The contest for the Senate Presidency yesterday, was billed to be one of the major fights of the current political dispensation. It was one between Senator Ahmad Lawan backed by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his fellow party man, Senator Bukola Saraki who refused to step down despite losing the party’s endorsement.

Harping on the need to reduce the cost of governance, Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufa’i, yesterday announced the reduction in the number of commissioners in the state from 23 to 13.

A pipeline explosion occurred at Ije-Ododo in Ojo Local Government Area, Lagos, following the activities of suspected pipeline vandals.

Super Falcons ace Ngozi Okobi, who was voted player of the game in a six-goal thriller against Sweden, has said the Swedes were lucky to escape with the draw as they were not better than the Nigerians.

The new members of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly have unanimously elected Mr Ibrahim Balarabe (APC – Umaisha/Ugya) and Mr. Godiya Akwashiki (PDP-Nassarawa Eggon West) as speaker and deputy speaker of the state’s 5th assembly respectively.

The Federal Government, yesterday, re-opened the Maiduguri International Airport for commercial activities, 18 months after it was closed following persistent Boko Haram attacks in the city.

The Bishop of Niger West Diocese, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev, Johnson Ekwe, has called on Nigerians to support and pray for the newly elected political leaders in the country, especially, President Muhammadu Buhari and his Vice Prof Yemi Osinbajo, if they want them to fulfil in all their election promises.

Lagos the acclaimed ‘Centre of Excellence’, was yesterday crippled by flood resulting from a heavy downpour which began in the early hours of Tuesday and lasted till mid-evening. The heavy flooding which was prevalent in virtually all parts of Lagos, exposed the lack of drainage channels and the dilapidated state of roads in the metropolis.

The high expectations of Public health advocates in African countries and other low and middle-income countries were dashed yesterday as the G7 failed to make tangible commitment on financial assistance towards improvement of their health systems. On the 2nd day of the G7 Summit which held in Schloss Elmau, Germany, the Group of Seven had discussed on the health agenda – Ebola, Antimicrobial resistance, and Neglected Tropical Diseases, NTDs, without coming up with new and sustainable sources of funding urgently needed in these areas.

Barely two years after scores of people were consumed by a conflagration from a pipeline explosion, tragedy was averted Monday night at Ijedodo in the Ojo area of Lagos, when another pipeline explosion rocked the area. Eyewitness accounts said no casualty was recorded in the explosion which occurred at a creek in the neighbourhood. VM leant that the incident which occurred around 11pm, escalated because emergency operators could not access the area due to its swampy nature.