Today’s Headlines: Hamzat Was My Bunkmate 49 Years Ago, Says Otedola;Senator Dankwambo Loses Brother

Billionaire businessman Femi Otedola has recalled sharing a bunk bed with Lagos State Deputy Governor Obafemi Hamzat during their boarding school days 49 years ago. Otedola made the disclosure after hosting a dinner in Hamzat’s honour, praising him for his honesty, sincerity, fairness and strong moral principles. The event was attended by prominent businessmen, including Aliko Dangote and Abdul Samad Rabiu.

Hamzat, who has served as Lagos State deputy governor since 2019, emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for the 2027 election after winning the party’s primary in May with 657,917 votes, defeating Olanrewaju Jim-Kamal, who secured one vote. He is seeking to succeed Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, whose second term ends in 2027.

Former Gombe State Governor and Senator representing Gombe North, Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, has lost his younger brother, Alhaji Nasiru Mohammed Dankwambo, who died at the Federal Teaching Hospital in Gombe after a brief illness. The senator announced the death and said the funeral prayer would be held at the hospital on Monday afternoon.

Gombe State Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya commiserated with Senator Dankwambo and the entire family, describing the death as a painful loss. He prayed for Allah’s forgiveness and mercy for the deceased, asking that he be granted Aljannat Firdaus and that the family receive the strength to bear the loss.

Japan is set to launch its Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) spacecraft aboard an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center, in a mission aimed at becoming the first to retrieve samples from one of Mars’s moons. Led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, the spacecraft is expected to reach Mars around August next year, orbit Phobos and collect at least 10 grams of surface material before returning to Earth.

The mission, conducted in collaboration with United States and European space agencies, universities and technology companies, aims to establish how Mars and its moons formed and improve understanding of the origins of the Solar System and the conditions that may have supported life. It will also study Deimos, Mars’s second moon, and explore the possibility of using Phobos as a natural space station to support future human exploration of Mars.

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has mourned former Delta State Governor Emmanuel Eweta Uduaghan, praising his commitment to dialogue, confidence-building and national unity during periods of political tension. CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, expressed condolences to Uduaghan’s family, the Delta State Government and the people of the state, describing his death as a loss to those who valued his contributions to public service and nation-building.

Okoh commended Uduaghan’s efforts to promote understanding and preserve national unity, saying his contributions remained worthy of recognition. He also prayed for God to comfort the bereaved family and others mourning the former governor, while asking for the peaceful repose of his soul.

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