Headlines
Ikoyi Building: Death Toll Hits 44, Responders Near Ground Zero
Seven days after a 21-storey building collapsed on Gerrard Road, in the Ikoyi area of Lagos State, recovery operation is still ongoing by rescue agencies.
PUNCH Metro learnt that responders were already concluding their operation as the death toll hit 44 on Sunday.
Our correspondents had reported that the 21-storey building crumbled last Monday around 2pm.
The skyscraper, owned by Fourscore Heights Limited, trapped over 50 persons, including the firm’s Managing Director, Femi Osibona; his friend, a United States of America-based Nigerian businessman, Wale Bob-Oseni; his personal assistant, Oyinye Enekwe, and clients.
Other deceased persons included a member of the National Youth Service Corps, identified only as Oyindamola; an aluminium fabricator, Kenneth Otu; an engineer and pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Living Water Parish, Ibafo, Ogun State, Ola Ogunfunwa, among others.
Since the incident happened, family members of victims and sympathisers had thronged the area daily, hoping to see their loved ones alive, while some lamented that they were not allowed to identify their loved ones.
The affected families were, however, granted access on Saturday to find their loved ones among the corpses recovered and deposited in the Lagos Mainland Hospital morgue.
The state Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Saturday around 6pm, said 42 bodies had been recovered so far from the rubble.
A source told our correspondent on Sunday that two more bodies were recovered from the rubble, which increased the death toll to 44.
The source said one of the bodies was recovered around 8pm on Saturday, while the other body was recovered around midnight.
“The recovery operation is still ongoing but should end by Monday morning. The work is about two per cent to completion,” the source added.
Meanwhile, the Association of Nigerian Chartered Architects has called for three probe panels to investigate the circumstances that led to the building collapse.
The association said political, technical and judicial probe panels were needed to unravel the situation.
The ANCA, which lauded Sanwo-Olu for setting up a probe panel, advised the government to set up two other committees to get all the needed answers.
The association stated this on Sunday in a statement jointly signed by the group’s National President, Moyosore Omatsone, and National Secretary, Adekovejo Jolaoso.
The ANCA stressed that the governor had only set up a political probe panel meant to investigate the political downplay in the construction and collapse of the building.
It suggested that there was the need for a technical panel which would involve all personnel in the building construction and property industries.
According to the association, the technical panel should be given enough time to address a myriad of technical issues involved in such a complex tragedy.
The Punch
The National President of the National Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has described the federal government increase of civil servants by 35% as mischievous, insisting that the minimum wage should not be below N615,000
Ajaero who made this statement in an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday, said the federal government should pay workers a “living wage.”
According to the union boss, a living wage is such that at least keep the workers alive for the month, without resorting to borrowing and malnutrition.
Ajaero said the President promised to pay a living wage, and it was legislated upon by the National Assembly.
However, he said the government is yet to reconvene a meeting with the organized labour after they submitted a report of N615,000 to the government as the amount for living wage.
“And the last minimum wage of N30,000 expired on the 18th of April. By now, we assume today on the regime of a new minimum wage.
“Discussions were supposed to be concluded. The national assembly legislated on it before now. The discussion entered voicemail because the federal government refused to reconvene the meeting that was adjourned.
We had public hearing in the six geopolitical zones and we came back to collate the submission. And the committee asked NLC and TUC to do their submission which they did and came up to about N615,000.
“The moment they got that up till this moment, no meeting has taken place.
“Living wage is such a wage that will at least keep you alive. That should be N615,000.”
Speaking further, Ajaero further broke down the proposed living wage to the federal government.
He said this wage will cover things such as utility bill payment, transportation, feeding, hospital, electricity and education, among others.
“We are asking for accommodation of N40,000. We are asking for electricity for N20,000. We look at utility that is about N10,000 and kerosene and gas which is about N25,000 and N30,000.
“We look at food for N9,000 for the family of six, in a day. For thirty days, that’s about N270,000. We look at medical for N50,000 and education N50,000, and sanitization for N10,000.
“Because of subsidy removal and the fact that workers stay in fringes, that amounted to N110,000. That brought the whole thing to N615,000. And I want anybody to subject this to further investigation and find out if there will be any savings after these payments”, Ajaero added.
On Tuesday, the Federal Government approved an increase in salaries across various salary structures in a move aimed at boosting the welfare of civil servants.
These salary structures include the Consolidated Public Service Salary Structure (CONPSS), Consolidated Research and Allied Institutions Salary Structure (CONRAISS), Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS), Consolidated Para-military Salary Structure (CONPASS), Consolidated Intelligence Community Salary Structure (CONICCS), and Consolidated Armed Forces Salary Structure (CONAFSS).
Nairametrics
The Naira began the week on a losing note against the American dollar on Monday, April 29, 2024 at the official window to trade at N1,419/$1.
This is according to data sourced from the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEM) window.
At the end of trading on Monday, the Naira lost N19.88 against the dollar compared to the previous exchange rate of N1,399.23/$1 on Friday, April 27, 2024.
The intra-day high and low recorded during the day were N1,451/$1 and N1,060 /$1 respectively, representing a wide spread of N391/$1.
However, the Naira gained against the dollar at the parallel section of the market trading at N1,330/$1 representing a gain of N100 compared to the N1,430/$1 it traded the previous day.
Contrastingly, the Naira gained against the pound. The domestic currency appreciated by N10 against the British Pound to trade at N1,640/£1 as against the previous trading price of N1,650/£1 representing a gain of N10 for the local currency,
The Canadian dollar however closed flat against the naira to trade at N1,000/CA$1 same as the previous trading day rate.
The Euro also slumped against the Naira to trade at N1,430/€1 as against the rate of N1,450/€1 the previous trading rate indicating a gain of N20 for the Nigerian currency.
Ahead his one year anniversary in office on May 29, Abia State governor Alex Otti, has been endorsed by the leadership of the Labour Party (LP) in the State and the 17 LGAs.
The unanimous vote of confidence was passed during an enlarged meeting, which was attended by the governor, the entire party hierarchy in the State, all political appointees in the state executive cabinet, elected members at the national and Abia State House of Assembly.
The motion for the vote of confidence was moved by Obi Aguocha, the member representing the Ikwuano-Umuahia Federal constituency, who said that Otti has made the party proud in the past 11 months in office by surpassing expectations.
The motion at the meeting, which was convened at the governor’s residence, was supported by the member representing Obingwa-Osisioma-Ugwunagbo federal constituency, Munachim Alozie, with the Speaker of Abia State House of Assembly, Emmanuel Emeruwa, putting the decision to a vote.
The meeting, according to stakeholders, was called primarily for the party hierarchy in the State and the local government areas to familiarise themselves with the various appointees of government, including members of the State Executive Council and local government.
Governor Otti, who said he was surprised at the show of solidarity and confidence by his party leadership and other stakeholders, expressed gratitude to God that people have taken note of the modest achievements recorded by his administration in less than one year in office.
The governor informed the meeting that he met Abia at sub-zero level and said that Abia citizens were ashamed to introduce themselves as citizens of the State.
“Today, everywhere you introduce yourself as an Abian, people look at you differently with respect, unlike in the past, ” said Otti.
