The Editorials

..as Craneburg continues interim repairs on Ilepa , Bosun , Pakoto, Ifo, Ewekoro, Itori, and Obada area Oredola Adeola Relief is in sight for motorists on the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta Expressway, as Craneburg, the contracting firm, has commenced the much-anticipated reconstruction of the heavily trafficked route. The official groundbreaking ceremony for the project is scheduled for Friday, August 23, and will be led by Ogun State Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun. The Contractor , Craneburg Construction Company Ltd, began mobilizing its equipment to the site about 10 days ago, initiating palliative measures on one side of the road to ensure it remains passable while full-scale reconstruction commences on the opposite side. The interim repairs, which have already been carried out, span the Sango-Ota, Ilepa , Bosun , Pakoto, Ifo, Ewekoro, Itori, and Obada areas, with stone bases laid on the most deteriorated sections to ease the burden of travel during the construction period. The expressway

  Oredola Adeola The new Presidential jet, an A330-200 registered as 5N-FGA, is about to land in Abuja. Editorials obtained this from data from RadarBox on Sunday evening. Recall that the acquisition of this aircraft has been a subject of intense debate, given Nigeria's ongoing economic challenges.  Critics argue that the $100 million spent on the jet is an inappropriate use of funds at a time when the government struggles to address basic needs, such as paying the minimum wage. However, supporters of the purchase, including members of the National Assembly, have defended the decision.  They contend that the current presidential fleet, which includes a 19-year-old Boeing aircraft, is outdated and poses safety risks.  They also argued that a reliable and modern presidential jet is crucial for national representation and security.  The House of Representatives had earlier endorsed the acquisition, emphasizing the importance of operational efficiency for the presidential air fleet. Fu

The United Arab (UAE) has approved $45 million in finance towards the reconstruction of 86 kilometres of Minna-Bida Road in Niger State.  This was confirmed by Dr. Fahad Al Taffaq, UAE Ambassador to Nigeria @altaffaq, and obtained by the Editorialsng on Thursday.  The Editorialsng gathered that the fund for the project was made possible through the collaboration with between UAE Government, Nigeria Government, and Abu Dhabi_Fund for Development (ADFD) According to Dr. Fahad Al Taffaq, this is a commendable stride in our bilateral relations with Nigeria.  He said, "The $45 million financing towards the development of Minna-Bida Road in Niger State sets a new path for a strategic partnership that embodies the beginning of a comprehensive development phase in Nigeria.  In a statement by Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the organisation disclosed that the agreement represents a significant milestone, as Nigeria becomes the latest African country to establish a distinguished rela

  Oredola Adeola The historically significant 9th - 11th century Igbo-Ukwu collections of bronzes in National Museum Lagos, have been selected to receive Bank of America’s $40,000 grant for 2022 Art Conservation Project. This was released in a statement obtained by Surprise Africa on Thursday, by the Nigerian National Commission for Museums and Monuments.   According to the statement the National Museum Lagos was selected as a beneficiary of the Bank of America Arts Conservation Project 2022 out of about 19 major global art conservation projects to be selected.   Surprise Africa gathered that the funding from the grant will be used to restore 350 Igbo-Ukwu bronze objects, historically inimitable, they come from a culture that may be the earliest known example of bronze casting in the region.  Our correspondent gathered that the grant was the first ever funding received for the conservation of the Igbo-Ukwu bronzes. The National Museum Lagos is one of 19 significant art restoration proj

Oredola Adeola The 2022 edition of the just concluded Big Brother Naija “Level Up” failed to level up to expectation, this is because the number of voters fell below the votes that the ‘Shine ya Eye’ Season 6, 2021 edition recorded. John Ugbe, Chief Executive Officer,  MultiChoice Nigeria, disclosed this during the prize presentation to the winner of the “Level Up” edition, Josephine Otabor, popularly known as Phyna, on Tuesday in Lagos. The Editorials' analysis showed that Season 7 received over 1bn votes during the programme compared with a total of 1.3 billion votes garnered in the previous season. This represented a 23.08% decrease in the number of votes cast by fans for their favourite housemates.     The organisers however noted that hosting the show in 2022, cost a whooping N4.7billion compared with about N4.3 billion spent during the Season 6 edition.  The BBNaija season 4 “Pepper Dem” edition held in 2019, recorded 240 million votes, while the Season 5 “Lockdown” edition h

  By Chukwudi Iwuchukwu   To those who do not understand why I called the wife of the new king of England, King Charles, “Side Chick”, let me share their beautiful love story.   The course of true love never runs smooth, and that was certainly the case for the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. It took years for the British public to accept Camilla as Charles’ new girlfriend and then wife in 2005, following the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. But over the decades, fans have warmed to the Duchess and credit her with supporting the future king and becoming his rock.     As Charles and Camilla celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary last weekend, let’s take a look at their enduring love story, which started in the seventies…   A chance meeting at a polo match in 1970 marked the beginning of Camilla Shand’s relationship with Prince Charles. The two – both aged 23 – began dating, but their romance cooled when the future King was called away on naval duties overseas. He didn’t