One person died, and several properties were damaged when a fire broke out at the Bishop Crowther Memorial Seminary School, Awka, Anambra State capital.

The cause of the fire has yet to be ascertained, but it was gathered that the incident occurred around 11.30 pm on Saturday.

It was also gathered that the fire damaged the school’s hostel, including mattresses and other students’ belongings.

The victim, a student who died in the incident, was said to have been taken to a mortuary.

Confirming the incident via a statement from the Media Unit of Anambra State Fire Service, on Sunday, the state Fire Service Chief, Chukwudi Chiketa, said firefighters and a fire truck were deployed immediately to the scene of the incident and the fire was contained.

According to the statement, the fire chief had visited the school on Sunday for inspection, where the principal narrated how the fire affected a part of the school’s hostel.

The statement was titled, ‘Update on the incident that occurred in Bishop Crowther Seminary, Awka’.

It read in part, “The Anambra State Fire Service Chief arrived at Bishop Crowther Memorial Seminary School, Awka at 10:55 a.m. on Sunday, for a firsthand inspection and assessment of the level of damages caused by the fire outbreak that occurred on Saturday night in the school.

“Recall that Anambra State Fire Service received a distress call at 11:30 pm, on Saturday, May 18, 2024, which reported a fire outbreak in one of the school’s hostels. Our firefighters and one of the fire trucks were deployed immediately to the scene of the incident, and the fire was contained.

“The cause of this fire is still unknown, but it’s confirmed that one of the students died at the scene and has been taken to a mortuary.

“The school Principal, Ven. Dr Emendu, who received the fire chief, narrated how the fire affected a part of the school’s hostel, damaged everything, including mattresses and other students’ belongings therein, and left one dead. According to the principal, there was no other casualty, and no injury was recorded.”

Emendu commended the state fire service, stating that they arrived promptly and prevented the fire from further escalation to other parts of the building.

“The Fire Chief sympathised with the school management and the entire students of Bishop Crowther Memorial Seminary School, urging them to take heart as God will console them in his own way.

“He also commiserated with the family of the deceased, who at the time of the visit were still on their way to the school, stating that it’s always painful and heartbreaking to lose a child, not to talk of in such a situation of fire outbreak. He prayed to God to give them the fortitude to bear the loss,” the statement read.

Advising the public, the Fire Chief reiterated that fire kills, but it can be controlled.

He urged the people to always be safety conscious, and also, be careful in all that they do.

The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, has said the congress was not aware of merger talks involving the Labour Party with some political parties in the country.

The LP, which is a socio-democratic political party, was founded by the organised labour.

There have been speculations about the possibility of a merger between the LP and the Peoples Democratic Party, following the meeting between the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the presidential candidate of the PDP in the election, Atiku Abubakar.

Obi also reportedly met with some PDP stalwarts in Abuja, including a former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido.

In 2019, both Atiku and Obi ran on the PDP joint ticket but were defeated by former President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress.

However, due to internal conflict within the PDP, Obi left the party in 2022 and contested the 2023 presidential election as the candidate of the Labour Party.

Speaking after the meeting with Obi on Monday, May 13, 2024, Atiku said party members would decide their fate in the 2027 general elections, adding that if the PDP decided in 2027 that it was the turn of the South-East to field the presidential candidate and selected Obi, he would readily offer his support.

The former vice president mentioned that his recent meeting with Obi might indicate a possible alliance leading up to the 2027 general elections.

When asked if the NLC would support merger talks that would make the LP cease to exist or if the organised labour would be involved in any merger talks involving the party, Ajaero said, “We are not aware of such talks.”

The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi Ojaja II has taken to social media to celebrate his daughter, Adeola, who turns 30 today May 20.  

In his post, the revered monarch prayed for God to be with his daughter and took it further by asking her to go and bring a man home for marriage.  

His post reads;

‘’Princess Adeola, Aanuoluwapo, Atutunini, Bamdefe Ogunwusi, Omo Ojaja II. I am truly grateful for the fulfilling life you have lived. May God Almighty continue to be with you in all your endeavors. Amen! 

When you turned 10, your father would talk to you about school and your future. At 20, he encouraged you to listen and understand the importance of morals and well-being, even as you sought independence. 

Now that you are 30, you are a grown woman. Your father senses that you no longer wish to be advised as independence has finally set in. 

I talked 10 to you and I got your subtle independence behaviour in return, I talked 20 to you and still got your near obvious independence behaviour in return. Now I’m talking 30 to a grown woman, so go and bring husband to daddy o... 

With love from the throne of Oduduwa.

 

Congratulations, and may God continue to guide you in all your pursuits.''

The Central Bank of Nigeria has retracted its directive asking banks and payment service providers to collect and remit the cybersecurity levy as outlined in the Cybercrime Prevention and Prohibition Amendment Act of 2024.

The apex bank announced this in a revised circular dated May 17, 2024.

The circular, signed by the Director of Payment Systems Management, Chibuzor Efobi, and the Director of Financial Policy and Regulation Department, Haruna Mustafa, was addressed to commercial banks, payment service providers (PSPs), non-interest banks, and others.

The circular obtained by PUNCH Online on Sunday was titled, “Re: Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, Etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024 – Implementation Guidance on the Collection and Remittance of the National Cybersecurity Levy.”

It read, “The Central Bank of Nigeria circular dated May 6, 2024 (Ref: PSMD/DIR/PUB/LAB/017/004) on the above subject refers.

“Further to this, please be advised that the above-referenced circular is hereby withdrawn.”

The directive for the collection of the levy was met with nationwide backlash which prompted the Presidency to suspend the implementation.

The Federal Executive Council suspended the implementation of the provisions of the law, citing the need to conduct further reviews.

The Lagos State Police Command has rescued two infants who were locked up in an apartment on Adelakun Street, in the Iju Ishaga area of Lagos State.

The toddlers, PUNCH Metro gathered, were found in a state of neglect when the rescue operation took place.

A rights group, Advocate for Children and Vulnerable Persons Network, alleged that the mother of the infants had been grappling with substance abuse.

The Chief Operating Officer of the group, Ebenezer Omejalile, who disclosed this to our correspondent on Sunday, said the residents in the area alerted the group to the development.

He said, “According to the informants, the mother, purportedly struggling with substance abuse issues, would lock her children inside their apartment and remain absent for the entirety of the day.

“These two minors were left to fend for themselves. They eat, defecate, sleep and wake up locked up in the room yet nothing was being done. The DPO of the Red House Police Station was duly informed about it and the infants were rescued.”

In a video watched by our correspondent, one of the infants could be seen crying in the locked-up apartment.  In a separate video, the children were seen eating after the rescue operation.

Meanwhile, Omejalile said it was the second time the police would rescue the toddlers in such a situation.

According to him, the rescue operation was carried out by the former Divisional Police Officer but the children were returned to their mother after being placed under the care of government authorities.

He said, “The incident was initially reported at the same police station several months ago. The then DPO promptly responded to the distress call and rescued the babies from their mother’s custody.

“Shockingly, despite the initial intervention by law enforcement, it has come to light that the children were subsequently returned to their mother’s care. This decision has left many baffled, including the former DPO who ensured the babies were placed under the care of government agencies.”

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the development.

He said, “The children were rescued. They are now in safe hands.”

A man, Taiwo Badejo, has allegedly stabbed his friend, identified simply as Monday, to death over N2,500 debt in the Oko Oba area of Lagos State.

PUNCH Metro gathered that Badejo and Monday were arguing over the money when the argument degenerated into a fight between them on Friday.

Communicating with our correspondent on Saturday, a resident, Tope Ajise, who lives on Egbatedo Street along the Old Oko Oba area where the incident took place, told our correspondent that people tried to pacify the duo but the matter was further escalated.

Ajise said, “It started just as arguments a night before Friday until we heard in the morning that he (Taiwo) had stabbed Monday. It was just because of N2,500.

“He borrowed the money from Monday, and the man came to ask for his money. That was how he picked a knife and stabbed him. The man could not make it, he bled till death. I know the suspect to be a twin, he bears the name, Taiwo.”

Another resident, who gave his name simply as Taofeek, said the culprit was one of the guys who sat around in the area and had no “serious source of income.”

“They just move around, tax people, eat and that’s all,” Taofeek said. “There are so many people like that in this area with no tangible source of income. So, when you hear of issues like this, you can first trace it to joblessness. You know an idle hand, they say, is the devil’s workshop,” he added. 

Another resident who craved anonymity because he is close to the family of the deceased told PUNCH Metro that Taiwo was immediately arrested by security operatives of the Yoruba vigilante organisation, the Oodua People’s Congress.

The source said, “They were friends, it’s just unfortunate how things got that bad. The guy died early in the morning. The guy who stabbed him was picked up by members of the Oodua People’s Congress and was taken to the nearby police station. The Abattoir Police Station covers our area, so I believe that must be where he was taken to.”

When contacted on Saturday, the Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, confirmed the incident.

The PPRO said the suspect had been arrested and the police were probing the case.

“The suspect’s name is Taiwo Badejo. He has been arrested. The case is now at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti,” the police spokesman told our correspondent in a chat.

Similar cases of suspected murder have taken place in Lagos and left residents in shock.

Last December, a man, Eboh Joshua, lost his life after his friend, Adeyeye Adedolapo, allegedly stabbed him in the Baruwa, Ipaja area of Lagos.

The incident occurred around 6:30 pm on a Friday, according to residents who also told PUNCH Metro the accused had spent the night at the deceased’s apartment before the incident took place.

A man identified simply as John also lost his life after his friend, Akinola Adeleye, allegedly stabbed him to death following an argument about who was to foot the bill for a plate of food eaten at a restaurant.

The incident happened in the Ifako Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos.

It was gathered that the two men had a misunderstanding over who should pay for the plate of meal Akinola had eaten and in the course of the argument that degenerated into a fight, Akinola stabbed John to death with a knife.

The police, after arresting the suspect, arraigned him in a court.

The German Ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs Annett Gunther, says her country is working to improve the visa issuance process for Nigerians seeking to study in Germany.

Gunther, who said her country is not against Nigerians coming, said already there are no less than 4,000 Nigerians schooling and working in Germany.

Gunther made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Abuja.

According to her, the German Academic Exchange Service gives out not less than 1,000 scholarships yearly.

She said that the German government was working on improving visa approvals for intending Nigerian students to Germany.

“At the moment, we have approximately 4,000 Nigerian students in Germany, coming and going in and out of the country and, also engaging in other things.

”I know we are not yet in a position to issue the visas for the students on time, but we are working on that. We are not interested in preventing people from coming to Germany.

”We want them to come. So there is also something to do on our side to improve our capacities on visa issuance,” she said.

She explained that though many courses in Germany were taught in English, it was imperative for international students to have a certain knowledge of the German language.

She said university studies in Germany were either free or not very expensive compared with other countries with English official language.

According to the envoy, there is a keen interest for students to come and study in Germany mainly because German universities are top-class and internationally renowned.

“That is why the German Academic Exchange Service gives out not less than 1,000 scholarships yearly,” she said.

The envoy said that there were many programmes to support German culture and language training in Nigeria, with the most famous being the Deutsche Institute.

She explained that the institute was basically about language courses, and also the corresponding language tests.

”It is a cultural exchange; it is also about scientific cooperation, exhibitions, interaction of artists, music and others.

“Basically, what they do is to interact with Nigerian artists and connect both countries’ artists in the various fields.

“For language training, probably the best known German language is also taught at a number of universities and the German Academic Exchange service,” she said.

According to Gunther, not less than 80,000 Nigerians live and work in Germany and are contributing meaningfully to its economic growth.

“It is also in our interest because our population is shrinking and we are lacking a workforce. We are happy with everybody who comes to support us.

“Most of them have come to work and live in Germany to make a living, to earn money, support their families and also send money home.

”Nigerians have made meaningful contributions in Germany, just like many other foreigners from other countries,” she said.

Gunther added that the trade relations between Germany and Nigeria stood at about €3bn.

She said, “I think agriculture is a very good area for cooperation, not only because we can help in the area of food security, which is important to Nigeria, but also in improvement of export of processed products.

“Instead of selling more raw products, we will have more value creation within the country to create more jobs.

“As part of our development cooperation, we have a programme in agriculture that also focuses on exactly that value chain, which supports small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector,” she said.

As high operating cost forces investors into service sector

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has warned that the impact of multiplicity of taxes imposed on the manufacturing sector in the country may hinder the sector from maximizing the potential gains in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Director General of MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, stated this in a paper he presented at the just concluded annual tax conference of the Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) in Abuja.

This is even as Muda Yusuf, Chief Executive Officer at Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE), says that many manufacturing investors are now migrating to the services sector due to high operating costs.

According to Ajayi-Kadir, taxes from federal, state, and local governments impact manufacturing, hindering the development and competitiveness of the sector.

“The imposition of overlapping taxes has created compliance burdens, operational inefficiencies, and reduced profitability for manufacturers. Duplication of taxes increases production costs and final prices of goods and services, eroding profit margins and hindering investment incentives,” he stated.

He noted that a survey conducted by MAN in 2023 reveals numerous taxes with overlapping effects that add complexity and burden to businesses.

His words: “Sales tax and Value Added Tax (VAT), mobile advertising charges, education levies, tenement rates, Land use charges, and parking fees contribute to financial burdens for manufacturers.

“Multiple taxes discourage investment, stifles entrepreneurship, and hampers economic growth, affecting small and medium industries (SMIs) disproportionately,” he said.

He said that the competitiveness of Nigerian manufacturers in the global trading environment has declined due to the multitude of taxes.

“This tax burden may hinder the sector from maximizing potential gains in AfCFTA,” Ajayi-Kadir added.

In his remarks, Coordinating Director, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Matthew Gbojubola, said there are ongoing moves to simplify the tax laws in the country to ensure easy compliance.

According to him, the Presidential Tax Reforms Committee was specifically established to rewrite and simplify the tax laws, adding that efforts were ongoing to produce a new law for the entire tax system.

“The government wants businesses to grow but it needs the tax revenues to create a better operating environment,” he added.

Meanwhile, also speaking at the CITN conference, Muda Yusuf reiterated that manufacturers in Nigeria were overburdened with high cost of operation, such as energy costs, huge logistics costs, supply chain challenges, forex volatility, and customs duty exchanges.

Yusuf noted that most manufacturers have had to provide the road to their factory, provide security, water, electricity and other amenities that are supposed to be provided by the state governments.

“I’m saying this to underscore the point that the manufacturing sector needs some empathy in this economy. And that is why many investors are now migrating to the services sector. The economy now is about 57 percent services, because if you are in the service sector, you don’t need a 100 KVA generator, you don’t need clearing containers from the ports,” he stated.

Oritsefemi, the singer, has claimed Caroline Danjuma, the actress, was married to Tagbo Umeike, Davido’s late friend.

Tagbo passed away in 2017. Danjuma had revealed she was dating Tagbo.

She also accused Davido of involvement in Tagbo’s death, a claim Davido denied in his song ‘Fia’.

Oritsefemi, who was married to Nabila Fash, faced martial troubles in 2021 due to alleged infidelity.

In an interview with Chude Jideonwo, the media personality, Oritsefemi claimed he wanted to marry Danjuma.

He said he settled for his ex-wife after learning of Danjuma’s marriage to Tagbo.

He added that Danjuma, after the purported marriage to Tagbo, pressured Nabila to secure a marriage with him.

“I never intended to marry her. It was Caroline Danjuma. Caroline went and did a court wedding with the late Tagbo,” Oritsefemi said.

“After the wedding, she told Nabila that she had married Tagbo and urged her to make sure I marry her.

“It was Caroline who advised Nabila to get married to me. She said I was a rough diamond and that Nabila’s success was lying on me.

“So that was it. When she asked me that she wanted to marry me, I accepted because she has had about three miscarriages for me.”

Danjuma, as at the time of this story, has not yet addressed Oritsefemi’s claims.