President Tinubu unveils Chinese-built arterial road in capital city

 

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has lauded the completion of an arterial road built by a Chinese firm in Abuja, the capital, saying that infrastructure development is essential to the country's progress.

Tinubu on Wednesday commissioned the 3.64-km arterial road N16, built by CGC Nigeria Limited.

The commissioning was listed as one of the landmark projects of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, marking the president's second year in office.

The N16 connects several parts of Abuja, along with accompanying interchanges and feeder roads in the Maitama District, one of the most sought-after neighborhoods in the city.

"What was once a missing link is now a modern, functional, and durable infrastructure, an artery fully realized," Tinubu said, noting that the construction project affirmed his administration's commitment to transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda.

"This road will ease traffic congestion around Central Abuja and improve connectivity to developing districts such as Katampe, Jahi, and Bwari. It will stimulate housing and business growth while serving as a foundation for future city integration," the president said.

Tinubu commended the smooth relocation of local communities and compensation of residents affected by the development, urging citizens to protect and use the infrastructure wisely to bring about growth, social integration, and economic opportunity.

Nigeria's Federal Executive Council awarded the contract to CGC Nigeria in September 2024, and the construction commenced a month later. The project was completed in eight months, four months ahead of the one-year working period.

Zhong Xiang, managing director of CGC Nigeria, told Xinhua that the spirit of trust and friendship between China and Nigeria buoyed their confidence.

"Throughout the construction, we created over 1,300 direct and indirect jobs, significantly boosting local economic activities," he said. "The completion of this road project reflects our commitment to excellence and aligns with the Nigerian president's Renewed Hope Agenda on infrastructural development."

Xinhua

Ogoni Nine Pardon ‘Falls Far Short’ of Real Justice

Responding to the announcement on Wednesday that the Nigerian government has pardoned the Ogoni Nine, Isa Sanusi, Amnesty International Nigeria’s Director, said:

“This is welcome news but it falls far short of the justice the Ogoni Nine need and deserve – the Nigerian government must recognize formally that they are innocent of any crime and fully exonerate them.

“The Ogoni Nine, led by Ken Saro-Wiwa Nigeria’s leading author and campaigner, were brutally executed by a regime that wanted to hide the crimes of Shell and other oil companies that were destroying – and continue to destroy – the lives and livelihoods of tens of thousands of people across the Niger Delta as a result of their devastating oil spills and leaks.

“The execution of these activists nearly 30 years ago has given the Nigerian government and oil companies, including Shell, license to crackdown on protests and intimidate people in the Niger Delta who have been demanding justice and an end to their toxic pollution.

“Full justice for the Ogoni Nine is only a first step – much more needs to be done to get justice for communities in the Niger Delta, including holding Shell and other oil companies to account for the damage they have done and continue to do. They must pay the Niger Delta’s communities full compensation for the devastation their oil spills and leaks have caused and clean up their toxic mess before they leave the region.”

The Ogoni Nine

Ken Saro-Wiwa, environmental activist and writer, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Baribor Bera, Felix Nuate, Paul Levula, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo and Daniel Gbokoo, were executed after a blatantly unfair trial on 10 November 1995. Officially accused of involvement in murder, the men had in fact been put on trial because they had challenged the devastating impact of oil production by Shell, in the Ogoniland region of the Niger Delta.

Shell have been accused of complicity in the unlawful arrest, detention and execution of nine men.

Niger Delta devastation

For 60 years Shell and other oil companies have been responsible for oil spills and leaks due to poorly maintained pipelines, wells and inadequate clean-up attempts that have ravaged the health and livelihoods of many of the 30 million people living in the Niger Delta – most of whom live in poverty. People can’t fish anymore because their water sources, including their wells for drinking water, are poisoned and the land is contaminated which has killed plant life, meaning communities can no longer farm. 

The Ogale and Bille communities as well as the Bodo community are taking Shell to the UK’s Royal Courts of Justice demanding the oil giant cleans up the oil spills that have wrecked their livelihoods, health and caused widespread devastation to the local environment.

Amnesty International

Nigeria pardons activist Ken Saro-Wiwa 30 years after execution

 

Nigeria's president has pardoned the late activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, 30 years after his execution sparked global outrage.

Along with eight other campaigners, Mr Saro-Wiwa was convicted of murder, then hanged in 1995 by the then-military regime.

Many believed the activists were being punished for leading protests against the operations of oil multinationals, particularly Shell, in Nigeria's Ogoniland. Shell has long denied any involvement in the executions.

Though the pardons have been welcomed, some activists and relatives say they do not go far enough.

As well as issuing the pardons on Thursday, Nigerian President Bola Tinubu bestowed national honours on Mr Saro-Wiwa and his fellow campaigners, who were known as the Ogoni Nine.

The nine men - Mr Saro-Wiwa, Barinem Kiobel, John Kpuinen, Baribor Bera, Felix Nuate, Paul Levula, Saturday Dobee, Nordu Eawo and Daniel Gbokoo - were among dozens who received the honours as part of Nigeria's annual Democracy Day.

Tinubu said the accolades recognised "heroes" who had made "outstanding contributions " to the nation's democracy.

Responding to the pardons for the Ogoni Nine, campaign groups said they would like the government to take further steps.

The Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Mosop), which was formerly led by Mr Saro-Wiwa, called the pardon a "courageous act".

However, Mosop also said that the pardon implies wrongdoing, while in reality "no crime ever took place".

Barinem Kiobel's widow expressed her gratitude to Tinubu for the national honour, but called on the president to "properly declare [her] husband and his compatriots innocent" because a "pardon is not granted to the innocent".

Likewise, Amnesty International said clemency falls "far short of the justice the Ogoni Nine need".

More must be done to hold oil companies to account for environmental damage currently occurring in Nigeria, the organisation added.

Mr Saro-Wiwa, who was one of Nigeria's leading authors, led the Ogoni people in peaceful demonstrations against Shell and other oil companies.

Mosop accused the multinational company of polluting the land that locals relied on for their livelihoods.

The Nigerian government responded by brutally cracking down on the protesters. The Ogoni Nine were subsequently found guilty by a secret military tribunal of the murder of four Ogoni chiefs.

Their execution sparked outrage within the international community. It was widely condemned as extrajudicial murder and became a global symbol of the struggle against environmental injustice and repression.

Nigeria was consequently suspended from the Commonwealth group of nations.

Since then, Shell has faced various lawsuits over oil spills and environmental damage in the Niger Delta, the southern region that Ogoniland is a part of.

In 2021 a Dutch court ordered Shell to compensate farmers for spills that contaminated swathes of farmland and fishing waters in the Niger Delta. The company agreed to pay more than a hundred million dollars.

Earlier this year, lawyers representing two Ogoniland communities argued in London's High Court that Shell must take responsibility for oil pollution that occurred between 1989 and 2020.

Shell denies wrongdoing and says spills in the region have been caused by sabotage, theft and illegal refining for which the company says it is not liable.

The case's full trial is set for 2026.

By Wedaeli Chibelushi, BBC

Video - Mixed reactions in Nigeria as more men embrace braided hair

An increasing number of young Nigerian men are opting for braided hairstyles instead of traditional haircuts, sparking debate over cultural values and gender norms. Supporters argue that braids are a form of self-expression and individuality, while critics contend that the trend breaks with African tradition and appears inappropriate.

CGTN

FBI nabs Nigerian over teen sextortion, gets five years

A Nigerian national, Samuel Abiodun, has been sentenced to five years’ imprisonment in the United States after pleading guilty to his role in an online sextortion scheme that led to the death of a teenage boy.

Abiodun, 25, was arrested in Nigeria alongside an accomplice, Afeez Aina, by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and extradited to the US in July 2024. He was sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Joel Slomsky of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

According to US Attorney David Metcalf, Abiodun served as a financial middleman in a network that targeted and extorted vulnerable young people online, with devastating consequences.

Speaking on the role Abiodun played in the conspiracy, Metcalf said, “As the financial middleman, Abiodun played a key role in this sextortion scheme, which thoroughly traumatised the victim and then devastated his family.”

“These scammers’ sole aim is to get money from scared and vulnerable young people, with absolutely no regard for their feelings or the potential fallout. In prosecuting this case, we are bringing to justice the men whose actions resulted in truly indelible harm”.

Abiodun pleaded guilty in December 2024 to conspiracy to commit money laundering and wire fraud. Prosecutors said his role was pivotal in channelling the extorted funds from victims to the perpetrators in Nigeria.

His co-accused, Aina, pleaded guilty last month to cyberstalking, interstate threats, and receiving proceeds of extortion, among other charges. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 11 August and faces up to life in prison.

A third suspect, Afeez Adewale, has also been charged but remains in Nigeria, pending extradition.

The US Department of Justice praised the collaboration of Nigerian authorities, including the Attorney General’s office, the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), for their role in apprehending the suspects.

“This case shows the reach of US law enforcement,” Metcalf said. “If you target Americans online from abroad, we will find you — and you will be brought to justice.”

The victim, whose identity was withheld, died by suicide after being targeted in the online sextortion plot.

By Kareem Azeez, The Guardian

Related story: Nigerian crime gangs are targeting young British boys in 'sextortion' scams