News
Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN), one of the members of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters, has raised the alarm that members of the panel are being unfairly persecuted by some state government officials over the report that protesters were killed at the Lekki toll gate on October 20, 2020.
Adegboruwa made this known in a statement on Thursday titled, ‘EndSARS Panel Members Are Being Unfairly Persecuted’.
It has been earlier reported that the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel submitted its report to the Lagos State Government, noting that at least nine persons were confirmed dead at the Lekki toll plaza when soldiers stormed the tollgate to disperse EndSARS protesters on October 20, 2020.
The 309-page report stated, “The atrocious maiming and killing of unarmed, helpless and unresisting protesters while sitting on the floor and waving their Nigerian flags and while singing the National Anthem can be equated to a massacre in context.”
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who received the report on Monday, constituted a Committee to bring forward a White Paper within the next two weeks to be considered by the Lagos State Executive Council.
Many Nigerians have been outraged by the panel’s report which is at variance with the consistent claim by the government that there was no “massacre” at the toll gate, a focal gathering point during last year’s nationwide demonstration against extrajudicial killings and police brutality by operatives of the now-defunct Special Anti-Robbery Squad of the Nigeria Police Force.
However, the panel members have also been commended for standing for truth and justice in the face of intimidation. In his statement, Adegboruwa said, “Since the submission of the EndSARS Panel Report to the Governor of Lagos State on November 15, 2021, members of the Panel have become subject of vicious attacks by those suspected to be agents of the government.
“All manner of allegations have been heaped upon Panel Members, some of who have been called unprintable names.
“I can confirm that no Member of the Panel lobbied to be appointed into the Panel. As a matter fact in my own case, His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State, appealed to me to accept my appointment, which I saw as a call to national service. The primary reason the Governor gave to me then was that he wanted men and women of integrity, independent and not subject to manipulation, to be on the Panel. “Just today, my attention has been drawn to an interview by a Senior Counsel to the Lagos State Government, to the effect that Panel Members collected bribe in the course of the assignment. It is unfair, ungodly and least expected of the government and its lawyers.
“The Lagos State Government asked for two weeks to enable it release a White Paper on the report submitted to it by the Panel. And we have been waiting, but it would seem that the Lagos State Government has now unleashed mindless propaganda upon Panel Members whilst at the same time asking for restraint from the general public.
“I have in my custody, certified true copies of all proceedings of the Panel and all exhibits tendered before the Panel in respect of the Lekki Toll Gate Investigation. I urge the government to call its agents and lawyers to order so as not to provoke aggravated responses.
“It is unfair to seek to denigrate peoples’ hard-earned reputation on account only that they accepted to render selfless service at the behest of government. If the government and its agents are not restrained from attacking others, nothing stops us from defending our integrity. “I should not become a victim of unwarranted attack just because I accepted to serve the government and the outcome of that assignment did not favour the expectations of the government. Suffice it to mention that I worked with men and women of unblemished integrity and I’m proud to be associated with them all.
“I, therefore, appeal to His Excellency the Governor of Lagos State to call all agents of State to order and to keep to his promise to us to release a White Paper within two weeks and to send the unedited report of the Panel, to the National Economic Council.”
Punch
The Lagos State Government has said that over 40 discrepancies were found in the report on the shooting of unarmed #EndSARS protesters at Lekki Toll Gate on October 20, 2020.
Counsel to the state government on the Judicial Panel of Inquiry on #EndSARS protests, Abiodun Owonikoko said this during an interview with Arise News monitored by Nigerian Newstrack on Thursday.
Recall that the Justice Doris Okuwobi-led panel had on Monday, November 15th submitted its report to the LASG.
In the 309-page document titled “Report of Lekki Incident Investigation Of 20th October 2020”, the panel revealed that at least 48 protesters were either “shot dead, injured with bullet wounds or assaulted by soldiers.”
Reacting, Owonikoko berated the report and said that there were several details, information left out of it by the panel.
He accused the panel of awarding damages to alleged victims of the incident who are still allegedly alive.
The lawyer cited an example of a 24-year-old man that was killed in a police barracks but was not included in the final report. Owonikoko stated further that the Lekki Concession Company (LCC) was not allowed to present any evidence by the judicial panel.
He alleged that the panel collected the sum of N5m from a woman who was awarded N10m for a gunshot injury.
“By law, the findings, conclusions and recommendations of the panel were not supposed to be made public. The report making rounds on social media is a draft of a minority opinion because I was there all through the proceedings. I am particularly shocked to read what is contained in the report because it is not completely accurate. I sighted over 40 discrepancies in this report, including awarding N15m to someone who was a witness to a police brutality incident that had nothing to do with the Lekki incident. What kind of report is that?
“All the evidence we were able to gather during the proceedings, none of them could be fully established. From the very beginning, the panel lacked the judicial competence to determine the outcome of this incident. The mistake made by the government was not setting up an entirely different panel to look into the Lekki incident because there were some members of the panel that were protagonists in the case against the Police. They were not supposed to be a part of it,” he said.
Owonikoko stated further that some members of the panel already had “a position as they ensured that the Lekki Toll Gate was not reopened four months after the incident, despite the LCC trying to show present evidence to vindicate the company. ”
He also accused human rights lawyer, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa (SAN) of being absent for the most part of the proceedings.
“Adegboruwa cannot give an objective report on the Lekki incident because he was always absent during the sittings which were held on Saturdays. He already had a case in court, challenging the legality of the toll gate. It is worrisome that he also signed off on the report, given that he was mostly absent. It makes the report tainted,” the lawyer said.
The World Bank says the increase in food prices could push additional six million Nigerians into poverty — calling on the government’s attention for short-term policies to support welfare.
The Washington-based institution stated this in its latest report titled ‘Covid-19 in Nigeria: Frontline Data and Pathways for Policy’.
In June, the World Bank said an estimated 7 million Nigerians were pushed into poverty in 2020 due to rising prices alone — without considering the direct impacts of Covid-19.
Using the Nigeria Covid-19 National Longitudinal Phone Survey (NLPS), the report examines the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on human capital, livelihoods, and welfare of Nigerian households.
The NLPS represents a successful collaboration between Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) and the data production and methods team at the World Bank.
The World Bank lamented that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic have brought Nigerian households’ food security under threat.
“The rise in prices witnessed between June 2020 and June 2021 alone could push another six million Nigerians into poverty, with urban areas being disproportionately affected. This underscores the need for short-term policies to support welfare,” the report reads.
“The simple simulations suggest that the share of Nigerians living below the national poverty line could have increased from 40.1 percent to 42.8 percent due to the food price inflation witnessed between June 2020 and June 2021.
“This means about 5.6 million additional Nigerians would be living in poverty. While food price inflation would decrease purchasing power and raise poverty across Nigeria, it appears that urban areas could be disproportionately affected.
“In 2018/19, about 16 percent of poor Nigerians were urban dwellers. Yet among those who would be newly impoverished by the increase in food prices between June 2020 and June 2021, around 27 percent would be from urban areas.
“Nevertheless, poverty in Nigeria is set to remain a primarily rural phenomenon, with or without rising food prices.”
The report said that coverage of social protection programs remained low throughout the Covid-19 crisis.
It stated that between March 2020 and March 2021, just four percent of households received support — in the form of cash — from the federal, state, or local government.
This figure, the World Bank said, was significantly below what would be needed to counteract the widening and deepening of poverty brought about by the crisis.
The report further noted that while many schools have reopened across Nigeria, learning that was lost during the Covid-19 crisis still needs to be recouped — and some children have not returned to school.
Commenting on the report, Shubham Chaudhuri, World Bank country director for Nigeria, said: “The Covid-19 crisis has provided a wake-up call to address the long-standing structural challenges that could constrain the government’s ambition to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty.”
“There is no time like the present for the country to prepare for future climate and conflict shocks and seize the promise of its young population to lay strong foundations for inclusive growth.
The report suggested three immediate priorities that could provide the bedrock for recovery.
“First, rolling out vaccines quickly and equitably should reduce the direct health threat posed by the virus,” the report reads.
“Second, it will be essential to help children remediate the learning losses incurred during the pandemic – by getting them back to school or by finding low-tech remote solutions that work for the poor where this is not possible.
“Third, expanding social protection could provide short-term relief for the welfare losses Nigerian households are currently facing.”
The Cable
Federation accounts allocation committee (FAAC) shared N671.910 billion among the three tiers of government for October.
This figure is down by N68 billion from the allocation distributed in September 2021.
Oshundun Olajide, acting director, (information), ministry of Finance, disclosed in a statement that the allocation was distributed at the FAAC meeting in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to the communique issued by FAAC at the end of the meeting, it indicated that the gross revenue available from the VAT for the month under review was N166.284 billion as against N170.850 billion distributed in September, resulting in a decrease of N4.566 billion.
Of the amount, inclusive of VAT, augmentations, exchange gain and non-oil mineral revenue, the federal government received N284.292 billion, states N209.838 billion and the 774 LGAs received N156.282 billion.
It added that oil-producing states received N21.498 billion as a 13 percent derivation of mineral revenue.
“The distribution is as follows; federal government got N23.227 billion, states received N77.422 billion, LGs got N54.195 billion, transfers and refunds received N4.789 billion and cost of collection got N6.651 billion,” the statement reads
“The distributed statutory revenue of N407.864 billion received for the month was lower than the N692.283 billion received for the previous month by N284.419 billion.
“Of this, the federal government received N180.551 billion, states got N91.578 billion, local government council got N70.603 billion, derivation (13 per cent mineral revenue) got N21.118 billion, cost of collection received N17.940 billion while transfers and refunds got N26.075 billion.”
The communiqué also disclosed the augmentations of N100 billion — as the federal government received N52.680 billion, states got N26.720 billion, while the LGAs received N20.6 billion.
Also, N50 billion from non-oil revenue was shared as follows: Federal Government received N26.340 billion, states got N13.360 billion and LGCs N10.3 billion.
The Cable
Train services across the country have been shut down as the three-day warning strike embarked by railway workers nationwide begins.
The warning strike by workers of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) is to hold from November 18th to November 20th.
The workers’ unions had declared the strike to demand increased wages and condition of service.
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had invited the labour unions into a meeting on Saturday which ended in a deadlock.
Another follow-up meeting by the Board and Management of the NRC could not change the decision of the unions on the strike.
The NRC management had earlier on Tuesday notified all district managers and coordinators to shut down train services with effect from Wednesday night.
Managing Director of NRC, Fidet Okhiria, in an internal memo issued on Tuesday alerted all district managers and relevant officers of the need to protect railway assets in the event the strike goes ahead.
The memo titled, “Protection of Railway Assets in View of the Impending Warning Strike by the two in-house unions slated for Thursday 18th to Saturday 20th November 2021”, read, “With regards to the impending warning strike action, the management and board have met with the two in-house unions to deliberate and resolve issues that are still in discussion to avert the proposed warning strike action.
“However in the event of a strike action, you are please requested to do the following to ensure that railway assets are protected adequately.
“The RDMs, managers and coordinators are to prepare and shut down train services appropriately by midnight of Wednesday, 17th November 2021.
The memo also directed the officials to move all locomotive and coaches for Abuja-Kaduna, Warri-Itakpe and Lagos-Ibadan train services to safe places.
General Secretary of the Nigerian Union of Railway Workers (NUR), Segun Esan, said the strike has commenced with full force and it would take shape on Thursday.
Daily Trust
Washington on Wednesday removed Nigeria from its list of countries with religious freedom concerns, just a day before Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in the country as part of a tour of Africa.
The omission drew a sharp rebuke from a U.S. government commission that had recommended the Biden administration keep Nigeria as a so-called country of particular concern for engaging in or tolerating violations of religious freedom.
Blinken made an annual announcement on Wednesday of the countries on the list, naming Myanmar, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as countries of particular concern. He also placed Algeria, Comoros, Cuba and Nicaragua on a watch list for religious freedom, and designated armed groups, including Islamic State and several of its affiliates, as entities of concern.
But Nigeria, which was added to the list for the first time in 2020, was not redesignated.
Blinken is expected to arrive in Abuja on Thursday, where he is set to meet with officials including President Muhammadu Buhari and deliver a speech on U.S. Africa policy.
The State Department did not respond to a request for comment, and it was unclear if the designation was related to the secretary's travel.
The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) in April recommended that Nigeria remain on the list, citing "violence by militant Islamists and other non-state armed actors, as well as discrimination, arbitrary detentions, and capital blasphemy sentences by state authorities" in the country.
The commission, which had also recommended that India, Syria and Vietnam be designated as countries of concern, said in a statement that it was "appalled" by the removal of Nigeria.
"We urge the State Department to reconsider its designations based on facts presented in its own reporting,” Chair Nadine Maenza said, referring to the department's report on international religious freedom in May, which cited religious freedom concerns in Nigeria.
Reuters
At least three separate storey buildings have collapsed in Lagos State within two weeks, floating concerns over lack of enforcement of regulatory standards in the construction of residential buildings in Nigeria’s richest state.
On November 1, 2021, a 21-storey building in the Ikoyi area of Lagos collapsed in which over 44 persons were confirmed dead.
The tragedy continued on November 2, 2021, when a two-storey building caved in in Osapa London, in the Lekki area of Lagos after a midnight downpour. No casualty was recorded in the collapse as it was said to be under construction when the unimaginable happened.
On November 17, 2021, after two weeks of seeming break in the serial collapses, a two-storey building under construction at Flour Mill Estate, Magbon, in the Olorunda Local Council Development Area in Badagry, collapsed, killing four, with the number of injured persons put at five as of the time of filing this report, according to Spokesman for the National Emergency Management Agency, Ibrahim Farinloye.
The PUNCH had earlier reported that over 200 persons have lost their lives in major building collapse incidents in Lagos State in the last seven years.
This is just as at least 145 buildings have collapsed in the state between 2007 and now.
The figure is the summation of casualties in seven different incidents between 2014 and 2020.
It was learnt that while the state government had taken possession of the building sites and threatened sanctions, there has been no known conviction.
The Nigerian Institute of Structural Engineers blamed the lack of quality control, quality assurance, and structural inadequacy as possible reasons for the recurring building collapses in the state.
Lagos, with a rapidly increasing population of over 20 million people, is Nigeria’s economic hub and had witnessed a surge in the influx of people from the 35 states in the country as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The soaring migration and attendant demands for housing units have led to the “microwave” construction of residential buildings in recent times, with many experts berating the Lagos State Building Control Agency for lethargy and tardiness in the discharge of its structural oversight function.
Punch
For three consecutive days, bandits have intensified their raid on communities in Munya Local Government Area of Niger State, the latest being the invasion of Zagaga community in the early hours of yesterday, where they killed two people and abducted 66 others.
Among those killed were two youths providing voluntary security services in the community due to absence of security agents, and a local vigilante who was butchered when gun bullets could not penetrate him.
Three other youths sustained gunshot injuries, one of them had his right leg broken, and are currently at a government facility in Minna, the state capital receiving treatments.
A source close to the community, who spoke to our correspondent on phone yesterday morning, said two children of the village Head, Musa Umaru, two wives of the counsellor representing Zagaga Ward, Saleh Adamu, are among the 66 people, including women and children who were abducted by the bandits.
It was gathered that the bandits, numbering over 80, stormed the community at about 1am, and shot sporadically to announce their arrival and, in the process, shot their ill-equipped victims at close range.
The operation, which lasted till 4am yesterday morning without resistance from any quarter, saw the bandits break into no fewer than 11 shops and a number of houses, where they looted provisions and other food items.
Our source said the victims, especially women, were used to evacuating all the looted items in sacks as they matched them through the bush path, heading towards a place called Mangoro, and Pole wire.
For the four hours that the operation lasted, our source said no security agent came to the rescue of the community despite communicating with them throughout the operation.
“We informed the security agents and we were communicating with them, but no response. Up till this morning (7am), we have not seen anybody, either from the government or the security agents.
“The entire community is now deserted because we don’t know what will happen next. The remaining people in the community have been moving out since morning with their properties,” he said.
The military, on April 23 this year, closed down its camp stationed in the community since 2018, after armed bandits, numbering about 70, invaded the camp and killed the RSM and injured others.
The military were also said to have, during the bloody attack which community source said lasted for over three hours, killed a number of the bandits.
Ever since the military shut down its camp in the community, there has never been any security presence in the area, as the people continue to rely on God and the little help from the ill-equipped local vigilantes to provide security.
Although the community has a police outpost with two personnel, there is no accommodation for them to be used as offices. They are also said to be ill-equipped.
Sun
Nigerian tech startup TeamApt Ltd. is in the market raising its third round of funding at a value of more than a $1 billion, which will result in the fintech firm joining a spate of Africa-tech companies to become so-called unicorns.
“The money will be used for our expansion to Egypt, Ghana and Cameroon,” said Eniolorunda. “And building out our digital banking product targeted at the under-served.”
While Africa has a rapidly growing and tech-savvy youth population, the continent often lacks financial infrastructure such as banks and tellers. TeamApt is trying to address the gap by using mobile technology and authorized agents to give people banking services such as cash deposits and fund transfers.
TeamApt is aiming to join a growing number of African startups valued over $1 billion, including Flutterwave, OPay and Jumia Technologies AG.
The boom in payments firms is a reflection of the rapid take up of smartphones and improving internet speeds across Africa. Still, telecom companies such as MTN Group Ltd., OPay and Paga are also using agents, or people within communities to explain and sell their products and services, while commercial banks in Nigeria such as Access Bank and FirstBank has also started using agent networks.
TeamApt now processes $3.5 billion in transaction values monthly, with 150,000 agents on its platform, and has 14 million users, Eniolorunda said.
Bloomberg
The United States Government as well as several human rights groups, including Amnesty International, on Tuesday called for action on the report of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry on Restitution for Victims of SARS Related Abuses and other matters, which stated that at least nine persons were killed and 39 others injured at the Lekki toll plaza on October 20, 2020.
However, the Nigerian Army and the Federal Government refused to comment on the report, which was submitted to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday.
The panel, led by Doris Okuwobi, also recommended that all soldiers (excluding Major General Omata), who were deployed in the Lekki tollgate, should be made to face appropriate disciplinary action, stripped of their ranks and dismissed as they were not fit and proper to serve in any public or security service of the nation.
It said the Divisional Police Officer of the Maroko Police Station, along with policemen deployed from Maroko Police Station on October 20 and 21, 2020, should be prosecuted for arbitrary, indiscriminate shooting and killing of protesters.
Responding to the report on Tuesday, the United States Mission to Nigeria said it welcomed the final report by the panel, adding that it awaits the response of both the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government.
It said in a statement, “The United States welcomes the conclusion of the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry with the transmission of its final report. We look forward to the Lagos State Government’s response as part of a process that represents an important mechanism of accountability regarding the #EndSARS protests and the events that took place near the Lekki tollgate on October 20, 2020.
“Those events led to serious allegations against some members of the security forces, and we look forward to the Lagos State and federal governments taking suitable measures to address those alleged abuses as well as the grievances of the victims and their families.”
The United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, Edward Kallon, noted that the submission of the findings of the judicial panel would accelerate the process of justice and accountability.
Kallon in a statement on Tuesday titled, ‘United Nations welcomes the submission of #EndSARS report, urges government’s commitment to implementing judicial panel’s recommendations’, said the implementation of the findings would help rebuild trust and start the process of healing and reconciliation.
Kallon said, “I welcome the submission to the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the reports of the judicial panel on claims of brutality and shooting in the Lekki area of Lagos State during the 2020 #EndSARS protests.
“I urge the government to implement the recommendations of the judicial panel of inquiry to rebuild trust and start the process of healing and reconciliation.”
Human rights lawyer, Femi Falana in a statement, recommended that the report of the panel be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari.
Falana, who is the Interim Chair, Alliance on Surviving Covid-19 and Beyond, said this in a statement titled, ‘Lagos State is Duty Bound to Implement the Recommendations of the Okuwobi Judicial Commission of Inquiry’.
The activist said members of the panel deserved commendation for the thorough investigation of police brutality in Lagos State.
He stated, “In particular, the revelation that some of the 99 dead bodies dumped in the various mortuaries in Lagos by soldiers were traced to the Lekki tollgate has exposed the official lie that the report of the brutal killings was a figment of the imagination of the protesters.
“A certified copy of the report of the panel should be forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari in view of the recommendation that the soldiers and police personnel, who engaged in the torture and reckless murder of citizens, be sanctioned.”
He urged the state government to accelerate the issuance of the White Paper as well as the implementation of the far-reaching recommendations.
The activist said the policemen, who were killed by criminal elements during the protests, should be honoured notwithstanding that their family members had been compensated by the Lagos State Government.
“The violent attack on unarmed protesters during peaceful rallies by police and military personnel should be completely outlawed since Section 83 (4) of the Police Establishment Act, 2020 has imposed a duty on the police to provide adequate security for citizens, who participate in peaceful meetings and rallies,” Falana said.
Global rights group, Amnesty International, hailed the report, insisting that those indicted by the panel must be brought to justice.
Amnesty said this in a statement titled, ‘Nigeria: Perpetrators must Face Justice after #EndSARS Panel Confirms Shootings of Protesters at Lekki Tollgate’.
In the statement, Director, Amnesty International Nigeria, Osai Ojigho, said the panel’s findings revealed the truth about what happened at Lekki tollgate and contradicted the blatant denial by the Nigerian government that deadly force was used against peaceful protesters.
Amnesty recalled that a day after the crackdown, it conducted its own on-the-ground investigation, which confirmed that the Nigerian Army and the police killed at least 12 peaceful protesters in Lekki and Alausa, with evidence gathered from eyewitnesses, video footage and hospital reports.
The statement read in part, “For the survivors and relatives of the dead, the judicial panel’s report findings are only the first step towards justice and restitution. Buhari must act promptly to ensure that those found to be responsible for shooting and attacks on peaceful protesters are brought to justice in fair trial.
“Nigerian authorities must ensure access to justice and effective remedies, including adequate compensation, restitution and guarantee of non-repetition to victims and their families. The authorities must also immediately and unconditionally release all #EndSARS protesters unlawfully detained since last year.”
Don’t insult military over #EndSARS report, CDS urges Nigerians
Chief of Defence Staff, Lucky Irabor, faulted the procedure adopted for the release of the report of the panel, stating that the issuance of a White Paper was the standard method.
Irabor said he could not, at the moment, comment on the content of the document, because he had not seen the official report and could not confirm the authenticity of the leaked one.
The CDS stated this during a courtesy visit to the Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, in Benin City on Tuesday.
Responding to a question, he said, “I am sure those of you in the media must have seen a report that was released through, in my view, a wrong channel, that is making the rounds in the social media. Whether it is a true report, I can’t tell.
“But I’d like to indicate that the normal procedure is to have such a report submitted to the convening authority. Then, there will be a White Paper that will be presented, based on which one can make informed comments.”
Irabor, however, maintained the Nigerian military was professional and remained committed to its constitutional mandate.
He added, “So, we will not at this point think that Nigerians should make disparaging remarks regarding the Armed Forces of Nigeria in the sense that we are professional. If there are issues, of course, we will address them within the ambit of the provisions of the law.
“It will not be right to disparage the men and women, who have worked so hard to ensure that the territorial integrity of this nation is kept intact.”
Punch
More...
Nigerian Institution of Structural Engineers (NIStructE) says the 21-storey building that recently collapsed in Ikoyi, Lagos state was originally designed to be six floors.
The structure, which was being developed by Fourscore Homes, caved in on November 1, leaving over 40 people dead.
Femi Osibona, owner of Fourscore Homes, is one of the 45 persons who have so far been confirmed dead.
In a statement on Tuesday, Kehinde Osifala, NIStructE president, said the changes made to the project appear to “have been seriously inadequate”.
“There are clear indications of several design brief changes on the project and the engineering and management of these changes appear to have been seriously inadequate,” Osifala said.
“The building that collapsed was initially designed for just six floors, and later to 12 floors, before this was further changed to 15 floors.
“It could not yet be established the adequacy of any properly designed and documented further revision to the eventual (and tragically, final) 21 floors that was being implemented and which collapsed.
“There are also indications that more than two structural engineering design firms worked on the project at different times.
“The preliminary investigation also revealed some evidence of structural inadequacy in the construction and that signs of some structural distress had already started to show within certain elements of the building. Some remedial measures were already being undertaken to address some of this.
“The method of implementation of this was not in accordance with sound structural engineering practices.”
The NIStructE president also said lack of proper quality control during the construction of the building was evident.
“All the above findings, which are very significant from the structural engineering point of view, need to be investigated further during the detailed investigation stage so that all factors related to the cause or causes of the collapse can be truly established and the appropriate lessons identified and implemented,” he said.
“It is our view that the outcome of our preliminary investigation will give a general indication of what likely led to the unfortunate incident.”
The Cable
PRESS RELEASE
The House:
Notes with dismay that once again, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in Nigeria is threatening to proceed on another industrial action on a matter that has been on the front burner for so long: The implementation of negotiated and signed Agreements with the Federal Government;
Notes also that the Federal Government has not been quite forthcoming, neither has it attached any consistent seriousness to the urgent need to reposition and refocus the education sector in line with our developmental objectives;
Aware that the ASUU President has threatened to call out his members across the nation, if all the issues, including those of unpaid academically earned allowances and the universities revitalisation fund are not addressed within a period of 3weeks;
Further aware that the future of Nigerian Students once again, will be negatively impacted, if this impending strike by ASUU is not nipped in the bud by the Federal Government;
Recognising that incessant strikes disrupt the academic calendar and contribute significantly to the poor quality of graduates in the country, with far-reaching implications for national development;
Also acknowledging that strikes encourage brain drain, migration of students abroad and low world rankings of our academic institutions;
Embarrassed that the Federal Government has, since, the last strike was called off in December, 2020 continued to pass the buck, make excuses and engage in diversions and distractions rather than meet the terms of Agreement it signed with the Union;
Resolves to
Urge the Federal Government to urgently take all necessary measures to open a realistic negotiation with ASUU to stop the strike and implement the signed agreement in the interest of our students, their parents, the education sector and the country.
Unknown number of residents are feared dead in a gas explosion that occured at Ojekunle Street, Papa Ajao Lagos on Tuesday morning.
Reports have it that the explosion occurred around 8am.
There was pandemonium in the area while many bodies have been taken away from the scene with more feared trapped.
The number of casualties could not be ascertained.
Rescue efforts by residents were ongoing as at the time of filing this report by Nigerian Newstrack.
Details shortly…
Lauretta Fagbohun, Ogun
The Asiwaju Leragun Egba, Chief Toyin Amuzu, has decried the daily rising cost of living and the hardship being experienced by Nigerians, saying it clearly showed that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is wicked and inconsiderate in their policies and programmes.
Amuzu said it also showed that the ruling party has “no idea or solution on how to salvage the people from the myriad of problems confronting the nation.”
Speaking in an interview with Nigerian Newstrack in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, Amuzu condemned the recent increment in the prices of electricity metres, Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), otherwise known as cooking gas and other commodities, especially food items, describing the act as “wicked and inconsiderate.”
While conceding that the nation’s problems could not be solved miraculously, he opined that those saddled with leadership responsibilities should at least show direction, commitment and patriotism, alleging that “this has not been the case with the APC.”
The Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said: “An average Nigerian now finds it very hard to make ends meet as prices of goods soar virtually everyday. The ruling party has no clear cut vision and sincerity to tackle the challenges confronting us as a nation. It is sad that Nigerians have to pay for their leadership failures.”
The real estate developer lamented that, “eating three square meals has become a big deal. Security is not guaranteed, there is infrastructure deficit and a whole lot. Infact, many businesses have crumbled. But, all the government of the day thinks about is how to take more loans and how to further overtax the people, who are already finding it hard to survive.”
Speaking further, he posited that, “This is not about politics, we must be sincere with ourselves and ponder for once how we want our country, State and local governments to be. Our people are being pushed to the extreme. That is why we must genuinely work out modalities to make things work, else we will all continue to sit on a keg of gunpowder.
"We need to halt this trend, this is not about party affiliation but about genuinely saving our society and improve. Our people can’t go to their farms, or walk freely because they don’t want to be kidnapped. There is nowhere to run to, the ruling party must shun politics and seek advice and solutions to the problems bedevilling the nation anywhere and everywhere,” he told Nigerian Newstrack.
The Egba Chief, enjoined professionals and technocrats to join politics, saying their ideas and contributions were needed to formulate policies that would better the society.
He urged Nigerians, especially the people of Ogun State to embrace the ongoing Continuous Voter Registration exercise of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) so as to be able to vote during election period and stop being mere critics of the government.