New Lagos Speaker, Mojisola Meranda GAC members meet President Tinubu in Aso Rock

The Speaker of Lagos State House of Assembly, Mojisola Meranda, and members of the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday held a crucial meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja.

The GAC was led by its Chairman, Prince Tajudeen. Others at the meeting were the Secretary, Mutiu Are; APC Chairman Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi; Lagos West Senatorial District Apex Leader, Prince Rabiu Adio Oluwa; Leaders from Lagos East District: Alhaji Busura Alebiosu and Alhaji Seriki Bamu; and former state Chairman Chief Henry Oladele Ajomale among others.

Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu; his Deputy, Dr Kadir Obafemi Hamzat; and former Speaker, Mudashiru Ajayi Obasa were not at the meeting.

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At the meeting, the president was briefed about Obasa’s impeachment.

Meranda assured Tinubu that she will work seamlessly with other arms of government to ensure that the Lagosians enjoy full dividends of democracy

Over 500 shops destroyed millions of properties perished in devastating Market Fire

The Sokoto State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) has commenced preliminary assessment of the financial impact of Wednesday’s fire disaster at the Kara Yan Katako market.

The Director, Relief and Rehabilitation at SEMA, Mr Mustapha Umar, made this known while addressing journalists in Sokoto.

Umar said the agency would initiate full-scale damage assessment on Friday to provide a more precise estimate of losses as well as mobilise support for affected traders.

He said the management of Kara market was unable to immediately determine the exact financial impact of the disaster.

Earlier, the Chairman of the market, Alhaji Rilwanu Bello, described the disaster as catastrophic, confirming significant losses.

Bello said that local emergency teams struggled to contain the fire.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the fire, which broke out around 2 a.m. on Wednesday, destroyed over 500 shops.(NAN)

A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja, yesterday heard how former Aviation Minister Hadi Sirika approved contracts to a company – Al Buraq Global Investment Limited – in which his daughter, Fatima, and son-in-law, Jalal Sule Hamma, have interests.

A former Director of Procurement in the ministry, Musa Odiniyan, said this while testifying as the fifth prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Sirika, Fatima, Jalal, and Al Buraq Global on a six-count charge bordering on corrupt practices.

In the charge, the prosecution alleged, among others, that Sirika used his “position to confer unfair advantage upon Al Buraq Global Investment Limited, whose alter ego, Fatima Hadi Sirika and Jalal Sule Hamma, are your daughter and son-in-law, respectively, by using your position to influence the award to them, the contract for the Apron Extension at Katsina Airport for the sum of N1,498,300,750”.

Fatima is said to be a staff member of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd, while Jalal Sule Hamma is described as an employee of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).

During his cross-examination yesterday by Sirika’s lawyer, Michael Numa (SAN), Odiniyan insisted that for a contract to be executed, the minister must have approved it.

When asked about the role of the minister in the award of contracts, the witness said the former minister gave the final approval before the implementation of the contracts approved by the Ministerial Tenders Board (MTB).