By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

President Bola Tinubu has opened pressure on members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to allow the return of Mudashiru Obasa as Speaker, people familiar with the development have revealed, three weeks after an impeachment that sent shockwaves through the nation’s commercial haven.

The Nigerian leader said this weekend that lawmakers should be prepared to let Mr Obasa return because the political price for his removal could potentially outweigh the benefits of punishing his excesses, which bordered largely on corruption and abuse of office, two people said. All but two of the 40-member legislature are members of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

“The president has sent instruction that we should start preparing to let him come back,” a senior Lagos politician who participated in a series of meetings this weekend said. “The president said Obasa will spend only a short time before resigning on his terms.”

“We have agreed to let him come back to give him a soft landing that he told us he deserved because of the serious political consequences of allowing this matter to endure,” the politician said anonymously to discuss the minutiae of internal political deliberations. “I would do it differently if you asked me to be the ultimate decision-maker in this matter.”

However, some lawmakers said his return would be difficult for those who participated in his impeachment, especially those who circulated copies of The Gazette’s story that preceded it.

“We’re afraid that bringing him back will be like trying to pacify a snake after its head was severed,” a source said. “Its venom will be super deadly.”

Another senior political operative in Lagos told The Gazette the president had summoned a meeting in Abuja on Monday, where those not already onboard would be exhorted.

“Many of us have agreed that he should be allowed to return because we can only see the beginning of this fight but not how it may end,” the politician said. ” The meeting is scheduled for Monday, and some of us still in Lagos are already preparing to leave for Abuja.”

On January 13, Mr Obasa was removed as Speaker after lawmakers learned, through The Gazette’s reporting, that he had looted billions in procurement allocations for vehicles and other items they didn’t receive. Lasbat Mojisola Meranda was immediately named as his replacement. However, officials said she has seemingly allowed Mr Obasa to intimidate her in her new role, even though she had the backing of at least 32 out of the state’s 40 legislators.

Since January 13, when Ms Meranda was inaugurated as Speaker, she has not been allowed to move into the official residence along Joel Ogunnaike, Ikeja G.R.A. The Gazette was told that Mr Obasa, who was in the United States during his impeachment, went directly to the Speaker’s Lodge when he landed in Abuja from Atlanta and later triumphantly returned to Lagos. Upon his return, he denounced his impeachment as illegal and vowed to remain in office.

“He said they should let him enter the official lodge to remove his personal belongings,” a source said. “But he has refused to vacate the place, and Madam Speaker has been too afraid to take over from her.”

It was unclear what influence Remi Tinubu had on her husband’s decision to push lawmakers to reinstate Mr Obasa. This came days after the media reported that the first lady stopped the anti-corruption agency EFCC from arresting the embattled politician. However, she said an investigation into his use of public funds in Lagos may proceed

Mr Tinubu’s move to reinstate Mr Obasa should expand fissures within the Lagos political circles, but the president’s grip on the state’s politics meant no lawmaker would risk being seen as reluctant to follow his directive, a source said.

“Look, some lawmakers are very angry that the president decided to humiliate them like this,” our source said. “But they don’t want to lead any resistance against the president, who is also the party’s leader.”

A presidential spokesman revealed on Sunday morning that he was unaware of the president’s directive to Lagos lawmakers. Messrs Obasa and Meranda declined to comment on Sunday morning.

It was also learnt that Mr Obasa met Governor Jide Sanwo-Olu in Marina on Saturday to finalise his return as Speaker, which may come as soon as next week. An aide to the governor confirmed the meeting without elaborating.

Seven days after ingesting illicit drugs, a Nigerian business man had to undergo surgery to empty his bowel in Lebanon.

Naijablitznews reports that after deportation to Nigeria, NDLEA operatives nabbed him at the airport.

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

No fewer than 55,015 lives have been lost to road crashes across the country over the past 10 years, data from the Federal Road Safety Commission revealed.

The records also showed that 108,369 road crashes occurred within the same period.

According to the data, 5,440 lives were lost in 2015, while 5,053 fatalities were recorded in 2016. The number rose slightly to 5,121 in 2017 and 5,181 in 2018.
In 2019, road crashes claimed 5,483 lives, followed by 5,574 deaths in 2020. The figures increased to 6,205 in 2021 and peaked at 6,456 in 2022. The number of fatalities then declined to 5,081 in 2023 and slightly rose to 5,421 in 2024.

The report further detailed the number of road crashes recorded annually.
In 2015, there were 9,734 reported cases, while 9,694 crashes were documented in 2016.
The figures stood at 9,383 in 2017 and increased to 9,741 in 2018. By 2019, the number of crashes had risen to 11,072 and continued climbing to 11,875 in 2020.

In 2021, 13,027 crashes were recorded, with the highest number occurring in 2022 at 13,656. The figures declined to 10,617 in 2023 and further to 9,570 in 2024.
The corps’ Spokesperson, Olusegun Ogungbemide, in an interview with our correspondent on Saturday, noted that various measures had been implemented to enhance road safety, including the introduction of mandatory speed limiters for commercial vehicles, which has contributed to a decline in highway fatalities.

Ogungbemide added that free safety checks and vehicle inspection programmes had been put in place to ensure roadworthiness, targeting common issues such as brake failure and faulty lighting.

He said, “The introduction of speed limiters for commercial vehicles has helped reduce crashes caused by speeding. Available data shows a decline in fatalities on highways following this enforcement.

“FRSC visits motor parks and works with transport unions to promote road safety awareness among commercial drivers.
“Despite these efforts and effective enforcement put in place by the corps, some recalcitrant drivers still pose heavy challenges to the corps due to their habitual violation of established laws.”