Vice Presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Datti Baba-Ahmed, has tackled Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, running mate to the presidential candidate of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, following his claims that Peter Obi lacked enough experience to rule Nigeria. Okowa had in an interview with BBC pidgin on Monday, August 1, said that Obi’s experience not enough for the problems bedeviling the country. He advised the youths to be wise while electing their leaders come 2023 elections.He argued that Atiku was more experienced than Obi in Federal Government administration.
I did not say he won’t have any votes, he will have. But what I’m saying is that he’s not a new candidate. It has not been long since he left PDP. You know he was in APGA before, from APGA he came to PDP. It has not been long since he left (PDP), so he cannot say anything about PDP because that’s where he was before.” “Some of us are still here. At every party, there are good people and bad people. But today’s Nigeria is very troubled and we need the right person. That is why I am appealing to our youths to be wise and vote well, they should not be blinded by the concept of a false change because that is how they raved on Jonathan in 2015.
His (Obi) previous experience is not enough for this one (presidency), it will be hard. His experience is not deep enough. Even as a current governor ruling in a time of crisis, I know how hard it is.
Reacting in an interview on ChannelsTV Monday night, Datti Baba-Ahmed challenged Okowa to present anyone that has more experience than the former Anambra State Governor. “It’s untrue that Obi does not have enough experience. He is more experienced than any of the contestants. Show me anyone who has more experience than peter Obi. None of them have as much as peter obi has.” He further stated that he and his principal were looking forward to having a “government in money and not money in government.”
A woman who spent money on her boyfriend to ensure he had a good time on his birthday has expressed regrets after he credited his mother for all she did for him. The woman tweeted: “Y’all I ain’t never been so embarrassed in my life. For this man birthday I paid for his haircut, got him a big bottle of casamigos, and a gift bag with balloons. Why he post on his ig that his mom got him all that stuff ?” She added: “At the end of the day, my heart and intentions were pure. One day someone will appreciate the things I do for them…”
A Nigerian man identified as Wesley Anthony Ogheneruona Ojih, from Ebor- Orogun, Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State, has narrated how his two sons died in a motor accident same day. The teenagers, Favour Ogheneruona, 16, and Precious Ogheneruona,14, were laid to rest in their hometown after a funeral service at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor on Thursday, July 21, 2022.
The brothers were said to be on the same motorcycle when they had a fatal collision with a tipper lorry on the Owa-Okei Road, Owa which led to their death on May 24, 2022.
In an interview published by Ika Weekly Newspaper on Tuesday, August 2, Ogheneruona Ojih revealed that his first son was looking forward to studying Engineering, while the second hoped to become a medical doctor before the age of 22. “I had a total of five sons until I lost my first two sons, Precious and Favour Ogheneruona, to death; who had concluded their May/June WAEC examination and just started the NECO examination,” he said.
They have only written Marketing and Physics Practical before the ugly incident that occurred on the 24th, of May 2022.
On that fateful day, they had no examination to write, so they decided to join their mother, my wife, and me on the farm at Otolokpo and by 1 pm, to go back to Agbor for their NECO thumbprinting. It was on their way back, between Owa Ekei and Owa Alero, that a big truck (tipper) crushed them to death. “Their death was a huge loss to us, as my first son was already anticipating studying Engineering, while the second one to become a medical doctor, before the age of twenty-two.
We loved our children so much; they were very obedient and are committed to our well-being of the family, even at their young age. They were working for us because they were envisaging that as they are working for us, we the parents will in turn would use those resources to send them to the University He further added, “The Bible said we should give God thanks in every situation of life, actually, it is better they died that way than becoming a nuisance to society and source of burden to us because the impact of the accident on them was tremendous.”
To the glory of God, despite the fact my late sons died at a young age, they were able to write their names in the sands of time.” The late brothers were students of Igumbor Otiku Secondary School, and according to their father would be greatly missed by the school community as well as St John the Baptist Catholic Church, Agbor, their former parish; Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Abavo and St Dominic Catholic Church, Otolokpo will really miss them. Speaking further, he advised everyone to live in a way that pleases God and humanity, adding that there is no need for people to live their lives as if they are the owner, saying that one day, all will give account to God. “At least when we die people should be able to say one or two good things about us. And parents should know that the devil is after the youths, as such they should raise up their children in the fear of God and not go into fetish activities so that the destiny of the children would not be damaged,” he concluded.
Nollywood actress, Monalisa Chinda has revealed that the numbers used to communicate with her kidnapped colleagues can easily be traced. Monalisa, who is the Director of Communications of the Actors’ Guild of Nigeria (AGN), took to Instagram to question the kidnap of actress Cynthia Okereke and actor Clemson Cornel after they didn’t return home from a movie location. The kidnappers have demanded ransom of $100k. Expressing shock over the amount demanded by the kidnappers, Monalisa said she doesn’t understand why anyone would think Nollywood actors have such money. She added that the numbers used to communicate with the actors in captivity can easily be traced.
Recall that Isa Pantami, the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy in Nigeria, had directed that all SIM cards should be linked to their owners’ National Identification Numbers (NIN) to tackle insecurity in the country. Phone lines not linked to owners’ NIN were barred from making calls earlier this year.
The Rivers State Police Command has arrested two armed robbery suspects who allegedly raped a pregnant woman during one of their operations. Spokesperson of the command, Grace Iringe-Koko, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, August 1, 2022. The PPRO said the two suspects, Saviour Gbarale, 24, and Onyedikachi Uhala, 18, of Etche Street in Borikiri, Port Harcourt, were arrested by operatives of the C4i Intelligence Unit of the command. “The suspects specialise in house breaking and have been linked to series of recent armed robberies in the Port Harcourt metropolis and its environs. Investigations also revealed that the suspects raped and sexually abused a pregnant woman in the cause of their nefarious operations.” she stated.
The Niger State Police Command has arrested a teenager and one other over the kidnap and murder of a 13-year-old boy, Yasir Salisu.The state Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abiodun Wasiu, in a statement in Minna, said the victim went missing on July 29.Wasiu said the suspects, Nafiu Umar, 18, and Usman Sabiu, 22, confessed to kidnapping the victim to collect ransom from his father.“Usman Sabiu confessed to have conspired with Nafiu Umar and abducted the missing person to the house of Nafiu with the intention of collecting N100,000 from the victim’s father.
Unfortunately, he claimed that the victim could not produce the father’s contact to demand ransom and both suspects were identified by the victim, who are neighbours, hence the victim was strangled and killed by the suspects,” the statement read.The PPRO added that the suspects buried the body in a shallow grave by the riverside.“However, the corpse was exhumed and deposited at the Umar Yar’adua Hospital morgue for an autopsy,” the police spokesman said.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos state governor, Gboyega Akosile, has vowed to ensure Arise TV anchor, Rufai Oseni, gets punished for a traffic infraction. Rufai came on Twitter this afternoon to cry out after some police officers confiscated his car for driving on the lane meant for the Bus Rapid Transit BRT.
In his tweets, Rufai noted that he broke a traffic rule. He however added that he did not know that the lane was for BRT buses as he spotted other vehicles making use of the lane.
He however gave an update that he has resolved the issue with the spokesperson of the state police command, SP Benjamin Hundeyin. Moments later, Akosile took to his Twitter handle to pledge that the government will ensue necessary action is taken against Rufai for breaking the law.
A broadcaster, Rufai Oseni, has come under fire from the Lagos State Police Command spokesman, Benjamin Hundeyin and the Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State governor, Gboyega Akosile, for committing a traffic offence.
Oseni first tweeted, claiming that a gun was pointed at him and his vehicle driven away.He said, “A Nigerian police officer pointed a gun at me and forcefully took my keys and drove my car off, because he wanted to enforce a traffic infraction.”
Responding, Hundeyin said,“Rufai, let’s not do this. You admitted to me that you passed a BRT lane. It’s against the law. Your claim that Google maps took you there is not tenable. You disobeyed and resisted the officers. We’ll sanction the officer who misused firearm if proven.”
Oseni fired båck saying, “#BenHundeyin, a gun was pointed at me and my car was forcefully driven off. Now you are lying Ben, if I resisted how did they drive my car off and why did you ask me to send my car details? All I want is justice. I noted there was an infraction.
It’s best you stop the lies!”Meanwhile, the CPS joined the fray saying, “Thank you Rufai, while the #PoliceNG deal with the police officer in their own way, we’d ensure that necessary action is taken against you for driving on BRT lane as you’ve admitted to the police.
Apopular Islamic preacher based in Sokoto State, Bello Yabo, has prayed that terrorists who threatened to kidnap President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and the Senior Special Assistant to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, should be successful in their mission. Yabo, who said the prayer while reacting to Shehu’s comment on the terrorists’ threat, however, appealed to the kidnappers to release the innocent victims in their custody. He insisted the terrorists are free to kidnap Nigerian top leaders. SaharaReporters earlier reported how terrorists who abducted passengers of a Kaduna-bound train on March 28, 2022, in a viral video, threatened to kidnap President Buhari, El-Rufai and some lawmakers if they did not comply with their demands. But Shehu while reacting to the threat had said that the “terrorist activity using propaganda and the use of violence to force governments to accept or submit to political demands is not new all over world.”
In response to Shehu’s statement, the Islamic cleric berated him (Shehu) for simply describing the threat as prograpanda. The cleric accused Shehu of being insensitive to the unfortunate plight of kidnapped victims. According to a report by Daily Nigerian, Yabo prayed for Shehu to fall into the hands of the kidnappers, “I pray they kidnap you, Garba Shehu, and demonstrate as propaganda.” “We are praying for you kidnappers. May God grant you success in carrying out your threats to kidnap those people. But please release the innocent people in captivity. “If these were the kind of people you have been abducting all this while, we wouldn’t have bothered ourselves. We would instead pray and bless you because they have become a disaster [to us]. “These are people who promised heaven and earth, and now they have the opportunity but became incompetent. Take them to the bush and flog them, instead of humiliating innocent citizens who are striving to make ends meet.
“And please make good your threats, and we will support you with prayers.”
Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, on Sunday, defeated his immediate younger brother, Chief Austin Umahi, and three others to emerge the candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the rescheduled senatorial primary election for Ebonyi South.Umahi scored 250 votes to defeat his closest rival, Austin, who scored 10 votes to come second.Other contestants who stood for the primary, according to the Chairman of the Electoral Committee, Prof. Emmanuel Adebayo, included Ann Ago-Eze, who he said got no vote; Nwakaego Chukwu, who scored five votes; and Mrs Ibiam Margaret, who got three votes.However, our correspondent observed that Agom-Eze did not participate in the primary.
Announcing the result of the election, which took place at the Afikpo North Local Council headquarters on Sunday, Adebayo declared Umahi the winner of the election.He said, “I, Prof. Adebayo, by the powers bestowed on me by the National Working Committee of the party, declare as follows: total number of voters, 285, accredited votes, 270 votes; votes cast, 275; number of valid votes, 268; while invalid votes is seven votes.
“I do hereby declare that Mr David Umahi, having scored the highest votes, is hereby the winner of the primary election for Ebonyi South Senatorial zone.”
In his acceptance speech, Umahi commended the electoral committee for the peaceful and transparent conduct of the primary.He also commended the delegates for the confidence reposed in him, assuring them that the APC would emerge victorious at the forthcoming general elections in the state come 2023.
A Nigerian soldier identified as Macaulay Omonigho has reportedly died on his way to Kaduna State.
According to a family member, Macaulay Emmanuel, they were told that Omonigho died after he fell off a military van conveying him and other soldiers to Kaduna for an assignment on Friday, July 8, 2022.
LIB gathered that the deceased soldier and his wife welcomed a baby two months ago.
“You left us and your wife with 2 months old baby girl without saying goodbye. Death why him? How can they say you are the only one who fell down out of 7 Soldiers from Army Van on your way to Kaduna yesterday for an assignment by #NigerianArmy #army” Emmanuel wrote.
“If your death was caused by your fellow soldiers in the Van, their generations and those that cover it up will have no peace, none of their generations will clock 20 year’s, their young ones will never clock 5 year’s their male and female will all die young, their parents will bury all their children and none will bury their elder , except if your death is natural. We will always miss you blood. RIP Macaulay Omonigho RIP Blood, Your daughter and us will always miss you.”
It will be 24 years of uninterrupted democracy in Nigeria by May 2023. I can still vividly remember the wave of joy the country felt when the then Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, handed over to the newly elected civilian president, Olusegun Obasanjo, on May 29, 1999.
At last, Nigeria would start her journey to growth and sustainability for all. The then President Obasanjo, in his speech, described the day as “the beginning of a genuine renaissance” in Nigeria. The word renaissance comes from a French word meaning “rebirth.” In hindsight, was it truly the beginning of a genuine rebirth in Nigeria?
The political structure in Nigeria has been largely criticised by many as being laden with corruption, godfatherism and a lack of visionary approach to leadership. So much so that many in their pain and naivety have wished for Nigeria’s return to military dictatorship in the hopes of some form of sanity and economic stability. This largely owes to the seeming steadiness of the exchange rate from the day the late General Sani Abacha took power in 1993 till the day he died on June 8, 1998. For a period of five years, the exchange rate of the naira to dollar never changed from N22 to $1, while on the parallel market, the naira was trading as high as N88 to $1 (using the word ‘high’ to qualify N88 to $1 in 2022 might be a stretch but you get the point).
It is, however, important to note that democracy, no matter how problematic it might seem at the moment in Nigeria, is the closest to what we can get in terms of a system that can protect everyone. The almost 24 years of democracy under two prominent political parties—Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressive Congress—may be seen as some form of progress despite existing challenges.
Sadly, Nigeria has missed opportunities, truncated dreams and lost talents. Many sectors of the economy have suffered backwardness. Education is in a state of a cry for help. Security has degenerated so much that the average citizen sees the safety of their lives and property as their personal responsibility. There is the issue of police brutality that led to the #EndSARS movement. Also, the country is wallowing in massive debts. Inflation is on an all-time high, with Nigerians lacking the ability to afford three square meals, which has become a luxury. Even the power sector is so inflated with corruption that solutions deployed by smaller countries to generate power are so cumbersome for our leaders to deploy. According to the Nigeria Bureau of statistics, the rate of unemployment was 33% in 2019 and is likely to have increased as many lost their jobs during the pandemic. It appears that the country is crumbling with a lot of problems.
Nigeria is at a crossroads and people are expecting a miracle. One of my professional colleagues once said, “Nigeria is not something that anyone will want to acquire if it were to be personal property.” Hence, I pity the next President of Nigeria.
The last seven years of our lives as Nigerians have been excruciating. This is not to say that the present regime under the leadership of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has failed in every area. However, communication is key and this regime has failed in terms of communication and carrying the populace along in the little progresses made. The concept of servant leadership has been trampled upon.
According to a publication on OCED.org, Nigeria is the largest Black nation in the world: “One of every four Africans and one out of every five persons of African origin is a Nigerian.” This speaks to the power, talent, skills and resilience we have as a people. Nigerians are amazing people – industrious, innovative, creative, bold, kind, family-oriented, hardworking, etc. Young people have argued that they only need an enabling environment in order to survive and build the country they desire. They want leadership but leadership with all the progressive qualities of a visionary leader.
Leadership is service, management and hard work. Whoever emerges the president of Nigeria come 2023, be it Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the APC, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP or Peter Obi of Labour Party, Nigerians are expecting that change promised by President Buhari in 2015. It doesn’t matter that the next President did not make this promise; that expectation just comes with the territory of being the president of Nigeria. As such, fighting corruption and seeing true change is now an inherited campaign promise and the next president needs to be seen to hit the ground running from day one and ensure that true positive change happens.
It’s important to pay attention to the campaign season of the coming election (September/October). Beyond asking what, we must begin to ask, “How?!”
Just as Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State, who is the PDP Presidential running mate, said on Politics Today on Channels TV, it’s a common fight for hope.
Ejiro Otarigho, the driver who drove a burning fuel tanker away from a community in Delta state has disclosed that he needs a new vehicle.
Speaking after the senate asked President Buhari to confer him with a “befitting national honour as he may deem fit for his extraordinary act of bravery, courage and skill that prevented the loss of human lives and property on a massive scale”, Ejiro said it’s not been easy since losing the tanker as it was the only way he fed.
He also told Punch that the thought of hundreds of lives and property engulfing in flames as a result of the tanker fire, gave him the spunk to drive the truck to a location where there will be no disaster.
Ejiro said;
“I have received calls from them (Delta state government) but I am not interested in any national honour of any sort right now.
“I know God has brought me to a good place where my story is now being told. All I want is a replacement for my burnt tanker so I can go back to my job. “I have just been at home and truck driving was the only way I fed. It has not been easy for me since I lost my tanker.”
When asked if he would like to get a new job and abandon the dangerous business of tanker driving, he said;
“of course, I will. It is a risky job. “Imagine if I had died that day, nothing would have been said of me. If the government has something better for me, I will do it without looking back. All I want is to be able to take care of myself and my family legitimately.”
The Actors Guild of Nigeria AGN has suspended actor Moses Armstrong after he was accused of raping a 16-year-old girl in Akwa Ibom.
Moses was arrested by men of the state police command after a complaint was filed against him. Confirming his arrest, the president of the guild, Emeka Rollas said the matter was being handled by the First Lady of the state, Martha Udom Emmanuel through her Family Empowerment and Youth Re-Orientation Path Initiative.
In a statement released today Saturday, June 15 and signed by its publicity secretary, Monalisa Chinda-Coker, Moses has been suspended forthwith and is prohibited from acting until the investigation into the allegation is concluded.
See the statement announcing his suspension below;
Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State, on Friday, inaugurated the construction of the Coordinated Wholesale Centre for Pharmaceutical and Allied Products in Oba, Idemili South Local Government Area of the state.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Soludo, at the ceremony, said that all open drugs markets in the state would relocate to Oba when the centre is completed.
According to him, the construction of the centre is in accordance with the National Drug Distribution Guidelines.
“This project is in line with the plan to build a liveable and prosperous homeland in Anambra State. The Oba international drug market will be revived to help form the ecosystem for a new technology driven smart city in Oba.
The United States of America’s Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, Victoria Nuland, has said that the US government is strategically interested in Nigeria because the country practices democracy and is the sole decider in the growth of the African continent.
Ambassador Nuland said this during a press briefing with selected media correspondents on Thursday at the US Ambassador to Nigeria’s residence, Maitama, Abuja.
She said, “The way Nigeria goes is the way the continent goes. Concerning our strategic interest in the country, there’s always a war between authoritarianism and democracy, and considering the fact that Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa, if Nigeria can become increasingly stable and secure, empower its population, diversify its economy and empower the next generation, it will be a powerful engine not only for itself but for the African continent and all democracies across the world.”
The Under Secretary, who also met with the Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and the Chief of Staff to the President, Ibrahim Gambari, at the State House, said the focus of her visit was concerning the issues of security, free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.
Nuland said, “We have been focusing on the issues of security, free, fair, credible, and peaceful elections. We also talked more broadly about our security relationship, but at the high end in terms of the holistic approach to security, earlier we delivered some Tucano jets, and we are about to have a new delivery of helicopters as well.
“Concerning our cooperation, we talked about the fact that security needs to be about countering terrorism at the high end, however, it also needs to be about what comes behind it – such as better governance, employment, and better opportunity, which would drive out the ability of terrorists and terrorism to return to communities.”
She noted that it was one thing to root out terrorists from communities, but the government must also provide sustainable policing, community security, better services, and good governance, otherwise, the terrorists would always be back.
“The way terrorists get into communities and destroy the fabric of the nation is ‘an evil thing.’ We think that Nigeria, with our support, needs to address this in a holistic way. However, what we are trying to do now in our collaboration with the government is to integrate the air and ground approach to security.”
Commending Nigeria for its leadership in the Economic Community of West African States, she said, “We need a regional approach to this problem because these terrorists are running across borders, and we all need to work together. Nigeria plays a huge role not only for its own security but also for the security of the region, through the ECOWAS.”
Nuland, who also met with some members of civil society organisations to discuss the forthcoming 2023 general election among other issues, noted that the U.S. was very pleased with the new Electoral Act and also the longer period for campaigns towards the elections.
She said, “We’re very pleased with the new Electoral Act and also the longer period for campaigns towards the elections. The United States will support the Independent National Electoral Commission, and the police, to provide security because we know there is quite a bit of anxiety about that.”
The Under Secretary also stated that the United States was interested in having investors in Nigeria, but there was a need to have an enabling environment considering the issue of corruption.
“The United States government would love to see more investors in Nigeria but there is a need for an enabling environment as corruption remains an obstacle.” She said.
The PUNCH had, on Wednesday, June 15, reported Ambassador Nuland’s visits to Djibouti, Mozambique, and her expected visit to Nigeria.
Her visit to the African continent began on Saturday, June 11, and ended on Friday, June 17, 2022.
In Djibouti, Nuland and an interagency met with government counterparts to advance US-Djibouti relations and the two countries’ close security cooperation.
While in Mozambique, she met with government officials and civil society members to discuss ‘the full range of bilateral and regional issues, including opportunities to advance stability and economic recovery in conflict-affected areas in support of her government’s new partnership’ under the US ‘Strategy to Prevent Conflict and Promote Stability.
Ambassador Nuland was sworn in as Under Secretary for Political Affairs in April 2021. Before that, she was a Senior Counselor at the Albright Stonebridge Group, a global strategic advisory and commercial diplomacy firm based in Washington DC. She was also a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, a Distinguished Practitioner in Grand Strategy at Yale University, and a Member of the Board of the National Endowment for Democracy.
After 33 years as a U.S. diplomat, she served as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs from September 2013 until January 2017 under President Barack Obama.
She served as Special Envoy and chief negotiator on the Treaty on Conventional Arms Control in Europe from 2010 – 2011, and as Deputy National Security Advisor to Vice President Cheney from 2003-2005. In addition to two tours at NATO in Brussels, she had served overseas in Russia, China, and Mongolia, and various assignments at the State Department in Washington.
She was also State Department’s spokesperson during Secretary Hillary Clinton’s tenure, and U.S. Ambassador to NATO during President George Washington Bush’s second term, between 2005 and 2008
Nigeria’s Super Eagles on Thursday achieved a 2-1 victory over Sierra Leone in a Day 1 encounter of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations qualification series at the MKO Abiola Stadium on Thursday. The Leone Stars, who fought gallantly to come back from four goals down to tie the match 4-4 in an AFCON qualifier against Nigeria in Benin City in November 2021, showed they mean business as early as the 4th minute when a rasping shot from Mohamed Turay was tipped over the bar by Francis Uzoho. Two minutes later, a good pass by Aribo was followed by a teasing cross from Calvin Bassey but Victor Osimhen’s header failed to find the target. In the 10th minute, a brilliant pass from Sadiq Umar found Osimhen, whose shot drifted away. At the other end, just a minute after, Jonathan Morsay scored a stunning goal with a diving header from a beautiful cross by Musa Kamara.
Four minutes later, the advantage could have been stretched for the visitors when they hit the upright on another counter-attack. However, in the 16th minute, Nigeria were level when an exchange of passes between Alex Iwobi and Moses Simon ended with the former emphatically finding the far corner of goalkeeper Mohamed Kamara’s post. Three minutes later, Kamara saved a strong Moses Simon header, and in the 35th minute, Musa Kamara came close with a stinging grounder as the visitors swarmed forward once more. Four minutes before halftime, Osimhen scored Nigeria’s second when he drove the ball into the roof of the net from a Simon header off Ola Aina’s cross from the right. In the second half, the game flowed from one end to the other, but Nigeria should have made it 3-1 in the 58th minute when Iwobi ansd Osimhen carved open the visitors’ defence, only for Samuel Chukwueze to get too much purchase on his shot and drag it wide. Aribo, Osimhen and substitute Ademola Lookman all missed chances as Nigeria pushed for another goal, but in added time, it took Aribo’s last-second intervention to deny the Leone Stars. The Eagles pocket three points and are top of Group A, as they head to Agadir, Morocco for their Day 2 encounter against the ‘The Falcons and True Parrots’of São Tomé and Príncipe on Monday evening.
A Lagos accountant, Folake Abiola, has committed suicide at her residence at Osapa London, in the Lekki area of Lagos State.
It was gathered that the 45-year-old was at her house on Friday when she allegedly drank what was suspected to be insecticide.
She was said to have died shortly after, as her family members, friends and men of the Nigeria Police Force met her lying motionless.
A colleague of the deceased, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity, said Abiola had been suffering from depression for years, adding that the news of her death was shocking.Contrary to claims online that Abiola committed suicide due to loneliness, lack of a husband, among others, the colleague said her associates knew that she had been in romantic relationships, adding that she ended them due to depression.
The source said, “She had been suffering from depression for years and her death has nothing to do with loneliness or lack of a husband or sex. Within the last seven years, I know she was in a relationship twice.
“She ended those relationships on her own because of depression. She said she did not want to bring someone else into her life when she could not take care of herself. She was going through extreme depression, but people that did not know what she was going through have been posting rubbish online.She was a senior accountant at a telecoms firm and we are colleagues. She took her life herself and was buried that same Friday as she was the only Christian in her family.”
The colleague described Abiola as an angel, a conscientious accountant and a lover of Christ, who was liberal in giving, adding that she had been saying she wanted to end it all before she took her life.
“In Nigeria, we don’t pay attention to mental health; a lot of people are going through depression and it is not necessary that it has to be caused by anything,” she added.
The Lagos State Emergency Agency has said that four persons died while five were rescued alive in the building collapse which occurred in the state on Saturday. LASEMA’s Head of Public Affairs, Nosa Okunbor, made this known in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘Final Update on the collapsed four-floor building of Saturday, May 21, 2022, at 4 Alayaki Lane, Lagos Island’. He said, “After several hours of intense overnight Search and Rescue Operation coordinated by the Permanent Secretary LASEMA, Dr Oluwafemi Oke-Osanyintolu, and combined efforts of three LASEMA Response Teams from Lekki, Cappa and the Alausa Command Control Center, a total of five adult males were rescued (alive) and taken to nearest hospitals for further treatment. “However, four adult males were recovered (dead), bagged and handed over to officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, SEHMU to be processed further after being deposited at the mortuary.
“Remains of the self-collapsed four-floor building were then taken down to ground zero by the Agency with the use of its heavy-duty equipment-the Excavator, thereby eliminating any further threat to lives and all other proximal properties. “Other primary responders present includes the LASAMBUS, LASG Fire Sevice, LABCA, SEHMU, Federal Fire Service, NEMA, Red Cross, LNSC and NPF Also, the Zonal Coordinator South-West, National Emergency Management Agency, Mr Ibrahim Farinloye, said that further investigation into the incident showed that the collapsed building under construction was located within a compound and it was a frame structure as at the time of the incident. He said that the third suspended slab concrete was already in place with ongoing internal partition.
“The building crumbled during a downpour at about 1:45 p.m. Saturday. “The building was bequeathed to the family members and some of the family members awarded it to a developer who was converting the bungalow building into a three-storey building before it collapsed,” Farinloye said. According to the NEMA boss, Alayaki Lane where the building is located, contains a cluster of buildings and the rescue operation was hampered by the lack of space. He said for now no one had claimed that a relative is missing.
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