Good morning,
Welcome to the Channels Morning Brief. We are focusing on rising deaths in the Lagos collapsed building, the release of Obi Cubana, and President Buhari’s climate agenda.
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Death toll rises in Lagos building collapse
Rescue efforts intensified on Tuesday at the site of the collapsed building in Ikoyi, Lagos. At least 20 people were confirmed dead at the end of the day and several others pulled out of the rubble alive.
The search is expected to continue into Wednesday as more people are still believed to be trapped beneath the ruins.
A mother’s grief: This woman called on authorities to help find her 25-year-old daughter who she said was among those in the building when it collapsed.
Backlash: Relatives of some of the still-trapped people were furious after emergency workers took a break in the early hours of Tuesday. “What kind of country is this,” one man bellowed.
Crime and punishment: Lagos state Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu indefinitely suspended the General Manager of the Lagos Building Control Agency for his part in the tragic incident. He also set up a panel to investigate the leading causes of the collapse.
Go deeper: A viral letter, apparently written by a contractor who resigned over standards at the collapsed site in 2020, has surfaced on the Internet. Channels Television’s Bukola Samuel-Wemimi investigates the origin of the document in this report.
Buhari makes zero-carbon pledge at COP26
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday at Glasgow pledged that Nigeria will cut its emissions to net-zero by 2060, ten years before India and ten years after the date set by the United Nations.
The deadline is the first time the Federal Government has committed to a specific date for net-zero pledges, so it is still unclear how the transition will evolve.
Meanwhile, President Buhari joined other world leaders to launch the Global Methane Pledge, which aims at slashing emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane 30% by 2030 from 2020 levels. Methane is the main greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide.
Quotable: ‘‘I do not think anyone in Nigeria needs persuading of the need for urgent action on the environment,” the President said. Desertification in the North, floods in the centre, pollution, and erosion on the coast are enough evidence. For Nigeria, climate change is not about the perils of tomorrow but what is happening today. Nigeria is committed to net-zero by 2060.’’
Joe Biden: The US President accused China and Russia of failing to show leadership on climate change after leaders of both countries shunned the COP26 summit in Glasgow
Senior lawyers meet Malami over Odili
A group of Senior Advocates of Nigeria on Tuesday visited the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, over the near-invasion of the residence of a Supreme Court Justice, Mary Odili.
The lawyers called on the Federal Government to fish out the security operatives responsible for what they called a national embarrassment.
Also, the Supreme Court, in a statement by its spokesperson, described the siege on the Judge’s residence as unlawful and impunity taken too far.
What else is happening?
Anambra election: Senate minority leader Enyinnaya Abaribe assured voters that the poll, scheduled for Saturday, will be safe and free of violence, mostly.
Power generation: The Zungeru and Kashimbila hydro-power projects will be ready by December, according to the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu.
FCT: Gunmen have attacked the University of Abuja and abducted six persons: two professors, one senior lecturer, and three of their family members.
Muhammadu Buhari: The President believes $1.5 trillion dollars is the amount Nigeria needs to solve most of its infrastructure problems.
Civil war: The Ethiopian government has declared a nationwide state of emergency after Tigrayan rebels seized two crucial towns in an apparent push towards the capital, Addis Ababa.
South Sudan: Five people were killed after a cargo plane carrying fuel for the UN’s World Food Programme crashed near Juba.
Obi Cubana: Less than 24 hours after he was detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Obinna Iyiegbu is now a free man, again.
What to watch on YouTube
Ikoyi tragedy: See the aerial views of the collapsed building on the second day of rescue efforts.
Ikoyi tragedy: An architect believes the government had a part to play in the events leading to the building collapse.
Wimbiz legends: Vice-Chairman of Channels Group, Sola Momoh, has been honoured as a trailblazer.
And that’s it for this morning. Join me again tomorrow. For more updates, visit www.channelstv.com. And don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel: http://bit.ly/2Hb8hjx
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