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JUST IN: Tinubu’s Rivers Agency Nominees Face Senate Screening

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…..The 17 nominees were all presented before the Senate committee by the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Basheer Lado, who divided them into three categories.

The 17 candidates nominated by President Bola Tinubu to oversee the affairs of Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Rivers State Civil Service Commission and Rivers State Local Government Service Commission have officially declared their assets before the Code of Conduct Bureau.

The assets declaration came on the heel of security clearance by the Department of State Services and the Nigerian Police.

The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, disclosed this during the screening exercise by the Senate ad hoc committee to oversee the activities of the Rivers Sole Administrator, Vice Adm Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd).

The development comes barely one week after President Tinubu transmitted the names of nominees to the Senate for confirmation.

The five nominees for the Rivers State Civil Service Commission are Dr Barikor Baribuma (Chairman), Lot Egopija, Ms Maeve Ere-Bestman, Mrs Joy Obiaju and Mrs Charity Lloyd Harry.

Rivers State Electoral Commission has seven nominees – Dr Michael Ekpai Odey (Chairman), Mr Lezaasi Torbira, Prof Arthur Nwafor, Prof Godfrey Mbudiogha, Prof Joyce Akaniwor, Dr (Mrs) Olive A. Bruce and Prof Chidi Halliday.

The category of Rivers State Local Government Service Commission also has seven appointees namely Israel N. Amadi (Chairman), Linus Nwandem, Lady Christabel George-Didia, Dr Tonye Willie Pepple, Richard Ewoh, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ofik (retd) and Sammy Apiafi.

The 17 nominees were all presented before the Senate committee by the Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Basheer Lado, who divided them into three categories.

The nominees for the Rivers State Primary Health Care Management Board are expected to take place on Wednesday at the Senate.

Bamidele who doubles as the chairman of the 18-member committee, however, reaffirmed the Senate’s commitment to upholding democratic processes in the oil-rich state.

He said, “Let me quickly inform distinguished colleagues and members of the public that the nominees who are seated before us have gone through security screening by the various security agencies, including the Department of State Security as well as the Nigerian Police.

“And none of them had had any issue with security clearance, which is germane to what we are doing here. We will just be speaking to your CV because I will have no issues with security clearance.

“Members of the public are also to be told that we have also insisted that they should go through the constitutional requirement of going to do their assets declaration by the Code of Conduct Bureau, which they have also complied with.

”The Ekiti lawmaker also disclosed that once they finished the screening exercise, the results and recommendations would be presented to the Senate leadership at the next plenary.

“Finally, it is also for me to report that as a committee we did not have any petition against any of the nominees who are here. So there is no inhibiting factor that would really prevent us from screening any of the nominees.

“The screening exercise itself is a process and all of these individual steps that I have mentioned are part of the process.“

Once we are done with this, we then make our recommendations to the Senate in plenary for the confirmation or otherwise based on our findings and recommendations,” he said.

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JUST IN: 1 Dead, 3 Rescued in Fadeyi Building Collapse, Lagos

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A two-storey building has collapsed in the Fadeyi area of Lagos, resulting in one fatality and the rescue of three people, emergency officials confirmed on Friday morning.

The incident occurred in the early hours, sending residents and nearby traders into panic as the structure suddenly gave way. Rescue teams from the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and other first responders quickly arrived at the scene and began extracting victims from the rubble.

According to preliminary reports, one person was confirmed dead at the site, while three others were pulled out alive and rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Their conditions have not yet been disclosed.

Security personnel have cordoned off the area to allow rescue operations to continue and to prevent further access by onlookers. Officials are still assessing whether any other persons remain trapped under the debris.

The cause of the collapse has not been established. Authorities have not ruled out structural failure, but investigations are ongoing.

Further updates are expected as the rescue operation progresses and more details become available from emergency services.

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UNILAG School Teachers Begin Work-to-Rule Over Unpaid Arrears

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Teachers at the International School, University of Lagos (ISL), on Wednesday commenced a work-to-rule action over unpaid salary arrears, their removal from the university’s payroll, and delays in implementing a National Industrial Court judgment.

The staff are demanding the payment of outstanding Consolidated Tertiary Institutions Teaching Allowance (CONTTA) arrears, as well as arrears from the 25 per cent and 35 per cent salary adjustments approved in 2024. They also want full restoration to the university’s payroll.

Comrade Razak Yusuf, Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), University of Lagos branch, said the industrial action followed prolonged delays in resolving the teachers’ employment status and financial entitlements.

The teachers had approached the National Industrial Court of Nigeria, which ruled in their favour on May 11, 2026. Despite the judgment, they claim the university has yet to fully restore their names to the payroll or settle outstanding benefits.

Protesters carried placards with messages such as “Equal Work, Equal Rights,” “ISL tutors deserve their due,” and “Other UNILAG staff paid, ISL tutors still owed.” The action disrupted teaching and a scheduled mid-term examination at the school.

The teachers called on the university management to restore the affected staff to the payroll, settle all outstanding financial obligations, and provide a clear payment plan with timelines.

They rejected suggestions that any interim arrangement under the university’s Council protocol amounted to goodwill, insisting they were only seeking recognition of their employment rights.

The development continues a pattern of industrial disputes at the University of Lagos over salary and allowance issues.

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JUST IN: Gas Emissions Hit Ogun Schools, Hundreds of Pupils Hospitalised

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Hundreds of students were hospitalised on Wednesday morning after fresh gaseous emissions hit parts of Ogun State, including Ijebu-Ode, Ijebu-Igbo and Ago-Iwoye.

The incident affected pupils at Anglican Girls Grammar School, Obalende, Ijebu-Ode, and Ijebu-Igbo Girls Grammar School. Several schools in Ago-Iwoye suspended academic activities and sent students home as a precaution.

Kehinde Bello, General Manager of the Ogun State Environmental Protection Agency (OGEPA), visited the affected areas and linked the emissions to underground gas previously recorded in Ijebu-Ode since April 2026. He said the situation was under control and attributed the releases to natural geological and tectonic fault lines, ruling out sabotage or a gas pipeline leak.

Bello assured residents that the state government was working on a lasting solution. He advised anyone exposed to the odour to cover their noses and mouths with wet handkerchiefs.

The recurring emissions have renewed concerns about the safety of students and residents in the affected communities.

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