News

Dr. Daiso Elevator Tragedy: Sanwo-Olu Orders 48-hour Probe; Installer Arrested

Published

2 years ago

August 5, 2023

Governor Bababjide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has directed a 48-hour probe into an elevator accident at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos, Island, which led to the death of Dr. Vwaere Daiso.

The investigation panel, which was given 48 hours commencing from Friday, to conclude action, is expected to submit its report of the initial findings today (Saturday) for further actions to be taken on the matter.

Also, in a statement by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Strategy, Olumide Sogunle, the lift installer has been handed over to the Police for questioning.

Sogunle highlighted some of the steps taken so far by the investigative panel, stating that: “A panel comprising the Chairman of the Lagos State Health Service Commission (HSC), Permanent Secretary of the Health Service Commission, Director-General of the Safety Commission, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health; House officers and representatives of the medical associations, has been set up.

“The panel met with the Facility Manager, personnel of LASIAMA and the management of General Hospital, Lagos.

“The Panel had also met with the lift installer and the representatives of the company that installed the elevator.

“The Panel also invited a lift expert to the accident scene to look at the lift and give a preliminary opinion.

“Other experts would now take the elevator out for a thorough mechanical and electrical examination.

“As part of the panel’s activities from the first day when they interviewed the lift installer, they handed him over to the Police for questioning and further interrogation. This is to ensure that the installer will always be available if the panel needs him for further questions.

“Six house officers and representatives of the medical associations were appointed as witnesses. Representatives of the House Officers and medical associations were allowed to be part of the panel.

“The panel was given 48 hours to conclude action and so it will be submitting a report of their initial findings on Saturday (today). And any other step to be taken after that would be done by the appropriate authorities.

“Recall that the Lagos State House of Assembly had earlier commenced a probe into the incident with a promise to ensure justice for the deceased.

Lawmakers probe

The House also held a one-minute silence in memory of the deceased while sympathising with the family and friends of the late doctor as well as the Nigerian Medical Association, NMA.

Speaker of the house, Mudashiru Obasa, set up a committee to investigate the accident with a view to prevent future occurrence and ensure justice.

According to Obasa, a proper probe of the incident which happened recently at the General Hospital, Odan, Lagos Island, was needed to ensure proper management and safety of lives.

The eight-man committee, headed by the Deputy Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, include David Setonji, Lara Oyekan, Olayinka Ajomale, Shabi Adekola, Omolara Olumegbon, Oluwa Akanbi and Olarenwaju Afinni.

The committee was mandated to report their findings to the House within two weeks.

Obasa approved that the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health, the Chief Medical Director of the hospital and staff who had roles in the incident be summoned for clarification.

He also asked the committee to invite the NMA branch in Lagos Island for conversation.

The Speaker, who described the tragic incident as “unfortunate”, lamented the unimaginable pain the loss of the medical doctor would bring to her immediate family.

“It is saddening to lose such a young promising daughter and there is no convincing explanation we can give to the parents and her colleagues; no amount of explanation can suffice,” Obasa lamented.

NMA kicks

The Speaker also appealed to the NMA to resume work, saying government would look into their demands.

NMA had ordered members to embark on indefinite strike in protest over the death of it’s member.

A member of the House, Olarenwaju Afinni, representing Lagos Island Constituency 2, urged his colleagues to help look into the crisis.

In his own contribution, Gbolahan Yishawu, representing Eti-Osa 2, said the NMA had the right to express its grievances over the death of its colleague, but appealed to its members to call off the indefinite strike in order to avert more deaths.

“This incident saddens my heart and we sympathise with the family and NMA.

“We have seen their demands and we are appealing that they should resume work to prevent patients from dying,” he pleaded.

News

Anambra Poll: CDD Releases Post-election Findings, Recommends improved INEC’s Operational Capacity

Published

48 minutes ago

November 9, 2025

Editor

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD-West Africa), has released its post-election findings on the just concluded Anambra governorship election, recommending improvement in INEC’s operational capacity, prioritised voter education, issue-based campaigns, amongst others.

In a post-election press briefing held in Akwa on Sunday, the CDD said the “2025 Anambra election reveals that Nigeria’s electoral challenges are deeply linked to wider governance failures; weak institutions, elite dominance, economic hardship, insecurity, and lack of accountability continue to shape voter behaviour and electoral outcomes.”

In the post-election statement signed by Dr. Dauda Garuba, Director, CDD, and Professor Victor Adetula, Chair,
CDD-West Africa Election Analysis Centre, recommended that the “ongoing electoral reforms must target improving INEC’s operational capacity through timely funding, decentralised planning, and consistent communication.

“Such operational issues include logistics, mandatory real-time result publication via IReV, early voting for essential personnel and adequate personnel training.”

The CDD, while urging political parties to prioritise voter education and conduct issue-based campaigns, the organisation urged politicians to uphold internal democracy and adhere to transparent campaign financing.

“Elections cannot be treated as temporary security events. The government at all levels must develop a more sustainable security architecture that addresses root causes and provides year-round safety for residents.

“Only then can we safeguard electoral processes without relying on massive deployments that strain national resources and offer no long-term protection.”

The CDD, while decrying the prevalent of vote trading in the election, said conscious steps must be taken to discourage this “through deliberate efforts to deliver good governance while promoting civic education across all strata of society to discourage transactional politics.”

“The National Orientation Agency must take centre stage on this. Ongoing reforms of the electoral act must take into consideration the need to arrest and prosecute electoral offenders.”

The CDD said that “as the country prepares for the 2026 off-cycle elections and the 2027 general elections, these reforms must be prioritised.”

It added: “Nigeria’s democratic survival depends not just on voting but on the strength of the institutions and the governance practices that surround it.”

News

UPDATED: INEC Declares Soludo Winner Of Anambra Guber Poll

Published

9 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, has been declared the winner of the Saturday, November 8, 2025, Anambra State governorship election by the Returning Officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Edoba Omoregie.

Soludo, who polled a total of 422,664 votes, defeated his closest rival, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Nicholas Ukachukwu, who scored 99,445 votes, while the candidate of the Young Progressives Party, Sir Paul Chukwuma, came third with 37,753 votes.

According to INEC, a total of 16 candidates from various political parties participated in the election.

The state had 2,788,864 registered voters, out of which 598,229 were accredited. A total of 595,298 votes were cast, while 11,244 votes were rejected across the 21 local government areas.

From the results announced, Soludo of APGA won in all 21 local government areas of the state in a landslide victory.

Announcing the results at the INEC headquarters in Awka on Sunday, Omoregie said, “The number of registered voters was 2,788,864, while accredited voters were 598,229. The total valid votes stood at 584,054, rejected votes were 11,244, and the total votes cast amounted to 595,298.”

He added, “After collating the results as tallied into Form EC8E, it is now my privilege to declare the figures each candidate scored according to their political parties.

“There were a few areas affected by incidents, leading to cancellations in some wards across Anambra West, Anaocha, Awka South, and Onitsha South LGAs, amounting to 10,481 affected votes. However, the margin of lead between the top candidates did not affect the overall outcome of the election.

“I, Prof. Edoba Omoregie, Returning Officer for the 2025 Anambra State Governorship Election, hereby declare that the election was peaceful. Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, having scored 422,664 votes — the highest number of valid votes cast and having satisfied the requirements of the law — is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”

Breakdown of results:

Total registered voters: 2,788,864

Total accredited voters: 598,229

Total valid votes: 584,054

Rejected votes: 11,244

Total votes cast: 595,298

Votes by political parties:
A – 224
AA – 1,145
AAC – 292
ADC – 8,208
APC – 99,445
APGA – 422,664
APM – 892
APP – 73
BP – 126
LP – 10,576
NNPP – 525
NRM – 36
PDP – 1,401
SDP – 241
YPP – 37,753
ZLP – 453

News

BREAKING: Soludo Sweeps Anambra Guber Election

Published

12 hours ago

November 9, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the Anambra governorship election, Prof. Charles Soludo has been declared winner of the poll.

Returning Officer of the election, Prof. Edoba declared Soludo winner having polled
422,664 votes to defeat his closest opponent.

More details coming