Connect with us

News

Second Niger Bridge: the Facts & Figures by Doyin Okupe

Published

on

Doyin Okupe, a former aide to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan has made what he called 15 revelations about the Second Niger Bridge.

In a message he entitled “GEJ, Buhari & The People,” Okupe wrote:

[1] The Bridge is NOT Being Constructed by the FGN.

[2] It’s a PPP Project which the FGN contributes a tiny fraction.

[3] The 2nd Niger Bridge Will Cost about N117 billion.

[4] Started in 2013 and should have been completed in 2017, but worked stopped for 31 months. Completion date Not certain now.

[5] FGN share of the Cost is N30billion. Jonathan through the Sure-P paid N21.2billion (71%) including N7billion for the completion of preparatory work (Phase 1).

[6] 38% of the work has been done as at Jan 2015.
[7] The N140b Oshiomhole said was wasted on Admin cost on the bridge was a lie, as admin cost will not be higher the to cost of the whole project.

[8] Buhari’s Govt Paid N2billion NOT $2billion as Osinbajo said during the Anambra state election. They will be paying another N3.05 when 2018 budget is approved.

[9] Work has restarted in earnest at the site and about 5%-7% has been completed bring the total completed work to about 43% to 45% according to an engineer I spoke to.

[10] All the pictures flying all over the internet are pictures of work-in-progress made during the 1st quarter of 2015.

[11] In summary Jonathan Govt have paid 71% of FGN share of the cost, While Buhari’s govt has paid 6.1%.

[12] Julius Berger, the Major Contractor and Construction company will put Toll Gate on Completion of the Bridge to cover their cost.

[13] The Construction Company is Funding the Project and the People using the Bridge will bear the cost via Toll Charges.

[14] The real People building the Bride are Nigerians that will use the Bridge, as they will REPAY the cost to Julius Berger.

[15] For those celebrating Politicians and sharing old or fake pictures of 2nd Niger Bridge, the #Facts are Not on your side.

GrassRoots.ng is on a critical mission; to objectively and honestly represent the voice of ‘grassrooters’ in International, Federal, State and Local Government fora; heralding the achievements of political and other leaders and investors alike, without discrimination. This daily, digital news publication platform serves as the leading source of up-to-date information on how people and events reflect on the global community. The pragmatic articles reflect on the life of the community people, covering news/current affairs, business, technology, culture and fashion, entertainment, sports, State, National and International issues that directly impact the locals.

News

The Peruvian Government Has Officially Classified Transgender, Nonbinary And Intersex People As “Mentally ill”

Published

on

According to the country’s ministry of health, the controversial decision was made to ensure the country’s public health services could “guarantee full coverage of medical attention for mental health” for the trans community.

It also categorises “dual-role transvestitism,” “fetishistic transvestism,” and “other gender identity disorders” under the same bracket of mental illness.

The new law will change language in the Essential Health Insurance Plan (PEAS) to reflect the view of trans and intersex people as a mental health disorder.

Trans groups across Peru have loudly condemned the decision as a step backwards for the country’s already complex relationship with LGBTQ+ rights.

Continue Reading

News

Math Teacher Accused Of Having Sex With 2 Students And Getting Pregnant For One Tearfully Reveals The Baby Was Taken Away From Her

Published

on

The UK teacher who had a baby with an underage student while on trial for having sex with another teenage boy broke down in court after revealing her newborn baby girl had been “taken away” from her.

Manchester math teacher Rebecca Joynes, 30, sobbed to jurors over how her baby was taken “24 hours after being born” this past January — and now she only sees her for nine hours a week, Joynes told jurors on Monday, May 13, according to the Manchester Evening News.

“At the moment I have contact with her three times a week for three hours and that’s it,” she said through tears.

Joynes was arrested and released on bail on orders not to have unsupervised contact with anyone under 18 after allegedly grooming her pupil, known as Boy A in court, by buying him a $430 Gucci belt before bringing him to her apartment for unprotected sex.

She was suspended from school and eventually fired, but soon after, she began having a relationship with a 15-year-old boy, known in court as Boy B, whom she had a baby with in January.

Joynes, who has denied having sex with either boy when they were underage, told the court that when she learned of the allegations against her she had gone to the second boy in a “panic” and he deleted all of her phone’s content.

The former teacher denied having a sexual relationship with the second boy until after he turned 16 and she was already suspended from teaching.

According to her narration,

She said he had added her on Snapchat twice, which she only accepted the second time because she thought he “wanted to tell her something.”

Joynes said a friendship developed and he quickly became her “best friend” even though the boy would make flirtatious and sexualized comments toward her when he was drunk.

She told jurors that it wasn’t until after his 16th birthday that he messaged her saying “I’ve left school now” with a winky face.

After she received notice that she had been dismissed from her job, he went to her apartment, where following an emotional conversation, they had sex.

The two then entered a relationship that Joynes described as “quite toxic” telling the court how the teenager was “very controlling.”

After discovering she was pregnant, Joynes hid love notes for the boy to find around her apartment.

The notes eventually led to a piece of baby clothing that had the words “I love my daddy to the moon and back” written on it.

The court was told that she gave birth to their baby girl in January, but following an emergency court hearing, the newborn was taken away from Joynes.

Joynes has denied two counts of sexual activity with Boy A; two counts of sexual activity with Boy B; and two counts of sexual activity with Boy B while being a person in a position of trust.

Her trial is ongoing.

Continue Reading

News

First Man To Receive Pig Kidney Transplant Has Died

Published

on

The first Man to receive a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died two months after the operation.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), which carried out the procedure in March, announced Sunday, May 12, that Richard “Rick” Slayman, 62, has died.

They said there was no indication his death was a result of the transplant.

Transplants of other organs from genetically modified pigs have failed in the past, but the operation on Mr Slayman, who was suffering with end-stage kidney disease, was hailed as a historic milestone.

In addition to kidney disease, Mr Slayman also suffered from Type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

In 2018, he had a human kidney transplant, but it began to fail after five years.

Following his pig kidney transplant on March 16, his doctors confirmed he no longer needed dialysis after the new organ was said to be functioning well.

“Mr Slayman will forever be seen as a beacon of hope to countless transplant patients worldwide and we are deeply grateful for his trust and willingness to advance the field of xenotransplantation,” MGH said in a statement.

Xenotransplantation is the transplanting of living cells, tissues or organs from one species to another.

MGH said it was “deeply saddened” at his sudden death and offered condolences to his family.

Mr Slayman’s relatives said his story was an inspiration.

“Rick said that one of the reasons he underwent this procedure was to provide hope for the thousands of people who need a transplant to survive,” they said.

“Rick accomplished that goal and his hope and optimism will endure forever.

“To us, Rick was a kind-hearted man with a quick-witted sense of humour who was fiercely dedicated to his family, friends, and co-workers,” they added.

While Mr Slayman received the first pig kidney to be transplanted into a human, it is not the first pig organ to be used in a transplant procedure.

Two other patients have received pig heart transplants, but those procedures were unsuccessful as the recipients died a few weeks later.

In one case, there were signs the patient’s immune system had rejected the organ, which is a common risk in transplants.

Continue Reading

Trending