No fewer than 95 princes and princesses from the Fusengbuwa Ruling House have indicated interest in ascending the stool of the Awujale of Ijebuland.

The development was disclosed by Olori Ebi of Fusengbuwa Ruling House, Lateef Owoyemi, at the commencement of a nomination meeting held at Bisi Rodipe Hall, GRA, Ijebu Ode.

Owoyemi is also known as Otunba Jadiara.

Other leaders of the Ruling House who were present at the meeting include Deputy Olori Ebi, Otunba Ajidagba, Chairman, Chief Fassy Yusuf, among others.

Otunba Owoyemi informed the meeting that the names of those who scaled the first hurdle would be forwarded to the Afobajes.

According to him, the Afobajes would select one of the candidates as the next Awujale and forward his name to the Ogun State Government.

He stated that those in disagreement with the exercise can channel their grievances to the government.

The Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, says the total rehabilitation of the Third Mainland Bridge in Lagos State cost N43 billion while the bridge’s Closed Circuit Television Camera, CCTV,  Centre cost about N2.5 billion.

Umahi made this known on Monday in Lagos while addressing journalists, stressing that the scope of work covered total rehabilitation of 14km by 14 metres width by two carriageways.

“It also includes rebuilding and repainting of some concrete works and replacing expansion joints and putting solar lights.”

He said the establishment of the CCTV centre, was part of the Third Mainland Bridge rehabilitation contract.

“The total contract sum for rehabilitation of the bridge is N43 billion.

“The cost of the CCTV centre is not more than N2.5 billion,” he said.

He emphasised that the CCTV centre did not cost N40 billion as reported in some quarters.

Inaugurating the CCTV centre on Sunday, Umahi had said that the current administration met a terrible Third Mainland Bridge.

“When we came on board in 2023, we saw a very terrible Third Mainland Bridge, Carter Bridge and Iddo Bridge both on the pavement, surface, infrastructure above the water and even infrastructure below the water.

‎”The president, therefore, directed total re-evaluation and rehabilitation of the surfaces of the Third Mainland Bridge and changing the expansion joints,” he said.

According to the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos State, Mr Olufemi Dare, the CCTV centre is the first of its kind in Nigeria.

He said: “We have a boat that has been bought for surveillance of the bridge. There are two Hilux vans, too.

“We have 240 solar panels in this environment.  The whole place is fully air-conditioned. We have 10 inverters inside the building.

‎”We have a transformer, a 300KVA transformer. We have a standby generating plant and monitoring screens.”

Two Rivers State lawmakers, including Minority Leader Sylvanus Nwankwo and Peter Abbey, have withdrawn their support for the impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy, Professor Ngozi Odu. They are urging their fellow legislators to seek a peaceful resolution to the crisis, citing appeals from respected stakeholders within and outside the state ¹.

The lawmakers emphasized that the decision was influenced by interventions from “our elders and leaders” who appealed for restraint and reconciliation. They called on the Assembly to halt the impeachment process and explore alternative means of resolving the crisis.

This development comes as the Rivers State Elders and Leaders Forum has also condemned the impeachment move, describing the reasons as “disturbingly weak, lacking substance, public interest justification, or constitutional weight”.