Three individuals lost their lives in a tragic incident when a three-story building under construction collapsed in the Anambra community on Sunday.
The unfortunate event unfolded in Egbu Umuenem, Otolo Nnewi community, within the Nnewi North Local Government Area (LGA) of the state.
The collapse occurred at approximately 1:00 p.m. while workers were preparing to commence plastering work.
Regrettably, the deceased, including a man and his two children who had arrived for their day’s work, tragically perished on the spot. They were swiftly transported to St. Felix Hospital in Nnewi, where their demise was confirmed.
Several other workers were fortunate enough to be rescued from the rubble, though they sustained varying degrees of injuries. These injured individuals were also promptly taken to the hospital for medical attention.
Victor Meju, the Chairman of the Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) Anambra chapter, along with state officials, visited the scene. Mr. Meju attributed the incident to a combination of factors, including a weak foundation, substandard concrete mixture, low-quality materials, and a lack of approval from relevant regulatory bodies. As a consequence, the building is slated for closure, and the owner, Chukwunafu Anamanjo, will be summoned for questioning.
Furthermore, Chris Obiora, the Transition Committee Chairman of Nnewi North LGA, urged the public to engage certified engineers and other qualified professionals within the construction sector for their building projects.
Inquiries made to the state police spokesman, DSP Tochukwu Ikenga, regarding the incident yielded no information as of yet.
“I don’t have any information on it yet, but I will escalate the information to the Divisional Police Officer in the area for necessary action,” Mr Ikenga said.
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Monday announced that the agency has uncovered plans by politicians to recruit students, youths and aggrieved groups to stage violent protests across the country.
The DSS disclosed this in a terse statement signed by its spokesperson, Peter Afunnaya.
The DSS noted that the plan by the organisers is aimed at discrediting the Federal Government and security agencies over sundry socio-economic matters.
“Intelligence reports have indicated that the plotters include certain politicians who are desperately mobilising unsuspecting student leaders, ethnic-based associations, youth and disgruntled groups for the planned action.
“Meanwhile, the Service has identified the ring leaders of the plot as well as sustained monitoring around them in order to deter them from plunging the country into anarchy,” the DSS said.
Consequently, the agency urged University Vice-Chancellors and Heads of Tertiary Institutions to discourage their students from engaging in acts capable of derailing public peace.
It also advised parents and guardians to admonish their children and wards to shun the lure of participating in inimical behaviours or conduct against law and order.
“While the DSS is aware of the Government’s efforts and determination to resolve some of the challenges confronting the nation, it warns those desirous of subverting national security to retrace their steps.
“This is more so that it will not hesitate to legally come against persons and groups behind the devious plans,” it added.
The Presidential Election Petition Court, sitting in Abuja, has granted permission for live telecast of its judgement on the three petitions that are seeking to remove President Bola Tinubu from office.
The court, in a statement that was signed by its Chief Registrar, Mr. Umar Bangari, said the decision was to ensure transparency and openness in its proceedings.
It, however, warned that only accredited individuals would be granted access into the court room on Wednesday which it has slated for the judgements.
“In a bid to promote transparency and openness, these judgements will be televised live by interested Television Stations for the public to follow.
“Access to the court premises will be strictly on accreditation. Only accredited individuals, including counsel and representatives of political parties will be granted access into the courtroom.
“Interested members of the public are advised to watch proceedings from their television sets,” the statement read.
The three petitions marked: CA/PEPC/03/2023, CA/PEPC/05/2023 and CA/PEPC/04/2023, were lodged before the court by the candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr. Peter Obi, a former Vice President and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, as well as the Allied Peoples Movement, APM, respectively.
The Justice Haruna Tsammani-led five-member panel of the court had on August 1, okayed the cases for judgement, after all the parties adopted their final briefs of argument.
The Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has flagged off commercial operations of the Blue Line rail in the state.
The governor who arrived at the Marina train station at about 9.55 am, is currently onboard the train heading to Mile 2.
For the first four weeks, the rain will run only twelve trips with the locomotive system.
After one month, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) will commence electric-powered train operation with 76 trips, with an estimated passengers between 150,000 and 175,000, from 5.30 am to 11 pm on a daily basis.
Former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is to be probed by a faction of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) for allegedly misappropriating the sum of N1 billion.
The planned probe of the NNPP presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election is the latest development in the crisis rocking the party.
The NNPP faction led by Acting National Chairman Major Agbo, which announced the decision to probe Kwankwaso and some of his loyalists said the misappropriated sum was realised from the sale of nomination forms.
The Agbo-led faction had last week suspended Kwankwaso, and the Abba Kawu Alli-led National Working Committee (NWC) for six months.
However, the NWC, which is loyal to Kwankwaso, had earlier announced the expulsion of Agbo and chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees (BOT) Dr Boniface Aniebonam.
Both camps are accusing each other of engaging in anti-party activities.
But the crisis has taken a new twist with the Agbo-led faction accusing Kwankwaso of misappropriation of party funds.
The statement released by factional National Publicity Secretary, Abdulsalam Abdulrasaq, after a meeting at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja, said security agencies would be involved in probing the alleged misappropriation.
“The NNPP will conduct a thorough probe into the mismanagement of well over one billion naira raised from the sale of forms to aspirants from March 2022 to date.
“The meeting resolved to invite relevant security agencies to properly examine the accounts of the party with a view to demanding explanations from the party’s presidential candidate, the party’s chairman who left in March 2023, the sacked acting chairman, and the National Secretary.
“This is to restore the confidence of party members and candidates who came forward with their hard-earned money to purchase forms.”
The Agbo-led faction, in the statement, further accused a member of the Kwankwaso camp, Buba Galadima, of imposition of candidates and other acts of corruption.
The statement noted that Kwankwaso’s private residence was used as the party’s Situation Room during the election, in contravention of party rules.
“The party also queried the rationale for the location of the Situation Room in the presidential candidate’s personal residence.
“It noted that the illegal location created room for massive corruption and manipulation leading to the imposition of candidates by Buba Galadima and his co-travellers and resolved to set up a committee to launch a probe into it. It therefore called for written complaints from aggrieved candidates who were short changed after making payments for forms into the party’s account.”
The Agbo faction, in the same vein, alleged that other prospective aspirants were denied forms for the party’s presidential primary election, paving the way for Kwankwaso to emerge as the candidate.
“The party also resolved to query the rationale behind the denial of other presidential aspirants the right to purchase form and participate in the primary election that illegally produced Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso insisting that it was against the spirit of fairness and equity which our great party preaches.
“The party called on its numerous members and supporters to remain calm in the face of this brazen assault of the Kwankwasiya movement whose members were erroneously made to believe the party is sold to them and called on all aggrieved and displaced members who left for whatever reason to return home. The party resolved to overhaul its structures across all levels nationwide in the coming days and weeks,” the statement added.
In an exclusive interview with THE WHISTLER, Agbo had alleged that Kwankwaso did not bring any money to the NNPP.
“I haven’t seen Kwankwaso bring in any money. If he has, I am not aware of it,” Agbo told THE WHISTLER.
Agbo, who accused Kwankwaso of high-handedness, also said the former senator was planning to hijack the party from its founders, led by former chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT) Aniebonam.
But Agbo also declared that the original owners of the NNPP have taken back their party, and as such, Kwankwaso and his group are on their own.
The authorities of the Nigeria Police Academy have maintained a deafening silence amid the controversy, and accusations of negligence and maltreatment surrounding the demise of A.S. Jika, a cadet from Adamawa, a member of course Nine at POLAC in Wudil, Kano State.
Jika, the son of Senator Alhaji Haliru Jika and former chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on police, died on the campus on Saturday.
The tragedy has sparked outcry on the running of POLAC, and the treatment of cadets. Some cadets and staff of POLAC who spoke to DAILY POST on condition of anonymity on Sunday, alleged that Jika’s death was caused by the negligence of the academy’s medical staff.
According to them, POLAC failed to take swift action when Jika, a cadet from the Department of Computer Science, complained of deteriorating health.
And they pointedly accused POLAC’s Commandant, AIG Sadiq Idris Abubakar of highhandedness in administering the Academy.
They told DAILY POST that cadets with health challenges are often scared to seek medical attention at the academy’s clinic because they fear they’ll not receive appropriate treatment, and they could also get dismissed from the academy..
One of the cadets revealed, “POLAC is not being truthful with what happened to Jika. This is because Jika would have lived if he got proper medical attention.
“Here in POLAC, the Commandant, AIG Abubakar, makes sure that any cadet that goes to the Academy clinic, for any other minor health reason is dismissed, or placed on indefinite suspension to avoid litigation.
“He terms such a cadet as a weakling and expels him. So, for this reason, cadets who are sick will, out of fear, conceal their illness until it gets out of hand.
“They (POLAC) claimed they treated Jika when he complained of ill health, but the truth is that there are no drugs, and no facility in the clinic,” the cadets told DAILY POST.
AIG Abubakar was also accused of being inhuman in his treatment of POLAC staff and cadets.
“Some of the things the Commandant has done is that he reduced the feeding ration of the cadets; he closed the academy market where the cadets buy food to augment their feeding. The market now opens only on Sundays.
“He has stopped the cadets’ allowances. The cadets are supposed to earn some allowances monthly, but where that did not happen, they are supposed to get cumulative money when they pass out from the Academy.
“But the latest ones that just passed out since August 12 this year have not been given anything up till now,” a POLAC staff revealed.
Another cadet also said, “We cadets are forbidden from using phones, (handsets), even when we are writing their projects; in this modern age that we are supposed to be exposed to high-tech information gadgets, many cadets have been dismissed over the use of phones.
“As at the last count, the Commandant has dismissed not less than 150 cadets since he assumed office in less than a year. He engages us in unnecessary strenuous training, and any cadet found with water after such exercise is also sent away from the school,” he lamented.
A source also alleged that the POLAC Commandant stretches them beyond working hours most of the time.
The source further alleged that, “The backline staff of senior staff, like personal/office assistants, cleaners, numbering not less than 300 have been sent out of the academy accommodation.
“If any senior staff of the school, particularly police officers, whether you are a Commissioner of Police, AC, CSP, etc, complain about your apartment, maybe the roof is leaking, he will simply ask you to use your salary to repair it.
“Jika’s death was caused by the carelessness with which they run POLAC”, the source lamented.
Meanwhile, POLAC authorities say the the cadet passed on after a brief illness.
This was contained in a statement issued on Sunday by Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Hussain Suleman on behalf of the Commandant of the academy, AIG Sadiq Abubakar.
He said that Jika, a cadet from the Department of Computer Science and native of Adamawa State, came down with an ailment, was treated and discharged at the academy’s clinic before he was admitted for the second time on the fateful Saturday where he eventually passed out.
“On 29th August, 2023, he sought medical attention at the Academy Clinic due to an ailment. Following a diligent course of treatment and his gradual recovery, he was certified fit and discharged by the Medical Doctor on call the next day, and tasked to return at regular intervals for checks which he adhered to.
“However, fate took an unforeseen turn. On 2nd September 2023, he was once again admitted to the clinic for further examination and care following a complaint of restlessness. Though his vitals were normal upon examination and all necessary medical steps were taken, we regrettably report his untimely passing.
“The Commandant of the Nigeria Police Academy, AIG Sadiq Idris Abubakar, extends his deepest condolences to the grieving family, friends, and loved ones of Cadet Sulaiman Jika.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with them during this period of profound sorrow. May God Almighty grant them the strength and resilience to bear this heavy loss,” he said in the statement.
The authorities have remained silent on the allegations against the commandant.
And DAILY POST’s attempts to get a response from POLAC spokesperson, Suleman, were abortive as his phones remained switched off as of the time of filing this report.
[DailyPost]
The Presidential Election Petition Tribunal is expected to pass its verdict on the February 25 presidential election in which Bola Ahmed Tinubu was declared winner by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) this September.
Naija News understands that there is so much anxiety across the country even as state tribunals are expected to also, in September, pass judgment on the petitions challenging the election of 25 state governors in the last poll.
Recall that governorship elections were held across 28 states on March 18, 2023. However, of the overall results of the polls announced by INEC, elections in 25 states are being contested.
In this regard, the tribunal panels are expected to deliver their judgments this month.
This publication understands that the tribunals sitting in Lagos, Sokoto, Delta, Kano, and 21 other states, as well as Abuja, had reserved their judgments after the parties concluded their hearings and adopted their written addresses in line with the Practice Direction for the election petitions issued by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Monica Dongban-Mensen.
Some of the candidates and their political parties, who are apprehensive about the outcome of their petitions, are said to have resorted to prayers, while others issued cautionary words and admonitions to the courts to do what is right.
However, there are expectations that the Tribunal (s) may give their verdicts on the petitions on September 6.
It could be recalled that the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, had in November 2022 sworn in 307 justices to handle the 2023 election petitions while an additional 39 justices were inaugurated on May 25, 2023, totalling 346, and they were expected to deliver judgments before September 16.
The PUNCH, in a recent publication, observed that By law, the 346 justices sitting on the panels were mandated to hand down their judgments 180 days after the filing of the petitions by the aggrieved candidates.
The publication quoted Section 285 (6) of the 1999 constitution, which provides that “an election tribunal shall deliver judgment in writing within 180 days from the date of filing of the petition.”
Senior civil servants umbrella organisation – the Trade Union Congress (TUC) – will not join the strike call by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC).
Naija News reports that the NLC is reportedly mobilizing for a two-day warning strike – for tomorrow and Wednesday – to protest against the federal government’s delay in implementing measures to cushion the hardship that resulted from fuel subsidy removal.
NLC President Joe Ajaero had on Friday said the decision was taken at its NEC meeting with the possibility of a “total shutdown” after 14 days.
The NLC explained that the decision followed the “failure of the Federal Government to dialogue and engage stakeholders within the organised labour on efforts to cushion the effects of the removal of petrol subsidy on the poor masses.”
Recall that the NLC and the TUC jointly staged protests in Abuja and state capitals over the subsidy removal on August 3.
But the TUC decided at its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting on Sunday that it would continue with dialogue with the government to ease the pain of petrol subsidy removal.
The TUC source, a NEC member, told The Nation that the union reasoned that the planned strike is “premature,” adding that joining the NLC in the strike would further put the interest of the masses at risk.
“The TUC feels there is no need to embark on a strike because we are still discussing with the Federal Government on the issue of palliatives for workers,” he said.
The TUC senior member berated the NLC leadership for slowing the pace of discussion between the Organised Labour and a Federal Government team led by Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila.
The source said: “The TUC is not joining the NLC on that planned warning strike. The reason is because we are reaching out to the Federal Government. The government has already released palliatives to the states, and we are also expecting the government to release the one for federal workers.
“When we met with the Senate, the statement by the NLC that they don’t have confidence in the Chief of Staff to the President-led committee led to the suspension of that committee because the man (Femi Gbajabiamila) felt if the NLC doesn’t have confidence in him why should he be leading the committee when the outcome will not be palatable? That stalled the work of the committee.
“Now, there is a Minister of Labour and Employment (Simon Lalong), who is supposed to be the leader of the government team. There is an ongoing effort to interact with us to get results.
”We feel that it is not the right time to go on strike. When you go on strike, we will be putting the masses at the receiving end because the government has a way of navigating out of such matters.
”Again, the issue of strike should not be one-sided. It should be a joint effort by the two labour centres to agree before issuing a strike notice. One centre cannot claim superiority over the other centre. It is not done anywhere.
“You cannot announce a strike and then decide to bring us in. It is supposed to be a decision taken by the two centres.
”The NLC is free to go on strike on its own. We are different unions.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has won in all 18 Local Government Areas in the Edo State local government election held on Saturday, according to results released by the state independent electoral commission.
The election was held in all the 18 local government areas of the state covering Edo North, Edo Central and Edo South senatorial districts.
Apart from the PDP, other major political parties that participated in the election for Chairmanship and Councillorship of all the wards include the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Labour Party (LP).
See full results below:
PDP: 16077
APC: 2519
LP: 2536
Ovia South West
APC: 5361
LP: 3216
PDP: 10,721
Total Registered: 89,897
Accredited: 21,442
Invalid: 429
Uhunmwode Local Government
Adodo O. Kenneth of PDP Declared
APC: 2317
LP: 1436
PDP: 15,615
Total Registered: 68,474
Accredited: 19,461
Valid; 19,431
Invalid: 27
Owan West Local Government
Ahonsi Dickson Idojemu of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 3825
LP: 2365
PDP: 13, 171
Total Registered:
Accredited: 19
Valid:
Invalid: 63
Akoko Edo Local Government
Tajudeen Alade Suleiman of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 5369
LP: 2083
PDP: 21,417
Total Registered: 95,711
Accredited: 28,957
Valid: 28, 957
Invalid: 10
Etsako East Local Government
Ato Benedicta of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 4076
LP: 1711
PDP: 16, 428
Total Registered:
Accredited:
Valid: 22, 269
Invalid:
Etsako Central Local Government
Obomigie Imokhae Solomon of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 7, 896
LP: 4, 606
PDP: 30, 594
Etsako West Local Government
Zimbiril Marvelous of PDP is Declared Winner
APC: 29, 445
LP: 23, 832
PDP: 98, 046
Total Registered:
Accredited:
Valid:
Invalid:
Ikpoba-Okha Local Government
ERIC IYOBA OSAYANDE of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 3, 085
LP: 3, 857
PDP: 27, 768
Total Registered: 166,035
Accredited: 38,566
Valid: 37, 795
Invalid: 771
Ovia North East Local Government
Collins Osamede Ogbewe of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 636
LP: 617
PDP: 4, 869
Total Registered: 50, 554
Accredited: 6, 176
Valid: 6, 165
Invalid: 11
Igueben Local Government
Asueleme Clement of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 557
LP: 660
PDP: 5, 262
Total Registered: 63, 473
Accredited: 6, 551
Valid: 6, 540
Invalid: 11
Esan Central Local Government
Iyoha Paul of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 23, 885
LP: 14, 331
PDP: 47, 771
Total Registered: 129, 850
Accredited: 97, 299
Valid: 95, 942
Invalid: 1911
Orhionmwon Local Government
Ugiagbe Newman Oghomwen of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 1616
LP: 1737
PDP: 14, 904
Total Registered:
Accredited:
Valid: 18, 317
Invalid: 21
Esan West Local Government
Aigbogun O. Collins of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 1, 665
LP: 2, 183
PDP: 11, 963
Total Registered: 83, 811
Accredited: 15, 875
Valid: 15, 866
Invalid: 9
Esan South East Local Government
Imadegbeho Luis of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 1344
LP: 791
PDP: 16072
Total Registered:
Accredited:
Valid: 15, 866
Invalid:
Esan North East Local Government
Inegbe Paul of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 5550
LP: 3298
PDP: 20, 702
Total Registered: 101,006
Accredited: 29,680
Valid:
Invalid: 16
Owan East Local Government
Prince Aminu Kadiri of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 12, 203
LP: 7695
PDP: 35, 380
Total Registered:
Accredited:
Valid:
Invalid:
Egor Local Government
Hon. Eghe Ogbemudia of PDP Declared Winner
APC: 8, 308
LP: 10, 188
PDP: 70, 293
Total Registered: 347, 076
Accredited: 92, 554
Valid: 91, 047
Invalid: 1506
Oredo Local Government
Dr. Obaseki Tom Osazee of PDP Declared Winner
[NationalDaily]
Operatives of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, have intercepted various quantities of ephedrine, skunk, and nitrous oxide, popularly known as laughing gas, concealed in Semovita packs and dried pepper being shipped to South Africa and Kenya through the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos.
They promptly arrested members of Transnational Drug Trafficking Organisations (DTO), raided their mansions, and seized their luxury vehicles.
Femi Babafemi, the agency’s Director of Media and Advocacy, who disclosed this in a release, said the operatives intercepted the suspect distributing Cocaine, Heroin, Methamphetamine, and Ephedrine between Nigeria, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mozambique, and Europe.
“He was arrested while attempting to board a Rwandair flight to South Africa with two boxes loaded with ephedrine sealed in semovita packs. The recovered substance is a precursor chemical and active ingredient in the production of methamphetamine, Babafemi explained.”
In his statement, Suleiman who holds a South African passport, is married to a South African lady and has lived there for over 20 years, identified Hakeem Babatunde Salami who equally lives in Lagos and South Africa as the head of the drug ring.
It was gathered that a follow-up raid in the house of Salami located at 75 Wosilatu Dawodu Street, Ijesha, Aguda area of Surulere, Lagos on Monday 28th August revealed that he had fled the country on the same day Suleiman was arrested. However, a white Toyota Venza car with registration number LSR 410 HT, a Mercedes Benz SUV marked LSD 998HP, phones, and vital documents needed for further investigation were recovered from the house.
The agency explained that in August 2021, it had seized 25.60kg ephedrine from a trafficker, Arua Emmanuel Onwuka at the Lagos airport, a seizure that has also been traced to the same cartel whose identified members are currently on the run. An official of the airport, Godwin Shedrack (a.k.a Goddy) fingered as a member of the syndicate is also under investigation.
In the same vein, an attempt by another syndicate to export 10.40kg skunk concealed with scent leaf and pepper, going to Nairobi, Kenya, was equally thwarted by NDLEA operatives attached to the NAHCO export shed of the airport on Saturday 26th August. A suspect, Ekechukwu Sixtus Ndubuisi, has already been arrested in connection with the seizure.
Another bid to export a consignment of 180 canisters of laughing gas to South Africa by a freight agent, Oyekola Gbenga Akeem for a fee of Two Million Naira (N2, 000, 000) was also frustrated by operatives who seized the cargo and arrested the suspect.
Meanwhile, NDLEA operatives on Friday 25th August succeeded in arresting a drug kingpin, Ngene Emmanuel Onyedikachi, who recruited the fake couple, Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum arrested for ingesting 1.822kg and 1.50kg of Cocaine respectively at the Lagos airport on 1st August while on their way to India.
The kingpin was picked up at his residence located at 28 Afolabi Brown Street, Akoka, Yaba, after an intensive surveillance that lasted 25 days, the agency said.
During his interview, Onyedikachi was said to have confessed that the two suspects: Ilonzeh Kingsley Onyebuchi and Ilonzeh Roseline Nonyelum were introduced to him by another member of his syndicate, whom he claimed he met at Zion Church in Cele area of Lagos.
He explained that the drug was sourced from Guinea Conakry.
More...
Uganda police said Sunday they foiled a bomb attack on a cathedral in Kampala and detained a man accused of trying to detonate an explosive in a crowd of worshippers.
Hundreds of congregants were evacuated from the Rubaga Miracle Centre Cathedral in the capital city after a man tried to enter the grounds carrying an explosive, said police spokesman Patrick Onyango.
“We have carried out a controlled detonation of the improvised explosive device which was made of nails, a motorcycle battery, a charger and a telephone handset which was to be used in the attack,” he told reporters outside the cathedral.
He said police trailed the man after receiving a tip off about a possible attack on a house of worship, and discovered the bomb inside his backpack when he was stopped and searched.
He said police were pursuing three other men after the suspect, 28-year-old Ibrahim Kintu, revealed that he may have had accomplices.
The cathedral was cordoned off and sniffer dogs and bomb squad officers sent to comb the expansive grounds, but no further threat was found.
Its high-profile pastor, Robert Kayanja, told AFP that “the lord has saved us from deaths”.
“The terrorist was a few yards to the entrance of the church, but the security put up resistance and (he) was arrested before he can enter the church and detonate the bomb,” said the high-profile evangelist who is a public ally of Uganda’s long-serving leader, Yoweri Museveni.
“Go out to the world and tell them we have just survived a bomb, but Jesus loves us!” Kayanja later told worshippers after prayer services resumed a few hours later.
Police had been warned of a possible attack on populated areas including churches and shopping centres, according to a police brief seen by AFP.
In June, militants from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) group crossed the border from the Democratic Republic of Congo and massacred 42 people, including 37 students, in a gruesome school attack.
It was Uganda’s worst attack since twin bombings in Kampala in 2010 killed 76 people in a strike claimed by the Somalia-based Al-Shabaab group.
says Abiodun should sue him for defamation forthwith
Human Rights Lawyer, Mr Femi Falana has advised the Department of the State Service, DSS to release the Chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government, Ogun State, Mr. Wale Adedayo from custody.
Falana made the appeal in a statement made available on Sunday.
He advised the Ogun state governor Mr. Dapo Abiodun to sue for libel if he is dissatisfied with the accusations leveled against him by Adedayo.
His words: “Last week, the Chairman of the Ijebu East Local Government, Ogun State, Mr. Wale Adedayo accused the State Governor, Mr. Dapo Abiodun of diverting the statutory allocations of the 20 local governments in the State. Shortly thereafter, the Council boss was invited by the Ogun State Command of the State Security Service (SSS). However, when he turned up for the invitation on 1st September 2023, he was asked to respond to the petition submitted to the Command by the State Government.
“In the said petition, it was alleged that Mr. Adedayo had instigated widespread acts of public disturbance and chaos in Ijebu East Local Government. Even though the embattled Council boss denied the allegation of instigating acts of public disturbance, the State Security Service has decided to detain him due to his refusal to withdraw the allegation levelled against Governor Abiodun
“Even though the Ogun State Government has denied the allegation of funds diversion, Governor Abiodun is advised to sue Mr. Wale Adedayo for libel in the Ogun State High Court. In similar circumstances, two of his predecessors, the late Governor Olabisi Onabanjo had sued the National Concord newspaper for libel in the Ogun State High Court in 1981 while Governor Segun Osoba sued the Punch Newspaper for defamation of character in the Ogun State High Court in 2001. Both Governors won the libel suits.
“Having regards to the facts and circumstances of this particular case, I am compelled to request the Ogun State Command of the SSS to release Mr. Adedayo from custody forthwith”.
If you ask most Nigerians what their biggest dream is, in terms of ownership of property, not a few of them would likely mention that of building a house before remembering to say anything about buying a car.
This is because not a few them believe that having a roof over one’s head is the biggest dream that everyone need to work hard towards, in order to achieve the dream of being called a landlord or landlady.
Unfortunately, when the issue of building a house comes up at any forum, what easily come to mind is the rising prices of building materials and the huge cost of buying a land upon which the house would be erected.
Whenever the discussion comes up, several things come to mind. Things like the somewhat unabated soaring prices of cement, sand, nails, roofing sheets, window and door frames, wood and many more.
They are such essential materials that a house cannot be said to have being completed without land and the foregoing essential building materials.
However, with the soaring prices of building materials in the recent time, such dream may not be realised.
In fact, in a fiercely competitive housing market where prices continue to skyrocket, not few Nigerian buyers increasingly believe that their dreams of homeownership are unattainable.
Not only that, those that have ongoing housing projects at hand may likely abandon the projects as prices of building materials keep soaring high.
According to analysts, these are not the best of times for potential homeowners and developers as the unprecedented rising increase in prices of building materials across the country may exacerbate the prevailing housing deficit in the low and medium income segments of the real estate market.
Given the escalating prices of building materials across markets, not few Nigerians, particularly salary earners, can still be said to have a glimmer of hope of building houses they can call their own.
To buttress the foregoing view, Price Survey embarked on by Daily Independent, reveals that the cost of building materials in Nigeria in the recent time has become a source of concern because it has a direct impact on the affordability and accessibility of housing for the typical Nigerian.
This is as the cost of building materials has risen dramatically in recent years, generating a rippling effect in the real estate business. For instance, the prices of wires in Nigeria have remained astronomical.
A bundle of flexible binding wire costs around N5,300-6,000, whereas a 10kg roll costs around N43,500-47,000.
In a similar vein, a bundle of firm binding wire, costs between N6,300 and N6,800, with a 10kg coil costing between N47,000 and N48,000.
Still in a similar vein, the cost of cement, which is a vital component in the construction of buildings, has remained unaffordable since the last few years.
As gathered from a market survey, 50kg-pack of Dangote cement cost N3,500 to N4,500, 50kg-pack of Elephant cement cost N4,200, 50kg-pack of Eagle cement costs N4,250, 50kg-pack of UNICEM cement costs N4,200, 50kg-pack of Cellular Concrete cement cost N3,900 and 50kg-pack of Ibeto cement costs N4,000. Also, 50kg-pack of Ashaka cement cost N4,000, 50kg-pack of Wapco cement cost N4,400 and 50kg-pack of Sokoto cement costsN4,050.
On the current price of tiles (Per Square Meter) in Nigeria, there is a large variety of floor and wall tiles available, each with its own texture, size, quality, and design.
Here are some examples of tiles typically available in the market, while vitrified tiles price of 300.300 pack cost N4000-5,000 and 450.450 pack cost N5,100-6500.
Regarding polished porcelain, the prices show that 40 x 40 cost N2,800 – N3,000, 60 X 120 High Gloss Porcelain Slab Tiles cost N4,000 – N5,500, and 300.600 Wall Porcelain Tiles cost N5,000 – N10,000.
As for granite tiles, the prices per square meter cut across 30 x 30 cost M6,300 – N7,500, 40 x 40 cost N6,400 – N6,800, 30 x 60 cost N5,700 – N6,000 and 60 x 60 cost N7,700 – N8,000.
Still on the rising costs of building materials, the current prices of steel rods have been unaffordable.
There is no denying the fact that steel rods are similar to the skeletons of structures or buildings. At this juncture, a peep in the consumer market of the building product reveals that the list of current steel rod prices in Nigeria cut across 1 piece of 8 mm steel rod costs N700 to N850, 1 piece of 16 mm steel rod cost N1,500 to N2,000, 120 pieces (1 ton) of 16 mm steel rod cost N170,000 to N174, 000, 1 piece of 12 mm steel rod cost N1,100 to N1,500, 176 pieces (1 ton) of 12 mm steel rod cost N165,000 to N170,000, 1 length of 10 mm steel rod cost N1,000 to N1,100 and 1 piece of 25 mm steel rod cost N4,500 to N4, 8000.
Others are 42 pieces (1 ton) of 25 mm steel rod cost N180,000 to N185,000, 1 piece of 20 mm steel rod cost N2,600 to N3,000, 74 pieces (1 ton) of 20 mm steel rod cost N180,000 to N185,000, 185 pieces (1 ton) of 10 mm steel rod costs N165,000 to N167,000, 282 pieces (1 ton) of 8 mm steel rod costs N165,000 to N170,000, BRC Mesh (20 m of 3.5 mm) costs N14,000 to N15,000, BRC Mesh (20 m of 4.0 mm) cost N17,000 to N18,000, BRC Mesh (25 m of 4.0 mm) cost N25,000 to N27,000, A roll of flexible Binding wire cost N5,000 to N5,500, 10 kg bundle of flexible binding wire cost N45,000 to N48,000, 1 roll of stiff binding wire costs N6,000 to N7,000 and 10 kg bundle of stiff binding wire costing N47,000 to N50, 000.
Without resort to further providing a comprehensive price list of virtually all the materials needed for the construction of a building, it is expedient to say that the forgoing is glimmer of how the extant building materials market looks like.
According to Mr. Ayodele Emmanuel, an Estate developer at Pakuro-Mowe, in Ogun State, “The rising price is so pervasive across markets that most developers that took loan from either rich individuals or banks to build have been struggling to pay back the loans and at the same time have continued to battle with the unprecedented rise in prices of building materials.
“When someone borrows money from the bank to buy land, of which you know that Land is expensive, then somewhere in the middle of construction, the cost of materials shoot up and he goes back to borrow more money to complete it. That is the way it has being. It means that those that are already constructing a building project move back and forth in search of funds because they need to complete what they have started to avoid being put to shame or rather become laughing stock. Even some appear to have abandon most of their building projects”.
On factors that might have been triggering the prices of building materials almost by each passing day, Mr. Mike Onwuegbuchulem said: “As a result of the persistent depreciation of the Naira, the cost of building materials has experienced a drastic hike, particularly since the foreign exchange rate became high.
“Not only that, there have been incidences of rising inflation, with businessmen across all sectors witnessing high interest rate, inefficient supply chain in the real estate sector, poor road infrastructure for haulage and importation of cement”.
With all these put together, there is no way there would be no sharp increase in the prices of building materials, like we are today experiencing”.
According Onwuegbuchulem, consumers are giving up on homeownership dream as prices of building materials keep soaring on daily basis.
He explained that someone that is struggling to feed himself and family members will not start talking about building of a house.
Be that as it may, Mr. Edmund Uweru, a building contractor said “Builders are groaning as prices of building materials soar.
Senator Uba Sani, Governor of Kaduna State, has announced that his administration has decided to recruit 7,000 people for the state’s vigilante service to eradicate banditry throughout the state.
Speaking at the flag-off ceremony for the start of training for the 7,000 recruits on Saturday evening at the Police College Kaduna, the Governor said the recruits, who were drawn from all the local government areas of the state, would be a major step towards fulfilling his promise to the good people of the state.
The newly recruited vigilantes were trained hours after bandits attacked a mosque in Ikara, killing worshippers.
He said his administration’s blueprint commits to strengthening the Kaduna Vigilance Service’s (KADVS) manpower and overall operational capacity.
Since its inception, KADVS has been collaborating with security agencies to degrade criminal elements.”
But we face the challenge of inadequate personnel to successfully wage the battle against bandits and other criminal elements.
It is for this reason that our administration decided to recruit 7,000 personnel into the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS), he said.
He stated that the trainees were recruited and screened through the efforts of their Local Government chairmen, traditional and religious leaders as key stakeholders at the grassroots level, and security agencies.
Governor Uba stated that the KADVS is a complementary security outfit that provides actionable intelligence to security agencies, adding that bandits would have no hiding place with their knowledge of the local environment.
He was confident they would all be worthy of enlistment in the Service.
However, the governor warned them not to violate citizens’ rights when they began operations.
He reminded them that KADVS was established to protect the people, not to violate their rights and that he would not hesitate to discipline anyone who violated the Service’s operational guidelines or code of conduct.