Nationwide Reports has been informed that an early morning fire, today, Monday, razed the market at Tradesmore, Estate located along Airport road, Abuja.

The cause of the fire was yet to be known at the time of filing this report

However, a source told Nationwide Reports that the fire was noticed around 4.A.M.

“We do not yet know the cause of the fire, but we cannot rule out an electrical issue.

“We are trying to reach both the Federal Fire Service and the Federal Capital Territory FCT Fire Service.

He said residents were able to alert the fire service at the Dunamis Church, and they arrived at about 5 a.m.

Professor Babagana Zulum, the Governor of Borno State, on Sunday explained why the northern governors advised President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the controversial tax reform bills.

The governor who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, said the Northern Governors Forum only needs time for consultation.

“On this tax issue, there are a lot of misconceptions. We felt that the VAT provision in the tax law. Based on the calculations that we did, only Lagos and Rivers States will benefit from this scheme. We did our own research and conclude that we would lose,” Zulum said.

“Why are we in a rush? We advised the Federal Government to take a pause, and expunge some of the clauses that are inimical to not only Northern Nigeria.

“What we are saying is that give more time, let us do a deeper consultation to understand the nitty-gritty of this tax regime before passing it into law.”

Zulum explained that if the bill scales through the National Assembly, states would be shortchanged as only Lagos State would be the main beneficiary of the policy.

He argued that contrary to some insinuations in some quarters, the northern governors are not against President Tinubu’s administration.

Zulum recalled that before the 2023 general election, he was one of the few governors that insisted that power must be rotated to the south.

According to him, the north cannot be against Tinubu as over 60 per cent of his votes in the 2023 general elections came from the region.

He regretted that some people were passing a negative narrative that the north is against Tinubu’s government.

“I am a strong member of APC. If you can count two governors before 2019 and 2023 that were in support of Tinubu, you can mention Governor Zulum. I was the first governor to come out publicly and say that power must go to the South.

“Unfortunately, the President was told by many that the north are against him. 60.2 per cent of his votes came from the north,” he added.

US President Joe Biden announced Sunday that he has pardoned his son Hunter Biden, who faced sentencing this month for federal tax and gun convictions, marking a reversal as he prepares to leave office.

“Today, I signed a pardon for my son Hunter,” the president said in a statement. It is a “full and unconditional pardon,” according to a copy of the executive grant of clemency.

This official grant of clemency cannot be rescinded by President-elect Donald Trump.

By pardoning his son, Joe Biden has reneged on a public promise that he made repeatedly before and after dropping out of the 2024 presidential race. The president and his top White House spokesperson said unequivocally, including after Trump won the 2024 election, that he would not pardon Hunter Biden or commute his sentence.

Joe Biden’s pardon reversal reflects family loyalty over legacy

The pardon means Hunter Biden won’t be sentenced for his crimes, and it eliminates any chance that he’ll be sent to prison, which was a possibility. The judges overseeing his cases will likely cancel the sentencing hearings, which were slated for December 12 in the gun case and December 16 in the tax case.