The Nation Newspaper

Tag: collapse

  • Construction worker dies in Lagos building collapse

    Construction worker dies in Lagos building collapse

    • Man lynched

    A 45-year-old labourer, Nwanneka Ogbonaya, has lost his life after a portion of an old building under demolition suddenly collapsed on him in Opebi, Ikeja, Lagos.

    According to a report at the Ikeja Police Division, the accident occurred around 4:30 p.m.

     Ogbonaya, who was working at the site when the blocks from the structure caved in, sustained severe body injuries and lost consciousness.

    He was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), where he was pronounced dead by the attending doctor.

    The deceased’s family was notified of the incident, and despite professional advice from the police and medical experts to conduct a proper autopsy, they have insisted on taking his body to their hometown for burial.

    The Lagos State Police Command has launched an investigation into the matter.

    Also, a man identified as Monday was lynched by some individuals, after being accused of cable theft.

    According to police reports, the incident happened around 3 a.m. on September 29. The deceased was reportedly tied with a copper wire around his neck and strangled by one suspect identified as “AY” and several others who are at large. The attackers were said to have beaten the victim severely before he succumbed to his injuries.

    Read Also: Money laundering charges against Bobrisky legally dropped – EFCC

    The victim was accused of stealing electrical cables in the area. It was learned that he was beaten into unconsciousness by a mob and died shortly after.

    The police, acting on the information, have launched an investigation into the murder, with two suspects, Samuel Lamak, 33, and Akeem Ahmed, 40,  arrested.

    Officers from the Alausa Division responded to the report and visited the scene for further investigation. The body of the deceased was later recovered and taken to the Mainland General Hospital morgue in Yaba for preservation and autopsy.

    The Police have assured the public that efforts were being made to apprehend other individuals, including the primary suspect, “AY.”

  • BREAKING: One feared dead, seven rescued in Lagos building collapse

    BREAKING: One feared dead, seven rescued in Lagos building collapse

    A child was feared dead on Wednesday when a building collapsed at 10, Cameroon street in Mushin, Lagos. 

    Seven other residents were also reportedly rescued by sympathisers from the rubbles. 

    Read Also: Three rescued from Abuja collapsed building

    A resident said the building collapsed following heavy downpours in many parts of Lagos. 

    She said the Lagos rescue team was yet to respond to emergency calls as of the time of filing this report. 

    Details Shortly…

  • 40 dead in Kenya dam collapse

    40 dead in Kenya dam collapse

    A dam collapsed in western Kenya early Monday, killing at least 40 people after a wall of water swept through houses and cut off a major road, police said.

    The Old Kijabe Dam, located in the Mai Mahiu area of the Great Rift Valley region that is prone to flash floods, collapsed and water spilled downstream, carrying with it mud, rocks and uprooted trees, police official Stephen Kirui told The Associated Press.

    Vehicles were entangled in the debris on one of Kenya’s busiest highways and paramedics treated the injured as waters submerged large areas.

    Ongoing rains in Kenya have caused flooding that has already killed nearly 100 people and postponed the opening of schools. Heavy rains have been pounding the country since mid-March and the Meteorology Department has warned of more rainfall.

    Read Also: Three feared dead in Kano building collapse

    Kenya’s Interior Minister Kithure Kindiki ordered the inspection of all public and private dams and water reservoirs within 24 hours starting Monday afternoon to avert future incidents. The ministry said recommendations for evacuations and resettlement would be done after the inspection.

    The Kenya National Highways Authority issued an alert warning motorists to brace for heavy traffic and debris that blocked the roads around Naivasha and Narok, west of the capital, Nairobi.

    The wider East African region is experiencing flooding due to the heavy rains, and 155 people have reportedly died in Tanzania while more than 200,000 people affected in neighboring Burundi.

    A boat capsized in Kenya’s northern Garissa county on Sunday night, and the Kenyan Red Cross said it had rescued 23 people but more than a dozen people were still missing.

    Kenya’s main airport was flooded on Saturday, forcing some flights to be diverted, as videos of a flooded runway, terminals and cargo section were shared online.

    More than 200,000 people across Kenya the country have been hit by the floods, with houses in flood-prone areas submerged and people seeking refuge in schools.

    President William Ruto had instructed the National Youth Service to provide land for use as a temporary camp for those affected.

    Newsnow

  • Father, two kids die in Anambra building collapse

    Father, two kids die in Anambra building collapse

    • Six hospitalised in Ekiti incident

    A father identified as Chizoba Aniefuna and his two sons have lost their lives in a building collapse at Egbu Umuenem, Otolo in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

    The structure, a storey building with a pent house, was reportedly under construction when it collapsed.

    Aniefuna, said to be the builder of the collapsed structure, also had a relative who was trapped inside but was later rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital.

    When newsmen arrived at the scene yesterday, labourers were seen trying to rescue the victims as an excavator deployed to make the operation swift developed a fault at the scene.

    Addressing reporters shortly after the bodies were exhumed from the debris, Chairman, Council for Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), Anambra chapter, Victor Meju, blamed the collapse on the use of substandard materials and non approval from relevant regulatory authorities.

    He announced the seal-off of the site, while the owner of the building, Chukwunafu Anamanjo, would be invited for questioning to aid investigation.

    “Poor foundation, poor concrete mixture, poor quality of materials, poor wearing cost capacity, nonconformity to standard, non approval from relevant regulatory authorities led to the avoidable tragedy,” he said.

    In Ekiti State, six persons sustained injuries and were hospitalized following the collapse of an event centre at Ijero-Ekiti, headquarters of Ijero Local Government Area of the state.

    The Nation gathered that the incident occurred at about 4:15pm on Saturday, while a funeral ceremony was ongoing in the facility.

    It was gathered that there were 250 occupants inside when the roof and walls receded, injuring guests who scampered to safety.

    It was learnt the timely arrival of the men of the Fire Services at the scene of the incident averted more casualties.

    Read Also: Uba Sani inaugurates five mobile medical trucks, women and children shelter

    Apart from the wreckage, the building auditorium and surroundings were littered with spilled foods served for the guests, broken bottles, shoes, male caps, female wigs and headgears.

    Relaying how the incident happened, an eyewitness said: “A reception exercise for a burial ceremony was ongoing when there was a deep crack on the wall. Suddenly, the roofing and Plaster of Paris(POP) fell on those who were seated inside the auditorium.

    “This caused a stampede. Some occupants sustained serious bodily injuries. I was here with the Chairman of the Local Government with Fire Service men to rescue the people out of the rubble.

    “Those who were seriously wounded were immediately taken to the hospital for treatments”.

    Meanwhile, the Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji, expressed sympathy over the building collapse, describing it as unfortunate and saddening

    Oyebanji, represented by his Deputy, Chief Monisade Afuye, who visited the collapsed building and Ijero General  Hospital, where some victims received treatments, 

    yesterday morning, grieved over the incident.

    Oyebanji directed all the agencies of government to ensure  that all public buildings of that nature were supervised and certified at every stage to avoid unwarranted fatalities.

    The Governor said the incident could have been averted, if proper building compliance with specifications were carried out by government agencies, warning that situations like that shouldn’t be allowed to reoccur in the state.

  • Save Wesley varsity from collapse, Bishop urges

    Bishop of Owo Diocese, Methodist Church Nigeria, Revd Solomon Adegbite has urged church members and other well-meaning Nigerians to support the faith-based Wesley University, Ondo to meet its mission in academic lifeline.

    The cleric pleaded with all stakeholders to do everything possible to rescue the university’s licence from being revoked by relevant agencies.

    Revd Adegbite spoke at the 31st annual Diocesan Synod held at the Methodist Church, Ehin-Ogbe, Owo, in Ondo state last weekend.

    He noted that church ministers have always paid substantially to jerk up what was being remitted on behalf of the Diocese.

    “Some of us were trained in Methodist Primary, Secondary and even Colleges.  Some people contributed to build those schools. What are we contributing as a people and generation to bequeath to the next generation that will add value to them? This University is one of such.

    “Let us do our best to make Wesley University a place to be proud of,” he said.

    Adegbite reiterated the agreement reached at Aba conference that whatever was paid either by the church or individuals would be turned to shares which to attract dividend in the future.

    The cleric thanked all Methodist Church members, especially in Owo Diocese, for their support and cooperation in the past seven years he has been in their midst.

    He said though they had not reached their destination by his own vision and projection, but actually started the upward movement to the area.

  • Save Delta APC from collapse, stakeholders beg NWC

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been urged to save the party from collapse in Delta State ahead of next year’s elections.

    Stakeholders in Delta Central made the plea in a communique signed by their Chairman, Edewor Akpedafe, Dr. David Ejenobo, and six others, after a meeting in Ughelli, yesterday.

    They said the National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, had not been fair to its leadership, led by factional Chairman Chief Cyril Ogodo.

    Stakeholders from the eight councils making up the district, passed a confidence vote in President Muhammadu Buhari, Ogodo, Sam Adjogbe and O’tega Emerhor, whose candidacy for Delta Central they affirmed, noting that without his effort, APC would not have been a party to reckon with in the state.

    Promising to ensure the re-election of President Buhari, they applauded him for projects in the state, signing of the bill for establishment of University of Petroleum Resources (FUPRE), Naval Training Centre, and completion of Aladja-Itakpe-Ajaokuta rail.

    The communiqué reads: “Members were particularly appreciative of the various board appointments given to our sons and daughters at the national level, particularly the appointment of our son, Chief Sam Adjogbe, as executive director (Projects), NDDC.

    “Members pass a vote-of confidence in Olorogun Otega Emerhor as the undisputed leader of APC in Delta, and we shall work to ensure his victory at the polls.

    “We applaud the contributions of Chief Sam Adjogbe (EPD) and the leadership of the State Working Committee, headed by Chief Cyril Ogodo, to the growth of the party.

    ‘’It was noted with satisfaction the road construction and developmental projects of NDDC in Delta Central, which Dr. Sam Adjogbe brought to the people to enhance their standard of living.

    “We also affirm that the National Chairman of our party, Adams Oshiomhole, has not been fair in his treatment of Ogodo, who was duly sworn in as the authentic chairman of the APC in Delta by the erstwhile Chairman of the party Chief John Odigie-Oyegun.

    “We will like to note with displeasure that despite a subsisting court order, the national chairman sworn in another person as chairman of APC in Delta State.

    “We appeal to the National Working Committee to save APC from collapse in Delta, and call on delegates in the district to remain steadfast to the ideals of the party, as victory is sure for us in court’’, the communique said.

  • Defection: Oshiomhole’s emergence saved APC from collapse, says Okorocha

    •Governor: Oyegun’s tenure disastrous

    THE emergence of Adams Oshiomhole as All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman saved the party from implosion, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha said yesterday.

    Okorocha, in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, urged APC stakeholders and members to support Oshiomhole.

    He observed that the party would have totally collapsed if the former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and his National Working Committee (NWC) members were allowed to pilot the APC affairs for another one year as proposed under the tenure elongation plan.

    Okorocha said: “With the scenarios that have played out within the fold of the APC, at the moment and in less than one month after the party’s National Convention, it is obvious that the emergence of Comrade Oshiomhole as National Chairman has saved the party from an impending catastrophe…

    “It can also be argued that some of the proponents of tenure elongation were innocently doing so without having an overview of the entire disturbing picture behind the scheming for elongation of tenure. All these defections, as we all could see, were never planned in the past few weeks. The coming of Oshiomhole just forced the cat out of the bag.

    “With the events too, leaders of the party could now see the wisdom in jettisoning the clamour for tenure elongation for the Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC members and opting for a National Convention to elect new officers. In the circumstance, those who opposed the elongation stuff and insisted on convention should now be commended.”

    The statement added: “One could easily imagine what would have been the case if the party had allowed the Oyegun-led NWC to continue and what would have happened at the party’s primaries, especially that of Presidency.

    “What is happening in the party now could not have been planned and executed within these few weeks Oshiomhole took over as the party’s National Chairman. Rather, his coming only altered the plan of those who wanted to destroy APC to serve personal interests.

    “When the issue of elongation came up, we heard a lot of stories why some of those behind the undemocratic demand were persistent on that. That, there was an arrangement somewhere to shortchange President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential primary for 2019. And with events of the moment, that claim has got an alibi.”

     

    “In other words, Oshiomhole’s coming was timely. He came at the appropriate time. He is on it and will get it right. All we need to do is to support him. APC has come to stay as number one party in the country and even in Africa. And whatever that is happening in the party now are indices of party politics and they have nothing to do with the fortunes of the party, either now or in 2019.”

    According to Okorocha, “In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari will be re-elected by Nigerians. The party will also have more governors and more legislators elected by the electorate because the records are available to show that we have done well in four years compared with the 16 years spent by the other party.

    “Adams Oshiomhole has the political will and all it takes to make APC an institution that we shall all be proud of. We know his capacity and that was why we all supported him. He will drive us safely to our destination by the grace of God”.

     

     

  • Nothing will make Nigeria collapse, says Obasanjo

    nothing can make Nigeria collapse, former President Olusegun Obasanjo said at the weekend.

    According to him, if the country could go through a civil war and a ruthless military dictatorship, it cannot collapse under any other situation.

    Online newspaper Premium Times quoted the former President as speakingfrom Azerbaijan where he was attending a meeting of the Inter Action Council of Former Heads of State and Government.

    He was responding to reports quoting him as saying Nigeria would collapse should President Muhammadu Buhari be reelected.

    The reports claimed that the former president made the comment in a speech at the Blavatnik School of Government, Oxford University, on Friday.

    But Mr. Obasanjo denied making the comment, saying he had not visited London since January.

    “I won’t and can’t say that (that Nigeria will collapse if Buhari is reelected),” the former president said. “There will be nothing that will make Nigeria collapse. When Nigeria did not collapse under a civil war, it won’t collapse now.

    “My faith and conviction about Nigeria is so strong that I don’t see the country either being dismembered or collapsing.

    “The worst has passed on Nigeria. Once we were able to survive the civil war, once we are able to survive (Sani) Abacha, nothing can be worst than those two. And our democracy is waxing strong. Although there are a few things we need to get right.

    “As far I am concerned, the worst is over. What remains is for all of us and for our leadership to show good faith and commitment to do what is right. Then Nigeria will grow from strength to strength.”

    “I regard those as aberrations and they will pass away,” the former President said. “Such aberrations will pass away with the regime that bring them.

    “Don’t forget that Abacha did more than that. Of course Abacha’s regime was not a democracy, it was a military dictatorship. If we survived that, then we will survive any shenanigan against democracy. That’s the greatest advantage of democracy.”

     

  • Judiciary saved Nigeria from collapse, says CJN

    Judiciary saved Nigeria from collapse, says CJN

    •Onnoghen asks judges to be abreast of law

    CHIEF Justice of Nigeria (CJN) Justice Walter Onnoghen argued yesterday that without the timely intervention of the judiciary in trying times, the country would have collapsed.

    Onnoghen, who stressed the importance of the judiciary in the country’s continued existence, urged judicial officers (judges and justices) to always be abreast of the present state of the law to ensure effective justice dispensation.

    The CJN noted that public confidence in the judiciary and its legitimacy would remain threatened where judicial officials were unable to appropriately interpret the law.

    He spoke in Abuja yesterday at the opening session of a workshop for judicial officers from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and Federal High Court on provisions of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act.

    The workshop, with the theme: “The role of the judiciary in the effective development of Nigerian content in the oil and gas industry”, was put together by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), the National Judicial Institute (NJI) and a private entity, Juris Law Office.

    Onnoghen said: “Nigerian judiciary is instrumental in ensuring stability in the oil and gas sector by interpretation of the relevant laws to the industry.

    “I make bold to say, without any fear of contradiction, that the Nigerian Judiciary is a key partner in ensuring stability in the oil and gas sector by interpretation of the relevant laws to the industry.

    “Indeed, the adjudicatory duty of a judge can only be performed optimally when he remains up-to-date with the emerging developments and trends in jurisprudence pertaining to the oil and gas sector.

    “You must be seen to be knowledgeable in the law and be in charge of your courts to ensure speedy resolution of disputes which in turn serves to assure investors and other major players in the oil and gas industry that their investments are safe,” Onnoghen said.

    The CJN, who hailed recent policies in the oil and gas sector, said such reforms were informed by government to promote local content in the provision of technology and manpower to the downstream sector.

    Onnoghen said the workshop was intended to ensure that judicial officers  were abreast of the role of the Judiciary in dealings with issues in the oil and gas sector.

    One of Onnoghen’s processors, Justice Alfa Belgore, noted that the NCDMB had before now, deplored the carrot and stick approach in enforcing compliance with the local content law administratively.

    He said with the enactment of the law on local content, it was now appropriate for the judiciary to use stick in line with the rule of law to ensure total compliance.

    NJI’s Administrator, Justice Rosaline Bozimo was of the view that judicial officers were required to possess adequate knowledge and skills on oil and gas to efficiently adjudicate on the cases that may come before them.

    Bosimo, who was represented by NJI’s Secretary, Abubakar Maidona, urged judicial officers to be proactive in the discharge of their constitutional duties by not allowing technicalities stand in the way of substantive justice, especially with regard to oil and gas disputes, which result to  huge financial costs to litigating parties.

    NCDMB’s Executive Secretary Simbi Wobote urged the judiciary to assist his agency to achieve its objective of creating wealth for local businesses and jobs for teeming populace in line with the law.

  • 11 injured in building collapse

    •As LABCA commences building recertification

    Eleven persons yesterday sustained varying degrees of injury after a two-storey building collapsed in Lagos.

    The incident occurred around 3am at 1, Community Road, off Old Otta in Alagbado.

    It was gathered that the fence of the building caved in on Friday night after it rained heavily.

    According to residents, the structure was defective and only had occupants at the topmost floor.

    It was gathered that those who sustained injuries were rushed the hospital before the arrival of emergency workers and 10 of them were discharged after receiving treatment.

    The last victim, it was learnt, was transferred to the General Hospital after doctors recommended scans, advance observations.

    According to the General Manager, Lagos State Building Control Agency (LABCA), Lekan Sodeinde, the structure was substandard and the owners did not get permit to erect it.

    He stated that the building was also erected on a land that had an existing structure.

    Sodeinde said: “The building is an existing structure, it was not under construction. Obviously, the owner did not build well because the structure was defective.

    “From our findings in the neighbourhood, the owner is not someone that is known to always abide by the law. The structure was built at the back of another existing building and it appears substandard materials were used for it. It collapsed completely. That building had no approval.

    “The debris of the building showed that it was weak. People need to understand that building collapse can only be avoided during construction and that is by doing the right things.

    “When you have constructed and you see depreciation in the strength of the building, you need to work on repair. I advise Lagosians to be mindful of where they live. The rain will definitely weaken any poorly constructed structure.

    “The state government is working to ensure that all buildings are recertified. Owners of buildings are expected to come forward for the evaluation of their structures and issuance of certificates.

    “Any building that is considered unsafe for habitation would not be issued the certificate and would be tested to ascertain the extent of work that is needed to be done on it or whether it would be pulled down.

    “Even if you are a tenant and you are living in a building that you are not sure of, you can come to us and we will take it up from there. We have started the revaluation of buildings. We will ensure that the recertification reaches all parts of the state.”