President Bola Tinubu has expressed sadness over the devastating explosion that occurred on Tuesday night in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

Naija News reports that the explosion killed two persons, wounded about 80 others and destroyed several buildings, vehicles, and other properties.

In a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, President Tinubu said the cause of the blast being attributed to the activities of illegal miners is worrisome.

Tinubu said those responsible for the explosion that has created the conditions for the sad incident to occur must be fished out and punished.

“It is worrisome that the cause of the blast is being attributed to the activities of illegal miners. Those behind the inexcusable and reckless behaviour that has created the conditions for the sad incident to occur must be fished out and punished,” the President said.

President Tinubu also commiserated with the government and people of Oyo State, calling on all concerned government agencies to unravel the circumstances that led to the tragedy with alacrity.

The President directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to work with the Oyo State Government to offer immediate and comprehensive relief to the victims.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja, on Wednesday, nullified the election of Emmanuel Ukpong-Udo as the member representing Ikono/Ini Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State in the House of Representatives.

Recalls that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had, after a supplementary election in the constituency, declared Ukpong-Udo of the Young Progressives Party, YPP, winner of the February 25 elections.

His victory was, however, challenged by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Glory Edet.

The Akwa Ibom State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal subsequently sacked the YPP candidate and ordered a rerun.

Not satisfied with the verdict, Ukpong-Udo approached the Appeal Court seeking to set aside the ruling of the tribunal.

But ruling on the matter on Wednesday, a panel of the Court of Appeal led by Justice Abba Mohammed upheld the tribunal’s verdict, ordering a rerun.

It is, however, unclear if the rerun was ordered in the entire federal constituency or in the polling units where INEC had declared the results as inconclusive.

Speaking with Vanguard at the scene, Mohammed said he was rushed to the hospital and discharged this morning.

He said he escaped death by the whiskers because he offered to help his neighbor put out the fire that preceded the explosion.

Recall that his claim that foreign illegal miners caused the explosion was earlier voiced by Governor Seyi Makinde.

Narrating the events that preceded the explosion, Mohammed said: “Around 7 p.m. last night (Tuesday), I was going to pray.

“As I was standing to start the prayer, I noticed some fire burning in the next house. So, I stopped the prayer and quickly picked my fire extinguisher.

“I told my boys that the neighbor’s house is on fire, let’s go and help.

“I then came downstairs. One guy saw me and said the fire was beyond what an extinguisher can put out. I then picked my phone to call the fire brigade men.

“However, the next thing I heard was that blast. It threw me off the ground and landed me on the stairs. Part of the house had cracked. My boys advised that I should jump.

“Fire started just a metre away from that house and as of the time we came downstairs, there was no one on the premises.”

Also, speaking on the occupants of the house, he said: “The house where the fire started is occupied by a Senagalese or Namibian and they engage in mining activities. 

“Definitely, they had explosives inside the building. The explosion was as a result of the explosives kept in the building.

“The foreigners have been living in here since 2013. They go in the morning and come back in the evening. I wouldn’t know if their immediate neighbour knows they are into mining.”

“The foreigners ran out before the explosion.”

Furthermore, he clarified that immediately after the foreigners saw the raging fire, they knew the implications because of what they kept inside.

Mohammed said: “They, including their children, ran out of the house and they didn’t alert us so that we could run away too. 

“They knew the implications when they saw the fire. So they ran out without alerting us. Thank God I came down trying to help put out the fire. I would have been dead by now.

“The whole house would have collapsed on me. I wanted to save the house of my neighbor from being burnt. That’s what saved me. If anyone had been in the house, the person would have gone.”

Asked if he knew his neighbors were illegal miners he said: “We have them all over. They are also at Orogun. That’s their trade and that’s what they came to Nigeria to do. And explosives are part of the things they use in blasting. Definitely, they had kept them in the house.”

The Julius Abure-led National Working Committee of the Labour Party, (LP), has pegged the cost of obtaining its Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms for the Edo Governorship Election at N30 million.

Interested aspirants are to pay N5 million for expression of interest and N25 million for nomination forms for the election scheduled to hold in September.

This decision was taken at the party’s NWC meeting held in Abuja. National Publicity Secretary of the party, Obiora Ifoh, said this in a statement, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

According to him, the NWC approved the sale of the form to every interested aspirant who is a Nigerian, an indigene or resident of Edo State.

Ifoh said, the “NWC approved that the Fees for Expression of Interest shall be Five Million Naira only (N5,000.000.00) while the Nomination Form shall be Twenty Five Million Naira only (N25,000.000.00).

“NWC approved the commencement of the sale and submission of Expression of Interest and the Nomination Forms to be between January 25 and February 11, 2023. It exempted female aspirants from paying for Expression of Interest Form only.

“NWC approved Indirect Primary election wherein a Ward and Local Government congresses shall hold to elect the flag bearer.

“NWC also approved February 14 for Screening of Aspirants; February 22 for primary election; February 23 for resolution of dispute or appeal arising from the primaries, if any.

“NWC appreciated the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC which carried out its verification duty earlier in the day and for also commending the leadership of the party for complying with INEC’s rules and regulations.

“The NWC passed a Vote of Confidence on its National Chairman, Barrister Julius Abure for effectively piloting the affairs of the party and giving it a proper direction.”

The LP Spokesperson also said the NWC noted the milestone the party achieved in the recently concluded general election where it won as many as one governorship, 7 Senate, 34 House of Representatives and numerous States House of Assembly seats.

The party however, expressed regret that the number of seats won were depleted following a number of disappointing court judgements.

Ifoh maintained that the party remains optimistic that a number of more seats will be won in the coming days as a result of rerun elections in some states.

He said, “The NWC also pledged its loyalty to the national leader and its presidential candidate, Peter Obi for his commitment to the party in spite of the electoral robbery witnessed in the country recently.”

The Nigeria Customs Service, Sokoto Area command has intercepted 1,198 unregistered and expired drugs in Sokoto State.

The drugs include 450 cartons of Real Extra Tablet, 405 cartons of enhancement drugs, 148 cartons of condom, 30 cartons of vernos chewable drugs, among others.

Handing over the items to the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control on Wednesday, the Customs Area Comptroller, Musa Omale, warned smugglers to desist from the act, saying the Command was battle ready to curtail nefarious activities.

“Importation of pharmaceutical drugs through the land border is not allowed.

“The Service streamlines the importation of all pharmaceutical drugs through designated sea port, and are only cleared after meeting the pre-requisite documentation,” he said.

The Area Controller underscored the danger counterfeit and unregistered drugs posed to the nation, noting that it was a scourge the whole world was grappling with.

He assured NAFDAC of the Command’s unflinching support to the fight against counterfeit drugs.

Receiving the items, the state Coordinator of NAFDAC, Garba Adamu, thanked the Service for the unwavering synergy and collaboration towards safeguarding the life and health of Nigerians.

According to him, some of the drugs were not only unregistered but have already expired.

Super Eagles head coach, Jose Peseiro has revealed his side must be at their best to beat Cote d’Ivoire in their second game at the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations.

The two giants of African football will clash at the Alassanne Quattara Stadium, Ebimpe, Abidjan on Thursday.

Peseiro said his team must stay compact and play with good organisation in the game.

“We are expecting a great match, full stadium, fantastic atmosphere as well. We need to play with good organisation, be impactful in our approach and express ourselves, “Peseiro told a press conference attended by DAILY POST in Abidjan on Wednesday.

“We also have to improve from the first match. It is important for us to maintain our style and enjoy the game. We must also defend well and convert our chances.”

The Portuguese also has kind words for his team’s opponent, describing Jean-Louis’s side as a “very good team”.

“Cote d’Ivoire is a very good team, good organisation, good coach and good players,” he added.

“But we want to win and we will do everything within our capacity to come out victorious.”

A former deputy governor of Oyo State, Barrister Iyiola Oladokun, has cried out that he and his family has been rendered homeless after the explosion that rocked Ibadan on Tuesday night.

Oladokun spoke in an interview with DAILY POST on Wednesday.

Recall that the explosion occurred at Dejo Oyelese Close, Bodija Housing Estate in Ibadan

Our correspondent reports that Oladokun’s residence was among the houses affected by the explosion.

The former deputy governor, while speaking with DAILY POST on Wednesday, said that he and his family members cannot sleep in his house again due to the damage from the explosion.

According to him, a friend had to provide accommodation for him and his wife after the explosion on Tuesday night.

He noted that property worth millions of naira was destroyed in his house as a result of the incident.

Oladokun said, “I am one of the residents of Dejo Oyelese Close. My house was affected.

“We were just watching the football match when the explosion occurred. All the doors that were closed were forced open.

“It was very devastating. All the doors, burglaries, windows and even the roof have gone.

“We give glory to God that me and my wife were not hurt.

“I am just coming back now because we can’t sleep here again. We couldn’t sleep here yesterday. We have to use our phone to move out yesterday. We had to find somewhere to sleep yesterday.”

A former Nigerian international, Garba Lawal, has said Thursday’s second Group A match against hosts Cote d’Ivoire is a golden opportunity for the Super Eagles to atone for the opening day 1-1 draw with the less illustrious National Thunder of Equatorial Guinea at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cote d’ Ivoire.

While the three-time African champions only managed to force their opponents to a draw, the Elephants of Cote d’ Ivoire were imperious in their opening group match against Guinea Bissau which they won 2-0 to sail to the top of the table.

The draw left the Super Eagles joint second with Equatorial Guinea who will take on Guinea Bissau in the group match to be played before the highly anticipated clash of the former AFCON winners.

Anything less than a draw will definitely spell doom for the Coach Jose Peseiro led Super Eagles who exited the last edition in Cameroon at the Round of 16 after they suffered a slim 0-1 loss in the hands of the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia.

Speaking to Daily Trust ahead of tomorrow’s match, the former Super Eagles utility player said the squad of 2024 is left with no option than to get a result that will keep them in the competition.

He said even as it is going to be a very difficult match, if the Super Eagles will play with the required confidence, they would get a decent result against their opponents.

“The Super Eagles must move on from that game against Equatorial Guinea. If they are to forge ahead, they must not lose against Cote d’Ivoire. But it is going to be a very difficult match.

“To either win or draw the match, the Eagles must believe in themselves and play with confidence. If they are confident enough, they will overcome the Ivorian hurdle,” said the Olympics champion.

Lawal, therefore, said the Super Eagles stand a good chance against Cote d’ Ivoire but they need a bit of luck to be able to convert the chances that will come their way.

According to him, ill-luck contributed substantially to the slip against Equatorial Guinea on Sunday.

“They played out their hearts but were unlucky to miss the goal scoring opportunities that came their way. I pray they will be lucky against the Elephants in the crucial match,” said Lawal.

Petroleum product retailers have revealed what Nigerians should expect as fuel prices following the commencement of operations at Dangote refinery.

Recall that the Dangote refinery announced the commencement of production last Friday.

The company had expressed readiness to supply the Nigerian market diesel and JetA1 or aviation fuel pending approval from the Federal Government.

It added that fuel production will commence in the coming months.

Reacting to the development in an exclusive interview with DAILY POST on Monday, the President of Petroleum Products Retail Outlets Owners Association, PETROAN, Billy Gillis-Harry, said price reduction would be one of the benefits of the coming onstream of the Dangote refinery.

According to him, it will be surprising if domestic refineries do not impact the price of fuel.

He added that Nigerians should expect to pay less for fuel.

“The promise that Dangote refinery petroleum products will be rolled out this month is good.

“There are remarkable benefits for Nigerians. When you import petrol products, you incur some costs. Common sense dictates that the in-country’s refining capacity should impact the price of the products.

“I will be surprised if we produce petrol in Dangote and Port Harcourt refinery and there is no price reduction benefit for Nigerians. Nigerians should expect to pay less. What the amount will be, I can’t determine right now”, he stated.

Two second-half goals from Hamari Traore and Lassine Sinayoko gave Mali a 2-0 win over South Africa in their opening match of the ongoing 2023 African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Cote d’Ivoire Tuesday night.

The thrilling encounter saw Mali dominating the possession to extend their unbeaten streak in opening games at AFCON.

Hamari Traore gave the West African side the lead in the 60th minute before Lassine Sinayoko scored six minutes later to increase the tally.

South Africa’s Percy Tau, however, missed a first-half penalty.

The Tuesday’s game not only solidified Mali’s standing in Group E but also reinforced their aspiration to claim the AFCON title with their attacking prowess in full display and setting a promising tone for their campaign in the tournament.

Mali, which has never lifted the trophy despite being seasoned participants with 13 appearances, was determined to make a significant impact this year judging by their 2-0 dropping of Bafana Bafana in their opener game.

The defeat adds pressure on South Africa as they must get good result against Namibia, who earlier on Tuesday beat Tunisia 1-0, to keep their knockout hopes alive.

Next up for Mali is a clash with Tunisia, which suffered a shocking 1-0 defeat against Namibia.

[Leadership]