metro
80 killed, 200,000 people displaced, businesses ruined as Lokoja flood spreads
Over 80 people have been reported dead and billions of naira property destroyed by the flood ravaging Lokoja and neigbouring communities of Kogi State, as this has swept away many houses, farmlands and overtaken major roads including the busy Lokoja-Abuja highway.
The disaster has also led to the displacement of about 200,000 persons and destroyed businesses, schools and hospitals, according to a new report by the Leadership (newspaper), which it titles ‘After hell, it’s Lokoja’.
Many motorists caught up in the disaster have been stranded for more than five days, and more worrisome are truckers of perishable cash crops who are on the verge of losing hundreds of millions of naira as their goods are rotting away.
The floods have affected over nine local government areas in Kogi State, namely: Kogi-Koto, Lokoja, Igalamela-Odolu, Bassa, Idah, Ibaji, Omala, Ajaokuta, and Ofu, ravaging over 160 communities. The homes of Kogi House of Assembly members were not spared, either.
Local rescue teams have been working under tough conditions, combing through the wreckage and flood to evacuate the remains of their loved ones.
An elderly woman, Amina Shuaibu, was reported to have said she was living in a village close to Koton-karfi, but the flood destroyed her house and all our foodstuff.
When the flood started, she said she ran to a nearby community thinking she could manage her life there, but the flood came to chase her away.
She said, “Now, our condition is very critical. At the first time we moved to a high hill to settle down, but bandits started disturbing us and we ran to the present community, where we were given a house to stay. That was where we were when the flood came to pursue us out again. Now, we are up to ten managing a room.
“I used to farm fish and rice, but the water has destroyed everything for us. I am presently helpless and homeless.”
Scores of displaced persons were said to be in shelters camping outdoors in schools under harsh weather conditions, facing an uncertain future.
Many truckers were trapped in the traffic stretching to as far as 50 kilometres to Konton Karfe – Lokoja, with drivers transporting food seen helplessly disgruntled.
Security personnel including police, naval, and FRSC officials were completely overwhelmed controlling the traffic, with hundreds of articulated lorries, trailers, tanker drivers and other motorists all trying to beat the traffic.
The Abuja-Lokoja expressway is at the moment a nightmare for travellers as the road, which is the main gateway between the North and the South of Nigeria, now transformed into a notorious gridlock hub, especially for articulated trucks and other heavy duty vehicles transporting goods to the South and North and vice versa.
An articulated vehicle driver, Ismail Mohammed, said he had spent three days on the road and that ten of the cattle he was transporting to the South West had died.
One of the leaders of the IDP camp at Koton-Karfe, Muhammed Usman, said, “Over 48 communities were affected in Koton-Karfe. Since we became displaced, nobody. either the government or individuals have visited us or given us succour.”
Also, a trader, Ramat Ishak said her shop was submerged by flood.
She said, “My shop was submerged by the flood and I lost over N50,000. My shop is the only hope for our survival. I am helpless.”
A female victim, Saidu Rheina, lamented that their community farmlands were completely destroyed by the flood.
Narrating her ordeal, another female victim, Saadatu Aduma, said she woke up at night to see that her house was flooded. She said her family had fled to safety.
The Ohimegye of Igu-Kotonkarfe chiefdom in Kogi local government area, Alhaji Abdulrazak Isah Koto lamented that over 160 communities had been submerged by the flood.
He appealed to the government to assist the victims of the flood with farming inputs so that they could go back to the farm when the flood rescinds.
He said, “Sincerely I do not know how it got to this level. This year’s flood is worse than in 2021. In 2012 the floor did not cover the federal road like this year, but this time around, the impact cannot be described. The flood got to where it has never gotten to in the past.
“Since 2012, flooding has become a recurring menace in Kogi local government, Koton Karfe. If you look at the location of this place, most of the settlements you find here are at the river bank of rivers Niger and Benue.”
metro
INEC notifies Natasha, Senate of recall petition
INEC notifies Natasha, Senate of recall petition
Suspended Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan yesterday got a memo from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
It is a notification to her of the receipt of petition from voters in her Constituency demanding her recall.
The same notification was sent by the electoral agency to the leadership of the Senate.
The Commission also unfolded plans to scrutinise the signatures of the petitioners to ascertain their authenticity.
INEC National Commissioner and Chairman of the Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, confirmed in a statement that the addresses, phone numbers and email addresses of representatives of the petitioners, which were initially not attached, had been submitted to the commission.
On Tuesday, the Commission had picked holes in the petition, pointing out that it failed to meet the standard because the addresses and phone numbers of the petitioners’ representatives were not provided as required by law.
Exuding confidence after INEC’s confirmation that that aspect of recall requirements had been met, the petitioners said the recall request was meant to correct what they described as the error of wrong choice.
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Olumekun said: “Further to the statement issued yesterday, Tuesday 25th March 2025, the Commission hereby confirms that the contact address of representatives of the petitioners, their telephone numbers and e-mail addresses have now been provided in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the Commission, dated today Wednesday 26th March 2025.
“As provided in Clause 2(a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024, a letter has been written to notify the Senator sought to be recalled about the receipt of the petition and delivered to her official address.
“The same letter has been copied to the presiding officer of the Senate and published on the Commission’s website.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the Constituency.
“This will be done in the coming days. The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission. We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent.”
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan, is serving a six-month suspension for misconduct and abuse of the Senate rules after her seat was changed.
She went ahead to make allegations of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
On Wednesday, Zubairu Yakubu, who wrote the petition, accompanied by former Education Minister Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, appeared before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Code of Conduct and Public Petitions sitting to defend the allegations.
However, the Committee threw out her petition, saying that the matter was already a subject of litigation.
During the meeting, Dr Ezekwesili and Senator Onyekachi Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North) clashed, exchanging hot words.
Senator Akpoti-Uduaghan has been junketing between the United States and Europe, granting interview against Senate president.
INEC notifies Natasha, Senate of recall petition
metro
FG declares public holidays for Eid-el-Fitr
FG declares public holidays for Eid-el-Fitr
The Federal Government has declared Monday, March 31, and Tuesday, April 1, 2025, as public holidays in celebration of Eid-el-Fitr.
The announcement was made by the Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, on behalf of the government.
He urged Muslims across the country to use the period for prayers, reflection, and acts of kindness, emphasizing the importance of peace, unity, and national development.
In a statement on Wednesday by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Magdalene Ajani, the minister congratulated Muslims on the successful completion of the Ramadan fast, highlighting the significance of the holy month in fostering self-discipline, compassion, and spiritual renewal.
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- Crisis hits LagRide, drivers threaten protest as operators move to withdraw vehicles
- Rivers administrator Ibas fires Fubara’s political appointees
Tunji-Ojo called on all Muslims to continue embodying the virtues of love, generosity, and peace, emphasising the need for national unity and religious harmony.
He also urged Nigerians to use the festive period to pray for the country’s peace, stability, and prosperity.
“As we celebrate Eid-el-Fitr, let us reflect on the lessons of Ramadan, embrace one another with love and forgiveness, and work together to build a more united and prosperous Nigeria,” the minister stated.
He further encouraged citizens to celebrate safely and responsibly, while extending acts of kindness to the less privileged, in line with the values of Ramadan and Eid.
On behalf of the Federal Government, Tunji-Ojo wished all Muslim faithful a joyous Eid Mubarak and prayed that the blessings of the season bring happiness and fulfilment to everyone.
FG declares public holidays for Eid-el-Fitr
metro
JUST-IN: Ex-Oyo gov Ajimobi’s first child Bisola dies At 42
JUST-IN: Ex-Oyo gov Ajimobi’s first child Bisola dies At 42
Busola, the first child of former Oyo Governor, late Abiola Ajimobi is dead.
The Nation gathered that Bisola, 42, died after a brief illness in the UK.
She was a Special Adviser to Minister of Budget and Planning, Atiku Bagudu.
She was married to Kolapo Kola-Daisi, with whom she shared blessed three children.
Former Senator Teslim Folarin confirmed the incident.
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He wrote on Facebook:
“I am deeply saddened to receive the news of the passing of Mrs. Bisola Kola-Daisi (Nee Ajimobi), the beloved daughter of my cousin, the late Senator Isiaq Abiola Ajimobi, and former First Lady of Oyo State, Her Excellency (Dr.) Florence Ajimobi. Bisola’s untimely death has left an unfillable void in our hearts, and I can only imagine the pain of a parent burying their child.
“As someone who had the privilege of knowing Bisola as a dear family member – she was like a daughter to me – her passing has left me with a profound sense of personal loss.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Ajimobi family, particularly former First Lady, H.E Florence Ajimobi . May God grant us the strength and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.
May Bisola’s soul rest in perfect peace.”
JUST-IN: Ex-Oyo gov Ajimobi’s first child Bisola dies At 42
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