A car carrying three passengers was on the bridge when it collapsed, according to an eyewitness, who spoke with SaharaReporters.

Four people have been reported dead after a bridge collapsed at Oko-erin, Ilorin, Kwara State.

The bridge collapsed after a heavy downfall on Saturday night.

A car carrying three passengers was on the bridge when it collapsed, according to an eyewitness, who spoke with SaharaReporters.

The driver and passengers dived into the canal and died before they could be rescued.

“The bridge collapsed around 10pm on Saturday nightbecause of heavy downfall. The driver was on the bridge when it tore apart and they fell into the canal.

“They died because they could not get help as people don’t have means of rescuing them, we had to standby and expect the emergency team to come.”

The emergency response team is currently at the scene making efforts to retrieve the car and bodies.

A petition seen by SaharaReporters has given more insight into why Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, was disqualified from the selection process of the All Progressives Congress ahead of the governorship election in the state.

Obaseki, who has been at war with APC’S National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, was on Friday disqualified over issues relating to discrepancies in his academic credentials.

The screening committee for the Edo State governorship primary of the APC also disqualified Chris Ogiemwonyi, a former Minister of State for Works, and Mathew Iduoriyekenwen, a former Majority Leader of the Edo State House of Assembly.

The petition seen by SaharaReporters among other things said that Obaseki’s O/Level results showed that he had three credits and that he spent only three years to bag a Bachelor of Arts degree in Classical Studies from the University of Ibadan, Oyo State, in 1976 without an A/Level result.

The petition, which was sent to the Chairman of the APC governorship screening committee by some concerned members of the party in the state, warned that the party would be risking another Bayelsa scenario if Obaseki was not disqualified.

The petition reads, “That Godwin Obaseki submitted a false affidavit to INEC on 12th July, 2016 contrary to the provisions of Section (5) and (6) of the Electoral Act.

“That the Peoples Democratic Party suspected the affidavit to be false and got their lawyers to write the FCT High Court requesting for a certified true copy of the affidavit on 2nd September, 2016.”

The petitioners said in response to PDP’s request, the Abuja High Court denied issuing any affidavit to the governor.

It added, “Any political party that fields such a disqualified candidate would be fined under section 31( of the Electoral Act.

“The problem with Obaseki educational history is that it appears fraudulent as no explanation has been reasonably offered why a four-year academic programme was completed in three years against the established course requirement for the completion of a degree programme in Classical Studies.

“It is indeed very questionable when one imagines how Mr Obaseki secured admission into University of Ibadan with just three credit passes in his ordinary level certificate at a time when the educational system was purely on merit.”

The petition also noted that the three-year degree programme was and is still applicable to only students with advanced level certificate/Diploma/National Certificate of Education, adding that the governor never showed that he possessed an A’Level certificate to qualify for a three-year programme.

Obaseki had since said he will not appeal the decision of the screening committee while there are reports that he is already being courted by other political parties ahead of the governorship election in the state in September.

Lagos – The Federal Government has approved N13 billion as intervention fund for pest control in 12 northern states, to reduce the effects of COVID-19 on the nation’s food sector.

The 12 `frontline’ states, to benefit from the fund are Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Katsina, Kano, Jigawa, Bauchi, Gombe, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Borno States.

The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development made the disclosure in a statement issued on Saturday.

The Minister, Alhaji Muhammad Nanono, said that the intervention fund was to ensure uninterrupted agricultural activities during the 2020 farming season in the states.

He explained that the fund would also be used to control trans-boundary pests and minimise the impact of COVID – 19 as well as guarantee nutritional and national food security.

Nanono emphasised that the present administration “is determined to fight any menace that will truncate the successes recorded so far in the agricultural sector”.

He said that government was mindful of reports of desert locust outbreaks in East Africa and the Middle East with the possibility of a spillover of locust swarms into West Africa and Nigeria.

According to the statement, the minister also performed the flag-off of the 2020 dry season control of trans-boundary migratory birds for the 12 frontline northern states at the Birnin Kebbi International Airport in Kebbi.

Nanono said that the flag-off was performed in Kebbi because of the state’s extensive agricultural activities.

“The choice of Kebbi State for the flag off is deliberate, in view of the extensive agricultural activities in the state and the immense cooperation and collaboration of the state government in the implementation of agricultural interventions over the years,” Nanono said. (NAN)

As part of steps to curtail the spread of COVID-19 in Ekiti State, the state government on Monday, commissioned a mobile laboratory to facilitate COVID-19 testing in the state.

The Molecular Laboratory, which is installed at the Ekiti State Teaching Hospital (EKSUTH), Ado-Ekiti is in partnership with 54gene, a company set up to provide genomic data for Africa. This comes barely a month after the State unveiled the Ekiti State Covid-19 Response Hub, a Geographic Information System- based application created to manage data on the pandemic in the state.

The COVID-19 mobile laboratory acquired by the State Government is fully equipped with vital testing instruments and biosafety materials including an autoclave, biosafety cabinet, centrifuge, heating blocks, vortexes, pipettes, and PCR machines to support COVID-19 testing.

54gene will also furnish the State with operational support and staffing by providing molecular scientists with the necessary skill set required to handle the instruments in the mobile laboratory.

Speaking at the commissioning, the Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said with the installation and commissioning of the laboratory, Ekiti State now has testing capacity of up to 400 tests daily and will be conducting tests across all 16 local government areas to facilitate early detection of the coronavirus and ensure timely and adequate treatment of any infected person.

Commenting on the sustainability of the laboratory, Governor Fayemi said the COVID-19 mobile lab will remain in the State even after the pandemic has abated and would be utilized as a fully functional molecular laboratory.

This, according to the Governor, will bolster the State’s molecular testing capabilities and may be used by medical researchers and clinicians within Ekiti State in the event of any future outbreaks

The COVID-19 Mobile Laboratory is pioneered by 54gene, a Health Tech company accredited by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which is already testing for COVID-19 in Lagos, Kano and in Ogun States.

The initiative is one of the interventions being facilitated by the Ekiti State COVID-19 Response Resource Mobilization Committee, set up by the Governor, to attract effective support base to respond to the threats posed by the pandemic to citizens of Ekiti State.

Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi has denied claims that his government has sold off the Ekiti State Governor’s Lodge in Abuja.

Governor Fayemi said that his government was just carrying out reconstruction of the building located at the Federal Capital Territory, having been allegedly abandoned throughout the four years of the administration of former Governor Ayodele Fayose.

The PDP had in a statement in Ado-Ekiti signed by the Publicity Secretary of the PDP Caretaker Committee in Ekiti, Diran Odeyemi, accused the governor of selling off the building to an unnamed investor, an action he described as an act of financial recklessness and misgovernance.

But in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communications to the Governor, Segun Dipe, on Saturday, Fayemi described the allegation as spurious, saying the reconstruction of the sprawling edifice was captured on the 2020 budgets and could be confirmed on the state website.

‘In the day-to-day exercise of administrative powers, circumspection is required. This is what separates the current administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi from that of its PDP predecessor,’ the statement read.

‘It is actually not for the pained PDP to dictate what the priority of an APC administration should be, rather it is the business of the administration of Dr Fayemi to prioritise projects, in so far as it is properly communicated to the people.

‘The Fayemi administration has kept faith with workers in the way the PDP could not. If reconstruction of the dilapidated lodge in Abuja is deemed a priority, and for as long as it does not interfere with the meeting of other necessary obligations, then, it should be left for the government to decide.

‘Lest the critics have forgotten, Fayemi is not like Fayose who shrewdly rented his personal apartment located in the same Asokoro axis to the state for his own use in Abuja, at a cost of N30 million (Plus N3 million agency fee) per year, which amounted to N120 million (plus N12 million agency fees) in four years.

“The same Fayose illegally disposed of the official land acquired by the first civilian governor, Otunba Niyi Adebayo for the building of the State Lodge. Up till now, the lodge procured has remained in private hands and the Fayemi administration is the one trying to take possession of the land in the name of Ekiti State.’

Fayemi averred that the current position he holds as the chairman of Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum has made him a regular caller in Abuja than any past governor.

‘There was hardly any week he didn’t visit Abuja before the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike Fayose, Governor Fayemi would rather stay in his private residence at no cost to the state. If Fayemi were a Fayose, he would have rented his personal house to the State and collected huge rent or better still, lodge in Presidential suites in hotels. He has refused to do any of these.

‘Due process is not just about how humans are legally treated, but also how resources are judiciously deployed. When a leader makes due process his watchword like Fayemi has done, both his dealings with humans and utilisation of resources would be self-moderated and such a leader would have nothing to fear.’

Governor Fayemi told the opposition and those he branded as “ill-informed propagandists” to savour the freedom of information law of the state to investigate these facts, instead of on embarking on a wild goose chase.

He added that: ‘The same property was purchased during the Segun Oni era from a co-PDP governor of Osun State at the time, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola. It was not so good for habitation since the roof was leaking. This made Fayose to totally abandon it and thus make it become much worse.

‘Now, Fayemi, due to his twin style of good governance and due process, had to order the demolition of the building because it was found to be structurally weak and dangerous for habitation after it was criminally abandoned for four years by the Fayose administration, hence the decision by the Fayemi administration to demolish and rebuild.

‘This was adequately provided for in both the 2019 and 2020 Budgets and this is available on the internet for anyone’s perusal. It was well advertised, bidded for and duly awarded.’

The Ekiti governor said that if the opposition PDP is still “agonising” as to whether due process had been followed or not, that it enjoys the freedom to approach the court as is their democratic right.

Mohammed Abubakar, son of Nigeria’s former vice-president, has recovered from COVID-19 after spending 40 days in the hospital.

In March, his father had announced that one of his sons tested positive for the disease after he returned from Switzerland.

In a statement on Monday, Mohammed said his experience as a COVID-19 patient humbled him as he never thought he would be one of those infected.

“I, Mohammed Atiku Abubakar, wish to inform Nigerians that I have finally been cleared and discharged after 40 days of coronavirus (Covid19) treatment,” he said.

“My discharge could not have come at a better time than in the Ramadan, a season marked by sacrifice and supplication to the Almighty Allah.

“I thank the Almighty Allah for my recovery from the dreaded infection and also wish to express my sincerest and deepest appreciation to Nigerians for their prayers and goodwill while I was being treated.

“In the course of life, we have no idea of what will happen to us because only the Almighty God knows our future. When the coronavirus first broke out in faraway China, I had no idea that I might be one of those to be infected. This is one of the everlasting lessons I can’t forget for the rest of my life. Indeed, I have been humbled by this experience.”

He hailed the federal ministry of health and other frontline health workers for their sacrifices and professionalism during this period.

Mohammed said the pandemic revealed the weakness in “our health sector” and brought the poor and the powerful to a common level.

“The coronavirus has caught the world off guard and sent us reeling for solutions. It also reveals the weaknesses of our health systems in the developing world. It’s an eye-opening experience for Nigeria and other developing nations,” he said.

“Thanks to coronavirus outbreak, we are now coming to terms with the necessity of adequate funding of our healthcare system. This disease has brought the rich, the poor and the powerful to a common level. This is the time our policymakers should reset our national priorities and give our health system adequate attention. No investment in our health sector is too much.

“No less important, our policymakers should also adequately fund research in vaccines and other drugs because of the uncertainties and challenges like the coronavirus. Once again, thank you for your support and prayers, may Allah show up for you at your appointed time of need.”

Covid 19: Again, Buhari Offers No Solutions- PDP...Urges Nigerians to Remain Vigilant.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)is appalled that President Muhammadu Buhari, in his Monday’s COVID-19 address, again, failed to offer decisive solutions to protect Nigerians from the deadly pandemic.

The party also expressed disappointment that President Buhari did not offer any post lockdown stimulus to assist Nigerians in the private sector whose businesses had been crippled by the lockdown and are now faced with the burden of workers’ salaries and business refinancing.

The PDP lamented that apart from the elementary lockdown and failed palliative showboating, President Buhari did not offer a decisive solution regarding the production of drugs, testing kits and management of equipment to safeguard Nigerians, despite the huge resources at the disposal of his administration.

The party further described as saddening that President Buhari did not address the demands by Nigerians to end his administration’s political parochialism and engage competent hands, including indigenous researchers, equipment manufacturers, pharmaceutical, medical as well as virology experts to infuse home grown therapeutic solutions in the overall effort.

The party insists that had President Buhari heeded this demand by Nigerians at the onset of the pandemic, the situation would not have escalated to this frightening level with no solutions in sight.

The PDP also finds it difficult to reconcile President Buhari’s assurances of adequate test kits with the disposition of the NCDC which declared that it is desperately in shortage of test kits and other medical equipment to combat the scourge.

Our party invites Nigerians to observe how countries like Senegal had effectively mobilized their indigenous medical researchers and manufacturers to produce low cost quick testing kits as well as ventilators while investing massively in the production of drugs for treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Moreover, the PDP has completely lost faith in the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, which is technically bogged down under the coordination of individuals that have not demonstrated required experience & proficiency to manage a serious pandemic like COVID-19.

The PDP demands an immediate reorganization of the PTF to eliminate political underlining and vest the responsibility on known experts to galvanize our public and private institutions for solutions.

Furthermore, President Buhari should immediately rally efforts within the public and private sectors to provide post lockdown stimulus for the private sector while eliminating corruption to ensure the distribution of palliatives to target vulnerable citizens.

It is also worrisome that President Buhari failed to address the corruption in the administration of palliatives as well as the position of his government on the handling of donations and the spending template of other COVID-19 related funds.

Nigerians should continue to strictly adhere to health safety measures of social distancing, personal hygiene and avoiding of large gatherings until the pandemic is over.

El-rufai’s Wife Blasts Son For Threatening To Rape Someone’s Mother

The first lady of Kaduna State, Hadiza El-Rufai has chastised her son, Bello, for allegedly, in his tweets, threatened to rape the mother of a twitter user.

Mrs El-Rufai, who was earlier attacked for taking side with her son on Sunday, apologised saying that having gone through her son’s tweets chronologically, she had had a conversation with him.

She said she would never condone sexual abuse in any shape or form.

Daily Trust reports that what started as a political debate when Bello El-Rufai described US President Donald Trump as incompetent over his handling of COVID-19 pandemic later degenerated into personal attacks that included ethnic slurs between Bello and some tweeter handlers.

Consigliere had alleged that Trump was more competent than President Muhammadu Buhari and Bello’s father, the governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.

Bello fired back at Consigliere thus; “Tell your mother I’m passing her to my friends tonight. No Igbo sounds please! Tueh”.

Mrs El-Rufai, who was tagged in some of the tweets, stated that; “All you people talking about @B_ELRUFAI, Don’t @ me. Sow the wind, reap the whirlwind. All is fair in love and war. My belief: Respect everyone, but take no … from anyone. I didn’t see any threats of rape. I would never condone that.”

The First Lady later tweeted; “When I posted the tweet below, I assumed it was just the usual Twitter gbas-gbos. Having read the tweets chronologically, I have had conversations with Bello. Never ever should sexual abuse be employed as ammunition in public/ private exchanges, no matter the provocation.

“I can see how my tweet may have come across, and I apologise to those who were offended by it. I say once again, that I’d never condone sexual abuse in any shape or form.”

Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, said yesterday reiterated his commitment to continue to fight Nigeria’s unity till the end of his life. He spoke at the first memorial lecture of Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, the founder of O’odua Peoples Congress (OPC) in Lagos.

Obasanjo said Nigeria must address the agitation for restructuring for the country to move forward. He said, “Nigeria needs a new constitution which will contain the aspirations, fears and realities of the present state of Nigeria.”

According to him, the spate of insecurity in the country has fuelled the agitation for regional security network.

He said governors as the chief security officers of their respective states cannot afford to keep mum in the face of kidnapping, banditry, and Boko Haram attacks.

“All that our governors are doing to fight insecurity, let us join forces with them for the success of quality security in the country. If we don’t have quality security, it will lead the country to doom,” he said.

He added that restructuring would solve the nationwide agitation by ethnic nationalities.

He decried the suspicion among ethnic groups and regions in the country, saying, “The language we are using to address ourselves across the region now is uncouth and it must not continue. I will continue to fight for Nigeria’s unity until I die. But this fight is not to make my children and my race second class citizens.”

Obasanjo noted that agitations in the last century and during his presidency were for true federalism but have now shifted to restructuring.

“When I was president, what we met and what was happening, especially with the Abacha regime, people were clamouring for true federalism, not divide Nigeria. Now people are not clamouring for true federalism again, everybody is talking about restructuring.

“If we don’t address restructuring, they may go from restructuring to self-determination and this will be a serious problem.

“If Boko Haram can get external support, any group that decides to go will get support from within and outside.”

He said the late Fasehun was concerned about the lopsided political structure and arrangement in the country and would love to see these concerns addressed.