable condition for decades, causing untold hardship to motorists and residents alike and severely hampering socio-economic activities across the region.
The Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road, a vital link between Abia and Akwa Ibom, has suffered from decades of neglect, making travel between the states arduous, time-consuming, and costly. The Abia State Government, having secured necessary approvals from the Federal Government, has taken the proactive step to reconstruct the road, recognizing that infrastructure serving the people shouldn’t be “hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.” The 25-kilometre project will be executed by GELD Construction Ltd and is expected to be completed within 18 months. It will feature modern amenities, including solar-powered streetlights.
Governor Alex Otti followed up the flag-off of the federal highway reconstruction with a second project close to his heart: the 13.5-kilometre Ariam Usaka Ring Road in Ikwuano Local Government Area.
The Ariam Usaka area is a fertile, food-producing belt in Abia State. The Governor described the ring road as a “strategic connector linking agricultural zones and catalysing local enterprise.”
The project is part of the administration’s broader infrastructure expansion plan aimed at opening up rural communities and unlocking prosperity. It will specifically cover Oboro, Ibere, Oloko, Ariam, and other surrounding communities, enhancing trade and mobility.
The contract details for the road are as follows: it has a length of 13.5 kilometres (some sources indicate 13.1 km) and the contractor is GELD Construction Ltd (the same company handling the Umuahia-Ikot Ekpene Road). The project is scheduled for completion within 12 months.
This local road project underscores the Governor’s commitment to inclusive development, ensuring that rural areas and the agricultural sector benefit directly from the state’s infrastructure investment.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), through its Kano Operations Office, has successfully received a total of 150 Nigerian returnees from Agadez, Niger Republic. The city of Agadez is widely known as a critical transit hub for irregular migration across the Sahara Desert, often a pathway Nigerians and other West Africans take towards Libya, Algeria, and ultimately Europe in search of better economic opportunities or fleeing instability.
The reception, as reported by NEMA on its X handle, which took place at the Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano, at approximately 5:20 hours on Thursday, October 23, 2025, is part of the ongoing Assisted Voluntary Return (AVR) initiative supported by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in collaboration with the Federal Government of Nigeria.
The operation was conducted in partnership with the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants, and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). Many migrants who travel further from Agadez are often arrested and deported or repatriated back to Niger, frequently arriving in or near Agadez without essential resources or documents, highlighting the importance of the safe return mechanism provided by the AVR.
Upon arrival, officials from the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) promptly conducted thorough biometric registration and proper documentation for all 150 returnees to ensure accurate records and smooth reintegration into the country. Following registration, the returnees were transported to the Bizare Hotel Luxury Apartments for accommodation and comprehensive profiling on October 24, 2025.
The demographic breakdown of the received group included 88 adult males, 32 adult females, 14 male children, and 16 female children.
In line with the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring the safe, dignified, and humane return of its citizens, the returnees were provided with immediate humanitarian assistance. This included the provision of food and potable water to meet immediate nutritional needs, medical care and ambulance services for health-related concerns, luggage handling and logistics support to ease their transit process, and general coordination to ensure a smooth and orderly reception exercise. The collaborative efforts of NEMA, IOM, NCFRMI, and other key stakeholders ensured that the entire reception process was well-coordinated, efficient, and centred on the dignity and welfare of all returnees.
…It Appears It Doesn’t Matter to Government – Community
BySubstance Udo-Nature
UYO, NIGERIA
Commuters, residents and others have expressed deep displeasure over the poor handling of the Tabernacle-Afaha Ube-Calabar Road, near the popular Etaha Itam Market, describing it as a disgrace considering that the road is one of the major entry and exit points from Uyo, the Capital City of the State.
The people also wondered what might have been the terms or bargains between the contractor handling the project, Nsik Engineering Ltd. and the Akwa Ibom State Government that the project is still lingering without any significant progress or hope of completion.
Today makes it approximately one year and six months since commencement of work on the project in March 2024. It would also be recalled that on May 20, 2024, the Akwa Ibom State Government, in a press statement, had announced complete closure to traffic of the section of the road between Nelson Mandela and Itam Market.
The reason, according to the release, was to enable the construction firm channel a 0.97 underground pipe-jacking system from Tabernacle road and adjoining streets across the main Calabar-Itu Road. The Statement accordingly advised motorists to use available detours in the meantime.
The closure had thrown commuters, pedestrians and residents into a prolong period of untold suffering, including property owners and businesses whose houses and shops were affected in the course of the project. process.
Our reporter who is monitoring project reported that the process of channeling the underground system across Calabar-Itu Road had lasted for the next 11 months until March 2025 when one lane of the road at stonebase level was open to traffic. It would take another six months, late September 2025, for the opposite lane, also at stone base level, to be partially open to small vehicles as it still stands today.
The stonebase, it was also gathered, had since started caving in, leaving deep gallops that presently are posing serious constraints to vehicles managing to ply the section of the road that witnesses heavy traffic jam, especially on main Itam Market days.
Speaking to our reporter who visited the site recently, a bus driver who gave his name simply as Abadsiubong lamented the prolonged situation has caused and wondered why government was doing nothing to ameliorate their suffering.
“This construction has lasted for too long. Haba! Since March last year? And Nsik is showing no seriousness or commitment to the job. It doesn’t seem bother him at all. Imagine that his so-called workers only come there to walk about with ordinary headpans and shovels”, Abadsiubong commented.
Residents and owners of houses that have seen lamented the relocation by tenants as well as shop owners who have lost full one year rents. They condemned the slow pace of work and government’s neglect and insensitivity to their plight.
A landlord whose house now squats dangerously on the tip of one of the gullies opened up as a result of the project, Mr. Effiong Udobang, said four of his tenants had since relocated and he and his family now have their hearts in their palms as they are uncertain when the house might cave in.
Udobang, a retired school principal, said, “We are still wondering what criteria government used in awarding this contract to this contractor. Does he have the capacity? Which road in this town has he ever built and completed? I don’t think this company has the capacity, if you asked me. Apart from that, why has government closed its eyes and ears to this shame on a major entry and exit road into the State.
“I had four tenants. But they’ve all parked out because at a point you cannot even walk along the sharp edges and muddy nature of the road Nsik has created in the process of digging for the underground or whatever he called it”
While the main road is still a challenge to the contractor, it was gathered that apart from the underground drainage system, Nsik was also awarded contract to construct the adjoining streets in the area, totalling 2.3 kilometres. Some of the streets, according to findings, include Nelson Mandela, School Road, Aka Hall, etc.
A concerned indigene of the area residing along Enen Mkprong, one of the adjoining streets, expressed fears that such will never see the light of day. “It’s like government is playing politics with this project. Awarding the contract to Nsik Engineering to construct Afaha Ube, Tabernacle, Nelson Mandela, etc means the roads will never be built till Umo Eno leaves office. Just look at what’s happening at the said underground channeling. More than one year now, they are still struggling. These streets have become so bad because they were used as detours when Calabar-Itu Road was confined off”
Our Special Projects Desk recalled that in October 2024, following rave media reviews, the State Government had led a delegation on inspection of the project.
Speaking during a press conference, the Commissioner for Works and Fire Service, Prof Eno Ibanga told Journalists that the cause for the delay was rain, that as soon as the rainy season was over, everything shall be done for the job to be delivered latest January 2025. But this is October 2025.
The Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, in November 2024, also undertaken sight inspection of the project, giving promises of completion.
Because government has been cautiously quiet over this period, many are wondering about government’s hidden intentions or what secret it may be sharing with the contractor. But respondents have called on the government to act promptly to compete the project.
Text messages sent to Prof Ibanga by our reporter for comments were not replied as at the time of going to press.
Akwa Ibom State has maintained a steady, appreciative streak of growth in its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) collections, especially counting from the birth of the ARISE Agenda of Gov. Umo Eno.
The State moved two steps upward on the sub-national IGR collections ranking in the 2024, according to latest data released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics and the Joint Tax Board, the body in charge of tax matters in the country.
The State ranked eight (8th) position in the 2024 sub-national IGR collections with ₦75.7 billion against the ₦43.1 billion collected in the year 2023, a growth rate that has attracted positive commentaries from commentators.
The State also ranked six (6th) position in percentage growth rate in over a 12-months period with a percentage growth performance of 75.45% compared to year 2023. This percentage growth even tops rich State like Lagos which came tops on the IGR collections ranking for 2024 with 54.6 percent growth rate compared to its 2023 figure.
Rivers State, FCT, and Ogun State which came second (2nd), third (3rd) and fourth (4th) positions in the 2024 ranking, came in the 8th, 18th and 19th positions in the percentage growth rate ranking with 62.3, 33.7 and 32.7 percent respectively. With this performance, Akwa Ibom sits fairly comfortable in the bracket of topclass performers in the 2024 ranking.
Akwa Ibom’s performance in the current ranking, the data further shows, has been faster from 2023 to date. This cannot be surprising. It fittingly coincides with the policy thrust and transformational strides of the ARISE Agenda across infrastructure, health, education, human capacity development, agriculture, etc.
The growth has also been enhanced by Governor Umo Eno’s effective and judicious use of the State’s financial resources, which in turn has won the citizens’ trust and encourage their voluntary compliance to tax payment. Besides, the Akwa Ibom State Internal Revenue Service (AKIRS) remains ever focused, resilient, resourceful and innovative in meeting new demands and expectations.
With this, the future is even brighter especially with the reforms spearheaded by the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu and the imminent New Tax Reforms Acts’ regime come January 2026, in tandem with AkwaGiS, TSA of the Akwa Ibom State Government.
Nigeria has concluded the court-ordered deportation of 192 convicted foreign nationals involved in large-scale online fraud, identity theft, and cyber-enabled Ponzi schemes, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) confirmed via its X handle, @officialEFCC.
The EFCC stated that the deportees, who included nationals from China, the Philippines, Tunisia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Timor-Leste, were confirmed through investigation to be managing fraudulent digital platforms and training recruits to defraud victims both locally and internationally. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) carried out the repatriation in coordinated batches between August and mid-October 2025, in accordance with court directives and immigration procedures.
The final batch of 51 convicts, comprising 50 Chinese nationals and one Tunisian, departed Nigeria on October 16, 2025, bringing the total repatriation of the 192 individuals to a successful close. The EFCC, in collaboration with the NIS and the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), completed the exercise for those sentenced for cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and related financial crimes in Lagos.
This mass deportation followed the conviction of the offenders by the Federal High Court in Lagos. The entire legal process was initiated after a major sting operation conducted by the EFCC on December 10, 2024, at Oyin Jolayemi Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, which led to the arrest and successful prosecution of 759 suspects. The deportation process had commenced on Friday, August 15, 2025, with the first batch of 42 Chinese and Filipino convicts.
All the deported convicts were apprehended alongside their Nigerian accomplices, who are believed to be members of a sophisticated cybercrime and ponzi scheme syndicate operating under the cover of Genting International Co. Limited.
The deported individuals were convicted for crimes like cyber-terrorism, internet fraud, and Ponzi schemes, operating under the guise of a company, Genting International Co. Limited, that reportedly recruited Nigerians. In the weeks leading up to the final deportation batch, social media activist, Martins Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkBlackMan, VDM, was highly vocal about exposing a fraudulent practice involving the repackaging of old phones (like the iPhone XR) into fake new models (like the iPhone 17 Pro Max). He claimed to have traced this large-scale deception to factories and operators in China, positioning himself as a consumer advocate actively fighting these foreign-linked scams.
His efforts, which included a trip to China in early 2025, focused on helping to expose Nigerian and Chinese partners involved in similar fraudulent activities.
Every now and then what we hear is noise, noise, and more noise! No convincing action. When government is ready and frank about reconstructing the Calabar-Itu, it will be obvious to even the blind and deaf.
For the many years that have passed, we’ve been told that the project has either been quoted or removed from budgets when the budgets were padded; that billions of naira have either been released or were to be released in tranches; that contractors have either returned to site or have been summoned to do so, with threats for revocation of the contract. We have also heard of deadlines for completion of the project given and hyped by government media managers.
By today, not fewer than four successive Nigerian administrations, or presidents, including the incumbent, had made bogus promises and pronouncements on the deplorable Calabar-Itu Road. But no proof of their commitments to the about 50-year-old critically important road would be more convincing than a visit to the site as it is today. In spite of its socioeconomic significance, because the people’s age-long expectations on the Calabar-Itu Road have been crushed so many times, any recent advocacy or pronouncements on it must be bad music to the ear.
Indeed, if promises alone have worked in the last 30 years, for instance, then stories on reconstruction of that road, by today, would be stinkingly stale. But we all know that’s not the case. Rather, in spite of the road’s cyclical and alleged appearance in the national budgets, in spite of inspection visits by government teams, it has remained a bait for electioneering campaigns, especially to the two-sister State’s of Akwa Ibom and Cross River that are first line victims of broken promises by successive administrations. Suffice to state that discussions on this road has always been a matter of politics, or always become loud at the approach of election seasons.
Extant records indicate that the road was first constructed by Fougerole, a French construction firm, during the administration of late Brig. General Jacob Udoakaha Esuen as military governor of Old Cross River State in the 70s. But it started getting bad and increasingly worse in the last 30 years, within which period presidents have come and gone with stories of the bad condition of the road permanently on their lips.
This brings to light most recent alleged interventions. In September 2025, the House of Representatives and Senate joint committee on works visited the road “to see the extent of work done”. What we heard in consequence was that the committee members were shocked that the road still remains a death trap. Senator Rufai Sani Hanga, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee, was quoted telling journalists after the inspection that what they saw was disappointing and unacceptable.
The visit by the lawmakers was reportedly predicated on a motion by Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, who represents Cross River South Senatorial District. Let’s first hear Hanga:
“We were in the bus and we were lamenting. How we got here, I don’t know. I know that a few years ago, this project was awarded, but all of a sudden, we have the issue of moving from asphalt to concrete, which practically derailed the entire work here. Even the part they say have been done, is not good. How do you get into Cross River from other parts of the country? We are cut off. Christmas is coming, an emergency needs to be on declared on this road.”
What this writer however is not convinced about is whether the lawmakers were truly shocked or surprised at what they saw real-time, beyond situation reports they may have been getting in the news from people like the Minister for Works, Engr. Dave Umahi. So long as Umahi was concerned, “work on Calabar-Itu Road was ongoing”, or maybe, “nearing completion” as His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu was determined to bring succour to the people.
Sen. Ekpenyong had in 2024 brought up the matter on the floor of the senate, literally begging government to intervene by approaching the situation with sincerity of heart. So, during the recent inspection, he recalled how a woman was forced to give birth prematurely while she was stuck on the road.
“This oversight was initiated almost a year ago by the motion I raised on the floor of the senate and that was instigated by the fact that this road has remained in this state of disrepair for several years. At some point last year in the course of the repairs, there was a traffic build-up and a lady who was about three months pregnant, her water broke and she delivered her baby in the car.
“I brought this to the floor of the senate. We went to work, summoned the ministry, summoned the contractors. We put as much fire under their belly and we are here now; we have not seen significant progress. This has been an eye opener for my colleagues.”
Early this year, Umahi emitted fire and sulphur, issuing threats to contractors that the contract would be revoked. Intereetingly, many Nigerians have been asking if government has fulfilled its own part of the bargain. The fears have been that they may be something government has not told the Nigerians about this project. In the days of Babatunde Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi, etc, the tunes were not different. They were wont to boasting that all was well with the road, that sufficient funds had been released for its completion. Fashola in particular even boasted that the deadline of July 2018. “By this time next year, stories on the road will have changed”, he said in July 2017. He left office with that promise.
Barely a month after assumption of office as Minister, Engr. Umahi did not only boast about completion of the Calabar-Itu Road but also the East-West Road. Please, take a ride there today and see things for your objective commentary.
Not long ago, the Member representing Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency in the Green Chamber, Rt. Hon. Unyime Idem, also sounded came with a bouquet promises to activate dead buttons for action on this same road. While the never doubted his intentions, the past however was the problem. Hence, the announcement by the Senators Ekpenyong and Hanga-led miracle workers might only amuse the gullible.
In other words, while every lawmaker’s and committee’s efforts must be commended, it cannot be forgotten that this is not the first time Nigerians have witnessed these dramas. In the main, it is doubtful if any ambitious lawmaker would shout too loud or be recklessly vociferous to the discomfort of political powers that determine matters. The situation of the Calabar-Itu Road would perhaps have been condonable had there been no security issues for commuters who have resorted to using water to connect Cross River and Akwa Ibom State. Still, we are sure to get more promises in 2026 and 2027, the real years of political momentum. In fact, the stagnant story of the Calabar-Itu is what deepens my reservations on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway!
The fact remains that it is the commons who are actually the real victims, the sufferers – and the casualties. Of course, more and more States in the country are now acquiring airplanes and launching commercial airlines, to save the rich the discomfort of using land to connect their destinations. It is sad. Or have I heard someone said, “Very sad!”
The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has announced it will intensify enforcement against overloading and carry out advocacy to discourage night journeys across Nigerian highways, following a fatal crash on the Obajana–Lokoja route that claimed ten lives and injured eleven others on Friday, October 10, 2025.
In a press statement signed by Assistant Corps Marshal Olusegun Ogungbemide, the Corps Public Education Officer, the FRSC confirmed that the tragedy occurred on Friday, October 10, 2025, at about 11:30 PM, involving a white Toyota Hiace commercial bus. Preliminary investigations indicated the cause was a combination of speed violation (SPV) and wrongful overtaking (WOV) on the part of the driver during a night trip.
Mohammed
The Corps Marshal, Shehu Mohammed, was quoted in the statement as warning that night travel and excessive speeding remain major causes of fatal road crashes. He called on commercial operators to adhere strictly to safety regulations, emphasizing that the Corps would step up efforts to curb these high-risk behaviours.
“The Corps will intensify its enforcement on Overloading and advocacy to discourage Night Journey across critical corridors in Nigeria,” the statement affirmed.
Of the 21 passengers involved, 10 were killed on the spot, while 11 sustained varying degrees of injuries. The FRSC urged passengers to be proactive and vigilant, cautioning that “silence in the face of recklessness is complicity in tragedy,” and encouraged the public to report reckless drivers immediately using the FRSC toll-free number 122.
The Nigerian Army has officially announced the commencement of online applications for the Short Service Combatant (SSC) Course 49. This recruitment drive comes at a critical time as the nation grapples with widespread and complex internal security challenges, underscoring the military’s urgent need to inject young, educated, and combat-ready leadership into its operational ranks.
The Nigerian Army, through its official channels, has made a clarion call to eligible citizens to join the service.
The application portal opens online from 9 October to 12 November 2025, and the application is free of charge. Interested candidates must visit the official Nigerian Army recruitment webpage at recruitment.army.mil.ng to apply.
The Short Service Combatant Commission is specifically for officers who will serve in the Combat Arms (Infantry and Armour Corps) and Combat Support Arms (Artillery, Engineers, Signals, and Intelligence Corps) of the Nigerian Army.
Applicants must be Nigerian citizens by birth and demonstrate good character. Regarding age, all candidates must be between 23 and 27 years old by January 9, 2026. For education, a minimum of a first degree with at least a Second Class Lower Division (2:2) or an HND with at least Lower Credit from an accredited institution is required. Critically, only tertiary academic credentials obtained from the year 2017 to date will be accepted. Civilian applicants must possess an NYSC discharge certificate or a valid certificate of exemption. In terms of physical standards, male applicants must be a minimum of 1.68 meters in height, and female applicants must be a minimum of 1.65 meters in height. Finally, serving military personnel must have completed a minimum of five years of service in the Armed Forces and comply with all necessary documentation requirements. All candidates must also be medically, mentally, and physically fit, have no criminal convictions, and must not have any body inscriptions or tattoos.
“The Nigerian Army wishes to inform the general public that the online application for the Short Service Combatant (SSC) Course 49 is now open. This presents a unique opportunity for eligible Nigerians to serve their fatherland in the Combat Arms and Combat Support Arms of the Nigerian Army,” the public announcement reads.
