Category: Nigeria

At least six people dead after high-rise building under construction in Lagos collapsed, rescue officials and construction workers say.

At least six people have been killed after a high-rise building under construction collapsed in Nigeria’s commercial capital Lagos, officials said, with dozens of others feared trapped inside.

A yellow excavator pushed away concrete slabs in the search for people in the rubble of the 21-floor building, which collapsed on Monday in Lagos’s Ikoyi district.

The Lagos State emergency management agency on Tuesday said at least six people had died.

Rescue officials said many workers were caught inside the building when it crumbled though they could not confirm the number of people trapped. Witnesses say up to 100 people are missing.

Officials arriving at the scene were confronted by crowds of people venting their anger that rescue efforts started several hours after the collapse.

Femi Oke-Osanyintolu, general manager of the Lagos State emergency management agency, said “many” workers are trapped in the rubble, without giving a precise figure.

Four people were rescued alive and three more treated for minor injuries at the scene, he said.

Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has called for rescue efforts to be stepped up as emergency services, including hospitals, swing into action.

Construction workers at the site told the AFP news agency dozens of their colleagues were inside when the building crumbled.

“Like 40 people were inside, I see 10 bodies because I climbed up,” said Peter Ajagbe, 26, one local worker on the site.

“One of my partners is dead.”

Construction worker Eric Tetteh said that he and his brother had managed to escape. But he estimated that more than 100 people were inside the building at the time it crumbled into a pile of debris.

The Ikoyi area is one of the wealthier residential and business districts in Lagos, Nigeria’s densely populated major commercial city.

Building collapses are common in Lagos and other parts of Africa’s most populous country because of the use of sub-standard materials and the flouting of construction regulations.

In one of the worst building disasters, more than 100 people, mostly South Africans, died when a church guesthouse crumbled in Lagos in 2014.

The statement did not indicate how many people are currently missing.

The investigation into the cause of the collapse is ongoing, and officials on the ground are evaluating possible damage to the surrounding structures, the statement said.

Muhammad, a civil servant, told CNN he was in his office next door when the high rise came down. “We just heard an unusual loud sound from our office building and the building we’re occupying was vibrating. So, I looked through the window, only to see the building collapsing floor after floor. And of course, we all ran to safety.”

It took a while for rescue services to arrive at the scene. Hours after the collapse, hundreds of people were milling around the site, helplessly surveying slabs of concrete piled high in a heap. Locals were digging through the wreckage by hand.

Some in the crowd were furious that an official emergency response had not started.

Instead, rescue efforts were being carried out by passersby such as Rashid Olamilekan, who told CNN he had pulled three construction workers from the rubble. “I am a Nigerian. I have to rescue my people,” he said. The rescued workers had been taken to the hospital, Olamilekan added.

The Nigerian Red Cross were also there.

Building collapses are not uncommon occurrences in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city with a population of around 20 million people.

An expert told CNN at the time that more than 1,000 buildings were at risk of collapsing in Lagos.

• ‘Suspension may be lifted this week’
• Only one out of 10 demands yet to be met
• Twitter admits progress in discussions, awaits FG decision
• Twitter global users increase, revenue jumps by 37% to $1.28b
• SMEs, govt, economy bleed as losses hit N370b
• Experts appeal to the government to consider the use of platform

Uncertainty continues to trail Federal Government’s plan to lift the ban placed on the micro-blogging platform, Twitter, in Nigeria, 150 days after, and exactly a month since President Muhammadu Buhari promised to unban Twitter.

However, sources monitoring development between the government and social media giant disclosed to The Guardian yesterday that the ban could be lifted this week.

When asked about the status of the ban, he said: “As of today (Sunday), both teams have made significant progress. FG is finalising it. The ban should be lifted this week.

“There has been major progress in the discussions. Out of the 10 demands by the government, only one is left, which is Twitter having a formal presence in Nigeria. If that is agreed and sorted, then no issue again.

   
“There is supposed to be a meeting today (Monday) with the Twitter team; if they finally agree to the remaining one request, I can assure you that the ban would be lifted the next day.”

Earlier on August 19, the Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed that from the 10 demands put forward to lift the suspension, the social networking platform had acceded to seven.

When contacted, Twitter sources in Nigeria told The Guardian that the American firm does not want to comment on anything, but patiently awaiting the process of lifting the ban, alluding to signals that an agreement may have been reached between the two parties.

“They trust that this process will be completed in the most objective manner and they are happy to speak after the ban is lifted,” the source stated.

This is coming days after Twitter recorded $1.28 billion in revenue for the third quarter of 2021, representing a 37 per cent increase recorded in the corresponding period in 2020. Despite the ban in the country, Twitter had seen an increase in monetisable users and revenue. 

According to the Q3,2021 financial statement, Twitter generated $742 million in the United States, an increase of 45 per cent, while international revenue stood at $542 million, an increase of 28 per cent.

Twitter also reported that Japan remains their second-largest market after the United States, growing at 20 per cent and contributing $159 million to the overall revenue. The report also said the company’s total advertising revenue stood at $1.14 billion, an increase of 41 per cent.

On the flip side, year-over-year growth for Q3 ad revenue slowed in comparison to Q2 2021. Twitter posted a $537 million net loss in the third quarter after settling a lawsuit alleging investors were misled about slowing user growth.

Despite revenue rising sharply with the help of robust ad sales, Twitter still posted an operating loss of $743 million, fuelled by the more than $800 million settlement.

The 2016 federal suit filed by shareholders claimed the defendants, such as former CEO Dick Costolo, did not disclose the full picture of the company’s state while they sold their personal stock in Twitter.

Twitter’s key subscriber metric, monetisable daily active users (mDAU), hit 211 million in the quarter, up 13 per cent from a year ago. The company said it is projecting revenue between $1.5 billion and $1.6 billion in the next quarter.

IN his Independence Day anniversary speech on October 1, President Buhari had sounded like all outstanding issues had been resolved, directing the lifting of the suspension if the organisation meets government’s conditions. In fact, many headlines had misled readers to believe the unbanning was with immediate effect. But 30 days after, Twitter remains banned with costs spiraling.

Recall that the Federal Government had announced the suspension of Twitter operations in the country on June 4, after the social media giant deleted a post by President Buhari for “violation of the company’s abusive behaviour policy.”

By June 5, the suspension was effected by telecommunications companies as Nigerians woke up to a Twitter shutdown across all platforms.

The pangs of the ban since then have impacted businesses, especially the Small and Medium-scale Enterprises (SMEs) and governments at different levels. They continue to bear the brunt of the suspension while the economy takes a hit. It had also brought untold hardship on Nigerians, especially those in the online community.

According to NetBlocks, a watchdog organisation that monitors cyber-security and governance of the Internet, each hour of the suspension costs Nigeria $250,000 (N102.5 million), bringing the daily loss to N2.46 billion. Invariably, it means in the last 150 days, the economy has lost over N370 billion to the suspension.

Early last month, despite the suspension, millions of stranded social media users bypassed the ban as Facebook-owned services, WhatsApp and Instagram, remained shut down for hours.

Before the six-hour shutdown was restored on the Facebook-owned apps, Nigerians migrated heavily to Twitter, circumventing the ban using Virtual Private Networks (VPNs).

SPEAKING on the palpable silence on the matter, the Nigerian Coordinator, Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI), Olusola Teniola, said it may be that the Minister of Information and Culture is waiting for the President to approve the suspension of the ban.

On the losses, Teniola said it is very much the case that SMEs have adapted and may have migrated to other Internet-based platforms to continue to reach out to their potential clients and those they address.

“It is more likely to be a waiting game being played out. What the FG should do is update the citizens when this wait will come to an end.

“Continued dialogue and engagement with all social media and Internet-based platforms are highly recommended so that the wishes of government are taken into consideration by the ‘Algorithms’ that make up the Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems used by these platforms to curb hate speech and fake news,” he stated.

The Minister had on October 18 said the recommended conditions for the lifting of the Twitter suspension will be applicable to all Over-The-Top and other social media platforms in the country. Mohammed, who headed the Federal Government ministerial negotiation team, reiterated that the engagements with Twitter had been positive and fruitful, saying its report would be submitted to President Buhari.

“All I can say is that the recommendations we are going to make will not only be applicable to Twitter but they will be applicable to all OTTs and other social media platforms in Nigeria. Today, we are dealing with Twitter, we don’t want a situation where we will be dealing with Facebook tomorrow and Instagram the next day. Our recommendations will be very comprehensive.

“I want to say that we should wait for the committee to officially give its report to the President but things are looking very positive and rosy. After submitting our reports and recommendations to the President, I will be disposed to say what we agreed and what have been met and what has not been met,” he had said.

Already, there are about five lawsuits in Nigeria and the ECOWAS courts on the Twitter ban. Recall that Enough is Enough (EiE), Paradigm Initiative (PIN), and Media Rights Agenda (MRA) have filed a lawsuit against MTN, Airtel, Globacom, and 9Mobile to declare the blockage of Twitter access as unlawful, unconstitutional, and against the rights to freedom of expression.

These social enterprise groups are also seeking an injunction restraining the telecommunication firms from blocking or interfering with Twitter and any other social media platform.

President, National Association of Telecoms Subscribers of Nigeria (NATCOMs), Chief Deolu Ogunbanjo, appealed to the Federal Government to resolve the matter as fast as possible on the basis that subscribers are suffering, especially those who run businesses online.

MEANWHILE, findings by The Guardian have shown that Indian social media platform, Koo, is finalising its plan to register formally in Nigeria.

Already gaining acceptance in government circles, the Koo team had in September informed that it would register with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) this quarter and begin to pay taxes as required by the law.

The firm explained that part of the service is to ensure that local Nigerian languages including Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba, pidgin, Tiv, Fulfulde and others with large populations feature on the platform.

Sudanese security forces on Saturday killed three protesters during mass anti-coup rallies, medics said, despite warnings from global powers who had urged the military to exercise restraint.

“Two demonstrators were killed in the city of Omdurman by the putschist military council,” the independent Central Committee of Sudan’s Doctors said in a tweet, adding that one was shot in the head and the other in the stomach.

It later said security forces had shot dead a third protester, also in Omdurman, Khartoum’s sister city, bringing the overall death toll since the outbreak of anti-coup protests Monday to 12.

The medics said “live rounds” were fired at protesters in Omdurman and parts of Khartoum.

More than 100 people were also wounded Saturday, some suffering breathing difficulties due to tear gas, the committee added.

Sudan’s interior ministry denied that live rounds were fired at protesters on Saturday, saying the reported killings were “inaccurate”.

“Groups of protesters… attacked the police, as well as vital sites, which prompted the police to fire tear gas,” a statement said.

An AFP correspondent said tear gas was fired at other protests on the eastern banks of the Nile in Khartoum.

Security forces had deployed in large numbers and blocked bridges to Khartoum.

Tens of thousands turned out across the country for Saturday’s demonstrations, which came almost a week after Monday’s power grab, when the military dissolved the government, declared a state of emergency and detained Sudan’s civilian leadership.

The move sparked a chorus of international condemnation, with world powers demanding a swift return to civilian rule.

“No, no to military rule,” protesters carrying Sudanese flags chanted in Khartoum.

Organisers had aimed to stage mass protests similar to those that led to the toppling of autocrat Omar al-Bashir in 2019.

‘Don’t back down’
As night fell, many protests in Khartoum and Omdurman thinned out, AFP correspondents said.

Demonstrations took place across the country during the day, from Khartoum to the eastern regions of Gedaref and Kassala and the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, as well as central North Kordofan state and southern White Nile state, witnesses and AFP correspondents said.

“We want civilian rule… It has to be civilian 100 percent,” said Hashim al-Tayib, a protester in southern Khartoum.

Sudan had been led since August 2019 by a civilian-military council which was supposed to last three years and lead to full civilian rule.

The arrangement came under increasing strain prior to the coup, which analysts said aimed to maintain the army’s traditional control over the northeast African country.

Protesters held posters of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, ousted by the military and effectively held under house arrest, with slogans saying, “Don’t back down”.

“Though I have reservations on the performance of Hamdok’s government, there is no substitute for it,” said protester Hagar Youssef.

Protesters in east Khartoum burned tyres and held posters reading, “It’s impossible to go back”, while in the city’s southern district, banners expressed concern that the country might return to Washington’s state sponsors of terrorism list.

That designation, accompanied by years of crippling sanctions, was lifted only last December, opening the way to debt relief and renewed largesse from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

After Monday’s coup, the World Bank suspended aid to Sudan in a heavy blow to a country already mired in a dire economic crisis that began under Bashir.

Other protesters called for “freedom to the members of cabinet” who have been detained since the putsch.

Several pro-democracy activists have also been arrested following the takeover led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, Sudan’s de facto leader since the ouster of Bashir which came at the cost of more than 250 lives.

Warnings on violence
Officials from the United Nations, the US and Britain have urged security forces to refrain from violence and show “restraint”.

“The security services and their leaders will bear responsibility for any violence towards any protesters,” said Robert Fairweather, Britain’s special envoy for Sudan and South Sudan.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan said Saturday that Sudan’s security was “of paramount importance” to the Gulf kingdom and called for “a Sudanese dialogue that brings together all parties”.

Before the protests began, Sudan’s information ministry, which backs a civilian government, warned that coup authorities were planning to engineer “instances of destruction to justify its excessive violence”.

Shops have largely been shuttered, and government employees have refused to work as part of a campaign of civil disobedience.

Burhan, a senior general under Bashir’s three decades of iron-fisted rule, has insisted the military takeover “was not a coup” but only meant to “rectify the course of the Sudanese transition”.

Sudan has enjoyed only rare democratic interludes since independence in 1956 and spent decades riven by civil war.

The Kaduna state government has stated its commitment to improve the nutritional status of residents, including reducing anaemia amongst children, adolescents and women.

The Permanent Secretary, state Planning and Budget Commission, Hajiya Umma Aboki made the disclosure at the opening of a two-Day workshop in Kaduna, on Friday.

Aboki said that the programme was meant to determine the status of anaemia across all local government councils and to improve the nutritional status of their residents.

“Anemia is one of the life-threatening diseases affecting our population in Kaduna state.

“In the last two years, not all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) had nutrition budget lines, but as of now, all of them have nutrition budget lines, as well as all the LGAs, it is a plus for us on our nutrition plan scale,’’ she said.

Represented by Alhaji Salisu Lawal, the state’s Director of Development Health Coordination at the Commission, Aboki added that anaemia was still a major challenge in the state.

She noted that in spite of the government’s huge investments in nutrition, anaemia had remained prevalent among adolescent girls, women and school-age children which, if unchecked, could lower the intelligence quotient as well as decrease learning abilities and achievements in the future.

The permanent secretary urged the participants to support the state government’s plan to reduce anaemia in different communities across the state.

Dr. Zainab Idris, the Project Manager of Accelerating Nutrition Result in Nigeria (ANRiN), said that a lot of services at Primary Health Care Centres were not accessible and utilised.

Idris said that lack of access and utilisation of the services that would have upscaled nutrition, necessitated the interventions by ANRiN.

“This is something we are expecting to really work, so that at the end there will be a multiplier effect, and this is where the ANRiN project will contribute and see possibilities of collaboration to deliver the target services.

“The services are to ensure that the strategic social behaviour change communication counselling on maternal, infant and young child nutrition practice are improved across the communities’’, she said.

Idris added that micro nutrition powder for children, would be distributed to address diarrhoeal infection, provide pregnant women with iron, folic acid and malarial treatment.

“These are the things we are already doing, it will serve as a complement to this project. We will soon embark on monitoring of our respective LGAs, to see how the interventions are progressing’’, she added.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the participants were drawn from local government councils, including Health Secretaries and Reproductive Health Coordinators from the 23 LGAs in the state.

Others were representatives of UNICEF, Save the Children Fund, Alive and Thrive, Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria, Kaduna State Emergency Nutrition Action Plan.

• The home of Justice Mary Odili was searched by some security agents including policemen, soldiers, and EFCC agents
• The EFCC operatives were said to have visited Justice Mary’s residence as part of their investigation on her husband, Peter Odili
• Justice was said to have expressed anger over the presence of the security officer who stormed her house on Friday, October 29

Abuja – Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Friday, October 29, stormed the Abuja home of Justice Mary Odili of the Supreme Court, AIT News reports.

Punch reports that the EFCC officers were at Justice Odili’s to execute a search warrant as part of investigations on allegations against her husband, Peter Odili, a former Rivers governor, Punch adds.

Quoting a trusted source, the newspaper said the apex court judge was infuriated over the operatives, accompanied by policemen, to search her residence,

Read also

Arrest Sheikh Gumi as leader of bandits’ – PFN tells President Buhari

The source was quoted to have said:

“EFCC operatives armed with a search warrant stormed Justice Odili’s home today, claiming to be investigating her husband.

“Justice Odili insisted that it was her personal house and not her husband’s own. As I speak to you, the operatives are still there, insisting that they search the house.”

According to The Cable, the security operatives were said to have claimed that they received information on “illegal activities” going on in Justice Odili’s home.

Prominent former governor placed on EFCC watchlist, passport seized

Earlier, Odili was placed on the watchlist of the EFCC. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) revealed this on Wednesday, September 15, in response to a suit filed by the former governor in a Federal High Court, Abuja.

Legit.ng gathered that Odili was challenging the seizure of his international passport by the NIS. When the matter was called on Wednesday, counsel to the NIS, Jimoh Adamu, informed the court that he had just filed a counter-affidavit to oppose the former governor’s suit.

Read also

Pius Anyim spends second night in EFCC cell over N780m fraud allegation

Adamu sought an adjournment to enable him “put his house in order”.

Odili’s counsel, Ifedayo Adedipe, did not oppose the request for the adjournment. The court then adjourned the matter to September 28 for hearing.

Source: Legit.ng

• Some “Biafran National Guard gunmen” attacked the location of the troops conducting Exercise GOLDEN DAWN in Abia on Thursday, October 28
• The gunmen were, however, met with the superior firepower of the troops who neutralised one of them
• A statement by the Nigerian Army indicates that other members of the guard who fled were also caught in Ebonyi while vehicles and

Ohafia LGA, Abia state – Troops conducting Exercise GOLDEN DAWN have neutralised one of the “Biafran National Guard gunmen” who attacked them at Amaekpu, Ohafia local government area of Abia state on Thursday, October 28.

This is contained in a statement by the spokesman for the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu.

Nwachukwu said the assailants who were heavily armed and conveyed in several vehicles opened fire on the troops’ location.

Read also

Fear engulfs Imo community as hoodlums gun down resident

He added that they were, however, were met with stiff resistance by the troops which led to the killing of one of them while others abandoned their vehicles and fled with gunshot wounds.

The Army spokesman added that the troops also recovered a pump-action gun, among others.

He said the fleeing gunmen were also intercepted at Eda by troops of the Forward Operating Base Ohaozara in Ebonyi state., Daily Nigerian also reported.

According to him, the troops recovered additional three vehicles and apprehended one of the gunmen.

5 IPOB militants allegedly gunned down in southeast

Meanwhile, at least five members of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) lost their lives when they recently engaged in a gun duel with soldiers in Abia state.

Read also

Tears as gunmen strike again in Katsina, kill 6, abduct several villagers

Security sources confirmed that the outlawed group stormed Arochukwu local government area to the enforce “sit-at-home” order it declared.

It was gathered that IPOB militants exchanged gunfire with soldiers on arriving at the First Bank axis of the town creating tension around the palace of Eze Aro of Abia state. A security source said five members of the group bowed to the superior firepower of the troops as residents scuttled into nearby bushes upon hearing gunshots.

Nigerian Army reacts to report of constructing Ruga settlement in southeast

In other news, the Nigerian Army has debunked a report claiming that its 82 Division was constructing a Ruga Settlement between Ochima and Affa in Igbo-Etiti and Udi local government areas of Enugu state.

A statement released by Major Abubakar Abdullai, acting deputy director of Army public relations on Wednesday, October 13, described the allegation which it was aired through “an outlawed online radio” as baseless.

The Army said it deemed it fit to react to the allegation and present the facts clearly for the sake of posterity.

Source: Legit.ng News

Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka has narrated how he was ‘banished’ from entering Nigeria when he was in France.

The renowned playwright, narrated his ordeal on Thursday, while speaking at a news conference held at Freedom Park in Lagos with the theme: ‘Covid, Technology and Citizens banishment.’

According to the Noble laureate, he was denied his right to movement twice, describing his experience has banishment.

“Not being able to return to your own country is banishment.” Soyinka said.

“I had my vaccination, I have taken the 72-hour covid test, I was negative but there was one more, there was a new one called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction) which the Nigerian government had begun to insist on,” he said.

Soyinka said he believed it was his fault, so he went back to Paris with his luggage.

“But it happened the second time a week ago despite following all travel protocols and having the PCR,” he said.

“This time I had my PCR and of course it did not happen to me alone, there were other Nigerians who had a similar scenario, they couldn’t leave because they had already passed the immigration,” he added.

He said they were denied entry because they had not obtained a travel permit from the Nigerian government.

Soyinka stated that he was directed to make certain payments then “permission would be generated so I could travel back to my own country.”

He said despite his status in the country, he refused to contact any government authority to intervene.

Soyinka said the portal was inaccessible for him to generate the permit.

“I don’t believe that I or any Nigerian require a special treatment to enter the country, ” he averred.

“When an individual is prevented from entering one’s country due to the lapses of others, then there is a problem.”

Soyinka said he could have used his status to navigate his way through the strictures imposed by the government officials but he just wanted to experience the rigorous processes that ordinary Nigerians go through.

“This is a plea to the Ministry of Health and that of External Affairs which I believe must have participated in this.’

“The next day, about six staff of the aviation company tried to access the portal from different computers but it was not reachable,” he said.

He noted that although payment from his credit card was acknowledged, it still “did not generate this permit to enter Nigeria which has the barcode.”

The professor said at a point in a bid to gain entry into the country, he almost took a flight to Lome.

He added that it took “special permission” for him to enter his homeland.

He also berated the internal affairs and health ministries for making travelers fill a “ludicrous” questionnaire that has nothing to do with COVID-19 on the travel portal.

“What the majority of those questions have to do with COVID-19, I don’t understand. I went through some of the questions repeatedly… We do not require this kind of secret service questionnaire,” he said.

He said it was disheartening to see fellow Nigerians sleeping on couches, “trapped in limbo,” because some government officials are technologically inefficient.

Soyinka pleaded with the ministry of health and internal affairs to stop treating Nigerians as criminals and illegal immigrants.

He suggested that the Nigerian government provided an emergency line should there be technological hitches.