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Eight buildings collapse as flood takes over Borno streets

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Heavy rainfall in the early hours of Wednesday has collapsed eight buildings and displaced some residents in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.

Our correspondent gathered that the rain, which started around 6:15 am, lasted three hours, leading to the displacement of families in Bulumkutu, Abuja, Moduganari, Ngomari and other riverbank areas.

A resident of Bulumkutu, Ahmodu Ibrahim, told our correspondent that water flooded his apartment around 8 am before he ran out with his family.

“I started seeing water coming in after an hour of the rain. I immediately took my children and wife to a safe area,” he said.

A shop owner, Aisha Suraju, said her items were all damaged by the flood.

“My provisions, especially the ones on the floor, were all destroyed by the flood,” she said.

Meanwhile, the state police command said it has swung into action and mobilised its men for rescue operations across areas where buildings collapsed.

A statement by the spokesperson for the command, ASP Nahum Daso, said eight buildings collapsed due to the flooding.

The statement read, “In the wake of the heavy rainfall that affected parts of Maiduguri, Gomari, Bulumkutu, Jidari, ITE and others, the Borno State Police Command has swiftly carried out on-the-scene assessments and deployed patrol teams across the impacted areas.

“Unfortunately, eight buildings collapsed, but no casualties were recorded.

“To forestall any breakdown of law and order, the command has stationed officers at strategic locations to protect evacuated homes and properties from potential looting or criminal activities.”

The police spokesman said the Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmaji, commended the swift response of the officers involved and called on residents to remain calm and law-abiding.

“He also urged parents and guardians to monitor their children closely and prevent them from playing in floodwaters, as such behavior poses serious risks to their safety,” he said.

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INEC begins nationwide voter registration August 18

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced the commencement of the 2025 nationwide Continuous Voter Registration exercise ahead of the upcoming elections.

According to a statement by the Commission via its X handle on Friday, online pre-registration will open on Monday, August 18, 2025, through its official portal: cvr.inecnigeria.org.

The Commission further disclosed that in-person registration will commence on Monday, August 25, 2025, at all INEC Local Government Area offices and designated registration centres nationwide.

It stated that the exercise will run from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Mondays to Fridays.

INEC urged eligible Nigerians who have not yet registered to take advantage of the opportunity to do so.

The statement read, “This exercise is for Nigerians who have attained voting age or those who were unable to register in previous exercises.

“We encourage all eligible citizens to either begin the process online or visit our offices and designated centres once the physical registration begins.”

INEC also reminded voters that the CVR is not just for new registrants.

“The process also accommodates requests for transfer of registration, replacement of lost or damaged Permanent Voter Cards and correction of personal information such as names and dates of birth,” the statement added.

The Commission emphasised its commitment to conducting a credible electoral process, saying, “Our goal is to ensure every eligible Nigerian has the opportunity to exercise their civic right. We are working to make the voter registration process accessible, transparent, and inclusive.”

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Why we will resist our ancestral home renaming — Lagos community

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The Ilaje community in the Bariga area of Lagos State has vowed to resist the renaming of Ilaje Street after the music legend, King Sunny Ade, accusing the local council authority of attempting to erase its historical identity.

Last Friday, the immediate past Chairman of the Bariga Local Council Development Area, David Kolade Alabi, announced the renaming of several streets, including Ilaje Street, as part of efforts to honour notable figures.

However, the move has sparked intense backlash both on the streets and online, where critics allege it reflects ethnic bias and a disregard for local history.

Protesters from the Ilaje community took to the streets on Wednesday, demanding a reversal of the name change, arguing that the council’s decision undermined the cultural and historical heritage of their people.

In an exclusive interview on Thursday, the President General of Egbe Omo Ilaje Worldwide, Raphael Irowainu, condemned the renaming as a “calculated attempt to decimate” the Ilaje people in Lagos State.

“It was a calculated attempt by the political elites and some Yoruba ethnic groups to erase the historical and cultural involvement of the Ilaje people in the creation of Lagos State.

“The Bariga community was founded in 1948 by our great-grandfathers. The entire place was like a forest.”

They were the ones who made the road before the state government took over later,” Irowainu said.

He further alleged a pattern of targeted and deliberate marginalisation of his people in the state.

He said, “On March 7, the Lagos State Government, in connivance with some persons, went to another Ilaje community and demolished the area.

“A monarch in Oworo sent people to demolish parts of Ilaje in Oworonshoki. Go to Majidun, and you will hear a similar story. These are calculated events to erase and decimate the Ilaje people.”

Highlighting the group’s historical significance, Irowainu added, “The Ilaje are among the three early settlers of Lagos State —alongside the Awori and Ijebu.

“We are not strangers. We are Yorubas just like any other Yoruba. Ilaje is a recognised sub-ethnic group in Yorubaland.”

He also questioned the rationale behind honouring King Sunny Ade in an Ilaje territory when other areas could be named after the revered music icon.

He said, “They now want to rename Ilaje Street to King Sunny Ade Street, when we have Ondo Street in Ebute Meta. Why not rename that one if they truly want to honour him? This is a war against the Ilaje people.”

Disclosing that the community had already filed a petition against the decision, Irowainu threatened legal action, arguing that the LCDA lacks constitutional authority to rename streets.

“If it requires going through legal means, we will do it. Even the so-called LCDA is illegal.

“The constitution only recognises 20 local governments—not LCDAs. It’s only the local governments that have the power to rename streets, and even at that, there must be consultation with the affected communities,” he maintained.

The former council chairman, who initiated the renaming, had defended the decision, saying it was meant to celebrate individuals who had brought global recognition to Bariga.

“As an administration, we took our time to reflect on a number of our people who have put the name of our local council out on the global map through their respective God-given talents and crafts,” David had stated.

Efforts to reach the new LCDA Chairperson, Bukola Adedeji, for comments on whether the council would review the street renaming were unsuccessful.

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‘Nigeria Must Go’ protest retaliation for ‘Ghana Must Go’ – SOG Precious

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A popular Ghanaian on-air personality and media strategist with Starr, SOG Precious, has said the recent Nigeria Must Go protest in Ghana was a retaliation for the Ghana Must Go protest in 1983.

Precious made this known in an interview on Channels TV’s Morning Brief on Friday.

His statement comes as a viral video on Tuesday showed a large number of Ghanaians protesting with placards suggesting the deportation of Nigerians.

Reacting to the protest, Precious said, “It is a form of retaliation for what happened in 1988.”

He further claimed data in Ghana suggests that some Nigerians, especially young girls, are prominent in prostitution and other outlawed activities in the country.

Meanwhile, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, has appealed for calm over the matter, noting that there is “no cause for alarm.”

Earlier, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Ambassador Demola, said the protest is not against all Nigerians but against some persons with undesirable activities in Ghana.

“I think the focus is on the tertiary traders and people whom I would describe as probably undesirable to their system, to their economy,” he said in an interview on Arise News.

Recall that in 1983, there was a mass deportation of Ghanaians from Nigeria under former President Shehu Shagari.

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