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Three Omatu Siblings Lost In GNI Tower Fire To Be Buried Jan 14

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The family of three siblings who lost their lives in the devastating fire that ravaged the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Martins Street, Lagos Island, on December 24, 2025, has announced their burial arrangements.

 

The siblings, Stephen (40), Casmir (39), and Collins (37), were trapped and burnt beyond recognition when the 25-storey Great Nigeria Insurance House on Lagos Island caught fire.

 

The family, in a poster shared on social media and signed by Rev. Fr. William Omatu for the Family, expressed their regret over the loss of their loved ones and announced that a Parish Service and Songs and Requiem Mass would be held on January 7, 2026, at Jesus the Saviour Catholic Church, Ken Nlemedim Street, Bucknor Ejigbi, Lagos.

 

The burial mass and interment are scheduled to take place on January 14, 2026, at Nze Omatu Ikuamaeze Compound, Umumgboma, Umarugwy, Uzoakwa, Ihiala LGA, Anambra State.

 

The fire, which broke out on the fourth floor of the building, spread rapidly, trapping occupants, including traders, and causing part of the structure to collapse.

 

Emergency officials have cited poor storage practices, highly combustible materials, and structural design issues as factors that intensified the incident.

 

The incident has sparked outrage and allegations of negligence, with relatives of the victims claiming that the Lagos State Government and emergency agencies failed to conduct proper evacuation efforts, leading to unnecessary loss of life.

 

A brother to the three siblings, Camillus Ugochukwu Omatu had told the media that workers on site had no sense of urgency and adequate equipment to clear debris from the collapsed extension, which had blocked exit routes.

 

“After days of search for the victims, we accessed the building through the assistance of scavengers who are allegedly around to buy irons scraps. It was discovered that all bodies are burnt beyond recognition. We resorted to taking ashes from the troubled area for their burial.

 

“Since the accident, the surviving brother has been engaging stakeholders for possible evacuation of the collapsed extension area which blocked and trapped the victims in the building. But all efforts yielded no result as Lagos State Govt had claimed no casualty recorded.

 

“I left Abuja for Lagos and resumed at the accident site on Sunday, December 28, 2025.

 

“All engagements for possible rescue continued but the workers on site seemed not to be working with any sense of emergency, no adequate equipment to evacuate debris until we sought the help of scavengers who told us they have been accessing the place unofficially for purchase of iron scraps.

 

“For days, nobody helped us. We kept begging officials, but they moved like there was no emergency. Lagos State keeps saying no casualty was recorded, but how can they say that when we carried ashes of our own relatives?” he had told the media.

 

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) however stated that many of the traders who became trapped in the building were those who ignored warnings and were more intent on recovering their goods.

 

The Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service had confirmed eight deaths from the fire with three burnt behind recognition while thirteen traders trapped in the rubbles were rescued alive.

 

The incident has left a trail of destruction and grief in the community, with many families still searching for their loved ones, as the Lagos State Government promised to investigate the cause of the fire and take measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.

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Rivers Assembly Formally Serves Impeachment Notice To Gov. Fubara

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The Rivers State House of Assembly has formally served an impeachment notice to Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Governor Ngozi Odu.

 

The move marks the third major attempt to remove the governor since 2023, following his return to office in September 2025 after a six-month state of emergency.

 

Recall that the assembly on Thursday during an emergency plenary, commenced the impeachment of the governor and his deputy.

 

26 members of the House accused the governor of misconduct, capable of undermining democracy in the state.

 

The notice which was addressed to the governor, contained the signature of at least 19 lawmakers.

 

The notice also contained about 8 alleged gross misconducts by the governor and his administration.

 

In a post on its official Facebook page,the assembly said, “The impeachment notice has been successfully served on the Governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara”.

 

 

 

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NCC, CBN Set To Roll Out Refund Framework For Failed Airtime And Data Transactions

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In line with the consumer-focused objectives of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the two regulators have drawn up a framework to address consumer complaints arising from unsuccessful airtime and data transactions during network downtimes, system glitches, or human input errors.

 

The framework is the outcome of several months of engagements involving the NCC, the CBN, Mobile Network Operators (MNOs), Value Added Service (VAS) providers, Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), and other relevant stakeholders. These engagements were prompted by a rising incidence of failed airtime and data purchases, where subscribers were debited without receiving value and experienced delays in resolution.

 

The Framework represents a unified position by both the telecommunications and financial sectors on addressing such complaints. It identifies and tackles the root causes of failed airtime and data transactions, including instances where bank accounts are debited without successful delivery of services. It also prescribes an enforceable Service Level Agreement (SLA) for MNOs and DMBs, clearly outlining the roles and responsibilities of each stakeholder in the transaction and resolution process.

 

Under the new framework, where a purchaser is debited but fails to receive value for airtime or data—whether the failure occurs at the bank level or with an NCC licensee—the purchaser is entitled to a refund within 30 seconds, except in circumstances where the transaction remains pending, of which the refund can take up to 24 hours.

 

The framework further mandates operators to notify consumers via SMS of the success or failure of every transaction. It also addresses erroneous recharges to ported lines, incorrect airtime or data purchases, and instances where transactions are made to the wrong phone number.

 

Speaking on the development, the Director of Consumer Affairs at the NCC, Mrs. Freda Bruce-Bennett disclosed that the framework also establishes a Central Monitoring Dashboard to be jointly hosted by the NCC and the CBN. According to her, the dashboard will enable both regulators to monitor failures, the responsible party, refunds, and track SLA breaches in real time.

 

“Failed top-ups rank among the top three consumer complaints, and in line with our commitment to addressing these priority issues, we were determined to resolve it within the shortest possible time,” she said.

 

“We are grateful to all stakeholders—particularly the Central Bank of Nigeria and its leadership—for their tireless commitment to resolving this issue and arriving at this framework, and for ensuring that consumers of telecommunications services receive full value for their purchases.

 

“So far, pending the approval of management of both regulators on the framework, MNOs and banks have collectively made refunds of over N10 billion to customers for failed transactions.”

 

Mrs. Bruce-Bennett further noted that implementation of the framework is expected to commence on March 1, 2026, once the two regulators have made final approvals, and technical integration by all MNOs, VAS providers and DMBs is concluded.

 

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PRESIDENT TINUBU HAILS NRS CHAIRMAN, ZACCH ADEDEJI, ON HIS BIRTHDAY

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President Bola Tinubu congratulates Dr Zacch Adedeji, the Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service, on his birthday.

 

President Tinubu commends Adedeji’s sterling leadership of the 83-year-old revenue agency, the introduction of fresh ideas, the adoption of global best practices, the automation of systems, and the upskilling of staff members for the greater good of the nation.

 

“I salute the NRS Chairman for his visionary and charismatic dedication in restructuring, aligning and managing the revenue profile of the country.

 

“He recorded a historic achievement, meeting the budget targets in the Third Quarter of 2025, and stimulating the economy for prosperity.

 

“Zacch has also been instrumental in the adoption of the National Single Window, a transformative federal digital platform to streamline import and export processes, enhance transparency and reduce cargo clearance from 21 days to one week,” the President remarks.

 

Dr Adedeji previously served as a senior member of Procter & Gamble’s management team, as Commissioner of Finance for Oyo State, and as Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, where he established the National Sugar Institute.

 

He also served as Special Adviser to the President on Revenue before being appointed as FIRS chairman in September 2023.

 

The President prays that the Almighty God will grant the NRS Chairman more years of good health, wisdom and strength to keep serving the nation.

 

 

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