A midnight fire that engulfed a fleet of trucks at the Alagbede Tipper garage, Ilorin in Ilorin South Local Government Area of Kwara State in the early hours of Tuesday has destroyed three out of 42 parked in the garage.

TheNigerian Metro gathered that the fire incident that broke out around 1.45 am on Tuesday from a waste collection truck parked in the garage caused severe damage to only three trucks out of the 42 parked within the garage.

According to a statement by the Head of Media and Publicity of Kwara State Fire Service, Principal Fire Officer Hassan Adekunle, the service attended to the fire incident in the early hours of Tuesday.

“On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, at 01:35 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service received a distress call reporting a fire at the Alagbede Tipper Garage, Ilorin, Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State.

“Responding swiftly, the fire crew arrived at the scene to find a fleet of trucks, some of which were already engulfed in flames.

“Through the efforts of the firefighters, the fire was contained, limiting damage to only three out of the 42 trucks in the garage.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire originated from a waste collection truck that had been parked with refuse still inside. The refuse contained lit charcoal, which smouldered and eventually ignited, spreading to two other trucks before being extinguished”, the statement further said.

The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service, Prince Falade John, urged the public to remain vigilant and adopt strict fire safety measures to prevent such incidents.

In another incident which occurred on Monday, a shop was destroyed by fire at No 1 Awolowo Road, Tanke area, Ilorin in Ilorin South Local Government Area of the state.

A statement by Hassan Adekunle, spokesman for the state Fire Service read, “On March 17, 2025, at 16:15 hours, the Kwara State Fire Service swiftly responded to a distress call reporting a fire at No. 1 Awolowo Road Tanke Ilorin, Ilorin South Local Government Area, Kwara State.

“Upon arrival, the firefighters immediately sprang into action to contain the blaze. The fire involved two shops, but through their swift intervention, the firemen successfully prevented it from spreading to the second shop.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that the fire originated from a solar battery in one of the shops”, the statement said.

“The Director of the Kwara State Fire Service urged the public to adopt strict safety precautions and ensure that solar power setups are installed in well-ventilated, isolated locations to prevent fire hazards”, it said.

The Kwara State Fire Service said that it remained committed to protecting lives and property through proactive fire prevention and swift emergency response.

The Federal Government will this Tuesday flag off tolling operation on Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia-Markurdi Expressway, constructed under Highways Development and Management Initiative (HDMI) Phase II Value Added Concession (VAC).

The Minister of Works, Engr. David Umahi, is billed to perform the ceremony at Garaku Toll Station, located at KM 32, Keffi-Akwanga section of the highway.

LEADERSHIP reports that the Abuja-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi expressway has four toll stations, a development many road users and transporters have raised concerns over its impact on transportation fares.

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Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Usman Ododo has banned all illegal collection of daily revenue by transport unions in all the 21 local government areas of the state.

The Governor also directed Security agencies to immediately enforce strict compliance, saying his administration will not tolerate any disruptions to public order in the implementation of the directive.

Ododo gave this directive on Wednesday in Lokoja during an enlarged meeting with the transport union officials, security agencies, staff of Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and other stakeholders.

He said while government respects the constitutional rights of individuals to freedom of association, union dues must be fair, agreed upon by members, and collected monthly, bi-annually, or annually as specified in their by-laws and not daily.
The governor who was represented by the state’s Commissioner of Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, added that such trend cannot continue unchecked by a responsible government.

“We will not hesitate to act decisively where personal or group interests conflict with the collective good of our people.

“In 2017, the Kogi State Revenue Harmonization Law introduced the Infrastructure Maintenance Levy (IML), a small daily contribution by commercial vehicles plying our roads.

“This levy was established to maintain and improve the state’s infrastructure, which is vital for economic growth. Unfortunately, the implementation of this law has been undermined by some union leaders who prioritize personal gain over the interests of their members and the state.

“Instead of remitting these funds as stipulated, they have resorted to collecting illegal membership dues, depriving both their members and the government the much needed revenue for the development of Infrastructure and provide welfare services to the people,” Ododo said.

He added that the government has specified daily rates of N500 – N700 as Infrastructure Maintenance Levy across the state for tricycles, motorcycles, buses and taxi, depending on their areas of operations within the state.

These, he said followed consultations with relevant stakeholders including the transport unions.

He said the above rate was arrived at to give a measure of relief to the motorists and the operators from the burden of multiple payments, while the interest of the relevant unions is also considered.

“We count on the cooperation of all stakeholders to ensure the success of this initiative, which is aimed at enhancing our infrastructure and improving the standard of living for all residents of Kogi State,” the Commissioner said.

The deputy Director, Department of State Services, (DSS), Peter Fashola who spoke on behalf of the security agencies in the state, promised to collaborate with the government to ensure compliance.

The representatives of the transport unions, Yahaya Ibrahim, who stood in for the NURTW and Ovoro Abdullahi Ovurevu, for tricycle operators in their separate response, promised to educate their members on the new development.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) has expressed concerns over certain provisions in the proposed Tax Reform Bills, warning that some changes could negatively impact the nation’s economy.

TUC president, Comrade Festus Osifo, made the congress’s position known in a statement yesterday, stating that assigning the collection of royalties in the oil and gas industry to the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), a function currently handled by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) could undermine investors’ confidence in the sector.

While the TUC welcomed the federal government’s decision to maintain the VAT rate at 7.5% and ensure continued funding for TETFUND and NASENI, the labour leader called for the need to address unresolved concerns, particularly the proposed shift in royalty collection responsibilities.

The labour centre warned that transferring the role of royalty collection from NUPRC to NRS could result in significant revenue losses due to the technical nature of the task.

Osifo further explained that royalty determination and reconciliation require specialised expertise in oil and gas operations, which he noted that NRS currently lacks.

The TUC also advocated increasing the tax exemption threshold from N800,000 per annum to N2.5 million to relieve low-income earners.

The congress argued that this would help alleviate the economic hardships faced by many Nigerians and enhance their disposable income.

Osifo commended the inclusion of a derivation component in VAT distribution among the three tiers of government and described it as a move that could stimulate productivity at the sub-national level and reduce Nigeria’s dependence on rent-seeking economic models.

 

He said, “The proposed bill assigning royalty collection to NRS appears beneficial on the surface but would most likely result in significant revenue losses for the government.

 

It could also create regulatory burdens, increase compliance costs for industry players, and reduce investor confidence due to overlapping functions and inefficiencies between NUPRC and NRS”.

 

“While we deeply appreciate the federal government’s efforts to listen and adjust to our advocacy, we still advocate that the above concerns be considered and adopted in the Tax Reform Bill, they will be highly beneficial to the government and Nigerian populace.

 

“The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria has a shared responsibility to promote policies that improve the lives of Nigerians, including workers. We believe that proactive measures when implemented, benefit citizens to the maximum extent and are evidence of great and sincere leadership,” the statement reads.