One person has died while three others sustained injuries following the collapse of a building in the Fadeyi area of Lagos State.

The building collapsed on Akinola Street, off Ikorodu Road, on Friday morning.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency said the cause of the incident was yet to be established, while rescue teams were working to determine how many site workers remained trapped beneath the rubble, Channels TV reports.

The agency said, “Emergency responders had launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to locate and evacuate any victims trapped under the collapsed structure.”

LASEMA added that it was coordinating the response at the scene alongside other agencies and emergency personnel, including LRU paramedics, the Lagos State Fire Service, LASASA and the Alakara Division of the Nigeria Police Force.

Details later…

The Minister of Works, David Umahi, has described the South-East’s overwhelming support for Peter Obi in the 2023 presidential election as an “accident of history”, attributing the voting pattern to anger over the region’s alleged marginalisation under the previous administration.

Umahi said the region’s political outlook had changed under President Bola Tinubu, citing federal infrastructure projects and appointments as reasons he believed voters would respond differently in the 2027 election.

Speaking in an interview with ARISE News published on Friday, the minister said the South-East had reasons to feel aggrieved before Tinubu assumed office.

“In 2023, it was an accident of history,” Umahi continued, “It was a demonstration of the anger of the people of South East on how they were treated.”

He added, “We’ve been marginalised in the past, but it’s no longer so.”

Umahi argued that Tinubu had changed the situation through what he described as increased federal infrastructure investments and appointments for the region.

“If in 2023 they demonstrated their anger, in 2027 they are going to demonstrate their joy on how the President has treated them,” he said.

The former Ebonyi State governor maintained that the South-East would acknowledge Tinubu’s commitment to the region, particularly through major federal road projects and other investments.

He also said serving and former governors, traditional rulers and other influential figures in the South-East were increasingly aligning with Tinubu.

Umahi argued that voters would be reluctant to abandon what he described as infrastructure gains for another political “gamble”.

The minister rejected suggestions that South-East leaders supporting Tinubu were betraying the region or Obi, arguing that the region’s political interests should not be permanently tied to one candidate.

He also criticised social media supporters who insult South-East political leaders for backing Tinubu, saying such attacks would not advance Obi’s political interests or those of the region.

Umahi maintained that the South-East needed to engage and negotiate with other parts of Nigeria if it hoped to produce a president in the future.

Asked whether he believed Tinubu would defeat Obi in the South-East in 2027, Umahi responded, “Why do you say I believe? That is what is going to happen!”

The minister insisted that the circumstances that shaped the region’s voting pattern in 2023 had fundamentally changed.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Iziaq Salako, has urged Nigerian doctors to embrace technological innovations, preventive healthcare and continuous professional development to improve healthcare delivery in the country.

Salako also called on medical practitioners to prioritise their personal health, adopt healthy lifestyles and pay greater attention to their mental wellbeing as part of efforts to secure the future of the medical profession.

The minister, who was represented by the Acting Provost and Medical Director of the Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Aro, Abeokuta, Dr Sunday Amosu, made the call on Thursday at the opening of the 2026 Physicians’ Week organised by the Ogun State chapter of the Nigerian Medical Association.

Salako said doctors needed to continually improve their professional competence and adapt to emerging developments in medicine while placing greater emphasis on disease prevention and personal wellbeing.

According to him, strengthening the medical profession requires practitioners to embrace technology, improve their skills and adopt preventive approaches to healthcare.

Speaking on the theme of the celebration, “Securing the Future of Medicine in Nigeria,” Salako said, “We must continue professional development. We need to up our game and be up there. We need to go the way of technology. We need to go preventive health.

“What are we talking about? We need to take care of ourselves. I’ve run all the available tests a few months back, including PSA, including lipid profile. Anything that you can talk of, except the MRI.

“We must take care of our health. When you see somebody who is still looking young, ask him what he’s been doing. And sincerely, who is your own doctor? I did ask myself. I have a doctor, but it’s not official. Maybe you need to make it official.

“You are also what you eat. I don’t need to tell you that everything that has to do with non-communicable diseases has to do with our lifestyle. And I’m sure you know all of these things. In my house, I have an orchard. I planted everything there. I can tell you I eat vegetables all year round.

“At one time, my lipid profile was like 250 or so. And they wanted to put me on a drug, but I told them not to worry, that I know what to do. I ran away from all those things that I knew could have been the contributing factors. So, we have to also prioritise a healthy lifestyle.”

He stressed that preventive healthcare and healthy living were particularly important in addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases, many of which are associated with lifestyle choices.

He urged doctors to lead by example by undergoing regular medical examinations, monitoring their health status and making informed decisions about their diets and daily habits.

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr Tomi Coker, urged doctors to prioritise their physical, mental and financial wellbeing, warning that the demands of medical practice could take a toll on their health.

Coker said physicians continued to shoulder enormous responsibilities despite challenges including inadequate infrastructure, ageing equipment and staff shortages across healthcare facilities.

She noted that doctors were not only responsible for diagnosing and treating patients but also provided emotional support to individuals and families facing economic and social difficulties.

“To secure the future of medicine, we have to first of all secure ourselves. You have to make sure your wellbeing, mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, financial wellbeing, which a lot of us ignore.”

Also speaking, the Chairman of the NMA in Ogun State, Dr Sunday Enimola, called for improved working conditions, adequate staffing and better remuneration to address the challenges confronting the medical profession.

Enimola said Nigeria could not secure the future of medicine by continually demanding more from doctors without providing the resources and working environment required for effective service delivery.

He identified workforce shortages, medical migration, burnout, insecurity and inadequate infrastructure as major challenges requiring urgent attention.

“We are asking our healthcare professionals to do more, often with fewer resources. We cannot secure the future of medicine by simply asking doctors to work harder,” he said.

The NMA chairman called for policies that would encourage doctors to remain in Nigeria by providing professional fulfilment, career opportunities, dignity and improved welfare.

He also advocated the integration of artificial intelligence, telemedicine, electronic health records and other digital innovations into healthcare delivery, stressing that technology should support rather than replace medical practitioners.

Enimola further called for reforms in medical education to equip future doctors with the clinical competence, technological knowledge and adaptability required to meet changing healthcare needs.

He urged government agencies, universities, healthcare institutions and technology companies to collaborate on developing affordable and accessible digital health solutions suited to Nigeria’s circumstances.

The NMA chairman said securing the future of medicine required collective action, urging stakeholders to translate discussions at the Physicians’ Week into practical measures that would improve healthcare delivery and protect the well-being of medical professionals.

Source: punchng.com

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