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A multi-vehicle crash involving three trucks and a car occurred at Otedola on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, inbound to Berger, Lagos State, further worsening traffic congestion along the busy highway.

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority disclosed this in a post on its X handle on Wednesday.

According to LASTMA, the crash occurred shortly before the Otedola Bridge, and its officers mobilised to the scene to begin rescue and evacuation operations.

‘A multiple-vehicle accident involving three trucks and a car has occurred at Otedola, just before the bridge inward Berger.

‘Our officers have promptly mobilised to the scene to commence necessary interventions, including rescue and evacuation operations. Personnel of the Nigerian Police Force and other relevant first responders are also on the ground to support and facilitate the operations,’ the agency stated.

LASTMA said the incident had resulted in a traffic backlog stretching to the Toll Gate.

It added that its personnel were managing traffic in the area to reduce the crash’s impact and restore normal vehicular movement.

‘Traffic management efforts are ongoing to mitigate the impact and restore normal vehicular movement,’ the agency said.

The fresh crash occurred as motorists and commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were still dealing with the aftermath of a multiple-vehicle crash at the Kara Bridge on Tuesday, which severely disrupted traffic amid ongoing repair works on the bridge.

The Kara crash, which occurred in the early hours of Tuesday, involved seven vehicles and initially disrupted movement towards Ogun State, with the resulting gridlock stretching beyond the Long Bridge towards Magboro and into Lagos.

Motorists and commuters remained trapped in the congestion for more than 14 hours as the situation worsened during the day.

As the gridlock intensified, some impatient motorists drove against traffic to escape the congestion, creating another bottleneck for vehicles heading towards Lagos.

Our correspondents observed that motorists travelling from Lagos to Ogun State were already held up in traffic as early as 7am on Tuesday, and the situation worsened as the day progressed.

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Senator Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has dismissed suggestions that the Federal Government’s spending priorities under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu are designed to favour particular regions of the country.

Bagudu said federal expenditure on security, infrastructure and support for livelihoods was driven by national priorities and aimed at addressing the needs of Nigerians irrespective of their location.

He spoke while delivering a keynote address at the Federal Appointees Strategic Summit on the presentation and review of ministerial and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) budget implementation.

The minister said security expenditure, for instance, was targeted at protecting communities affected by insecurity, while investments in roads and other infrastructure were intended to improve movement, connectivity and economic activities across the country.

He urged federal appointees to have a proper understanding of the policies and economic reforms of the Tinubu administration and to explain their impact more effectively to Nigerians, especially people at the grassroots.

According to him, better communication of government policies was necessary to enable citizens to understand both the difficulties created by the reforms and the objectives behind them.

Bagudu said the administration inherited a difficult economic situation and decided to remove the petrol subsidy and reform the foreign exchange market as part of measures to address deep-rooted economic imbalances.

He acknowledged that the reforms had contributed to the cost-of-living pressures experienced by Nigerians, particularly when combined with developments in the global economy.

The minister said the government did not anticipate the extent of the economic turbulence that would follow the reforms and the international pressures that subsequently affected economies around the world.

Despite the difficulties, he said the administration remained focused on creating a stronger and more sustainable economy capable of delivering growth that benefits a wider section of the population.

Bagudu said one of the major outcomes of the reforms had been an improvement in government revenues, giving the Federal Government, states and local governments greater financial capacity to perform their constitutional responsibilities.

He linked the increased revenue available to the three tiers of government to President Tinubu’s approach to fiscal federalism, under which more resources are expected to reach states and local governments rather than being concentrated at the centre.

‘Rather than keeping additional revenues at the centre, the President has taken the position that we should give local governments and states more money and energise everyone so that we can interrogate and fulfil our responsibilities,’ he said.

The minister also referred to measures taken by the Federal Government to settle outstanding financial obligations involving states, saying the steps were intended to strengthen the federation and improve the ability of governments at all levels to provide services to citizens.

He recalled that there had been periods when some states found it difficult to pay workers’ salaries even when international crude oil prices were relatively high.

At the same time, he said, many states faced shortages of funds for infrastructure and other essential public services.

Bagudu said the stronger financial position of states in the current period had created greater room for them to spend on infrastructure, education, security and other responsibilities assigned to them by the Constitution.

He said the improvement in public finances was also reflected in some broader economic indicators, including the country’s revenue-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio.

On taxation, the minister said ongoing reforms were intended to make the tax system more efficient and improve compliance, rather than impose unnecessary hardship on citizens.

He, however, acknowledged that Nigerians were still facing significant economic pressures as the government pursued the reforms.

According to him, conflicts in different parts of the world, uncertainty in international markets and changes in global trade and tariff policies have continued to affect food prices and the general cost of living.

Bagudu said the progress recorded so far should not be regarded as the final outcome of the administration’s economic programme, noting that President Tinubu had repeatedly challenged government officials to achieve more.

He said the administration was working towards its ambition of growing Nigeria into a $1 trillion economy by 2030, with growth that would be broad enough to improve living standards and reduce poverty.

Bagudu described the $1 trillion target as ambitious but achievable, provided the country put in place the structures required for sustained economic transformation.

He said effective implementation of the National Development Plan would be important to achieving the long-term economic objectives, alongside policies that encourage investment, production and job creation.

The minister also called for greater attention to domestic production, saying Nigeria needed to strengthen its ability to produce more of what its citizens consume and ensure that economic reforms translated into tangible improvements in people’s lives.

He said the National Economic Council had been discussing ways of encouraging state governments to adopt policies that would increase domestic production and ensure that the gains from economic reforms spread more widely across the country.

Bagudu’s comments come as the Federal Government continues to defend the direction of its economic reforms, which have brought significant changes to fuel pricing, the foreign exchange market and public finances, while citizens continue to grapple with higher living costs.

The minister said the ultimate objective was to use the reforms to build stronger public finances and create the conditions for sustained and inclusive economic growth across the country.

The Borno Government has intensified efforts to control flooding through river dredging, construction of culverts and drainage infrastructure, as well as other water-management interventions across the state.

Mr Babagana Sa’ad, Secretary of the Borno High Committee on Flood and Water-Related Matters, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday in Maiduguri.

Sa’ad said the measures were part of the government’s proactive approach to preventing flooding and mitigating its impact on communities vulnerable to water-related disasters.

He said the committee had been working with relevant agencies, including the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to assess annual flood forecasts and develop appropriate preparedness measures.

According to him, the committee recently reviewed the 2026 flood outlook in collaboration with NiMet and NEMA.

He said Maiduguri was not listed as a flood-risk area in the 2026 forecast, while Shani and Mobar Local Government Areas were identified as areas with potential flooding risks.

Sa’ad said the government subsequently deployed measures to mitigate the impact of possible flooding in the affected areas.

He explained that an enlarged culvert was constructed at Damasak in Mobar after assessments showed that an existing culvert was undersized and contributed to recurrent flooding in the area.

‘Since after that construction, we have not had any report of flooding in Damasak,’ he said.

The secretary said the committee also constituted a subcommittee to assess flooding around Bargu in Shani Local Government Area.

He said the assessment established that siltation in the Bargu River was restricting the free flow of water and causing the river to overflow its banks.

‘The Bargu River has been dredged and a substantial volume of sand removed to give free flow of storm water,’ he said.

Sa’ad said the intervention had helped reduce flooding in the area, adding that the committee had recommended the construction of Reno mattresses along vulnerable sections of the riverbank to provide additional protection against erosion.

He described Reno mattresses as slope-protection structures designed to stabilise riverbanks and prevent further erosion.

The official said the 2024 flood also caused significant damage along the Dikwa road, where floodwater cut off the federal highway and created difficulties for residents and travellers.

He said although the road was a federal road, the state government constructed a 10-cell culvert at the location to facilitate the free flow of stormwater.

Sa’ad added that the government had constructed several drainage systems through the Ministry of Works, Borno State Road Maintenance Agency (BORMA) and Ministry of Environment across the state.

According to him, the drainage projects are designed to collect and channel runoff water away from communities and reduce the risk of flooding.

He said the committee had also identified and cleared River Tiffa and River Kifi, as well as water channels from Bulunkutu and Gomari leading to River Ngadabul and onward through Kano Motor Park to River Yezram.

He explained that the clearing was aimed at restoring the free flow of water and reducing pressure on waterways and riverbanks.

Sa’ad said the government’s flood and erosion control measures also included tree-planting campaigns and watershed management initiatives.

He urged residents to complement government efforts by avoiding the dumping of refuse in drainage channels, keeping waterways clear and supporting measures aimed at protecting riverbanks.

He stressed that effective flood control required sustained collaboration among government agencies, traditional institutions and communities.

Sa’ad said the interventions were expected to improve safety, mobility and livelihoods in vulnerable communities while reducing damage caused by flooding and erosion.

The Lagos State House of Assembly has passed the 2026 Budget Reordering Bill.

The passage of the bill presented by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu followed the adoption of a report of the Assembly’s Committee on Economic Planning and Budget.

Presenting the report at plenary, the Committee Chairman, Sa’ad Olumoh, said the reordering became necessary to correct imbalances in capital project implementation by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

According to him, while some MDAs have substantially implemented their capital allocations, others have recorded low performance, affecting service delivery and the overall 2026 budget performance.

He explained that the exercise will ensure a more focused capital investment, accelerate project delivery, and improve budget performance, which stood at 69 per cent as of June 30.

Recurrent revenue was put at 79 per cent; recurrent expenditure, 73 per cent; and capital expenditure, 66 per cent.

The committee said that priority would be given to critical sectors like transportation infrastructure, completion of hospital projects, housing, environmental sanitation and waste management as well as security and emergency equipment.

Following the adoption of the report, Speaker Mudashiru Obasa put the bill to a vote. It was unanimously passed.

In the revised budget, N2.076 trillion is earmarked for recurrent expenditure and N2.367 trillion for capital expenditure, bringing the total revised budget size to N4.444 trillion for the fiscal year.

Also yesterday, a Street Begging Prohibition Bill pending before the Assembly received the backing of atakeholders back Lagos Assembly’s prohibition bill.

Stakeholders at a public hearing by the Assembly said the proposed law is long overdue.

Chairman of the state branch of the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA). Uchena Akingbade said street begging in the state menace that is particularly severe along the Lekki-Epe corridor.

She called for urgent action, including the possibility of declaring a state of emergency in flashpoints.

Akingbade urged the Assembly to avoid ambiguity in the bill, define clearly the provision on ‘prohibition of loitering for the purpose of begging,’ prescribe stiffer penalties for beggars found with dangerous weapons, and establish more rehabilitation centres.

Gbolahan Oki, who spoke on behalf of the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, recalled the menace of area boys during the EndSARS period, noting that many offenders were undeterred by arrest because they believe they will be quickly released.

He advocated for a rehabilitation model where offenders are subjected to hard work and community service, referencing the Itekule concept where culprits produce bread and serve society.

Emmanuel Ikule, executive director of Elixir Trust Foundation, called for special attention to beggars with mental health challenges, citing cases at Pen Cinema and Ojodu-Berger where knives are allegedly used at night to extort residents.

Adigun Olalekan, who spoke for youths, supported the bill and lamented the influx of unidentified persons into Lagos daily.

Counselling psychologist, Mrs Suliat Olaniran, also decried the embarrassment caused by street begging at night, including alleged use of weapons to compel people to give money.

Chairman, House Committee on Youth, Sports and Social Development, Abiodun Orekoya, said the bill recognises that street begging goes beyond public order, with security, socio-economic and child protection dimensions.

Orekoya said the response must be ‘firm and humane,’ protecting vulnerable children rather than merely punishing them, and ensuring enforcement respects fundamental rights under Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution.

Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, who represented Speaker Obasa, assured that the law is not intended to infringe on rights. She welcomed partnerships with the private sector.

The bill seeks to establish a comprehensive framework to address street begging, promote public safety, environmental sanity and child protection.

It also seeks to prohibit parents, guardians and custodians from using or allowing children to engage in street begging or hawking.

Under the proposal, children apprehended would be treated in line with the Lagos State Child Rights Law and referred to child welfare authorities.

The bill proposes a rehabilitation-centred approach: first-time offenders would be cautioned and taken to rehabilitation centres; second-time offenders risk a fine or up to three months imprisonment, while serial offenders could face up to two years imprisonment.

The rehabilitation package includes temporary care, vocational training, literacy, psychological counselling, life-skills and welfare support.

*12 confirmed for LGSC, LNSA, Audit Service Commission appointments(WRAP THIS UNDER THE SECOND LEAD)

The Assembly also screened and confirmed 12 nominees forwarded to it by Sanwo-Olu’s nominees for appointments into two commissions and an agency.

The confirmed nominees are Murusiq Durosimi and Ahmed Seriki for the Local Government Service Commission (LGSC) as well as Yetunde Longe, Goriola Oyenusi, Bode Makinde, Adekunle Adelaja and Opeyemi Adetunji as board members of the Neighbourhood Safety Agency (LNSA).

Others are Kikelomo Dawodu, Bukola Ogunowo, Omotayo Gbajabiamila-Olamona, Bowale Shosimi and Sunday Kappo for the State Audit Service Commission.