Fire In Lapal House

As at press time, the number of deaths following the inferno in the Lapal House was not ascertained, but it was been speculated that there were three persons feared dead, while several others were injured following the fire that swept through the 13-storey commercial building, in Central Lagos.

Property including cash belonging to two commercial banks occupying the building also went with the inferno. Eyewitnesses said the fire started about 10:00 a.m. at the middle of the building, trapping those who were on upper floors. The cause of the fire was not immediately known, but sources said it started from a faulty air-conditioner. In the panic triggered by the fire, some of those trapped attempted to jump down from the building, while others were said to have passed through the burning floors. Some of those who tried to make it through the staircase were trapped and burnt to death. Those who jumped down sustained severe injuries and were immediately hospitalized.

Senate Commence President Obasanjo’s Impeachment

Senate has commenced the process of impeaching President Olusegun Obasanjo over alleged non-implementation of budgets passed by the National Assembly since 1999. The process was set in motion yesterday when the Senate accepted a motion moved by Senator Idris Abubakar and seconded by Senator Mohammed Ibrahim. Passing the motion in principle, the Senate, however deferred debate on the issue till Wednesday, June 12. The motion came barely two months after the National Assembly went into a joint executive session to collate alleged constitutional breaches committed by the President since 1999

Meanwhile, the presidency has launched a counter move against the impeachment process initiated by a clique in the Senate against President Obasanjo. The counter action is being endorsed by the coalition of forces drawn from the ruling PDP, APP and AD. Sources from the presidency said emissaries have been sent from Aso Rock to Apo village, the official quarters of the legislators to get the senators to agree with the president. The emissaries were said to have been going from house to house, trying to soften the minds of the legislators before Wednesday’s debate on the impeachment. PDP sources also confirmed moves to douse the tension over the impeachment moves.

Speaking to reporters the at the National Assembly, the Presidential Liaison Officer of the Senate, Alhaji Kassim Ibrahim Imam, said President Obasanjo himself was in support of the movies to probe him, as he has nothing to hide. President Olusegun Obasanjo has declared that he is not afraid of the impeachment proceedings against him by the Senate. Alhaji Imam said Obasanjo was prepared for any investigation into the accounts of the federation, because that is nothing secret. According to him, the crisis over the budget was caused by the National Assembly, which unilaterally increased it by over N200 billion without articulating where the fund would come from. The Presidential Adviser also cited inappropriate revenue estimates as one of the problems, noting that six months into the year, most expected revenues were not forthcoming in addition to the dislocations occasioned by the Supreme Court judgment

Adieu General Joe Garba

The death of Major-General Joseph Garba, who was Foreign Affairs Minister when President Obasanjo was military head of and who later became Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations died at the age of 59 at the State House Clinic in Abuja on Friday, after a brief illness. The cause of the death was not known but a source attributed it to cardiac arrest. He died at the age of 59 years.

President Obasanjo’s expressed shock over the death of the former Minister. The President’s Senior Special Adviser on Media Affairs, Mr. Tunji Oseni, said that he personally briefed the President about the death of the former minister to which President Obasanjo expressed a deep sense of loss. Major-General Joseph Garba was one time Permanent Representative at the United Nations. “President Obasanjo felt more shocked over the death because both of them worked together for a long time,” he said.

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