The Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, High Chief Rasidi Ladoja, on Tuesday, finally withdrew the suit filed against members of Olubadan-in-Council.

High Chief Ladoja instituted a suit against the members of the Council over the beaded crown worn before the demise of the late 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Lekan Balogun.

The coast is now clear for the enthronement of the Olubadan-designate, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin, as the 43rd Olubadan of Ibadanland.

More to follow…

A former Minister of Communication Adebayo Shittu claims that there were manipulations and fraudulent approvals under the immediate past government of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari.

Shittu served as a minister under the Buhari government but believed many persons close to the former Nigerian president manipulated things to their favour, plunging the country’s economy into a downward slide.

“Let me tell you, there were a lot of manipulations and we even heard that a lot of the so-called approvals did not emanate from President Buhari,” he said on Tuesday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily while responding to comments that the previous government was printing money to run the economy.

“There were a lot of manipulations and fraudulent approvals which did not emanate from the President.”

“I am telling you confidently that a lot of it did not get his attention,” he insisted. “There were a lot of people around the President who exploited their relationship with the President and conspired with the then-CBN governor.

Approvals Without Signatures

Shittu’s claims corroborated that of presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale who said many approvals for releasing funds within the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under Godwin Emefiele did not have Buhari’s signature.

“President Bola Tinubu has come out several times in fairness to him (Buhari), to say, ‘Look, this is what happened under the previous administration’. I think we have to acknowledge the fact that he (Tinubu) understands more than anyone that many of the approvals within the CBN that brought us to this point have no signature to President Muhammadu Buhari and had no knowledge of President Muhammadu Buhari,” Ngelale said.

Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Emefiele as the CBN governor. However upon assumption of office in 2015, Buhari retained him as the apex bank boss.

He, was, however, removed in June and is being tried for charges bordering on corruption.

Shittu therefore wants Nigeria’s anti-corruption agency the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to wade into the matter and “probe properly”.

“I hope the EFCC will probe properly as to how these things happen without the President knowing,” Shittu said.

One of the sewer workers with the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has been trapped in an underground drainage at the Onipanu area of the state.

On Monday, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Lagos Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) permanent secretary, said the adult male sewer worker was caught between the tunnel while dislodging and evacuating waste from the underground drainage.

He said the agency received a distress call to which LASEMA officers at the Onipanu base quickly responded to, adding that officers of the Lagos Fire and Rescue Service, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), and LAMATA, were also deployed to the scene.

Oke-Osanyintolu said the agency provided sophisticated equipment to save the worker’s life, adding that the inflow of water was also diverted to reduce the underground water volume.

“Following an SOS message on the distress situation of a Drainage Worker, LASEMA activated the State’s Emergency Response Plans from its Onipanu Base,” he said.

“Upon the arrival of the emergency responders at the incident scene, investigations revealed that an adult male de-silting drainages along that axis in an attempt to clear a blocked portion accessed the underground tunnel and got trapped.

“Further investigation at the incident scene revealed that the man was a Drain Ducks worker employed by LAMATA, while trying to dislodge and evacuate debris from the underground drainage, unfortunately, got trapped in between the tunnel.

“In conducting the Search and Rescue Operation, the LASEMA Response Team and all Emergency Responders are working together assiduously to rescue the trapped victim from inside the underground drainage which commenced at 1625hrs.”

Providing update on the incident on Tuesday, Nosa Okunbor, LASEMA head of public affairs unit, said all efforts to rescue the drain duck worker has proved abortive.

“The rescue operation was suspended at 09:36hrs yesterday to resume today since all efforts to rescue him proved abortive. Rescue operations still ongoing,” he said.