Six members of a family in Nzam community, Anambra West Local Government Area of Anambra State have died in the flood which besieged the area.
Sources said the deceased had prepared to leave their houses to a safer place before the flood surged into their homes and, unfortunately, they got drowned.
In a trending video, some youths were seen bringing out the dead bodies and lining them up in an upland area of the town. A bridge said to be linking seven communities in Ogbaru local government area collapsed as a result of the flood ravaging almost all the communities in that LGA.
The affected communities are Umunankwo, Mputu, Ogwuaniocha, Ossomala, Obeagwe, Akili Ogidi and Ogwuikpele.
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The Anam tragedy is coming not long after some people were reported missing after a boat carrying over 40 people capsised in Umunankwo community, Ogbaru LGA. A man was also said to have drowned in his sleep when flood submerged his home in the same LGA.
Also, a three-storey church building belonging to Madonna Catholic Parish in the Iyiowa area of Odekpe, in the same LGA, collapsed in the morning of last Sunday. The church compound was said to have been flooded.
Former President General of Umuzu community in the same LGA, Chukwudum Ndedigwe, told Daily Sun that there was no casualty in the building collapse. He said the flooding, which has been ravaging many communities in that LGA, also affected the church building.
It was gathered that a security man, who was around the three-storey building, was injured when the building collapsed, and was immediately rushed to the hospital where he was given treatment.
An indigene of the area lamented that no government official had been to the place to assess the level of damage caused by the floodwater, apart from the Transition Committee chairman of that LGA, Mr Pascal Anaegbunam.
“In fact, we have long been cut off, without anyone making any appreciable effort to assuage our pains.
This is the only road that connects all communities in Ogbaru, but surprisingly, it cut into two somewhere around Ofia Umuoga, between Ogbakuba and Umunankwo, about two weeks ago, only for our governor to visit Ogbaru and stopped at Odekpe, very far from the site of the collapse,” the indigene lamented.
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Meanwhile, the former member of the House of Representatives, Ogbaru Federal Constituency, Afam Ogene, has, again, called on the relevant authorities, including the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to reach out more to the people, with a view to providing their most pressing needs.
Ogene, who is the candidate of the Labour Party (LP) for the 2023 polls for the same position, said: “In fact, the string of calamities currently being experienced by my people of Ogbaru goes beyond palliatives and relief materials by SEMA and NEMA.
“We are in dire straits and the Anambra State Government must step in and declare an emergency. We cannot have as much as seven communities and several camps cut off and still pretend as though the situation is still normal. Governor Soludo and the Anambra State Government must put boots on ground and provide succour to the people of Ogbaru,” Ogene said.
NURTW scribe felicitates Nigerians on Xmas, urges caution
The General Secretary of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Comrade Kayode Agbeyangi, has enjoined Nigerians to imbibe the virtues of peace, love and compassion as taught through the birth of Jesus Christ.
He stated this in his Christmas and end of the year goodwill message to felicitate members of the union and Nigerians in general.
Agbeyangi urged Nigerians to use the festive season to reflect on the values of love, compassion, and sacrifice that Jesus Christ embodied.
“This period is not for merry making alone; we should also spare time to reflect on the birth and life of Jesus Christ.
“His birth teaches humility, love compassion and sacrifice. As Nigerians, we must show love to our fellow county men. We must love our country. As Nigerians, we must be ready to make sacrifices for the nation.”
The NURTW scribe also used the opportunity to appeal to members of the union and other road users to always exercise caution and adhere to all safety protocols while travelling during the festive season.
“As we celebrate, let us not forget the importance of road safety. The roads can be treacherous, especially during the festive season.
“I urge our members and all road users to drive safely, avoid overspending, overtaking at dangerous bends and overloading, and be courteous to other road users,” he stated.
He also advised drivers that all their vehicle papers should be up to date to avoid embarrassment from law enforcement officers on the highways.
Comrade Agbeyangi prayed for a peaceful and joyous celebration, and wished members of the union and Nigerians, a happy prosperous New Year.
Why we displayed ‘Jesus Christ is not God’ banner at Lekki mosque -Imam
The Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque in Lagos, Ridwanullah Jamiu, has said the “Jesus Christ is Not God” banner placed on the fence of the mosque was not intended to provoke anybody. The banner became a source of controversy after a picture of it was shared on social media, with many calling it an…
The Chief Imam of Lekki Central Mosque in Lagos, Ridwanullah Jamiu, has said the “Jesus Christ is Not God” banner placed on the fence of the mosque was not intended to provoke anybody.
The banner became a source of controversy after a picture of it was shared on social media, with many calling it an attack on the Christian faith.
Addressing his congregation, Jamiu said the banner was displayed to educate Muslims.
He said, “When you come to Lekki Central Mosque, at least you should learn something. You pass by the banners outside, you look here and there, you learn something because Islam treasures knowledge.”
The Imam said all the banners displayed outside the mosque contain Quran and Hadith verses.
He said after a photo of one of the banners went viral, he “received calls from the government, local government, and area command appealing to us to please remove the banners because of the festive period.”
He said the display of the banners was not to provoke anyone, noting that there’s a difference between propagation of Islam and provocation.
“It was not placed there just yesterday. It has been there for about two months or thereabout. We are peace loving people, we don’t provoke anyone. We only propagate our name,” he said.
Jamiu further stated that nobody can monopolise Jesus because Muslims also have what they believe about him as backed by the Quran which calls him Isah.
“If you don’t believe in Jesus, you are not a Muslim. We are Muslims and anything we believe must be in consonant with the Quran and the Quran says Jesus Christ is not God, he’s a messenger of God. We quoted this verse in the banner. Is there anything wrong if we paste what we believe on our territory to educate our congregation? It’s a verse of the Quran. This is freedom of religion, freedom of speech,” he said.
On the removal of the banner, Jamiu said he received multiple calls ascribing the gesture as cowardice.
“It is not cowardice. We removed it to let peace reign, to obey our government because we are peace-loving people and also because we know it’s a festive period, people may think it was actually calculated to enrage others. We are going to modify it and put it back. We are not cowards,” he said.
The banner has since been replaced with another which says “A
llah is the lord of Jesus.”
CBN fines bank found hoarding cash N150m
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has imposed a N150 million fine on a commercial bank for failing to dispense cash through its Automated Teller Machines (ATMs).
This action follows an unannounced inspection by the apex bank, which uncovered deliberate cash hoarding and ATM manipulation by the erring bank.
Sources within the CBN revealed that the sanctioned bank was caught disabling its ATMs, thereby denying customers access to their funds while prioritizing cash disbursements to select VIP clients.
A staff member of the CBN stressed that the apex bank would not tolerate such practices.
“The Bank will not spare any Deposit Money Bank (DMB) caught in the act of hoarding cash or found favoring VIP customers over other customers,” the official stated.
To this end, the CBN has intensified spot checks on banks nationwide, exposing various illicit cash-handling practices by some unscrupulous financial institutions.
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For now, the CBN is imposing financial penalties on defaulting banks. However, according to the official, the next phase of enforcement will include publicly naming and shaming offending banks and prosecuting implicated bank officials.
“This fine is just the beginning. The CBN is determined to hold banks accountable for any actions that undermine public trust and the integrity of the banking system,” the official added.
Despite the ongoing challenges, the CBN has reiterated its commitment to promoting cashless banking in the country.
Another senior official disclosed that the apex bank’s management is intensifying efforts to encourage the use of electronic channels for transactions.
“The frustration faced by account holders is undermining our push for a cashless economy. We are doubling down on initiatives to restore public confidence in electronic banking solutions,” the official said.
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