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A private car owner was killed on Thursday by a commercial bus driver while driving against traffic (One-way) around the Meiran area of Lagos.

The driver of the Volkswagen commercial bus with number plate EPE 964 XX was reportedly driving against traffic at high speed when he collided with the private car – a  Honda Civic marked, EPE 666 BC.

A statement from the spokesman for the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Taofiq Adebayo, quoted a LASTMA officer, Ajanlekoko Anthony, as saying that the accident occurred around 9:30 am.

The driver of the Honda Civic car was said to have sustained a serious neck injury and died instantly.

“It was confirmed that the dead driver was living inside Meiran Estate which is very close to the scene of the accident 

“LASTMA officials who were first emergency responders handed over the corpse to his relatives who came from the estate.

Both vehicles were immediately removed from the road to pave the way for free vehicular movement for other road users.

“While the driver of the Volkswagen commercial bus that took one-way ran away, the vehicles were handed over to Policemen from Meiran Police Station.”

The General Manager Mr Bolaji Oreagba warned motorists to avoid disobeying traffic laws, particularly driving against traffic.

“Driving against traffic (One-way) is awaiting dead trap on roads,” Oreagba said.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said it has signed an agreement with Türkiye to deposit $5 billion (TL 94.57 billion) in the country’s central bank, in a significant boost as the economy grapples with inflation emerging from last month’s massive earthquakes ahead of presidential elections.

The kingdom described the move as “a testament to the close cooperation and historical ties between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Türkiye and its brotherly people.”

It also marks “a demonstration of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s commitment to supporting Türkiye’s efforts to strengthen its economy and to promote social growth and sustainable development,” the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) said in a statement.

Saudi Minister of Finance Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan announced his country’s intention to deposit in December.

The statement offered no details on how the cash would be used or if the kingdom could call for the sum to be returned.

However, such deposits can help firm up exchange rates for a nation’s currency against other currencies internationally.

Türkiye’s net foreign exchange reserves rebounded from over $6 billion last summer, when it was at its lowest in at least 20 years, while they have declined some $8.5 billion since devastating earthquakes hit the country’s southern region early in February, killing more than 45,000 people and leaving millions homeless.

The Central Bank of the Republic of Türkiye’s (CBRT) net international reserves fell some $1.4 billion to $20.2 billion in the week of Feb. 24, data from the monetary authority showed on Thursday.

The deposit will shore up Türkiye’s foreign reserve and is likely to help further firm up the Turkish lira. The currency depreciated 30% against the U.S. dollar last year and 44% in 2021.

The decision, which is also expected to help Türkiye combat inflation, was made on the order of King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the statement said.

“The deposit will bolster the Turkish economy by addressing economic aspects across various sectors. By making this deposit, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is expressing its strong support for the Turkish people and its confidence in the future of the Turkish economy,” it noted.

The Saudi deposit follows joint efforts by Ankara and Riyadh to mend ties following years of tension, which escalated significantly after the 2018 murder of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia’s Istanbul Consulate.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s visit to Saudi Arabia in April last year marked the first high-level visit in years. His trip was followed by MBS’s trip to Türkiye in June.

The two leaders also met in November on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Bali, Indonesia.

They deposit was signed between SFD Chairperson Ahmed Aqeel Al-Khateeb, who is also Saudi Arabia’s tourism minister, and CBRT head Şahap Kavcıoğlu, the SFD statement said.

Türkiye has been struggling with high inflation, which has been in a downward trend and fell to 55.18% in February, marking a fourth straight month of slowdown and the lowest level in a year.

Heading into presidential and parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 14, Erdoğan has pledged to ramp up spending in a swift campaign to rebuild the regions flatted by the February quakes within a year.

Close to 204,000 buildings collapsed or were severely damaged, leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

According to the World Bank, the quakes and their aftershocks caused an estimated $34 billion in damage.

The estimate does not include the eventual costs of reconstruction that are “potentially twice as large,” the Washington-based institution said.

Rufai Hanga of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, has been confirmed by the Supreme Court as the senator-elect for the Kano Central Senatorial District.

The top court also disqualified Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano state, from running for national assembly on February 25.

In ruling on an appeal filed by the Independent National Election Commission, INEC, the court affirmed the rulings of the Federal high court and the Court of Appeal, both in Abuja, which had previously supported Rufai Hanga’s candidacy as the party’s candidate.

The Supreme Court determined that the INEC’s appeal lacked merit and substance and dismissed it in the judgment drafted by Justice Uwani Aba-Aji but delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim.

Following Ibrahim Shekarau’s withdrawal as a party member and senatorial candidate due to purported irreconcilable differences with the party, the Federal high court and the court of appeal had already upheld Rufai Hanga as the NNPP’s candidate for Kano Central.

Instead of complying with the federal high court’s ruling, INEC appealed the judgment to the Appeal Court but failed.

The Commission appealed to the Supreme Court the judgments that supported Rufai Hanga as the legitimate candidate of the NNPP Kano central Senatorial District because it was dissatisfied with the decisions of the Trial and Appellate Courts.

In an accident involving a moving train and a bus carrying employees of the Lagos State government yesterday in the Shogunle neighborhood of Ikeja, Lagos, no less than seven people have been confirmed deceased while others have been injured.

The bus driver was begged to wait for the train to pass, but he refused, according to one of the disaster survivors who went by the name Titilayo.

“I boarded the staff bus while traveling to work this morning,” a middle-aged female employee of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Ikeja, who suffered injuries to her lower limbs, said (yesterday).

“The incident happened around 7.15am. When we got to the intersection at PWD in Ikeja, the driver continued driving.

“Passengers inside the bus, including myself, begged him to wait for the train to pass before crossing, but he didn’t listen.

“Midway, just before he could finish crossing the rail tracks, the accident happened. Many of us were rushed here, while five others were taken to Gbagada General Hospital.”

Musa Hayatou, a Sogunle local, described what he saw at the accident scene and stated: “From what I saw, so far, two people perished on the spot.

“Many of them were rescued from the ill fated bus, but some of them were critically injured and it will take the grace of God for them to survive. Some victims who suffered broken bones were rushed to the hospital.

“I don’t know if more people have passed on. Another victim was hit by a large stone. I don’t know whether he was still living or not before he was eventually taken away by officials of Lagos State Emergency Agency, LASEMA.

“I think the fault is from the driver, because before a train gets to a level crossing, it begins to horn from a kilometre away and, if you are a good driver, you should be aware of the loud horn alerting people.

“This is the first time an accident involving a train and a BRT bus happened here. However, we usually have accident involving BRT buses with other vehicles at the bus stop.”

The number of fatalities has risen to seven, according to reports from the hospitals where the crash victims were rushed.

Two people passed away immediately, and five more who were among the 71 people who had injuries of varied severity passed away at LASUTH.

It was discovered that the staff bus, carrying 85 state government employees to work, was struck by the train as it attempted to cross the rail line at the PWD bus stop, dragging it to Shogunle, where it finally came to a stop and the passengers were saved.

According to Babatunde, who witnessed the accident: “The keepers of Nigerian Railway Corporation at that level crossing tried to stop the driver from passing because of the incoming train, but he refused.

“I guess he thought he could pass before the train caught up with him. Unfortunately, the reverse was the case.”

The driver of the bus that collided with a train in Lagos on Thursday is presently undergoing psychological, physiological, and drug testing, according to CP Yetunde Longe, Commissioner of Police, Railway Command.

After being transported to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, or LASUTH, the driver was later ushered into the TB Diagnostic Center to undergo the test.

According to the CP, who spoke with journalists, they are looking into how many individuals were killed in the collision. Because an autopsy will be performed on the victims’ remains on Friday.

She stated; “Presently, we are with the driver, we are handing him over to doctors for medical examination, because there was a flag officer at the railway crossing flagging him down, but he refused to stop that’s why we must subject him to through medical examination. I can only confirm two dead now.

“As a driver this is one of the tests you have to take note of, because when you get to a level crossing, the train will be honking  for people to know it is coming. Drivers should ensure they are patient for the train to pass.”

When asked why there was no barrier at the level crossing, she said “unfortunately for now, we don’t have such thing there anymore, but there was a signal man who was at the crossing in the morning when the crash occurred but the driver of the bus never obeyed the signal man. That was what caused the crash.

“The driver, if found culpable, would be prosecuted and we are working with the state department of public prosecution, they are gathering more evidences to prosecute him. The driver has been arrested and he is in our custody presently.”

Muhyiddin Yassin, the former prime minister of Malaysia, was charged on Friday with money laundering and misusing his position to obtain bribes in connection with the alleged misuse of a COVID economic recovery fund.

At the height of Malaysia’s fight against the coronavirus, Muhyiddin served as prime minister for 17 months between 2020 and 2021. He currently heads an opposition coalition against Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s administration.

After former leader Najib Razak, who is presently serving a 12-year prison term for his role in a financial scandal at state investment firm 1MDB, he is the second former prime minister to be charged with corruption.

Muhyiddin, 75, was charged with four counts of misusing his position to secure bribes for his political party Bersatu totaling 232.5 million ringgit ($51.4 million).

The corporations which reportedly paid the bribes received preferential treatment for projects funded by the Covid fund.

The maximum sentence for each crime is 20 years in jail.

The charge sheets state that 195 million ringgit were deposited into Bersatu’s account, and Muhyiddin was also charged with two counts of money laundering.

Prosecutors said a third money laundering charge was expected to be filed against him on Monday.

At the Sessions Court on Friday, Muhyiddin pleaded not guilty to all charges and requested a trial.

His passport had to be turned in order for him to be released on bail.

THE Governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Okey Ahiwe, has saluted Abia women for their resourcefulness and resilience on International Women’s Day on 8 March.

Ahiwe stated in his message to the women, “Our women are the bedrock of our society. As our mothers, wives, and relations, I acknowledge the sacrifices you have made for us.

“We are nothing without you. From birth through life, you are there for us.

“Abia women, with their resourcefulness and resilience, have sustained our society.

“I praise you on the occasion of International Women’s Day. We promise you a new Abia that will enthrone the importance of women in our policies, programmes, projects and politics”.

Chief Ahiwe asked the women to turn out en masse on Saturday to vote for PDP candidates. He asked them to be peaceful as they voted for the candidate recognising women’s importance.

The United Kingdom government has appointed Richard Hugh Montgomery as the new British High Commissioner to Nigeria.

The office of the high commissioner is the UK government’s representative in a Commonwealth nation.

Montgomery will replace Catriona Laing as the UK envoy in Nigeria from April 2023 as announced in a statement on Tuesday.

Montgomery succeeds Laing who has served in the capacity as UK’s representative in Nigeria since 2018.

An high commissioner as a diplomat is responsible for the direction and work of the consulate, such as political relations, trade and investment, press and cultural relations, and visa and consular services.

The statement said Laing will be transferred to another diplomatic service appointment.

Montgomery served as the counsellor (development) and head of office, Department for International Development (DFID), Abuja, from 2009-2013.

He holds a Ph.D in social anthropology from the University of Cambridge, alongside other research-related qualifications from GKW Consult Mannheim and Manchester University.

The diplomat was, most recently, the UK executive director for the World Bank Group in Washington.

He has also held executive development roles in Zambia, Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan.

No fewer than two staff of Lagos State Government were reported dead and many others sustained varying degrees of injuries when a staff bus and a commercial train had head-on collision along Agege motor road in Lagos State.

The accident was said to have occurred around PWD bus stop when the bus was about to cross the rail track when it collided with the train at the location.

As gathered, the accident occurred on Thursday.

Senator Emmanuel Bwacha will not be removed off the list of candidates for governor of Taraba State by the Independent National Electoral Commission, according to Judge Bala Usman of the Federal High Court in Jalingo.

The APC’s legitimately elected candidate for governor in the state’s March 18 election, according to the court, is Bwacha.

Judge Usman stated that it is crucial to uphold the Supreme Court’s decision, which includes an accompanying order mandating the APC to have a new primary in which Emmanuel was declared the party’s nominee.

After deciding on the APC’s request that INEC not remove its candidate off its portal or ballot paper prior to the governorship election, the court affirmed Bwacha’s candidacy.