The Lagos State University (LASU) has appointed Oluwaseun Bello as the Acting Head, Department of English, Faculty of Arts.
It also appointed Okubena Dipeolu as the Acting Head, Department of Agriculture in the School of Agriculture.?
This is contained in the university’s official bulletin obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Lagos.
?
It said the appointments were approved by the university’s Vice-Chancellor, Olanrewaju Fagbohun.
?
?
It said Mr. Bello’s appointment would be for a period of two years, with effect from November 17, 2016 to November 16, 2018 as well as for Dipeolu whose appointment took effect on Nov. 21, 2016.?
?
The bulletin stated that the V-C had congratulated them on these appointments.
The Federal Government is working out modalities to acquire a piece of land for use as an annex of Queen’s College, Lagos, the Head of Service of the Federation, Winifred Oyo-Ita, has said.
Oyo-Ita made the disclosure at the unveiling of the vision of the Principal of Queen’s College, Dr. Lamu Amodu, on Friday in Lagos.
The theme of the vision is: “Rekindling the Torch of Excellence.”
According to Oyo-Ita, the purpose for establishing an annex for the college is to create more space for effective teaching and learning as well as skills acquisition.
Oyo-Ita said: “I am aware that the vision of the principal of this college is borne out of commitment, interest and desire to revamp the standard and quality of education given to our students to be in line with modern day labour demands.
“The development will also reposition the college to its enviable pitch in academic performance.
“In our time, we were fewer in number but at present, the large student population without corresponding increase in infrastructure implies extra cost and hard work for high standard to be sustained.
“It is therefore in this light that on my own as the Head of Service of the Federation will support the Federal Ministry of Education with the cooperation of the Ministries of Lands and Urban Development and others relevant to acquire an annex for the college.
“This is a step in actualising part of the noble vision and other identified projects of the college’s principal.”
Oyo-Ita lauded the Australian High Commission in Nigeria for keying into the vision by constructing and donating a solar powered water system to the college.
The head of service called for more partnerships from the public to encourage girl-child education in the country.
Amodu noted that her vision was to prepare and equip graduate versatile women who would succeed in the ever changing and competitive world in their chosen professions.
She said the purpose of the annex was not to over crowd the college, rather it was to provide enabling environment for effective teaching of the trade subjects which were key to the college’s vision.
She said: “The annex will house an entrepreneurship centre for hands-on training for girls as we also look at providing a befitting staff quarters for our teachers.”
She added that such was one of the visions of the founding fathers of the college.
Amodu said: “The demands of our society and the modern labour market have begun to challenge our definition of quality education given to our students.
“A lot more emphasis is placed today on skills acquisition and entrepreneurship, consequently, our concept of quality education needs to change to align with the new reality of growing societal needs.
“To this end, for a more strategic planning, comprehensive approach and renewed direction which are the guiding principles of this vision becomes imperative.
“However, the implementation of this vision may not be easy for the government to fund, especially at this time of economic recession.
“Our strategy therefore, is to reach out to individuals and corporate organisations with similar culture of excellence, and have benefitted from the qualitative services of the products of our college to key in.”
She added that her vision had already received the backing of the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, Prof. Oladapo Afolabi, a former Head of Service of the Federation, restated the need for the re-introduction of History as a subject in the education curriculum.
According to Afolabi, who chaired the occasion, a subject such as history will seek to bridge the gap between the old and new generations.
He added that on re-introducing history, experts must ensure that it was a balance of both ancient and contemporary, so that the children would know where they are coming from.
Afolabi said: “We must not focus all our attention on the physical but rather also reflect on those who had at one time or the other, made various sacrifices in an attempt to develop the college.
“However, it is regrettable that no sustainable funding arrangement is usually put in place to keep all these visions and dreams alive.”
The high point of the event was the award of excellence to deserving old girls of the college who had excelled in their respective areas of endeavour.
Some of them inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame are Oyo-Ita, Efunjoke Coker and Prof. Grace Alele Williams.
The former Minister of Education, Prof. Chinwe Obaji, and Prof. Folashade Ogunshola of the UNILAG College of Medicine were among the inductees.
The event witnessed the inauguration of the solar powered water system donated by the Australian High Commission.
A former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Ikuforiji Sabit Adeyemi, and his personal assistant, Olabode Alade Atoyebi, have filed an appeal at the Supreme Court of Nigeria, challenging a Court of Appeal judgment that recently ordered their re-trial on money laundering charges.
In their separate notices of appeal, the duo’s lawyer, Barrister Abiodun Onidare, is urging the Supreme Court to set aside the whole ruling of the Appeal Court. In their filings, the former Speaker and his aide described the Appeal Court’s decision as unreasonable and unwarranted, adding that the evidence on record could not support the verdict.
Consequently, both Mr. Ikuforiji and Mr. Oyebode want the Supreme Court to uphold their no-case submissions upheld on September 26, 2014 by Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos.
In their notice, the appellants stated that they would file more grounds of appeal once they receive the certified true copy of the judgment given by the Court of Appeal.
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal had recently set aside Justice Buba’s ruling discharging the former Speaker and his aide of a 56-count charge of conspiracy and the laundering the sum of N500 million belonging to the state legislature. The initial charges stated that the offenses violated sections 15 (1d) and 16(1d) of the Money Laundering Act (MLA) 2004 and 2011.
In a unanimous decision, the appellate court set aside Justice Buba’s verdict, holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had established a prima facie case against the former Speaker and his personal assistant to require them to enter a defense to the charges brought against them.
In the judgment delivered by Justice Biobela Georgewill, on behalf of the Justices Side Dauda Bage and Ugochukwu Ogakwu, the appellate court also ordered that the trial of the accused legislator and his aide should start afresh before another judge of the Federal High Court, Lagos other than Justice Buba.
Earlier, Justice Buba, in a controversial ruling that discharged the Speaker and his aide, held that the EFCC had failed to establish a prima-facie case against the accused persons. He added that the EFCC had not provided proof of any of the ingredients of the crime of money laundering.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC’s counsel, Godwin Obla, filed an appeal dated September 30, 2014 asking the Court of Appeal to hold that Justice Buba erred in law when he held that most of the counts in the indictment were incompetent. Mr. Obla explained that the charges were filed in accord with Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004, a law that was repealed by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. The EFCC also argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provision of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011 only applies to natural persons and corporate bodies other than the government, like the office of the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
The EFCC also submitted that the trial judge erred by ruling that the case of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.
In his ruling, Justice Georgewill held that the offenses created by Section 1 of the MLA 2004 and 2011 respectively are strict liability offences, adding that the proof does not depend on the approval and purposes the money was used for. He added that the indictment would be valid once the amount involved was above a certain threshold amount and was not paid or received through a financial institution either by an individual or a body corporate.
Nurudeen Akinwunmi, candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, on Saturday defeated his opponents to emerge winner of the Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency bye-election in Lagos.
The returning officer of the election, Clement Aghatise, made the declaration at the INEC office in Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government, minutes before midnight.
Declaring the winner, Mr. Aghatise said that Mr. Akinwunmi polled 7640 votes to defeat his closest rival, Babatope Akinyele, candidate of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, who polled 1771 votes at the poll.
According to him, Social Democratic Party, SDP, polled five votes, Action Alliance, AA, had 14 votes, African Democratic Congress, ADC, had 158 votes while Alliance for Democracy, AD, had 101 votes.
Mr. Aghatise said that the total number of registered voters was 339, 864; total number of accredited voters was 10, 051; total number of valid votes was 9689; the total number of invalid votes was 195, while the total votes cast were 9884.
“Mr. Akinwunmi Nurudeen Olaitan of APC, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and he is returned elected, ” he said.
Some of the party representatives who spoke to NAN expressed mixed reactions to the results.
Chidi Williams, an ADC party agent, expressed dissatisfaction with the process.
”There were a lot of malpractices; it was not really free and fair. We had records that some people who had lost their PVCs were allowed to vote in some polling units.
”We want INEC to detach itself from political parties and not allow itself to do what is unethical. INEC should work more on neutrality, ” he said.
A PDP representative at the collation centre, Sunday Kudehindu, also said he was not satisfied with the process, stressing that the ruling party had continued to induce voters with money.
Mr. Kudehindu said that INEC had not totally become an unbiased umpire.
The APC representative at the centre , however, refused to talk to press, saying that he had received an instruction not to grant interview.
The by-election was occasioned by the death of Elijah Adewale, who represented the constituency at the Federal House of Representatives.
Residents of Iju-Ishaga, Ogba, Agege and Ifako/Ijaiye areas on Saturday resorted to trekking due to partial road restrictions resulting into heavy traffic over the ongoing Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency By-election in Lagos.
There was heavy traffic along Agege/Ogba and Fagba axes; shops were also closed and security men with patrol vans were seen in the areas.
Some of the residents who spoke to NAN lamented low publicity as they were not aware of the by-election.
Mr Seye Adeoti, a civil servant, said that due to heavy traffic he alighted from the bus and started trekking from Iyana-Orile in Agege to Ogba.
Mrs Biola Abdul-Lateef, a trader at Fagba, said she was not aware of the by-election that it was the heavy traffic and the mass trekking of people on the road that suggested something was happening in the area.
She said she was not allowed to open her shop because of the election as a polling unit was situated close to her shop.
Also, Mr Celestine Okhiro, an apprentice said the restriction had made him trekked from Pen Cinema in Agege to Iju-Ishaga.
The six political parties’ contesting in the poll are: Action Alliance (AA), Alliance for Democracy (AD), African Democratic Party (ADC), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Social Democratic Party (SDP).
The by-election resulted from the death of Mr Elijah Adewale, who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives.
The management of Eko Electricity Distribution Company on Saturday apologised to customers for continuous shortage of electricity supply.
A statement by Godwin Idemudia, the company’s Head of Corporate Communications in Lagos, blamed the shortage on a drastic reduction in the amount of electricity coming to EKEDC from the national grid.
According to the statement, the company could only distribute what was allocated to it from the national grid.
“We are, therefore, appealing to all our customers to bear with us as we try to ration whatever power is given to us in the interim.
“EKEDC highly regrets any inconveniences caused by this prolonged blackout, though most of our consumers are affected by this outage but some areas are deeply affected.
“Areas deeply affected by the drop in generation are Ikoyi, Park View Estate, Victoria Island, Awolowo Road, Obalende, Idumagbo, Lagos Island, Oniru and Lekki areas,” the statement said.
The statement disclosed that the outage had led to vandalism of cables and transformers by unscrupulous elements.
It appealed to consumers within the network to be vigilant to stem the spate of cable theft and transformers vandalism.
“We also want to use this opportunity to appeal to our customers to be vigilant over our equipment as vandals may capitalise on the outage to carry out their evil act,” it stated.
The Lagos State Government on Thursday said it would commence its `Rent to Own and Rental Housing schemes’ with 12 housing estates on December 8.
Gbolahan Lawal, the Commissioner for Housing, said at a news conference in Alausa that the policy was in response to the yearnings of residents for affordable and decent housing.
He said that the `Rent to Own’ policy would target low income earners in both formal and informal sectors, while the `Rental Housing’ policy would cover the working class.
According to him, the `Rent to Own’ policy will also cover those with regular income, with the rent deducted from source.
He said that the government would kick-start the project with over 1,000 units out of the 3,192 units earmarked in the first phase.
Lawal said the first phase of the project would be sited in the following areas: Epe, Agbowa, Ojokoro, Alimosho, Igbogbo, Igando, Iponri, Surulere, Eti-Osa, Ajara and Badagry.
He said that five per cent value of the housing unit would be paid as commitment fee on the Rent to Own Policy, while the balance would be spread for 10 years.
On the Rental Housing policy, Lawal said that rent would be collected on monthly basis, and tenants were required to pay one month deposit, according to the prevailing rent in each location.
According to him, rented apartments are not transferable.
Mr. Lawal said that applicants must be primarily residents in the state and would be required to submit a copy of their Lagos State Residents Registration Card.
He said that applicants must be first time home buyers, must be 21 years old and above, as well as be tax compliant, among others.
The commissioner urged members of the public to make enquiries online on www.lagoshoms.gov.ng or visit the ministry.
He assured that the selection process for both policies would be credible, fair and transparent.
The Court of Appeal in Lagos, has set aside the ruling of a Federal High Court that cleared former Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, and his aide, Oyebode Atoyebi, of money laundering charges.
The court in a unanimous judgment set aside the verdict of the trial judge, Ibrahim Buba, holding that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had made a prima facie case against the accused.
In the lead judgment delivered by Justice Biobela Georgewill, the court also ordered that the trial should start anew before another judge other than Justice Buba, in light of the far-reaching findings already made by him.
Other members of the three-man panel include Justices Side Bage and Ugochukwu Ogakwu.
Justice Buba, had on September 26, 2014, discharged Messrs. Ikuforiji and Atoyebi of a 56-count charge of conspiracy and laundering the sum of N500 million belonging to the Assembly.
The trial Judge, who discharged the Speaker and Mr. Atoyebi, while ruling on a no-case submission filed by the accused persons, held that the EFCC failed to establish a prima-facie case against them.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, the EFCC through its counsel, Godwin Obla, filed the Notice of Appeal dated September 30, 2014.
Mr. Obla asked the Court of Appeal to hold that Justice Buba erred in law when he held that counts two to 48 were incompetent because they were filed pursuant to Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 which was repealed by an Act in 2011.
The EFCC further argued that the lower court erred in law when it held that the provisions of Section 1 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2004 and 2011 only applied to natural persons and corporate bodies other than government.
The commission also submitted that the trial judge erred in law when he held and concluded that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses supported the innocence of the respondents.
Justice Georgewill, in his lead judgment, held that the offences created by Section 1 of the MLA 2004 and 2011 respectively were strict liability offences.
The judge also said that their proofs do not depend on the purposes the money was used for if the amount was above the threshold stipulated by law.
“Regrettably, the court below went on a voyage of its own, discussing cash payment of million made to the Super Eagles in Brazil, even without any scintilla of evidence before it, instead of remaining focused on the issue at hand.
“Does the fact that all persons likely to have committed a particular alleged offence have not been prosecuted become a reason for the court to decline jurisdiction of one of them being prosecuted? certainly not.
“I consider many of the issues raised so randomly by the court below as irrelevant and inconsequential to the just determination of the question before it, which is, whether the appellant made out a prima facie case.
“Very worrisome to me, is the attitude of the court below, considering between the decision of this court and its own decision on which one to follow, even when its attention was called to the decision of this court.
“I find this attitude quite bizarre and not in sync with judicial attitude toward the time honoured doctrine of stare decisis. It is pure rascality, impertinence and disregard for judicial hierarchy in this country.
“In light of my finding above, I have no difficulty resolving the sole issue for determination in the negative against the respondents in favour of the appellant.
“I hold firmly therefore, that the appeal has merit and ought to be allowed; the ruling of the lower court is hereby set aside,” Justice Georgewill held.
A 46-year-old teacher, Adenekan Adegboyega, has been arrested by the police in Lagos State for allegedly defiling a two-year-old girl.
The supervising teacher in one of the popular and privately-run schools in Lagos State was alleged to have defiled the little girl under the guise of teaching her sex education.
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni, who confirmed the arrest to newsmen on Wednesday, said the suspect was later arrested following a complaint lodged by the victim’s parents at the Ikeja Police Division.
He said that preliminary investigation revealed that the teacher allegedly defiled the girl, stressing that the suspect would be charged to court soon.
In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on the sidelines of the briefing, the suspect said that he got a telephone call from the pupil’s mother accusing him of defiling her daughter.
The suspect said he wondered where and when he committed such a crime, denying ever doing such with the baby girl.
“The mother of the pupil told me that she wanted what transpired between me and her daughter to end.
“She said she did not want any other person to hear about the incident, that even the girl’s father was not aware.
“When the mother of the pupil dropped her call, I was disturbed in my spirit and asked myself where the devil was coming from.
“Few minutes later, she sent a text message to me, telling me to remain firm with her daughter, because her daughter respected me like her father,” he said.
The teacher, who claimed to be a pastor in a Pentecostal church, denied doing such a thing with the minor.
“Before God almighty, I know nothing about the allegation levelled against me by the mother of the minor.
“I want to implore the Nigerian Police to do a thorough investigation.
“I am ready to surrender myself, but I know the God almighty that I serve will vindicate me because this is a serious challenge for me.
“The allegation that I was teaching the girl sex education is not true, because I had never taught in the school. I only supervise and walk round to make sure everything went well,” he said.
The mother of the abused girl, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the daughter told her that someone put his ‘Wiwi’ (penis) into her `wiwi’ ( private part).
“I asked her who the person was; my daughter then mentioned Mr Adenekan’s name saying he did it inside his office toilet.
“Truly, she is two years old but she could describe things vividly.”
“After my daughter explained everything to me, I got the teacher’s phone number from the school and called him.
“Initially, I did not want the issue to go out because of the stigma it would bring against my daughter in the school.
“Thereafter, I confronted the teacher not to threaten my daughter again and it was then he said I could go to anywhere to report.
“He said nobody would believe me, that even if I told the management of the school, they would not believe me,” she said.
The girl’s mother further said that Adenekan had no reason to be at the nursery section of the school, because he only supervises the primary section.
“When I took my daughter to Mirabel Medical Centre in Ikeja, it was revealed that she had been abused.”
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said the State Government will commence the disbursement of the N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) initiative of his administration by December, 2016.
Governor Ambode, who spoke in Lagos at the graduation ceremony for 500 artisans trained by the State Government on modular employability programme in nineteen different trades, said the informal sector remained a critical vehicle for economic recovery, adding that Government was passionately committed to repositioning the sector for economic gains.
He said the N25 billion ETF, which would be disbursed for the next four years on N6.25 billion annual basis, was one of the initiatives designed to empower the informal sector, adding that government was open to ideas and strategies that would aid sustainable growth of the sector.
“Let me tell you clearly that the N25bn ETF is for artisans and entrepreneurs in Lagos State. We will commence disbursement from the month of December, 2016 and let me assure you that a larger percentage will go to our carpenters, our tailors, our hairdressers, our vulcanizers, and so on. Everybody that is a tradesman and is an artisan in Lagos will have automatic access to the Employment Trust Fund (ETF),” Governor Ambode said.
Speaking at the event which also coincided with the 7th Tradesmen and Artisans’ Week, the Governor said the ETF was an initiative with the cardinal mandate to support the establishment and growth of small businesses to create job opportunities for the people, adding that soft loans would be provided to genuine and credible artisans and traders in the State.
Besides, the Governor said it was now time for conscious and concerted efforts to re-engineer the mindsets of young ones and advance entrepreneurs with the view to repositioning them to face modern challenges, saying that except focus is shifted to equip and rebuild the informal sector, members would not be vibrant enough for the prevailing realities of the moment.
He assured that his administration would not sit and wait for oil prices to rebound in the international market before arriving at a solution to the challenges confronting the state, hence the need for the ETF and other initiatives.
On the training for artisans, Ambode said such was one of the platforms for recognizing and projecting the significant contributions of the informal sector as a vehicle for economic development, adding that government was equally mindful of the fact that artisans were the major players and the conveyor belt for industrial enterprise in the country.
While urging the newly trained artisans to leverage on the strategic position of Lagos as the contributor of 25 percent of the total GDP of Nigeria and 5th largest economy in Africa, Governor Ambode said the training which they passed through was designed to address this skills mismatch and provide the right mix of skills needed to service the industrial needs of the State.
Responding to requests by artisans through their representatives, Ambode approved that the beneficiaries of the training should be increased to 1,500 artisans next year and a yearly subvention of N12million and brand new operation bus for the Lagos State Council of Tradesmen and Artisans (LASCOTA), among others.
Earlier, Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti said the 500 artisans were re-trained and up-skilled on eight weeks intensive programme solely sponsored by the State Government for better service delivery.
On his part, LASCOTA Chairman, Alhaji Nurudeen Buhari thanked Governor Ambode for the various efforts aimed at improving the productivity of artisans in the State, especially the Tradesmen and Artisans’ Empowerment Programme (LASTEAP), saying that the continuous training had impacted positively on their productivity and enhanced them economically.
An Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos on Wednesday sentenced a barber, Waheed Bello, to 18 months imprisonment for stabbing and injuring a man on his back with a knife.
Bello of Diala St., Mile 12 market area, Lagos, pleaded guilty to the charge of assault occasioning harm with another at large and asked the court to temper justice with mercy.
Delivering her judgment, the Magistrate, Mrs. O. S. Amzat, advised the convict to turn a new leaf while in prison, after sentencing him with no option of fine.
Earlier, the prosecutor, Sgt. Ihiehie Lucky told the court that the offence was committed around noon on Nov. 22 at Diala St. in Mile 12 area of Lagos.
Lucky said the complainant, a sales boy, reported the incident at the Mile 12 Police Station on Nov. 22.
“The complainant reported that on that fateful day, he was at Diala St. when the convict and his friend accosted him, forcefully, demanding for money.
“He asked them what money they were talking about and before he knew it, they held his trouser pocket trying to remove his money.
“He hit the convict’s friend who fell down and when they found out that they couldn’t withstand him, the accused snatched the knife of a roadside butcher and stabbed him on the back,” he said.
Lucky said that the complainant immediately fell down and the convict took his N9,000 from his pocket, as well as his N14,500 Samsung phone and ran away with his friend.
He said that some members of the public later helped the complainant to apprehend and arrest the convict.
The prosecutor said the offence committed contravened sections 409, 404 and 243 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Lagos State University, LASU, on Wednesday said it would admit between 4,800 and 5,200 candidates for the 2016/2017 academic session.
Olanrewaju Fagbohun, the Vice-Chancellor of the university, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Lagos. ?
?
Mr. Fagbohun said the difference in the figure was to give room for other developments during the exercise.
According to him, some of the students offered provisional admissions may not be able to register, and others may have gained admission elsewhere, among other reasons.
?
He said the carrying capacity quota for the university from the National Universities Commission (NUC) was actually over 7,000.
But, the university’s authorities do not want to stretch the available faculties because of greed, he said.
“As a responsible institution that had conducted an audit of the available facilities, we have decided not to go beyond admitting 5,200 candidates until we expand our facilities.
?
“ We will continue to improve on our facilities to meet up with the NUC quota and give room for more applicants to choose the university as their preferred first choice, “he said.
?
According to him, the current population of students in the university is over 13,000 and the management is adhering to the NUC’s guidelines regarding teacher: students ratio.?
?
Mr. Fagbohun also said 32 of its programmes would be undergoing NUC’s accreditation from November end ?and the university was prepared for it.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has cleared six political parties and their candidates for the Ifako Ijaiye Federal Constituency of Lagos State bye-elections scheduled for December 3.
The commission disclosed this in a statement issued by its Secretary, Mrs Augusta Ogakwu on Tuesday in Abuja.
The statement also disclosed that four political parties and their candidates were equally cleared for Garki Ward Councillorship of Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), FCT, fixed also for the same day.
The parties and candidates cleared to contest the vacant Ifako/Ijaiye seat of Lagos state in the House of Representatives are Akinwunmi Olaitan of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , Babatope Akinyele of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Others are Ajiboye Olorunnisomo of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Yusuf Fatai of the Action Alliance (AA), Adebayo Akanbi, Alliance for Democracy (AD) and Olugbenga Owolabi of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The seat became vacant following the death of the member who represented the constituency in the house, Mr Adewale Oluwatayo, in July.
The candidates and political parties also cleared for the Garki Ward Councillorship, AMAC, were Hamza Lima (APC) and Danladi Jezhi (PDP).
Others are Ikechukwu Nwabuaja, All Progressive Ground Alliance(APGA) and Sidiku Emmanuel of the National Conscience Party (NCP).
The Lagos State Government yesterday said it would shut down Ahmadu Bello Way, Tiamiyu Savage, Akin Adesola and Bishop Oluwole as it holds the maiden edition of its street party next Saturday and Sunday.
The state government, therefore, urged all residents and visitors to use alternative roads it had already provided to avoid traffic congestion and gridlock on Victoria Island and its adjoining neighborhoods.
The acting state Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Olarenwaju Elegushi, disclosed this at a news conference he addressed alongside his information and strategy counterpart, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, and Special Adviser on Arts and Culture, Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola, among others.
Elegushi said the whole stretch of Ahmadu Bello Way would be closed to vehicular movement between December 3 and 4 and would lead to Tiamiyu Savage, Akin Adesola and Bishop Oluwole and Ahmadu Bello Way being condoned off as a result.
He added that all traffic into the venue of Lagos Street party would be condoned off at Bishop Oluwole, noting that all with participants parking at Eko Atlantic premises and traffic within Victoria Island would be diverted.
On traffic diversion, the commissioner urged the motorists “to connect to Karimu Kotun and further to Oloosa Street with that journey terminating at the Ocean View end by Eko Hotels. Those coming from Ligali Ayorinde and Ajose Adeogun will also terminate their journey at Eko Hotels.
“Even those from Civic Centre and Ozumba Mbadiwe will also terminate the journey at Eko Hotels. For those existing Eko Hotels, they will travel through the Roundabout to connect Sanusi Fafunwa through Akin Adesola.”
He explained that those returning to Ahmadu Bello “will use Akin Adesola from where they could connect to Falomo, while those going to Falomo would use Akin Adesola to connect Falomo Bridge through Saka Tinubu through Karimu Kotun and Olosa Street.
“Since we are taking this route and restricting movement we feel duty bound to provide information on alternative routes that people can take on the two days of the party. It is our plan to mount and deploy adequate traffic diversion signs and personnel to monitor and montage traffic.”
Also at the conference, Ayorinde said the state government had provided alternative routes for motorists, saying businesses in Victoria Island would not have to close down because of the street party.
He said about 500,000 participants were expected on each day of the Lagos State Street Party, adding that adequate security had been put in place for safety of lives and property.
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday presented the 2017 budget of N812.99 billion to the State House of Assembly for approval.
The budget, tagged: “Golden Jubilee Budget” is N150.4 billion higher than the 2016 budget which stood at N662.58 billion
The 2017 budget has a Capital Expenditure of N512.46 billion and a Recurrent Expenditure of N300 billion.
The Capital and recurrent ratio of the budget stood at 63:37.
The governor said a large chunk of the budget would be expended on road construction and rehabilitation, health, among others.
Ambode recalled that his administration budgeted N662.58 billion in 2016 and that the budget, as at October 2016 performed to about 77.5 percent, which is equivalent to N350 billion
The Lagos State 2017 budget has been presented by Governor Ambode today at the Lagos State House of Assembly in the presence of all lawmakers from all constituencies in Lagos. Below is a transcript of his full presentation speech:
PROTOCOL
At the commencement of this administration, we began a journey with the people of Lagos with a promise to make the State work for all. We undertook this journey with great hope for tomorrow. We set forth not alone, but with the Almighty who has been faithful and very generous to us as a State in spite of the present economic situation we have found ourselves as a Nation.
On behalf of all the people of Lagos State, I wish to commend the Honourable Speaker and all Honourable members of this hallowed chamber for their unrelenting strides in growing and developing the economy of the State and being worthy ambassadors of our people.
The Year 2016 budget of N662.588bn was approved and signed into Law on January 4th, 2016 to focus on the expectations and priorities of our people. As at the end of October, 2016, the overall performance of the budget was 71%. Total revenue stood at N350bn/77.5% while Capital Expenditure closed at N200bn/62% and the Recurrent Expenditure performed at N180bn/82%.
As you are all well aware, we shall continue to render our performance/activities through in our Quarterly Town Hall Meetings in which the last Three meetings showcased all our activities in all sectors.
It is my strong belief that by the end of this year; there would have been more improvements in the performance indices due to our strong investment in infrastructure. It is worthy to note also that the reforms and restructuring in the Public Service have continued to yield positive and encouraging results as we continue to invest the resultant savings in other economic sectors of the State.
Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, “The People’s” budget of 2016 has positively impacted the lives of Lagosians and I am confident that the year 2017 budget will consolidate on our modest achievements and propel our State to enviable heights.
The Year 2017 Budget will be in effect at an auspicious time when our State will be celebrating its Golden Jubilee Anniversary. The proposed budget with a size of N812.998billion will continue the massive renewal of our infrastructure and the enhancement of Lagos as one of the foremost tourism and investment destination in Africa.
While we focus on physical infrastructure, we shall continue to pay due attention to social infrastructure especially health, education, youth and social development in 2017.
The key components of “The Golden Jubilee Budget” are:
Budget Size–N813bn
Recurrent Expenditure – N300.535bn
Capital Expenditure– N512.464bn
Capital/Recurrent ratio– 63:37
We have maintained a conservative approach in estimating our Federal Allocation due to falling oil prices that was about $41.98per barrel at the time we finalized this budget; however the State expects an increase in Federal allocation through 13% derivation from Oil & Gas in 2017.
In view of our financing gap, we shall continue to sustain deficit financing in the short-to-medium term; enhance revenue growth throughout the year on several initiatives including automation and efficient revenue administration.
We would explore more collaborations with local and international investors through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) especially in the areas of Road network expansion, Transport; Housing, and the Environment.
The sectoral allocations as proposed in this budget will be distilled further by the Commissioner of Finance later today.
We will equally continue implementing the ease of doing business reforms – starting a business, property registration, tax payment, e-GIS/ Smart City project, continue to encourage investments in Lekki Free Trade Zone (FTZ), Badagry Deep Sea port and the Eko Atlantic project.
We will remain steadfast in our responsibility to make the State safe and secure for all our citizens. We will continue to invest in Security. The Neighbourhood Safety Agency will become fully operational by 2017 with presence in all our Local Governments and LCDAs.
A key focus of the budget for the 2017 is road construction, rehabilitation and maintenance. Our government will focus on roads that will open up the hinterlands, improve connectivity in the State and reduce travel time. Some of these projects will include:
Murtala Mohammed International Airport Road from Oshodi.
Agric-Isawo-Owotu-Arepo Road in Ikorodu
Igbe-Igbogbo Phase II- Bola Tinubu Way in Ikorodu.
Ijegun Imore Phase II Amuwo in Ojo axis.
Oke-Oso-Araga-Poka in Epe.
Epe-Poka-Mojoda in the Epe axis.
Completion of the Abule-Egba, Ajah and Pen Cinema flyovers.
Our administration shall enter into PPPs for the following projects;
Oke Oso-Itoikin dualisation Project in the Epe axis.
Okokomaiko-Seme Road Project in Badagry axis
Ikorodu-Agbowa-Itoikin-Ijebu Ode Road Project in Ikorodu axis
We will commence the Phase II of the 114 Local Government Roads project and the Fourth Mainland Bridge in 2017.
In the course of the 2017 Financial Year, we shall carry out fundamental reforms on all our modes of transportation – Roads, Water and the Walkways. In this wise, a Public Transport Infrastructure Bond will be issued in the course of the year.
The State government will embark on the Urbanisation of the Marina axis, Waterways Channelization, establishment of more Parks and Gardens as well as the Community Sports Centres and Stadiums in different locations across the State.
We will fully implement the Medical Health Insurance Scheme and deploy e-Health/ e-insurance Health Service solutions; and complete the on-going upgrading and extension work in the State General Hospitals and Ayinke House in Ikeja. Work will commence on our Medical Park in the 2017 fiscal year.
With the aim of making Lagos State the next technology frontier in Africa, we will invest in Digital Libraries (e-Libraries) as well as Code Lagos projects to prepare our younger ones to meet the new workforce demands, harness the benefits of technology and communicate in the language of the future.
Our administration is committed to various projects in the area of Tourism. Our vision is to create a Tourism Hub around the Onikan-Lagos Marina Axis. We will also develop the Epe and Badagry marinas to harness the tourism potentials of these areas. We will establish Museum for Art and Culture in Ikeja, construct 5 Arts/Culture theatres in Alimosho, Badagry, Epe, Ikorodu and Ikeja with a 400-seater hall in each of them.
We will accelerate the food expansion programme with a special focus on rice production, animal husbandry and root crops. We will intensify our collaboration with other States in the development of a commodity Value Chain specifically for food commodities. We will invest more to boost fish production in the State, by improving the production capacity of Ayobo Fish Farm Estate in Alimosho area in addition to providing employment opportunities for the youths.
The Employment Trust Fund has commenced financial support to our youths and entrepreneurs and this will be intensified throughout next year.
In the area of environment, we will improve water supply through Public Private Partnership (PPP) and increase the capacity utilization of water treatment plants, ensure efficient waste management system by increasing the number of Transfer Loading Stations from three (3) to fifteen (15), mitigate the effect of climate change through the conservation of the natural environment and promotion of biodiversity, as well as minimizing flood through effective erosion control.
Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, in our bid to ensure that Lagos works for all, we have presented an all-inclusive budget. However, we are constrained by rising inflation as well as limited financial resources.
We seek the cooperation and understanding of all residents in prompt payment of taxes and for the information of our citizens, the State Government has embarked on extensive revenue collection reforms. We will soon introduce more effective multi-pay channels to improve the administration and collection of Revenue. Our Central Billing System and efforts to fully automate revenue collection for ease of payment have reached an advanced stage.
The successful implementation of this budget depends on all Lagosians. We all have a huge responsibility to ensure that it succeeds as we cannot just afford to fail even at this critical period of economic recession.
As we approach the end of the year, we implore all citizens to be conscious of their environment and take all preventive measures as appropriate. We will continue to ask for your support at all times as we continue to build the Lagos that works for all.
I wish you all, a prosperous and more fulfilling Year ahead.
A former chairman of the Apapa-Iganmu Local Council Development Area (LCDA) in Lagos, Adesola Adebayo, has denied reports that he was on the run over an investigation the Lagos State House of Assembly is conducting into alleged corrupt sales of the council’s properties during his tenure.
Mr Adebayo, who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES from Canada, where he claimed to be holidaying, on Tuesday, said the report that he was on the run was false and orchestrated by his political enemies bent on a witch-hunt.
The P.M News on Monday had published a report alleging that Mr. Adebayo fled to Canada after he refused to honour the invitations of the assembly’s Committees on Public Accounts for Local Government, and Local Government Administration.
The report stated that Mr. Adebayo was invited to explain how the council’s properties in highbrow Ikoyi and Victoria Island were leased for a fraction of their real value during his administration.
The committees had invited Mr. Adebayo following petitions they received from unnamed individuals from the council.
According to the P.M News report, Mr. Adebayo allegedly leased out a storey building on 15 Temple Road, Ikoyi, for between N190, 000 and N200, 000 annually.
He also allegedly gave out a block of six flats on 37b Glover Road, Ikoyi, a bungalow in Igbo-Efon Village, Victoria Island, a storey-building shopping complex on Payne Crescent, Apapa for prices way below the market price.
“All the leasing was done in such a shady manner that raises a lot of questions which he must clarify. How can you lease out such buildings in major areas of the country for such low prices and for between 17 and 20 years?” the newspaper quoted an unnamed member of one of the committees.
Mr. Adebayo, in a telephone chat with PREMIUM TIMES, said he was being witch-hunted for supporting a different faction from Muyiwa Jimoh, the member of the House of Assembly representing Apapa-Iganmu constituency.
He said the problem was political and there was an agreement that it required a political solution. He wondered why they were unearthing the allegation after two years. He said he had planned to return to the country on Friday but would move his arrival date forward if he could.
He added that he had honoured the invitations of the committees voluntarily on three occasions and wondered why he would choose to abscond because of this new invitation.
He also threatened to sue P.M News for alleging that he was on the run.
“Some people want the APC chairman of the local government to go. They no longer want him. Hon. Muyiwa Jimoh, the deputy majority leader, from the Apapa-Iganmu is on a different faction concerning the resolution of the crisis. He is on the side of people who wants the chairman to stay. I want the chairman to go. They know I have a strong followership there so they took up a matter that has been in the assembly for almost two years now and that we agreed that it was a political problem and it needs a political solution.
“He is just using his temporary power to cause problem there. It is just a pity that in a country like that people will use their positions to harass other. And because I have had issues with him he is now using the house to harass me. It can’t work that way.
“They said they asked me to come to the House of Assembly, I have been there more than three times and I went there voluntarily.
“They want to use the house to blackmail me. There is no worry. I am not in the country right now but if I can change my ticket, I will come back to come and face them and then I will sue the PM News for that kind of libellous information.”
He suggested that he could not be held responsible for the lease of the properties and they followed due process and other officials also approved the lease to go ahead. He wondered why those other officials are not being probed.
“There are so many wild allegations that they made there? If they are hoping to probe a former chairman, are they just going to probe a section of it? If the chairman is the head of the place, can the chairman alone disposed of the council’s property without an estate or surveyor or the council valuer? Are there no council managers there? Are there no lawyers there? Are there no treasures there?” he asked.
“I plan to be back on Friday. But if I can change my flight I will be there tomorrow.”
He said before he travelled for holiday a week ago, he did not get any letter of invitation from the House of Assembly.
“I didn’t get any letter. If they had a letter, who did they give it to? Who received the letter on my behalf? Who received from them? It is just a case of using the house to witch-hunt me because I don’t agree with what they are doing. I will come back. I can’t run away from my country. They should not use the house to spoil people’s name.”
As parts of the efforts to rid Lagos State of kidnap and other crime related activities, the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command are currently conducting a routine raid across parts of the State.
Presently, the RRS are combing militant infested areas in Ikorodu, Itoikin, Ado, Igbodu among other crime prone communities in the State.
During the current exercise, the RRS officers have visited the Palace of The Elejirin of Ejirin, HRM Oba Rafiu Ishola Babatunde Balogun Ejalonibu II, the Ketu Ejirin General Hospital, Ikosi –Ejirin Customary Court, among others.
It would be recalled that Epe Community was in a state of turmoil after gunmen kidnapped teachers and pupils of the Lagos State Model College, Igbo Nla. Luckily, the victims regain freedom days after.
A victim of a three-man syndicate that specialises in swindling unsuspecting members of the public by pretending to have their goods seized by the Nigerian Customs has told the police how she was duped of N9,000.
Chiwenu Ibeh said she was going to Ojodu Berger from Ojota, in Lagos, when a taxi driver, in an ash-coloured Toyota Camry 1997 model with registration number SMK 886 DK, stopped at the bus stop to pick her.
“As he drove along, he picked another passenger on Kudirat Abiola Way,” said Mrs. Ibeh.
“We were still on Kudirat Abiola Way when the new passenger started a conversation in something like French language with the driver.”
Mrs. Ibeh said the driver then pleaded with her that he wants to take the new passenger to Custom’s Office on Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, where his goods were seized.
“It was here that their story changed and I became the subject of their manipulation in connivance with a Customs agent and a pastor,” she said.
“Under the pretext that the four of us assist the man whose goods were trapped with the Customs over export duties, they brainwashed me into releasing my ATM card, led me to withdraw the last N9,000 from my account.
“After this, the pastor prayed for me and told me to go home and get more money my family kept at home.”
Mrs. Ibeh said the incident occurred last week.
“On Thursday, my husband and I were standing at the Maryland Bus Stop,” she continued.
“I saw the same Toyota Camry with same number plate and a new driver, but beside it was the former driver that lured me into fraud, pretending to be passenger.
“I alerted RRS officers stationed in Maryland and they arrested them.”
In a statement on Sunday, the police said they arrested the driver, Kenneth Umukoro, 36, and his accomplice, Uba Utokcha, 41.
The police said they also arrested two other suspects, Joseph Onuoha and Ikechukwu Okeke separately but in similar circumstances on Tuesday and Wednesday last week respectively.
Mr. Onuoha told interrogators that he belonged to a fraud syndicate led by one man simply identified as Toronto (who is now at large), who trained over 40 of them to go out daily in search of would-be victims, the police statement said.
“When we hit jackpot, we share it into five parts. Toronto takes two parts. Two of us in a team share two and we would share the remaining part to others,” the statement quoted Mr. Onuoha, 40, as saying.
“Presently, our office in Ajegunle has been busted by the police. Toronto as I was told has relocated to somewhere in Surulere. Whenever we have issues with the police, he comes around to secure our bail.”
Dolapo Badmus, the Police Public Relations Officer, said the police would not relent in their duties of making the state crime free and warned members of the public to be wary of suspicious dealings.
The police said the four suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti.
Traders at Mile 12 produce market in Lagos on Thursday lauded the cancellation of monthly environmental sanitation exercise by the state government, saying it would boost economic activities.
Femi Odusanya, spokesperson, Mile 12 Traders Association, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos.
The Lagos State Government announced the cancellation on Wednesday, saying “it was no longer appropriate to restrict movement of people for three hours in a mega city like Lagos’’.
Odusanya said: “The government’s decision was quite thoughtful. It has become unnecessary restraining people’s movement for three hours in this economic recession.
“Most people bringing goods from the North wait at the expressways till sanitation ends but now our goods will get to the market early with reduced waste.
“With this new development, traders will have more time to promote their businesses and contribute to the economic growth of the country.”
He, however, noted that the cancellation placed huge responsibility on the traders to intensify and maintain a clean and healthy environment while pursuing economic gain.
He said: “We have to increase our efforts in cleaning and waste disposal at the Thursday weekly market sanitation to ensure that our market is hygienic and safe for trading activities.”
Similarly, Eke Ubiji, Executive Secretary, National Association of Small and Medium Enterprise noted that the decision would create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
Ubiji said: “Environmental sanitation is an integral part of societal governance; citizens should observe it without compulsion and restriction that will hinder economic activities.”
Lagos State Government and General Electric (GE) on Tuesday, pledged to boost Nigeria’s economy through the development of necessary skills that will empower Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to drive growth in the country.
The SME sector is seen as the country’s engine of growth, in terms of development and industrialisation, wealth creation, poverty reduction and employment creation. Majority of Nigerian entrepreneurs are SME players, who employ at least 10 people and above.
Speaking at the launch of a hub, ‘Lagos Garage’ built by GE for advanced manufacturing-based innovation, strategy development, idea generation and collaboration, experts said desired growth in Africa, particularly Nigeria is only feasible through sustained effort towards empowering SMEs
The United States multinational conglomerate, GE operations span appliances, aviation, finance, energy, healthcare, ideas, intelligent platforms, lighting, oil and gas, power.
In Nigeria, GE’s interests are mostly in power and oil and gas, in which it has entered into many contractual agreements with the Federal and some state governments. However, the company is very secretive about its dealings with the Nigerian Government and has blatantly refused to entertain any questions regarding the projects it is executing in the country.
SMEs, currently contribute about 48 percent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the level of activities across all sectors of the economy. Experts said the sector, which employs about 60 million people, remained crucial to the future of the nation’s economy.
The Commissioner, Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment in Lagos State, Abdul Mustapha, said the country’s growing population and high rate of unemployment put government on the line to provide opportunities that will make entrepreneurship to strive.
A United Nations report projected that by 2050, Nigeria, which is currently the seventh most populous country in the world, will be the third just behind India and China.
Mustapha disclosed that the ministry, which was recently created under the current administration, had sealed pacts with international organisations, including Oracle, an American multinational computer technology Corporation, to bridge skill gap.
He added that the State Government is working hard to seriously address infrastructure challenges and ease business operations, noting that efforts are underway to end epileptic power supply in the state.
GE’s garage, which is co-located with the Lagos office, is expected to offer a year-round series of skills training programmes focused on building the next generation of Nigerian entrepreneurs. Participants will be trained to use the latest in advanced manufacturing technologies; 3D printers, CNC mills, and laser cutters in the first-ever fabrication lab in Nigeria, to drive innovation in the country. They will also learn how to apply the core principles of design thinking, product development, finance, marketing, sales, and customer acquisition in real-time to their ventures.
No fewer than 9,579 people were tested positive to HIV of the 616,318 that attended the HIV Counselling and Testing (HCT) awareness programme from January to June, 2016.
Oluseyi Temowo, the Chief Executive Officer, Lagos State AIDS Control Agency, LSACA, made this known on Wednesday in Lagos.
Mr. Temowo spoke at a news conference in Ikeja to mark the 2016 World AIDS Day with the theme: “Hands Up for #HIV Prevention’’.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that United Nations had in 1988 declared every December 1 as the World AIDS Day.
This is to honour AIDS victims and focus on issues surrounding HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome).
Mr. Temowo said that in 2015, a total number of 599, 560 people were counselled, tested and received results out of which 15, 311 people were found to be positive.
The LSACA chief said that 52, 803 people living with the scourge were currently on Antiretrovirals (ARVs).
“These statistics simply means that there are many more people who are not aware that they have the virus, that is why knowing one’s status is very important.
“It is a common knowledge that an HIV positive person can be symptom free for 10 years and will continue to infect others, if not checked and treated.
“Being HIV positive does not translate to death with appropriate medications,” he said.
Mr. Temowo said that the agency had mobilised its HCT trucks to all the nooks and crannies of the state to conduct free HIV counselling and testing.
This, he said, would enable every Lagos resident to be aware of his or her health status.
Mr. Temowo said that access to HCT would allow individuals to know their status and take appropriate steps to prevent the transmission to other people.
He said that this would also stop the progression to AIDS through lifestyle modification and health seeking behaviour.
According to him, this is geared toward achieving the eradication of the virus by 2030.
“Achieving AIDS free generation requires collective efforts, this is why we are calling on government at all levels, individuals and organisations to join us in this quest to make Lagos State an HIV Free Zone.
“We implore residents to visit all government hospitals within their areas to access free HCT, while HCT trucks will move around to reach other areas for this purpose.
“We also advise people to ensure these various means of prevention- condom use, harm reduction, voluntary medical male circumcision, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, counselling and testing,” he said.
The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed that Nollywood actress, Toyin Aimakhu’s ex-boyfriend, and filmmaker, Seun Egbegbe, was beaten by an angry mob for stealing iPhones at Computer Village in the state.
After reports made the rounds on Tuesday that the filmmaker was caught stealing 9 packs of brand new iPhone devices, he had debunked the report.
The police has, however, confirmed the report.
The Command’s spokesperson, SP Dolapo Badmus, told Punch the incident happened at the Computer Village.
She said Egbegbe had denied the allegation, noting that the case was still under investigation.
Badmus said, “The command received the report of an alleged stealing at the Computer Village. There have been accusations and denials.
“The shop owner alleged that the said Seun (Egbegbe) came to his shop to buy iPhones and in the process, he wanted to bolt in a vehicle.
“But Seun said he wanted to pick money from his vehicle to balance the payment based on an agreement with the sales boy.
“He said when he entered the vehicle, the boy screamed for help and he was attacked and beaten up by some people in the vicinity.
“Operatives at Area F is investigating the matter to unravel the occurrence.
“The outcome will be made open,” the spokesperson stated.
The Senate on Tuesday called on the Nigeria Police to probe into the recently reported mob action in the Orile area of Lagos State in which a young boy was burnt to death for alleged stealing.
The upper chamber of the National Assembly, which specifically asked the police to either confirm or reject the incident, decried that the recent increase in cases of lynching indicated that the people were losing confidence in the government.
The lawmakers, who took turns to condemn the killings, pointed out that the ruling elite had alienated those they governed. They also stated that the security agencies had failed in their responsibility of law enforcement.
The senators spoke on a motion titled ‘Condemning the Rising Cases of Jungle Justice in the Country,’ which was moved by the lawmaker representing Lagos-East Senatorial District, Senator Olugbenga Ashafa, and co-sponsored by the Majority Leader, Senator Ali Ndume.
Speaking on the motion, Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna-Central) Shehu Sani, said it was quite unfortunate that mob justice was becoming a way of life in communities.
He said, “I can directly attribute it to the loss of confidence between the people, the government and the law enforcement agencies.
It has become a recurrent decimal that, each day, you see people being killed under the guise of politics, culture or religion.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode sayssaid the long awaited Health Insurance Scheme of the State would begin in early 2017, expressing readiness to partner with key players in the sector to use insurance to grow the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Lagos.
Speaking at the commissioning of the new WAPIC Insurance Corporate Head Office, located on Awolowo Road, Ikoyi on Monday, the governor said there was no question about the strategic importance of insurance to any economy, saying that his administration was open to policies and initiatives that would make the sector to thrive in the State.
“The insurance business is here to stay and I want to also say that I give our government’s commitment to allow this sector to grow. I will like to partner and also learn how we can grow the GDP of Lagos through your industry. On our part, we know very clearly that early next year, we are going to start our Health Insurance Scheme and I just think that the drivers are the majority of the people who are seated here and it is important that we partner together and also learn together,” Ambode said.
While challenging the key drivers of the insurance sector to come up with draft bill that would accelerate insurance business in Lagos, the governor said he was open to initiatives that would make the sector grow and contribute positively to the growth of the State.
He said there was great need for insurance for individuals and the legal regulatory framework to be explored and expanded with the view to ensure the growth of the sector, adding that it was important for government not to be left alone to handle all issues affecting or that should affect the sector.
He pledged the commitment of the State Government to continually identify and support organizations such as WAPIC Insurance to accelerate the efforts at creating the new Lagos of positive dreams, assuring that as a government, his administration would explore ways to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.
According to the governor, “We are committed to introducing new incentives for businesses in Lagos to enable them grow and also support our society and take more of our youths off the street. The ease of doing business is of concern to us and as a result, we are working to improve the indices of doing business in Lagos, while we continue in our commitment to carry out judicial and security sector reforms.”
Besides, Ambode congratulated the board and management of WAPIC Insurance for adding a beautiful edifice to the State, which he said had brought total change to the landscape of the entire Awolowo Road in Ikoyi.
He said the company had distinguished itself as one of the insurance companies that have pro-actively partnered with the State Government with insightful recommendation on key issues of governance and welfare of the people particularly in the areas of safety, security of lives and property through insurance such as relating to building collapse, fire accident, among others.
Chairman of WAPIC Insurance, Mr. Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede said from his trips across Africa, there has never been any public functionary like Governor Ambode who understands the importance of the insurance sector, saying that the knowledge came out of the deep understanding of economics and the fact that insurance is the most important economic sector of the world according to modern day reality.
He said insurance made the world livable and cheaper, adding that the commissioning of the new building not only signpost the transformation of WAPIC Insurance, but also the transformation of insurance sector in Nigeria to take its rightful place.
Governor Ambode also received a donation of N20 million on behalf of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) from WAPIC Insurance.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday said his administration has so far injected over 1,000 additional housing units into the State and the houses are now ready for occupation by interested residents.
Ambode, who stated this during an extensive inspection tour of ongoing projects in the Eastern axis of the State, said the official flag off of the allocation of the housing units would commence on December 9, 2016, while interested residents of the State need not know anybody before applying.
At the Sir Micheal Otedeola Housing Estate in Odoragunshin, Epe, Ambode was briefed by the State’s Commissioner for Housing, Mr Gbolahan Lawal, who said the estate was part of the schemes earmarked for the rent-to-own policy of the State Government.
Lawal said the 336 Housing units comprised of 180 units of room and parlour; 90 units of one bedroom apartment and 80 units of two bedroom apartment.
He said 20 percent of the entire units had equally been earmarked for rental housing, adding that the social welfarism policy of the present administration in the face of the current economic downturn necessitated the need for the rent-to-own policy.
He added that as part of the people-friendly gesture of the Akinwunmi Ambode administration, the prices of the units have been reduced thus the two bedroom which was hitherto N7.2million has been reduced to N3.5 million, while the one bedroom which was N4.3 million has been reduced to N2.3 million. The room and parlour unit has also been reduced to N1.5 million.
Responding, Governor Ambode said due to the economic recession and as a responsive government, his administration felt the great need to review the housing policies which have always existed in the State, saying that such was what brought about the new policies to make housing affordable to Lagosians.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a football club manager, Frank Darlington, for allegedly sodomizing three of his teenage players in the Agege area of the state.
It was gathered that Darlington, the manager of Soccer Warriors Football Academy, Pen Cinema, was arrested last Thursday by the Elere Police Division after one of the victims reported him to the police.
Darlington, a native of Imo State, allegedly took three footballers to his house on separate occasions after training sessions and sodomized them.
The police said the suspect allegedly penetrated the victims’ anuses and would be charged for sodomy.
The suspect told newsmen that he started to rape his players in February 2015.
He added that he committed the act to derive pleasure.
He said, “I have a female daughter, and she is three years old. I manage the Soccer Warriors Football Academy in the Pen Cinema, Agege area. It was in February 2015 that the rape started. I usually had sex with my boys just to play with them. It was romance. We had fun together. The last one I did was in July 2016, knowing that it could get me into trouble.
“I slept with only three of my footballers. There was one of my boys that had not been coming for training since last week. When I asked him, I was told that he was sick. I did not know that he had reported to his mother and she had told the police.
“I do not know what moved me to be sleeping with them. I have been coaching for about 12 years. My wife stays in the South-East. She left me in March 2016. The sex with the boys was not for any ritual. I only derived fun from it.
“I knew it was a crime and that was why I stopped this act since July. I pledged not to go back into this.”
One of the victims, Kehinde (pseudonym), told Punch that Darlington threatened him that he (Kenny) would die if he told anyone about the sodomy.
The 18-year-old said he was forced to tell his mother when Darlington made it a habit.
He said, “He always had sex with me and with most of us. He started last year. The first time he approached me was after a training session. We were on the football pitch and he said my performance was bad and I should meet him at home for a discussion.
“When I went, he and two boys were at home. His wife did not stay with him. He sent the two boys on an errand and asked me to come into his room. He then instructed me to remove my trousers, and he molested me.
“He did not use any protection. He did not give me any money, but he threatened that I would die if I told anyone. I cannot count how many times he had done this to me. I told my mother when I was tired of his abuse. My mother reported him at the police station.”
The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, who paraded the club manager, said the suspect would be charged to court at the end of the investigation.
“There is no place for criminals to hide in the state. We enjoin the residents of Lagos to report suspicious movements and persons to the police,” he added.
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Fatai Owoseni, on Monday, announced the recovery of caches of arms in FESTAC area of the state.
Owoseni said the recovery was made at 6th Avenue and that two AK 47 Riffles, 24 AK 47 fully loaded magazines, one Browning Pistol and magazine were recovered.
Other arms recovered, he said, included 951 ammunition of 752 mm size and 1,107 ammunition of 6mm size.
Owoseni, who confirmed this during his weekly briefing on the activities of the command, stated that the Police are doing their best possible to uncover the persons behind the stockpile.
He, however, did not say if anyone was arrested in connection with the recovery.
The commissioner further said that in the last two weeks, 28 robbery suspects and two kidnap suspects were arrested.
He added four of the robbery suspects were shot dead during an exchange of gunfire with the police.
Owoseni said 16 different types of guns, 24 AK 47 magazines, one pistol, 1, 083 ammunition, three cutlasses and 10 vehicles were recovered from the suspects.
The suspects, arms, ammunition, vehicles and other items were shown to newsmen at the state Police Headquarters, Ikeja.
Governor Ambode, who stated this at Lagos House in Ikeja while addressing a world press conference on the marathon, said necessary logistics have been put in place to make the event hugely successful, and as well promote the tourism potentials of the State.
According to the governor, about 33, 753 runners including 65 elite marathoners from different parts of the world and over 100 local elite runners participated in the 2016 edition held on February 6 this year, while the marathon was adjudged as one of the best in the world.
He explain that the government was working to ensure that the 2017 edition of the Lagos City Marathon billed to hold on Saturday, February 11, 2017 would see a major improvement compared to the maiden edition.
The Governor said that the 2017 edition, would also feature the top ten men and women marathoners in the world, who would also be joined by many gold label, silver label and bronze label marathoners from different parts of the world.
According to him, appearance fees for gold label runners is $50,000, silver label $20,000 and bronze label $10,000, adding that invited local and foreign elite runners would be paid 50 per cent of their appearance fee now and balance up when they arrive Lagos for the tourney.
Governor Ambode disclosed that Winner of the 2017 edition would also go home with a cash prize of $50,000, while second and third place winners will smile home with $40,000 and $30,000 respectively.
“The Lagos City Marathon is presently ranked 68th in the world, but our desire is to make it the top ten in the world and that is what we are working on with the next episode of the event.
Unlike the one held on February 6 this year, where we had over 30,000 athletes who participated, we are targeting a minimum of 50,000 runners who will take the city of Lagos by storm and put the city on the world map for coming up with such a huge event,” Governor Ambode said.
“We may get the CAA label before February 11, 2017; this will be another feat. We have put the necessary machinery in place to have a more elaborate start and a grand finish for this edition. There will also be entertainment at the finish for runners and spectators,” he said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos on Monday trained no fewer than 50 Supervisory Presiding Officers (SPOs) to oversee the conduct of the Dec. 3 bye-election in the Ifako-Ijaiye Federal Constituency in Lagos.
Declaring the three-day training open on behalf of the commission, Mr Clement Oha, the Administrative Secretary of INEC in the state assured that the commission would conduct a credible election.
Oha said that the presiding officers would in-turn train other ad hoc staff to be used for the poll.
He said, “the SPOs will supervise the conduct of the poll in a cluster of Polling Units(PUs), they will assist in training poll officials under their respective supervision.
“The SPOs will also ensure that all sensitive and non-sensitive election materials are available at the designated Pus, in the right quantity and at the right time.
“They need to facilitate a refresher training for polling officials at the Registration Area Centre (RAC) and the Super RAC, to perfect strategies for a smooth polling process, including checking the card readers for operational readiness.”
Oha, however, urged the officials to be professional while carrying out their statutory mandate and ensure strict adherence to election ethics.
“Voters should be treated equally with respect. You must be impartial, transparent, professional, gender sensitive, courteous, polite and helpful,” he said.
The secretary assured that the officials would be neutral and impartial to conduct a free and fair election.
According to him, the commission is not leaving any stone unturned to ensure a bye-election everyone would be proud of.
He said that the training of other poll officials would commence on Thursday and end on Saturday.
Oha said that there were only 335 Polling Units and 687 Voting Points, stressing that the commission created the voting points to ease voting in some polling units with a high volume of voters.
The INEC boss said that the commission would need a total numbers of 3,203 polling officials, comprising one returning officer, 11 Registration Area Officers, 35 SPOs and 346 presiding officers.
Others include: 2061 Assistant Presiding Officers (APOs), 133 Reserves APOs, 12 Reserve Registration Area Officers, and one Constituency Supervisor.
The INEC boss urged all political parties and leaders to warn their supporters against violence, advising all stakeholders to observe the rules as contained in the electoral act.
He said that violence in the electoral process could only lead to an election not being concluded within the period provided by law.
The official, who said that the commission was fully prepared for the election, said the accreditation and voting would be held simultaneously.
NAN reports that the commission has assembled more than 1500 Card Readers for the forthcoming bye-election for a seamless accreditation exercise.
Mr Elijah Adewale, who represented the constituency in the House of Representatives, died in Abuja on July 20 and INEC has fixed Dec. 3 for the bye-election into the vacant seat.
Lagos State Government, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Thursday said his administration is determined to stamp out kidnapping and violent crime from Lagos.
The governor spoke at the grand finale of this year’s Community Day celebration held at the Police College, Ikeja, Lagos.
Ambode said all hands must be on deck to nip in the bud all forms of kidnapping, crime, sexual harassment and other debilitating vices from Lagos.
“I urge you all to be law abiding and vigilant in all our communities so as not to allow any form of criminality such as kidnapping, sexual harassment and robbery in our state. Today, our security slogan, ‘see something, say something’ has become the password for 24-hour vigilance,” said Ambode who was represented by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Abdullateef Abdulhakeem.
Ambode added that in order to strengthen community-based security initiative, the Neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill which was recently signed into law was part of government’s efforts to institutionalize and deepen community policing strategy in the state.
“No fewer than 5,000 Neighbourhood Watchers will be employed with a minimum salary of N25,000 monthly to attract quality personnel that would complement other security agencies operating in Lagos State ,” he said.
On the theme of the event which was “Community Policing: A Panacea for Securing our Communities,” the governor said it was apt as the theme focused on one of the key factors which needed collective action in the respective communities.
“The theme reminds us of the urgent need to preserve the heritage of peace and harmony that our founding fathers bestowed on us. The prosperity of Lagos is directly stimulated by the security of investments and harmony among our people,” he stated.
Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Muslim Folami, appealed to Community Development Associations, CDAs, and residents to take the issue of security in their various communities seriously so as to put an end to all sorts of criminalities, insecurity and other violent acts.
He said the perpetrators of such heinous crimes were not ghosts but lived, wined and dined within the communities, adding that government would continue to support various community development initiatives.
Special Adviser to the Governor on Communities and Communication, Kehinde Bamigbetan challenged community leaders to be alive to their responsibilities, which included civic enlightenment. Monitoring and upkeep of provided facilities, good environmental sanitation and payment of their dues to government at all levels.
Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika, has faulted the locations of the new terminals simultaneously under construction at two of the busiest airports in the country, describing them as wrongly sited.
Sirika, who was short of describing the projects as a waste of fund, said the new terminal in Abuja alone would require the sum of N5billion to sort out the mess created by the error in location.
In a related development, more stakeholders have bought into the plan to have airports in the country concessioned to private investors for improved efficiency and profitability.
The minister, who spoke to stakeholders earlier in the week, explained that the current administration was almost at a dilemma on what to do with the terminals at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, and Murtala Muhammed International, Lagos.
This may not be unconnected with their obstructions of other facilities at the two airports. While the terminal in Abuja is directly blocking the control tower and fire station, that of Lagos is sitting on heavy cables that are servicing the entire area.
Recall that the last administration approved the construction of the two terminals, along with two others in a 2003 China and Nigeria loan deal, put at $500million. The projects are handled by the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC) and ought to have been delivered since March 2015.
Sirika, who was clarifying the status of the Lagos new terminal, said the terminal is part of a loan of $400 million from China and $100 million counterpart funding from Nigeria.
He said: “The Abuja terminal that is nearing completion is blocking the control tower and fire service station. Because it has been built, we need to knockdown the N3billion-worth of control tower and also knock down the fire station, which will cost about N2billion. Same problem with the Lagos terminal that is sitting on heavy cables. That is the situation we have found ourselves.
“If I have that $500 million, I will use it to develop the Murtala Muhammed Airport as hub of aviation in Nigeria and West Africa,” the minister said.
Also recall that the international terminal at MMIA, Lagos, had lately been experiencing power outages, which the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) kept blaming on construction work at the nearby new terminal.
But while the government continues to mitigate effects of the terminals’ poor siting, more stakeholders, except the workers’ unions, have continued to queue behind efforts to reposition the aviation sector, primarily centred on airport concession.
Concession will concede the operation of the airport to a private entity under an agreement with the government.
Latest to endorse the plan are industry players like veteran pilot and Managing Director (MD) of Aeroconsult, Capt. Dele Ore, MD of Med-View Airlines, Muneer Bankole, and his counterpart at IRS Airlines, Ishiaku Rabiu Ishiaku.
Ore, who led the flurry of buy-ins, said that Sirika is now listening to what they had asked for years and quite commendable.
His words: “We can see that you (Minister) are looking at the recommendations that we have made in the past and are implementing it, but it is not being done totally and we urge you to go back and look at our recommendations and totally implement it.”
Bankole, who looked at it from the aspect of service provision, said all that the airlines wanted was good service and if it takes concession of facilities to achieve it, then so be it.
“In my capacity and on behalf of the Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), all we want is service. I speak on behalf of my colleagues. Most of us have been out of the country and know what entails in terms of service delivery.
“We do not get that kind of service here because of the way things are. We need to let you all know that out there, service is provided and if it would take concessioning of airports for us to get the kind of service that would make us at par with others then by all means concession because the status quo is nothing to write home about,” he said.
Ishiaku, on his part, said that the concession plan was an opportunity for Nigeria, as a country, to finally get it right.
He noted that aviation has moved ahead of the country in leaps and bounds, adding that concession, to address the infrastructure deficit, are the way to go, as only then would the country take its place among the comity of aviation nations.
A Public Private Partnership (PPP) expert, Dr. Chukwuma Katchy, however, attributed the failure of previous concession agreements to lack of proper knowledge on how such agreements work.
Katchy observed that some of the concessionaires, who are in the private sector and saw the knowledge-gap on Nigerian side, were smart enough to write the terms of agreement that in most cases favoured them on the long run.
The Lagos State Government on Thursday unveiled plans to adopt the Boston model to clean up the State Waterways and tackle other environmental issues confronting the State.
State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode disclosed this shortly after series of meetings with the Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, and the Executive Director of Massachusetts Water Resources Authority in the United States of America.
At the meeting, Mr. Levy recalled the Boston Waterways and sewage crises and explained to the Governor and his team on how the government worked hard for years to clean up the harbour as well to provide clean portable water to the people of Boston.
Governor Ambode who was later hosted by the Mayor of Boston, Marty Walsh, where he held discussions on a Sister-City Collaboration with Boston, equally discussed areas for mutual economic partnership between Lagos and Boston.
The Mayor described Governor Ambode’s visit as a homecoming recalling that the Governor was, earlier in his career, a Fulbright Scholar at the Boston University and also worked in the State Treasury Department.
The Mayor and his team identified areas of mutual interest with Lagos and pushed for collaboration with both cities considering the numerous similarities they share.
Governor Ambode, on his part, said that the knowledge and experience he gained from Boston helped shape his career and benefited him in his position as Governor.
He pledged to explore areas where Lagos could partner with Boston, especially in the clean-up of the Lagos waterways. Governor shared insights into the investment opportunities available in Lagos, stating that Lagos is the prime destination for investments in Nigeria.
In a related development, Governor Ambode in a meeting with senior officials of the MIT Faculty and the MIT Africa Initiative in Cambridge, Boston Massachusetts, confirmed that the State Government has entered into a partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for the use of innovation and technology to tackle the challenges facing Lagos State.
Governor Ambode informed the MIT Team that Lagos is the technology hub of Africa with Yaba now globally acclaimed as a hotspot for start-ups, assuring that the MIT that his government would continually work to create an environment where new businesses will thrive as well support more tech hubs in Lagos.
He said, “We are Africa’s largest market and we represent a huge opportunity for businesses with solutions that can match our ambitions. Lagos is open to new ideas. Lagos is open for business. Lagos is open for innovation. We welcome new and different perspectives. That is why we are here at MIT. We hope to gain more partners as we continue with the business of making sure that Nigeria and Africa succeeds.”
The Lagos State delegation to MIT including Governor Ambode, Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Mr. Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, the Commissioner for Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare and the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure, Engineer Ade Akinsanya, were received by the Provost for International Activities, Professor Richard Lester, Faculty Director Legatum Center, Professor Fiona Murray and Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel World and Food Security (JWAFS), Renee Robins.
Governor Ambode and his team also met with the MIT Africa MD, Julia Reynolds-Cuellar and the Director MIT Regional Entrepreneurship and Acceleration Program (REAP) Team on Africa, Sarah-Jane Maxted.
The 81 Division of the Nigerian Army on Thursday says it arrested 37 suspected Boko Haram terrorists in Lagos and Ogun States within the last 15 months.
The outgone General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division, Maj.-Gen. Isidore Edet, disclosed this in Lagos while handing over to his successor, Maj.-Gen. Ebenezer Oyefolu.
Edet said the Division, under his watch, arrested the terrorists in different parts of the two states.
“As Boko Haram is being defeated, the terrorists run to other parts of the country. From the period I took over in August 2015 till date, we arrested 37 Boko Haram suspects.
“We will continue to arrest them and hand them over to the appropriate authorities,’’ he said.
Edet said his most challenging moment as GOC 81 Division was the abduction of three of his operatives by militants in Ijagemo Area of Lagos.
“I had to work round-the-clock to secure their release,’’ he said.
On pipeline vandals at Arepo area of Ikorodu, the outgone GOC said the Army worked collaboratively and cooperatively with other security agencies to rout the vandals from the area.
In his remark, the new GOC, Maj.-Gen. Oyefolu, said he would key into the successes of his predecessor to move the Division forward.
Until his appointment as GOC 81 Division, Oyefolu was the Deputy Director at Defence Intelligence Agency, Abuja.
The scheduled continuation of trial of a Lagos-based lawyer, Mr. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, before a Federal High Court in Lagos was stalled on Thursday as the presiding judge, Justice Oluremi Oguntoyinbo, did not sit.
The case was consequently adjourned till January 30, 2017.
Adegboruwa is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for allegedly dealing in a landed property in defiance of a court order.
The EFCC arraigned him on May 13, 2016 on one count alongside one Jonathan Udeagbala, said to be at large.
The anti-graft agency, in the charge, marked FHC/L/181c/2016, claimed that Adegboruwa and Udeagbala dealt in a property “lying, being and situate at House 105, Nicon Estate, Lekki, Lagos,” without the authorisation of the EFCC.
The prosecution said property was a subject of litigation before Justice C. A. Balogun of the Lagos State High Court.
The EFCC claimed that on August 13, 2013, Adegboruwa and Udeagbala leased the property in defiance of an order of interim injunction made by Justice Balogun on June 18, 2012, concerning the property.
The defendants were accused of leasing the property to one Shelf Drilling Nigeria Limited in the sum of N61,631,944.65, which the EFCC claimed was credited to Adegboruwa’s account with Zenith Bank.
The prosecutor claimed that Adegboruwa and Udeagbala committed an offence punishable under Section 32(1) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (Establishment) Act 2004.
But Adegboruwa pleaded not guilty, following which Justice Oguntoyinbo admitted him to a N10m bail with two sureties in like sum.
The sureties, the judge said, must be landed property owners in Lagos, whose bank account details and office and residential addresses must be verified by the court’s registrar.
Meanwhile, a Lagos State High Court in Igbosere, presided over by Justice Aishat Opesanwo, has reportedly recently vacated the interim order of Justice C.A. Balogun, which the EFCC alleged that Adegboruwa defied.
Two men have been arrested by the Ogun State Police Command for allegedly raping a 23-year-old girl (names withheld), who hawks pawpaw.
The suspects, identified as Ezekiel Yusuf, 29, and Musa Abubakar, 25, lured the pawpaw seller to an apartment along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway on the pretence that they wanted to buy pawpaw.
The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, Abimbola Oyeyemi, in a confirmatory statement, said the victim was hawking sliced pawpaw fruit along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, when Yusuf Ezekiel lured her into his apartment pretending he wanted to buy pawpaw from her.
“It was while she was shouting that the people around came to her rescue and subsequently reported to the police.
“The DPO of Ojodu Abiodun, SP Bamidele Job, quickly dispatched detectives to the scene and two suspects were promptly arrested.
“The Commissioner of Police, Ahmed Iliyasu, has ordered that the case be transferred to Anti-human Trafficking and Child Labour Unit of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, CIID, for further investigation and prosecution,” the PPRO added.
When Raymond Amosu paddled his family to safety in the midnight of November 9th, he steadied the canoe, turned and cast a last look at what used to be home. Tongues of fire licked away, furiously, at the three bedroom enclosure where he had married his wife, Okelusi, and raised eight children.
His eyes watered.
“I did not remove anything except my fishing nets,” Mr. Amosu, 48, a fisherman, said.
In the early hours of November 9, a gang of boys with reported ties to the powerful Elegushi chieftaincy family, entered Otodo Gbame community – a peaceful fishing settlement on the edge of the Lagos Lagoon in Lekki Phase I, made up predominantly of Eguns and other ethnic minorities in Lagos – and began setting fire to houses in the community.
Mr. Amosu said he was asleep when his wife woke him around midnight with screams of ‘fire, fire.’
“All the people in the community woke up. They were putting fire everywhere. They destroyed everything,”
About 800 homes were affected in a massive destruction that rendered an estimated 10,000 people homeless, according to the Justice and Empowerment Initiatives (JEI), a non-governmental organisation that had worked extensively with the community people.
This destruction occurred barely a day after a Lagos court ordered the state government to immediately suspend its planned demolition of shanties along creeks and waterways in the state.
It also came one week after the state House of Assembly appealed to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to reconsider the planned demolitions.
‘An ethnic clash’
On the evening of November 9, the Lagos State Government released a statement authored by the state’s Police Command attributing the “crisis” in the community to a clash between the Eguns and Yorubas.
Dolapo Badmos, the Public Relations Officer of the State Command of the Nigerian Police, said the “Egun community mainly made up of people from Republic of Benin,” occupied illegal shanties.
“We were alerted about the breakdown of law and order in the area and immediately went to check Otodogbami community, Ikate Lekki Phase 1, where there is a fight between the Benin-Yoruba communities fighting over the supremacy of the territory,” said Ms. Badmos, a superintendent of police.
“It’s an illegal settlement area, most of the structures there are shanties and because of a protracted dispute between themselves, they set fire on their different shanties. The Police moved into the area to restore peace.”
The community people, who said they are mostly from Badagry but have lived in Otodo Gbame for over a century, insisted the crisis was triggered by a group of youth, who with government backing, invaded their homes and unleashed violence on them.
Solomon Akojenu, chairman, Otodo Gbame community, said the youth were planted by those who wanted to evict them from the community.
“They have been coming to rent houses from us and we thought they were legal entities, not knowing that they have a mission for coming to the community,” Mr. Akojenu said.
“This week, they started padlocking people’s houses, extorting money from people forcefully.
“That was what took them to the house of a man called Jonas, where they went, padlocked the wife’s room and expected the woman to come and pay them N20,000. That’s what led to this clash. They went extorting money from people, that they should pay N5,000, N10,000, N20,000.
“After locking their houses, they said they are now the ones in charge, the landlords.”
At about 7.30 a.m., on November 8, Alfa Salako said he was on his way to his brother’s house when a group of boys, armed with machetes, marched into the community and headed to the Baale’s (traditional leader) house.
“Those people, they did not come to the Baale and say ‘this is what we heard, what is the problem? Can you find out somebody who did such a thing? No. They came to Baale’s place and began to break bottles and use machetes to slap people,” said Mr. Salako, 42.
On Thursday afternoon, the entire part of the community on land had been destroyed. Dozens of armed police officers kept watch as a backhoe pulled down the remaining structures that were still standing.
Those living on water were removing the zinc sheets on the roofs of their wooden homes and frantically packing their belongings into canoes.
“They told us to leave immediately because they are bringing speed boats to come and destroy everything,” said Francis Esisu.
In a statement on Thursday, JEI condemned the actions of the police and other private parties working on their behest.
“We decry the extremely false and misleading press release issued by the Nigerian Police Force in the late afternoon of 9 November 2016 that seeks to characterize the police’s actions as a ‘rescue,’ while announcing that the community in question will be taken over by the Lagos State Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development and remaining structures will be demolished,” said Megan Chapman, the group’s co-founder.
“We note that there is absolutely no legal basis for eviction or taking over of land in the aftermath of either security or fire incident. We further note there have been no statutory or paper notices whatsoever served on any residents of Otodo Gbame.
“Rather, the police are acting completely outside the scope of the law and in overt disregard for a subsisting order of court. We call on all conscientious citizens concerned for democracy and rule of law to join in condemning this action.”
A DEATH BLOW
Over the past two years, the Otodo Gbame people had fought to remain in their community amidst threats of eviction from the Elegushi chieftaincy family and the government.
In 2014, a prince from the royal family arrived the community to place a seven-day eviction notice.
The inhabitants headed to court. By 2015, the community had instituted, at least, two suits before the court – one over land ownership against the Elegushi family at the state high court and another over the destruction of over 250 of their houses in 2013 at the federal high court.
PREMIUM TIMES’ repeated requests to interview Saheed Elegushi, the traditional ruler of Ikate, met a brick wall. An aide to the king told this reporter to “be visiting and, maybe, one day the Oba will be in the mood to talk.”
But in an interview he granted the News Agency of Nigeria last year, Mr. Elegushi said the people at Otodo Gbame were not originally settled there.
“It is important to first and foremost know the facts,” Mr. Elegushi said.
“You, visit the place and assess the soil there. Does it look like a place that has been in existence for 300 years? All these people are squatters from Banana Island, and other transit places.
“Are you going to tell me that somebody would be somewhere for 300 years and there would be no proper structures (on ground)?”
On October 9, Governor Ambode ordered the demolition of illegal structures in waterfronts across the state and gave the inhabitants a seven-day ultimatum to vacate the areas.
According to the governor, such shanties are often used as hideouts by kidnappers and militants before using the waterways to move their victims to another location.
“You will see that most of the issues that we have with kidnappings are being brought up by those who are illegal settlers by the waterfront,” Mr. Ambode said while inspecting the Ilubirin Housing Scheme on Lagos Island.
“We will commence demolition of all the shanties around the creeks in Lagos State and around our waterways in the next seven days. I have given directives to that effect to the appropriate agencies.”
The governor’s directive triggered a wave of protests from waterfront residents who marched to the Government House to register their displeasure. But their calls for a retraction of the notice were ignored.
Earlier in the year, in March, over 100 slum dwellers in Otodo Gbame community besieged the Lagos State Government House protesting dredging and sand-filling activities near their homes.
A Lagos State University, LASU lecturer, Suraju Oyekunle, is reportedly facing a humiliating dilemma in his marriage after his wife openly confessed to being in love with a bricklayer.
The wife, Kafayat, who is said to be pregnant for the bricklayer, said she prefers to spend the rest of her life with him, P.M News is reporting.
According to the report, the 36-year-old wife moved out of her matrimonial home in October when her husband traveled, and then moved in with Mr. Alimi, who was living in the same Igando community where she and her husband were living in Lagos.
She was said to have taken along with her, a 12-year-old son she had for her husband.
The lecturer is, however, reportedly working hard to save his 13-year-old marriage to Kafayat as he lodged a complaint against him at the police station and 34-year-old Alimi was arrested by the police.
He was arraigned before Chief Magistrate, Mrs. O. A Layinka at an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court weekend for conduct likely to cause breach of peace.
Speaking before the court, Kafayat vowed to do all she could to secure freedom for Alimi.
She said she left her marriage because she and her husband were unable to get another child during their 13 years in marriage, and that the husband wasn’t taking good care of her.
She added that she became pregnant for her lover few months after they met, and that with him, she was now living in peace.
“He is better off than my husband in everything and my family supports my relationship with him,” she stated.
The accuse pleaded not guilty.
The chief magistrate reportedly granted him bail in the sum of N25, 000, ordering that he be remanded in prison custody until he meets the bail conditions.
The matter was adjourned till December 12 for trial.
Expansion and rehabilitation work on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will be completed soon, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has said.
Fashola, who reviewed his first year in office in Lagos at the weekend, said the long bridge at the Lagos-Ogun boundary on the road had to be shut because construction work was ongoing underneath it.
“Roads are depreciating assets that need constant maintenance and regulated usage,” he said, adding that the issue of overloaded trucks was being addressed.
According to him, the government is looking into the issue of double-axle articulated vehicles that transport more tonnage than most roads were built to accommodate.
Fashola also said weighbridges will be reintroduced on the roads to arrest overloading.
He said, however, that warehouses have to be built by the weighbridges to take in offloaded extra goods from arrested haulage vehicles.
The minister added that the issue of reintroducing tollgates on roads would be decided by Nigerians, noting that he had not forgotten his experience as Lagos State governor.
The minister said electricity generation had improved considerably in the last 12 months, peaking at above 5074MW for the first time in the nation’s 63-year-old electricity history earlier this year.
He said this had created jobs for hitherto idle artisans, small and medium scale entrepreneurs and empowered other businesses.
He said more than 800 containers of imported power generation and distribution components stranded at the ports had been released as a result of his ministry’s efforts and the intervention of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
He regretted that about 3000MW of electricity was lost to vandalism, adding, however, that the Federal Government was discussing with agitators to end the destruction.
Fashola said electricity generation would continue to appreciate as more stations come on stream and contribute to the National Grid.
The minister appealed to electricity consumers to be patient with distribution companies over insufficient prepaid meters, noting that the privatisation of the sector was only three years old.
He said the meters would soon be readily available as more companies embark on their production in Nigeria.
The contractor handling the road rehabilitation, Julius Berger Nigeria Ltd, will divert traffic on additional sections of the road.
The Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), in a statement at the weekend, said Ibadan bound traffic will be diverted to the Lagos bound carriageway CH38+400 and CH 43+700 to allow the laying of the wearing course.
The diversions will lead to the closure of the Ibadan bound exit road leading to Sagamu as well as the Sagamu bound exit road leading to Ibadan.
The temporary closure would be from Wednesday till November 23.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State says Nigeria must channel efforts towards the promotion of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) to boost economic growth.
Ambode, who described SMEs as a goldmine, spoke at the close of the 2016 Lagos International Trade Fair on Sunday.
“To achieve meaningful growth, our diversification effort must be centred on the SMEs. The SMEs have yet to be fully harnessed,” he added.
The governor said his administration was creating an enabling environment to encourage businesses to grow in the state.
He said, “We have stepped up the security apparatus in our state to curb criminality. The protection of all physical, social and economic assets has remained a focal point for the government.
“In order to stem the menace of land grabbers, I recently signed a law which has criminalised the activities of land grabbers with prison terms upon conviction.”
Nike Akande, the President of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, organiser of the fair, said, “We will always advocate an environment where businesses can thrive. The private sector has a bigger capacity to create jobs.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Rotimi Ogunleye, said the annual trade fair had continued to provide a platform for small businesses to showcase their potential.
In a bid curb crime and other cult related activities in the State, the Lagos State Government, LASG, has called on parents, teachers, media, religious institutions and the society at large to come together and address the increasing menace of cultism among school children.
This call was made by the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary of Education District IV, Mrs. Lola Are-Adegbite during the kick-off of series of sensitization programmes on the dangers of cultism organised for secondary school students by the Ministry of Youth and Social Department School Social Services Department.
The Permanent Secretary, who spoke at Education District IV New Era Girl’s Secondary School, Surulere, Lagos, revealed that cultism could be curbed through inculcation of right ethical standards from parents and value re- orientation of youths, especially teenagers. She stressed that children must have good peer groups and be wary of the bad influencers in order to build good, acceptable and Godly characters.
Are-Adegbite opined that establishing an ‘anti-cult club’ for those who will boldly say “NO” to cultism in schools would also be of immense advantage in the drive to nip the menace in the bud.
In her words, “organizing skills acquisition training for youth (which the State Government is already doing) in order to inculcate the spirit of self-esteem and reliance in them would also help in curbing the menace of cultism among school children just as the popular saying goes that an idle hand is the devil’s workshop.”
Four persons are believed to have drowned, over 200 structures burnt and several residents displaced on Wednesday in Otodogbami Community, Ikate, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos when Yoruba and Egun ethnic groups clashed within the community.
Those who drowned were said to have included a child.
They were said to have drowned while trying to escape through the river behind the community during the clash.
However, the Public Relations Officer of the Lagos State Police Command, Dolapo Badmos, said no one died.
Badmos said: “The effort of the police helped ensure that no death was recorded.”
The clash started on Monday between two men from the ethnic groups when one resident of Egun extraction was said to have assaulted a Yoruba indigene for beating up his fiancé.
In retaliation, the sources said that the Yorubas, armed with machetes and other weapons, attacked the community, blocking its entrance and vandalizing its shrine.
Badmos said it was a supremacy battle.
She said: “There is an Egun community mainly made up of people from Republic of Benin.
“They actually occupy illegal shanties.
“We were alerted about the breakdown of law and order in the area and immediately went to check Otodogbami community, Ikate Lekki Phase 1, where there is a fight between the Benin-Yoruba communities fighting over the supremacy in the territory.
“It’s an illegal settlement area.
“Most of the structures there are shanties and because of a protracted dispute between themselves, they set fire on their different shanties.
“The Police moved into the area to restore peace and in the process of checking the area, we discovered that there was a woman who was trapped in one of the shanties with a two-day old baby, who would have been burnt in the process.”
As part of efforts to make Lagos State the technology frontier in Africa, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode will officially unveil the ‘Code Lagos’ programme of the State Government on Friday November 11, 2016.
The project which is in line with the Smart City initiative of the current administration is aimed at making coding curriculum accessible to every student in Lagos State.
Speaking on the development through the Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Mr. Obafela Bank-Olemoh, Ambode said “our goal for ‘Code Lagos’ programme is to teach one million students in Lagos State the basic knowledge involved in computer coding system by 2019. This programme will be available to our students from primary to tertiary education level.”
Speaking further, he said the programme will be unveiled at a private gathering of Corporate Nigeria with guests comprising leaders in both public and private sectors, including financial and educational institutions, telecom companies and other multi-national organizations.
Ambode noted that as a build-up to the unveiling, Lagos State had engaged critical stakeholders in the information technology space through series of meetings and workshops to develop a robust model for the implementation of the programme.
“We have clear objectives and we have thought through the model. Industry experts have critiqued it and pointed out gaps we may have overlooked. Now we are ready to roll-out our plans,” he said.
The Dopemu Division of the Lagos State Police Command has arrested four cultists suspected to be members of the Awawa Boys terrorizing the Agege community. The suspects; Sherif Nahim, Platelet Ismail, Jamiu Amusa and Abel Babatunde, were arrested by the anti-crime operatives in a building on Abeje Street, Agege.
According to Police, the suspects were apprehended following a distress call that some suspected cultists belonging to the Awawa group were on rampage along Kadiri area of Agege. The source added that the suspects were arrested wielding dangerous weapons while some of them also sustained various injuries.
Commenting on the arrest, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmus, said “the Commissioner of Police has directed that the suspects be transferred to SARS and be given medical care while discreet investigation should be done to also apprehend fleeing suspects.”
Speaking further, she said “the suspects will be charged to court at the conclusion of investigation. The Commissioner had warned hoodlums to keep away from the State as the command would no longer tolerate any act of impunity and recklessness under any guise including cultism.”
Lagos Rail Mass Transit is a system being developed and under construction in Lagos, Nigeria. The system is being sponsored by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) and is envisioned to consist eventually of seven lines.
The railway equipment including electric power, signalling, rolling stock, and fare collection equipment will be provided by the private sector under a Concession Contract. LAMATA is responsible for policy direction, regulation, and infrastructure for the network.
The concessionaire will generate its own dedicated electricity. The first section of the network (Phase I of the Blue Line) was originally scheduled to enter revenue service by the first quarter of 2014. It was announced in February 2016 that operations will officially start in December 2016.
Here is a pictorial evidence of what the train looks like:
The Lagos State Government has said it is not planning to privatise its Water Corporation, contrary to speculation that it is partnering with a financial institution to sell the corporation.
The Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, disclosed this at the October 2016 Monthly Press Briefing of the Ministry of the Environment, organized to provide adequate information on the state of the environment.
Adejare stated that rather than privatizing, the state government would be partnering with the private sector to build water works under a Public Private Partnership arrangement in which the private sector partner would build and charge reasonable amount.
He said that this move became necessary as the cost of building single water works had skyrocketed due to the exchange rate volatility, whereas government has limited resources with competing needs across sectors.
“We cannot afford to stick to the status-quo as we are battling with vector-borne diseases and we need to sort out the issue of appropriate pricing. Currently Water Corporation charges 5k per liter against N100 per liter charged by the local water vendor”, he said.
While re-stating the policy of Lagos State Government on cleaner and sustainable environment, the Commissioner said government was committed to the removal of all environmental infractions and would not relent in bringing about a sustainable environment as well as a livable state to enhance aesthetically beautiful state.
According to him, “…our government has pursued with vigour, its policy on cleaner and sustainable environment through dogged application of its all-year round de-flooding Programme, unwavering commitment to the removal of all environmental infractions and nuisances across the state and steady pursuit of aesthetically appealing state.”
Adejare said that Lagos State Government was committed to achieving well-organised markets where sellers, goods and services will be sectorised.
According to him, “this will eliminate the belief and tendency that it is when goods are sold on the streets and on setbacks that selling can be achieved”
The Commissioner reaffirmed the policy of zero tolerance on street trading and hawking in the state, warning violators of the state’s environmental laws to desist or incur the wrath of the law.
He stated that no one was permitted to convert the roads, medians, set-backs and walkways into markets, warning that the activities of street traders and hawkers were degrading the environment.
Adejare maintained that water supply in the state was being given a new lease of life as most of the water works such as Ishasi, Adiyan and Iju Waterworks now produce and supply uninterrupted water to Lagosians upon the repairs of equipment and restoration of Power supply, saying government is finding a lasting solution to billing problems as well.
Adejare restated the commitment of government to greening the environment. He said over 800 trees including 700 coconuts have been planted along Lekki Epe Express way and another 100 trees at Orile Agege LCDA.
According to him, “the importance of trees in our environment cannot be overemphasized. As such we have continued to manage trees planted in the state by pruning 56 Trees and felling 7 trees to improve the aesthetics of the Environment.”
The Commissioner pointed out that waste management would take a new dimension in the state as from 2017.
“We are reforming waste management; we are no longer going to do it the way we are used to. By the time we do this, environmental infractions would have reduced.”
The Environment Commissioner said that government is poised to control and eradicate diseases such as Lasa fever and malaria through the flagging off of vector control programme.
“To control vector-borne diseases such as Lasa fever and malaria, we have flagged off the vector control programme through which we will be delivering effective “deratization” of markets and adjoining streets in the State with the use of time tested technology,” the Commissioner said.
He further said that government would take the advantage of the many benefits of vector control, including less illness, better sleep, safety of home, buildings and markets and ultimately peace of mind.
Adejare disclosed that the Lagos State Government through the Ministry of the Environment did not fail its duties of monitoring the environment for compliance to environmental standards.
“The Lagos State Waste Management Office monitored compliance to wastewater regulations and guidelines in 11,508 tenements and 857 private facilities across the State. 3,549 tenements were found to be satisfactory while 4,511 tenements complied with the abatement notices served. Also, a total of 255 private wastewater treatment facilities are currently undergoing the recertification exercise for 2016.
The commissioner appealed to Lagosians to dispose waste properly and maintain a good sanitary attitude as the yuletide approached. According to him, “… the ember months are here again and as the yuletide approaches, I urge you all to dispose waste properly, cultivate and maintain good sanitary attitude and do not contribute to the degrading of the environment as this is the only way you can avoid being object of environmental law enforcement.”
The Appeal Court in Lagos has nullified the monthly environmental sanitation in Lagos State, saying it is illegal and ordered the Lagos State Government not to restrict people’s movement on that day.
The court which delivered its judgment at the weekend banned the state government from further restricting anyone’s movement within Lagos State at any time or day whatsoever on the basis of environmental sanitation as there is no written law to that effect.
Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division held that in the absence of a written law prescribing the same, the governor’s directive for people in Lagos State to stay at home and not to move about thereby restricting movement of persons in Lagos State within the hours of 7.00am to 10.00am on the last Saturday of every month was unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.
The suit was brought before the court by a citizen, Faith Okafor (Appellant) against the Lagos State Government (Respondent).
The court restrained the Lagos State Government and its affiliates from further arresting the anyone whatsoever on the basis of a purported environmental sanitation offence or trying anyone in the Special Offences Court without conforming to the dictates of the Constitution.
According to Justice Ogakwu, after due consideration of this appeal and the issues raised therein, “I have arrived at the inexorable conclusion that the appeal is meritorious. The same succeeds and is allowed by me. The Ruling of the lower court in Suit No. M/548/2013: FAITH OKAFOR vs. LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT & ANOR. delivered on 1st July 2014 is hereby set aside.
“In its stead and for good order sake, judgment is hereby entered for the Appellant against the Respondents in the following terms: It is hereby declared that the arrest and detention and transportation of the Appellant in the back of a vehicle which is of a metal cage with very little ventilation and light “Black Maria” by officials and/or agents of the 1st Respondent (KAI Brigade) on 25th May 2013 for a purported environmental sanitation offence violates the Appellant’s fundamental rights to respect for the dignity of her person, personal liberty and freedom of movement as provided under Sections 34, 35 and 41 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and is therefore illegal and unconstitutional.”
Justice Ogakwu declared that the purported trial and conviction of the Appellant for a purported environmental sanitation offence violates the Appellant’s fundamental rights to fair hearing as provided under Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as amended, and is therefore unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.
The court further declared that in the absence of a written law prescribing the same, the 1st Respondent’s directive for people in Lagos State to stay at home and not to move about thereby restricting movement of persons in Lagos State within the hours of 7.00am to 10.00am on the last Saturday of every month is unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.
“The Respondents are hereby restrained from further restricting the Appellant’s or anyone’s movement within Lagos State at any time or day whatsoever on the basis of environmental sanitation without there being a written law prescribing the same.
“The Respondents are restrained from further arresting the Appellant or anyone whatsoever on the basis of a purported environmental sanitation offence or trying anyone in the Special Offences Court without conforming to the dictates of the Constitution. The Appellant is entitled to the costs of this appeal which I assess and fix at N100, 000.00,” he ruled.
Former Director-General of the Nigerian Tourism Development Cooperation, NTDC, Mr. Olusegun Runsewe, has supported the Lagos State Government over its plans to transform the presidential lodge in Lagos to a tourist hub.
He, however, suggested that a heritage and visitors tower would stand out the City of Excellence in the global tourism.
Runsewe stated this yesterday in an interview with journalists in Lagos.
He described the handover of the landmark Presidential lodge by President Muhammadu Buhari to the Lagos State Government as the best news to have ever come to him in the annals of tourism development in Nigeria, an initiative he further noted, shows that Buhari meant well for the development of all the component units of Nigeria.
To critically brand and transform the lodge located on the busy Lagos Marina Street on the Island, into a global iconic tourism feature, Runsewe whose tenure in government tourism administration attracted huge local and international commendation, pleaded that Governor Ambode should get the best hands and reputable companies to construct a signature world heritage and visitors tower around the vicinity of the lodge with a visibility range to Lekki, Ikeja, Ayobo, Epe, Ikorodu and Badagry.
According to Runsewe, a special light rail must connect the signature heritage and visitors tower to Lagos Airport, which in turn could create about 160,000 tourism jobs and turn the Marina/Onikan axis into an exclusive tourism destination comparable to Dubai, Canada, Trinidad &Tobago and Singapore.
He said: “This is a tourism and culture heritage Mecca in the making and when all the special tourism facilities and luxury appointments are added to it, such as Cable car, Car park, Shopping mall, Children play ground, food courts, electronic photo shops and entertainment windows.”
Lagos Appeal Court has nullified the monthly environmental sanitation in Lagos State, stating that it is illegal and ordered the Lagos State Government not to restrict people’s movement on such days.
The court judgment over the weekend banned the state government from restricting anyone’s movement within Lagos State at any time or day whatsoever on the basis of environmental sanitation as there is no written law to that effect.
Justice Ugochukwu Ogakwu of the Court of Appeal, Lagos Division, held that in the absence of a written law prescribing the same, the governor’s directive for people in Lagos State to stay at home and not to move about thereby restricting movement of persons in Lagos State within the hours of 7.00am to 10.00am on the last Saturday of every month was unlawful, illegal and unconstitutional.
The suit was brought before the court by a citizen, Faith Okafor (Appellant) against the Lagos State Government (Respondent). The court restrained the Lagos State Government and its affiliates from further arresting anyone whatsoever on the basis of a purported environmental sanitation offense or trying anyone in the Special Offences Court without conforming to the dictates of the Constitution.
Eight year after he was first charged for money laundering, the trial of former governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja, can now properly take off.
Having lost his bid at the Appeal Court to have charges against him quashed, Mr. Ladoja will be re-arraigned for money laundering before a Federal High Court in Lagos.
The court on Monday adjourned the till November 18 for the fresh arraignment of the Accord Party leader.
The Appeal Court, Lagos Division, had dismissed a bid by Mr. Ladoja to have the charges against him and his aide, Waheed Akanni, quashed.
The charges were filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
Saheed Bagir, the judge who read the decision of the appeal court, upheld the powers of the EFCC to prosecute offenders under the money laundering act.
Mr. Bagir held that the provisions of Section 14 of the EFCC Act gave the commission the power to prosecute persons charged with the offence of money laundering.
The court also held that by Section 7(2) of the EFCC Act, the commission was also empowered to charge and prosecute the appellants in the suit.
The anti-graft agency had arraigned Messrs. Ladoja and Akanbi on a 10-count charge of laundering funds taken from government coffers.
The EFCC alleged that Mr. Ladoja used about N42 million to purchase an Armoured Land Cruiser Jeep and remitted about £600,000 to one Bimpe Ladoja in London.
The accused who were arraigned before Ramat Mohammed, a justice of the Federal High Court, Lagos pleaded not guilty and were granted bail.
But Mr. Ladoja filed an appeal to through his counsel, Wole Olanipekun, asking the appellate court to quash the charges against him arguing that they were vague.
Mr Olanipekun, a senior lawyer, had argued that the proof of evidence tendered before the lower court by the prosecution, had no connection with the charge against his client.
He said the charges are baseless as they did not show on first impression any case against Mr Ladoja.
He said the EFCC had no power, jurisdiction or authority to prefer the charge against Mr Ladoja and asked the court to rule that the case was baseless.
Responding, counsel to the EFCC, Festus Keyamo, urged the court to uphold the validity of the charge, adding that such objection ought to have been raised before the plea of the accused was taken.
He said the respondents had failed to take necessary steps when they ought to have done so, adding that the objection of the respondent has no basis in law.
The proceedings at the high court were suspended to allow the appellate court rule on the challenge brought before it by the respondents.
The Lagos State Government says by 2019, no fewer than 100,000 new entrepreneurs would have been created from the N25bn Lagos State Employment Trust Fund.
It added that the fund had been set up to provide financial support to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) within the next three years.
The Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Mr. Akintunde Oyebode, stated this on Monday in Ikeja, adding that the fund was in line with Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s vision to create employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for Lagosians.
He said the board set up to manage the fund had spent the last few months perfecting strategies and addressing grey areas ahead of the commencement of the disbursement of the fund later this year.
He said, “The board, working with its appointed consultants, has developed a strategic framework articulating the goals, the key interventions designed to enhance job creation, and the supporting infrastructure needed to deliver the set goals. This exercise has now been concluded and approved by the Lagos State Executive Council.”
Oyebode said the fund would provide loans to MSMEs at single digit interest rates per annum, while training and capacity building and technical support would be provided to drive growth and job creation.
“The businesses we will support must demonstrate capacity to repay our loans; be owned by Lagos residents duly registered by the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency; show evidence of tax payments to the Lagos Inland Revenue Service; and have valid Bank Verification Numbers,” he added.
Oyebode expressed optimism that the fund would have a multiplier effect with the capacity to create 300,000 direct and 600,000 indirect jobs while about 200,000 new taxpayers would be added to the state’s tax net.
The Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Dr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti, said Ambode’s administration was committed to ensuring that the fund imparted positive value to the lives of Lagosians.
He lauded the plan by the LSETF board to set up offices in 20 local government areas in the state, saying that it would ensure that no area was marginalised.
“It is important that this process has taken considerable time. We need to make it work and also ensure that it is to the benefit of all Lagosians,” Durosinmi-Etti said.
The Chairman, House Committee on Wealth Creation and Employment, Sola Giwa, assured that members of the House would give the operational guidelines of the fund expeditious passage.
When I did my National Youth Service Corps in a foreign multinational in the bustling city of Warri a few years ago, I had an interesting conversation with one of the egg heads in the Information Technology Department. I recall his telling me that up till 1999 one could get a job there as a member of staff on a permanent basis. The only downside was if you joined with your secondary school certificate, you could never rise to become a manager or get to work abroad. Fast forward to when I served, some Ph.d holders were seriously lobbying to get a foot in the door as contract members of staff with the hope of a permanent conversion. For some, it could take a grueling ten years, for others it remained a pie in the sky. A contract member of staff in the department I served was always full of bitterness and regrets that he turned down a job offer in the 1980’s because he thought a university degree would make him rise to the zenith. Unfortunately, by the time he had the degree, it had become so worthless that he got the contract job there ten years after his Nysc. ‘If only I knew’ he always muttered and cursed whenever the month ended and no alert came in as some of them were at the mercy of contract holders who refused to remit their salaries to them. He had to augment his irregular income through part-time bus driving as he was notorious for frequently taking time off work to attend to the needs of his stomach.
When Africa’s richest man, Alhaji Aliko Dangote announced his graduate bus drivers’ scheme some years ago, there were mixed reactions. Some pilloried him for making a mockery of the many years of toil that graduates were subjected to and blasted him for rubbing their poverty in their faces. Others opined that there was no big deal. He had the right to do as he’s pleased with his money and moreover some graduates – not economic refugees but natives did odd jobs to survive abroad. There was, therefore, no justification for his critics bringing down the roof since there was even a scheme in place to transfer ownership of the vehicles to them after a period of time.
When I had a Facebook conversation with a former Student Union activist in a first generation university, he revealed that he initially bought into the ‘Andrew don’t check out’ propaganda with the late Enebeli Elebuwa as the poster boy. However, when the late Admiral Mike Akhigbe was the military governor of Lagos State, he instituted a Graduate Drivers Scheme in the late 1980’s. The unemployment situation was not this bad but it was clear that there was a subtle contempt for the intelligentsia as the wave of intellectual exile had already begun. Some analysts perceived the scheme as a surreptitious message signal of the impotence of the once revered educated elite. The scheme didn’t last a year and the activist then put his thinking cap on as he predicted that human capital development was never going to be on the front burner in the so-called ‘Giant of Africa’ for the next century. When an opportunity presented itself to ‘port’ (a slang popularized by Hafeez Oyetoro of Saka fame) to Canada, he didn’t think twice.
Last week Friday, the National President of the Bus Conductors Association of Nigeria, Comrade Israel Ade Adeshola (note the subtle abuse of the word comrade) disclosed that through the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation, one thousand graduate conductors would be employed with a monthly salary of 50,000 naira to give the ‘profession’ a new facelift.
The times are indeed strange. We recall with fanfare the August visit of Mark Zuckerberg to Nigeria which pointed out the immense benefits in young Nigerians plugging into the global digital economy. Without sounding offensive to the conductors who are forced by cruel circumstances beyond their control to do the job, they ought not to exist in this technologically driven economy. Their existence is a sad reminder of the failure of the government to leapfrog the pivoting of the economy into a digital one. With cashless payment solutions, a passenger could pay for his or her fare with the aid of a card. Conductors won’t have to risk their lives to merely eke out a threadbare living as they would live a more dignified existence as transport card sellers or agents for instance.
It is bad enough that public policy is now being influenced by a so-called Comrade who is ignorant of the workings of how technology should create boundless opportunities for all.
Human capital development is the reality as countries like Singapore, Malaysia, China and the rest of the Asian Tigers rose from grass to grace by simply investing heavily in the intellectual capital of their citizens. It is sad that we have analog thinkers who are hell bent on keeping our youths under the threshold of mediocrity and slavery. Is this backward thinking scheme a sustainable wealth creation strategy? The level of organized waste of resources especially human is mind boggling.
So far there has been no official statement by any Lagos State government official which implies a tacit endorsement of it. Rather than create a policy to make youths solvers of recurring challenges through the use of technology, the government has decided to be a collaborator in suppressing the already impoverished youths in their prime. How tragic! I can place a bet that the so-called Comrade won’t groom any of his sons – pardon the gender bias for I have never seen a female conductor tow this line. The victims are definitely those whose fathers were not visionary enough to be ‘comrades.’
The mega city agenda of Lagos will have the presence of conductors as a sore thumb. It is an antithesis of what a mega city ought to be and will end up as one more unrealistic slogan like the Vision 2020 which is fast becoming worse than a nightmare.
It is a well-known fact that the street terrorists popularly known as agberos have now been organized into a union under the umbrella of the National Union of Road Transport Workers. They even wear two sets of uniforms. One won’t be surprised if the Head of the gang in Lagos, Alhaji Musiliu Akinsanya a.k.a Mc Oluomo makes a suggestion to the government that a scheme to attract graduates into the group should be implemented to ease the mind-boggling unemployment situation.
So much for a ‘Centre of Excellence!’
Tony Ademiluyi
Views expressed are solely that of author and does not represent views of www.omojuwa.com nor its associates
Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Thursday, hosted the executive members of the Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), at the Lagos House, saying that his administration would not subscribe to any form of discrimination based on tribe or religious affiliation.
The governor, who hosted the group at the Lagos House, Ikeja, said as much as the state is home to a large number of religious organisations, the government would continue to respect the constitution of the country which allows for freedom of association, however urging all religious bodies to continue to exhibit tolerance and unity among themselves.
“In Lagos, it is very clear that there is a heavy presence of the religious organization, Lagos is a cosmopolitan state, we do not discriminate, and we are set out to obey the constitution of this country. And in doing so, free citizens of Lagos State should be given the chance to excel to where God has planned for them to be”.
“We do not discriminate based on religion, we would not discriminate based on tribe, we are not going to discriminate based on where you come from. It is not the will of God and we would not practice it,” he said.
The governor, who said Lagos was honored to be chosen as the host for the 31st edition of the FOMWAN Conference, also commended the group for embarking on laudable projects just as he assured them of the readiness of his government to partner with them in executing the projects earmarked to be done in the state.
He said what the group was pursuing was not just for their own benefit, but for the purpose of positioning mothers for nation building and the future leaders of the entire country as a whole.
“I have read some literature about you, I am very happy to associate with this association because you have done things that government should ordinarily do. And it is not about women, it’s about you, and it’s about the future of Nigeria,” Governor Ambode said.
He said the group deserves to be celebrated for promoting peace, unity and empowering of women in general as well as having 36 branches in the 36 states of the federation with about 2000 delegates together.
“It is not something we should overlook. This is something that we should celebrate, we just want other groups to emulate. Not minding what government can do for us, but you are using religion to promote peace, promote unity and also promote what our children can actually do as well as empowering our women,” the governor said.
Earlier, deputy governor of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs) Idiat Oluranti Adebule, who is also a member of the group, expressed appreciation, especially for the support the group and the entire Muslim family has been receiving from the Governor.
Also speaking, president of the group, Hajia Aminat Omuti, said they had come to visit the governor ahead of their conference and equally commended him for the giant strides he has done in the state in the last 16 months of his administration.
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Thursday said the reforms initiated by his administration in critical sectors are already yielding positive results, adding that the State has so far received more Foreign Direct Investment in the last 16 months than what was achieved in the last 10 years.
Speaking at the maiden edition of Lagos Global on TV, a programme designed to inform Nigerians on the giant strides of the State Government at driving investment and facilitating ease of doing business in Lagos, the Governor said his administration had remained committed to creating an enabling environment for investment to thrive, saying that the resolve informed the various reforms introduced.
Governor Ambode, who reiterated the vision of his administration to make Lagos safer, cleaner and more prosperous for the people, said over the past 16 months, the administration has operated on a tripod which is security, job creation and infrastructure renewal.
According to him: “When I won the election, one of my priorities was to see how to improve on the ease of doing business in Lagos and I also believe that we needed to carry out some kind of public sector reforms to drive the vision which we had actually set for ourselves and we needed to also have a kind of structure and institutional framework that would drive the vision.
“The vision is very simple: we want a safer, cleaner and a more prosperous Lagos and one of the structures would be if we want to tackle the issue of bureaucracy in the civil service, we needed to have a 24/7 one-stop shop office where we can drive investment especially where our businessmen can actually walk into and get everything that they need. In going about that, we decided to come up with the office of Oversees Affairs and Investment, otherwise known as Lagos Global.”
Giving further insight to the essence of the office, the Governor said Lagos Global was specifically designed to serve as one-stop shop to facilitate investment both from within and outside the country, adding that the State is willing and ready to partner with any investor once such investor is ready to add value to the State and the people.
Speaking on some of the reforms, Ambode promised more investment, which, according to him, has created more job opportunities for the people, while revenues generated has been judiciously utilised to embark on infrastructure renewal across the State.
Giving an instance, he said the reforms in the transport sector have brought about reduction in travel time, which has made Lagosians to be more productive and improve service delivery to the people.
He said: “Take for example the issue of our judicial and security sector reform. We have been having the rule of law properly upheld in the state in the last 16 months and when you put all the reforms together, that is the main thrust of what you can now say confidently that we have created an enabling environment for investors and they are now coming into Lagos in droves. The FDI that we have put into Lagos in the last 16 months is greater than what we have been having in the last 10 years.”
The Governor said that his administration has also deployed technology to bring about seamless service delivery and that the government is working on scaling up the identity card scheme for data, economic and financial planning, aside the N25billion Employment Trust Fund aimed at empowering entrepreneurs.
Earlier, Special Adviser to the Governor on Overseas Affairs and Investments, Prof. Ademola Abass, said part of the mandate of his office is to bring in FDI into Lagos and also investment generated within the country.
Abass said Lagos which has emerged as the fifth largest economy in Africa has a Gross Domestic Product that is bigger than those of Kenya and Ghana combined.
Abdulhakeem Abdullateef, the Lagos state commissioner for home affairs, says no public school should prevent or punish pupils for wearing hijab, an Islamic headscarf.
Following the Appeal Court ruling which granted the use of hijab in public primary and secondary schools in Lagos, the state government had approached the Supreme Court to challenge the judgment.
Hence, the commissioner said all parties involved in the case should patiently await the outcome of the appeal.
Warning against a potential crisis that could emanate if the matter is not handled with caution, he said reports that some principals punished pupils for wearing hijab to school, were displeasing.
Abdullateef made the comments at a programme organised by the Muslim Congress.
“This government headed by Governor Akinkunmi Ambode is fair to all. We are not against any religion. Those punishing pupils for wearing hijab are not sent by us,” he said.
“We have not asked anybody to punish pupils for wearing it to school. We are aware of the court judgment and we have appealed to the Supreme Court.
“Pending the outcome of the Supreme Court judgement, I sincerely appeal to all concerned parties to keep calm. We don’t want crisis.
“We don’t want this to degenerate into crisis and we will continue to respect the right of everybody as enshrined in the constitution.”
The outstanding National and State Assembly elections in Rivers State will be conducted on December 10, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced on Thursday in Abuja.
Mrs Auguta Ogakwu, Secretary to the commission in a statement said that the commission had also approved December 3 to conduct election for the vacant Ifako/Ijaiye seat of Lagos State in the House of Representatives.
The seat became vacant following the death of the member who represented the constituency in the House, Mr Adewale Oluwatayo, in July.
On the same day, according to the statement, the commission will also conclude rescheduled councillorship polls in some area councils in the Federal Capital Territory.
“After months of intensive planning and wide consultations, the Independent National Electoral Commission on Thursday approved the conduct of Lagos’ House of Representative election on Saturday, Dec 3, 2016.
“Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Councillorship election will also hold on Saturday, Dec 3, 2016.
“Rivers, National Assembly (Senate and House of Representatives) and State House of Assembly elections on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2016,” the statement said.
The Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, on Thursday released 11 inmates at the Badagry Prisons during her maiden jail-delivery in the prison.
This is the first visit by Atilade to the Badagry Prison in her tenure as the Chief Judge of Lagos.
The Badagry Prison which has a capacity for 160 inmates is currently holding 370 inmates, out of which 207 are convicted and 163 are awaiting trial.
Atilade, said that the visit was for amnesty purposes.
“This is the first visit by me and my team to the Badagry Prisons to release inmates and those incarcerated unduly.
“Today, a number of inmates are qualified for amnesty and will breathe the air of freedom, the purpose of which is not only for them to be released but to contribute meaningfully to society,” she said.
The chief judge urged the Badagry Chapter of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and other Non-Governmental Organisations to take up cases of inmates pro bono to help with the administration of criminal justice.
“This amnesty is provided for in Section 1(1) of the Criminal Justice Release from Custody Special Provision Act and Section 35 of the 1999 constitution.
“You are hereby released conditionally from custody without prejudice to further proceedings against you. I enjoin you to go and sin no more,” the chief judge cautioned.
NAN reports that names of 174 inmates were submitted to the Prison Decongestion Committee to review for amnesty but was narrowed to 12 inmates.
One of the inmates could not be released because a lot of information was missing in his file making 11 the number of inmates eligible for release.
In his address of welcome, the Officer in Charge of the Badagry Prison, Mr Timothy Tinuoye, said that the prison was currently experiencing various infrastructural challenges.
Tinuoye, who was represented by Mr O.O Oladokun, said: “The prison has only one vehicle which conveys all the inmates to eight different courts daily and there is insufficient fund to maintain the vehicle.”
Atilade also made a brief stop at the Shola Thomas Courthouse for an inspection of the facility and later held a closed door meeting at the courthouse with the Chairman of the Badagry Chapter of the NBA, Mr Deyon Kiki.
The Lagos State Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, said on Wednesday that the state government would partner with the private sector to build more water works.
Adejare told the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos that the private sector arrangement was in line with the state government’s Public Private Partnership.
Adejare said: “The Lagos State Government is not planning to privatise the Lagos State Water Corporation, contrary to the belief that it is partnering with a financial institution to sell the corporation.
“Rather than privatising, the state government will be partnering with the private sector to build water works under a Public Private Partnership arrangement.
“The private sector partner would build and charge reasonable amount.”
Adejare said the move became necessary as the cost of building single water works had gone up, due to the exchange rate volatility.
He said that the government had limited resources with competing needs across sectors.
He said: “We cannot afford to stick to the status-quo, as we are battling with vector-borne diseases, and we need to sort out the issue of appropriate pricing.”
The commissioner said that currently, Water Corporation charged 5k per litre, as against N100 per litre being charged by the local water vendor.
Adejare said that water supply in the state was being given a new lease of life.
He said that most of the water works such as Ishasi, Adiyan and Iju now produced and supplied uninterrupted water to Lagos residents, following the repairs and restoration of power supply to the plant.
He said that the government was finding a lasting solution to the water-billing problems.
A 22-year-old Ghanaian, John Kojo, has been arrested by the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly supplying a locally-made pistol to a suspected robber in the Morogbo, Badagry area of the state.
It was learnt that Kojo was arrested on Saturday when a robbery suspect, Banhusa Abujuny, identified the Ghanaian as the owner of the gun he (Abujuny) allegedly used for robbery.
It was gathered that the duo was being detained by operatives of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Ikeja.
The police said the gun was “stolen from another robbery gang.”
It was learnt that on Friday, October 7, some armed robbers came to Kojo’s area in Morogbo and unleashed terror on the residents.
It was gathered that some residents put distress calls across to the police, while some vigilance group members mobilised against the robbers.
It was learnt that as the robbers fled, they abandoned the pistol, while Kojo, who was reportedly around the scene, picked and hid the weapon.
According to the police, Kojo later gave the gun to Abujuny to rob.
Kojo, however, said that he hid the gun abandoned by the robbers, adding that he was afraid to turn it in to the police.
The Ghanaian said he was not aware that his friend, Abujuny, took the gun from his house.
He said, “I got the gun after the robbers, who attacked Oko Afo, fled. The robbers came to our area and were moving from house to house. Some residents confronted them and they fled. I was one of those who chased the robbers.
“As they fled, they left one of the guns by the roadside and I picked it. I brought the gun home and hid it. I did not give the weapon to the police because I was afraid. I did not show the gun to anyone.
“Abujuny is my friend. He did not tell me that he had taken the gun. I was at home last week Saturday when SARS officers came and arrested me.”
Abujuny, who said he had not robbed with the gun, stated that he was arrested during a street fight in the Alaba Market, Ojo.
He said, “I had yet to rob with the gun. There was a fight in the Alaba Market on Friday and I threatened someone with the gun.”
The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, said the suspects would be charged to court at the end of investigation.
Aggrieved over the appointment of sole administrators for the 57 local government areas and local council development areas in Lagos state, a Lagos-based lawyer, Tope Alabi has sued Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the Federal High Court, Lagos.
He is seeking for a declaration that the appointments violated the 1999 Constitution and are therefore illegal, null and void.
Besides the governor, other respondents in the suit are the Lagos Attorney-General and the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
Alabi said the councils were not parastatals or boards to which the governor could make such appointments, but the third tier of government, which must be governed democratically through elected chairmen and councilors.
He is praying the court to declare that the state has no power under the Constitution to appoint a sole administrator to run the affairs of any council.
The applicant wants the court to restrain RMAFC from disbursing funds meant for the councils to the governor or any other state official until there is an election.
Alabi sought an order nullifying the appointment of sole administrators on June 13 for being unconstitutional, as well as an order mandating the respondents to account for all the monies disbursed to the council areas.
The lawyer also sought an order directing the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) to conduct council election within 30 days of the suits determination.
The Lagos chapter of the All Progressives Congress said on Sunday said it was time former President Goodluck Jonathan was invited for questioning over the alleged looting of the nation’s treasury under his administration.
The APC chapter said it had now become indefensible to pretend that Jonathan did not know anything about the alleged corrupt practices of some of the public office-holders who served under him.
The party was reacting to Jonathan’s recent statement that he did not believe that his National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (retd.), who is currently facing trial, stole the $2.1bn budgeted for the purchase of arms.
The APC chapter, in a statement by its spokesman, Joe Igbokwe, said by rising in defence of Dasuki, Jonathan had thrown caution to the wind and was now treating Nigerians with contempt when he was expected to concentrate on how to redeem his image.
Igbokwe said it was surprising that Jonathan would be defending Dasuki at a time when some of the public office-holders who served under him had been refunding some of the money they stole.
The APC said, “Even as we concede that Jonathan is on a desperate bid to rehabilitate himself, we wouldn’t believe that a former President should be so contemptuous of the intelligence of Nigerians as to give the kind of defence he gave to Sambo Dasuki.
“We wonder what Jonathan makes of the horrid details that are emanating from the Dasukigate issue with shocking evidences, confessions and even refunds made by those that participated in that monumental corruption.
“To claim that Dasuki and his partners did not steal the arms purchase fund reveals the inner beliefs of Jonathan.
“One would have expected Jonathan to be cautious in seeking to advance very childish and inadmissible exculpation of his subordinates for glaring acts of corruption. We had expected that Jonathan would have striven to water down the lowly impression held of him by Nigerians and the international community by not deciding to be so patronising to clear cases of corruption by his subordinates.
“By Jonathan’s defence of Sambo Dasuki, we believe time has come for the security agencies to pick up Jonathan to tell the nation all that he knows of the many cases of corruption that happened under him.”
A trekker, Muhammed Isa, 32, has once again embarked on a walk from Lagos to Abuja in solidarity with the Ali-Modu Sheriff’s Peoples Democratic Party faction.
Isa, who started the walk from Berger footbridge along Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, told newsmen before departing at about 9.12 a.m. that youths of the party support Sheriff as the Chairman.
“I am on solidarity trek from Lagos to Abuja to show my support and the support of youths to Sheriff as the authentic national Chairman of PDP,’’ he said.
The internal leadership squabbles had factionalised PDP with Alhaji Ahmed Markafi leading the other.
Isa, a graduate of Psychology, claimed that the youth felt that Sheriff was the best person to manage the affairs of the party.
“I want to make something clear, Ali-Modu Sheriff is someone who is honest and listens to grassroots politicians; he has been working tirelessly to ensure that PDP regains its lost glory.
“This is the type of person we need as a leader to move the party forward,’’ he said.
The indigene of Borno said he hoped to finish the trek within 23 days.
“I have already planned my journey, I will be trekking from morning to evening, wherever dusk meets me, I look for an accommodation there.
“After morning prayers, I will resume trekking,’’ he said.
Asked about the security measures he has in place, Isa said he had none but believed God was with him.
“I believe with Allah on my side, no evil will befall me because I am not doing something that is bad or injurious to the country,’’ he said.
Isa also trekked when former President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan, conceded defeat on March 28, 2015 President Muhammadu Buhari.
Then, he trekked from the same Berger area of Lagos to Abuja with the reason that Jonathan made a great sacrifice for the unity of the country.
“The fact that I am a Muslim does not mean that I should not celebrate Jonathan for the sacrifice he made for this country by accepting defeat.’’
Isa, who expressed optimism that he would meet the President and present him an award then, however, said that “if I did not see him, I don’t care.
“If I die on the road, I still believe that I die for what is right,’’ he said during the trek that began on May 6.
In what appeared to be a clampdown on criminals operating in the ever-busy Oshodi, Lagos and prelude to the Yuletide, the operatives of the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos State Police Command have arrested six teenagers, who allegedly specialized in mobile phone stealing.
The suspects, who were brought in batches to the RRS’s Headquarters in Alausa, Ikeja were all apprehended the same day in Oshodi while allegedly brazenly dispossessing commuters of their belongings.
The suspects; Ganiyu Rahman Sadiq Adebayo, Timilehin Oluwaseun, Ogundare Moyinoluwa, 18, Toheeb Tijani, 19 and 17- year-old Adeleke Sodiq were arrested at the weekend in Oshodi Oke.
According to one of the suspects, Ganiy Rahman, “We are over 50 boys. We are always in Oshodi – Oke, from morning till late night.
“Some of us genuinely help people to carry their loads while many of us are there to snatch handbags, phones and other valuables from people. At times, we pretend to be helping them but our focus is their valuables. Most times, we work in groups.
“I have been sleeping in Oshodi Under Bridge since 2013. I work as conductor and whenever I am not working, I am with my peer to rob and snatch valuables in Oshodi”, he stated.
“We were three when we stole the Microsoft phone from a lady’s bag. We pretended to be helping the lady to get a bus.
The Lagos State Taskforce had earlier committed me to 13 months rehabilitation.
His victim, Sarah Obende, an undergraduate of the University of Lagos (UNILAG) said, “I discovered my phone was missing immediately I boarded a bus in Oshodi. I received a call in the evening that I should come to Alausa to collect my phone”, she disclosed.
Another suspect, Sadiq Adebayo who was allegedly in company of two other boys while stealing an iphone and a phantom Tecno phone from a car, disclosed, “Osas and Janbele stole the two phones. We have sold the two phones along with seven other phones to Tuwo in Idi Oro, Mushin. They gave me N7, 000 from the proceeds.
Four of the remaining suspects, Timilehin Oluwaseun, Ogundare Moyinoluwa, Toheeb Tijani and Adeleke Sodiq were all separately apprehended while stealing phones and purse from commuters in similar circumstances.
Responding to the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Dolapo Badmos, said Police would leave no stone unturned in getting rid of criminal elements within the state.
Flight operations at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos were yesterday halted when fire broke out in the terminal.
The fire incident, due to electrical faults, engulfed the Avio Bridge E-54 wing, causing panic among the passengers and workers.
Firefighters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) promptly responded to put off the fire before it caused major damage at Nigeria’s busiest airport.
The outbreak disrupted flights in and out of the airport for close to an hour, with spiral effects still felt till the evening.
General Manager, FAAN Corporate Affairs Department, Mrs. Henrietta Yakubu, said the fire was caused by a spark at the Finger Main Distribution Board, E-Finger of the Airport.
Yakubu said electricity had been restored in the terminal shortly after the outbreak was extinguished, with engineers successfully correcting all defaults to restore normalcy in affected areas.
“While assuring airport users of safety and security at the airports, FAAN wishes to apologise to passengers, airlines and the general public for the inconvenience caused by this interruption,” she said.
One ground sources, however, said that the outbreak might not be unconnected with the recent expansion of the terminal and alleged use of inferior cables by the contractor.
Last month, the D-wing Departure of the international airport was engulfed by fire.
Four days later, another fire broke out, which affected the Skye Bank office at the airport and other tenants at the terminal.
The Lagos State Government will not relent in its effort at making the state the safest place to live in by providing a safe environment, the Commissioner for the Environment, Dr. Babatunde Adejare, has said.
Adejare made the assertion on Thursday at the official flag-off of the Lagos State Market Deratisation Programme at Obalende Market.
The programmed is aimed at ridding the state of the Lassa Fever vector.
The government is collaborating with Phosguard Fumigants, an NGO, to promote the programme through “Kill rats, make more money in Lagos”.
Under the programme, the residents are encouraged to kill rats in their environs, which the programme implementers, Phosguard, will buy at a yet-to-be determined price for proper disposal.
Adejare said: “As a bourgeoning global urban agglomeration with a population of over 22 million people and daily waste generation of 13,000 metric tons, Lagos requires proactive environmental management to control pest and by extension diseases.
“Lagos is a mega city with the highest population which is still growing though in terms of landmass it is the smallest state in the country.
“According to a UN report, our nation still ranks among the countries with the highest number of infant mortality, hence we need to look inward to know how we can control this.
“In lieu of this, we are looking at how we can free Lagos from diseases, pestilence and infestations. We talk about mosquito control, pest control and other dangerous animals in our society.
“The administration of Gov. Akinwumi Ambode is committed to ensuring that we have the safest place to live in not minding anywhere we are in Lagos.”
Adejare said that to provide a safe environment for the people, vector control remains the ideal strategy.
Adejare also said: “The mega structure of the state has, however, provided the opportunity for transmission of pathogens between animal species and humans which are heightened by the unprecedented increase in the movement of people.
“No doubt, the alluring feature of our state exposes it to a number of threats that if unchecked can spell doom for the wellbeing of the residents in general.
“The environmental and health hazards that vectors present to our people can therefore not be ignored. Therefore, to protect the population from epidemics, such as Lassa fever, vector control remains the way out.
“Vector control is a means of eradicating mammals, birds and other arthropods collectively called vectors which transmit disease pathogens.
“It is noteworthy that all over the world vector management has grown to become an economy on its own; we wish to take advantage of the enormous economic opportunities.
“Therefore, as beneficiaries of this initiative, it is our responsibility to cooperate with the agents of government going round to rid our markets of rodents and other disease vectors.
The former governor of Abia State, Dr. Orji Uzor Kalu, yesterday asked the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to stop the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from transferring his case from the Abuja Division of the court to Lagos.
Kalu is, therefore, seeking an order of mandamus compelling the EFCC and the Attorney General of the Federation to try him in the Abuja division of the court.
The applicant, in a motion ex parte brought pursuant to order 34 Rule 1 [a] and 3 of the Federal High Court (Civil procedure) rules, 2009; and section 6[6] [a] of the 1999 Constitution, sought the leave of court to apply for the issuance of an order of mandamus compelling the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to remit suit No. FHC/ABJ/CR/56/07- Federal Republic of Nigeria Vs. Orji Uzor Kalu & 2Ors, which was transferred from the Abuja division of the court to Lagos back to Abuja for continuation of hearing.
In the application filed through his legal team comprising Awa Kalu (SAN), Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Solomon Akuma (SAN), Chief Nwufo (SAN) and Chief Gordy Uche (SAN), Kalu also asked for an order that the leave so granted shall operate as a stay of all actions, matters or issues ancillary to or relating to or pertaining to or connected with the case, pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
Attached to the suit No. FHC/ABJ/CS/845/2016 is a supporting affidavit of 16 paragraphs and an affidavit of urgency deposed to by one Ikechukwu Njoku, a legal practitioner.
The deponent averred that the suit brought against the applicant was commenced in 2007 after he left office as Governor of Abia State.
He added that after office, the applicant did not contest any elective office because he wanted to retire to private life and quiet life in his village, Igbere in Abia State.
According to the deponent, “due to the case brought against him by the EFCC, he temporarily relocated to Abuja to face trial alongside others charged with him.
“After he entered his plea of not guilty to all the charges and was subsequently granted bail by the court, his trial was delayed by some interlocutory applications that travelled to the Supreme Court.
“That in 2016, the Supreme Court ordered that the case be returned to the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court for trial. “That acting in strict compliance with the judgement of the Supreme Court, the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice Ibrahim Auta (3rd respondent), assigned the case to Justice Anuli Chikere for trial.
“It is the case of the applicant that all parties appeared before Justice Chikere on two occasions and the matter was adjourned due to pending appeal before the Supreme Court.”
The deponent further averred in the supporting affidavit that on the third occasion, the court ordered that the defendant (Kalu) alongside others should take their plea, which they did and were admitted on bail.
“That the court, alongside the prosecution and defence team, agreed for three clear dates and the matter was adjourned to December 6, 7, and 8, 2016 for definite trial, thereafter, all the parties left the court to prepare for adjourned dates.
“Surprisingly and without consultation with other parties and defence team of the applicant, the EFCC (1strespondent) which is the prosecuting agency approached the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court (3rdrespondent) and asked for a transfer of the case to Lagos judicial division of the Federal High Court,” he averred.
The applicant further stated that the 3rd respondent yielded to their request and transferred the matter to Lagos judicial division of the Federal High Court. It is the deposition of the applicant that upon becoming aware that the 3rd respondent has transferred the case to Lagos judicial division of the Federal High Court, he petitioned the acting chairman of the 1st respondent (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, through one of his counsel, Amobi Nzelu.
Furthermore, the applicant also submitted that he has been standing trial in the matter since 2007 and has never failed to appear in court on any of the adjourned dates and expressed his willingness to face his trial before any judge in Abuja or worst still in Umuahia where the offences were allegedly committed.
He contended that while the 2nd respondent (AGF) has constitutional powers to initiate, maintain and discontinue any criminal action in court, such powers cannot be used for persecution other than for prosecution.
He further argued that transferring a nine-yearold case from Abuja to Lagos is for persecution and not prosecution.
While accusing the prosecuting agency of engaging in forum shopping for a convenient court to convict him, he averred that he temporarily resides in Abuja and his team of lawyers resides in Abuja.
The Governor of Edo State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, on Wednesday commended his Lagos State counterpart, Akinwunmi Ambode, for his various interventions in the last 18 months of his administration, saying that it has greatly impacted on the State, especially in the area of traffic reduction.
Oshiomhole spoke at the closing ceremony of the 16th National Women Conference, organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials.
He commended the wife of the Governor of Lagos State, Bolanle Ambode, particularly for sustaining COWLSO since its establishment, adding that the choice of the theme for this year’s Conference: “Strong Family, Strong Nation,”’ was quite instructive.
Speaking on the specific challenges posed by modern lifestyle on the family where the parents would have to leave home early and come home late, Oshiomhole said Ambode, with his strategic traffic management initiatives, was to a very large extent addressing the challenges.
Oshiomhole said: “As I was coming to this place today, I noticed something that I think is worth celebrating because of its impact in helping family unity and family union.
“Why will you wake up at 5am or 4am just to be at work at 8am devoting all the time to traffic?
“The reason was because of the huge traffic challenges, but when I received the invitation for today’s event and I was advised that it was 10am and I know my brother, Governor Ambode, keeps to time, I said we have to get up early and I told my wife that we are going to spend about two hours from Ikeja Airport to get to Ikoyi.
“But I was very pleasantly surprised that coming from Ikeja to this place, it was like flying a first class aircraft from Alausa to the heart of Ikoyi.
“When I got here, I was asking the Governor how he did it and he shared with me the interventions put in place within months of his assumption of office that have helped to completely reorder the traffic in Lagos, such that when we slow down to about 20km per hour, we noticed people asking what is causing this go slow, but things have changed so much.”
Oshiomhole said the interventions of the Governor was not only reducing traffic and fuel consumption, but was also bringing back the good times of family bonding as travel time has reduced, hence husbands and wives don’t have excuse of traffic to get home late or leave very early.
Oshiomhole said over the years as Governor of Edo State, he has had cause to learn and borrow from the template Lagos was running, expressing optimism that his successor and Governor-elect, Godwin Obaseki, would be willing to borrow a leaf from the COWLSO Conference as well as the traffic management strategy of Lagos.
He said: “We borrowed what is happening in Lagos to make the case for Godwin Obaseki in Edo that Nigeria must move away from a tradition in which you have to be a celebrated politician to become eligible to contest for a political office and that what we need in times like this are skills and people with managerial acumen and competence and we readily referred to Lagos as an example of what works with a seasoned and indisputable leader like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu laying the foundation, dreaming big, dreaming clearly and setting the vision and identifying capable young men and women to translate those vision in a manner that is unprecedented in the history of our country.”
Oshiomhole added that with the achievements of Governor Ambode so far, he has shown that the only poverty to address is the poverty of ideas, adding that once the brain is creative and imaginative with a Governor that is ready to apply himself, there is no problem that would defer solution.
“You have shown that our task as leaders is not to lament what does not work but to think through how to make it work and that you are doing; that you have done and I know that you will continue to do,” Oshiomhole said.
Earlier in her remarks, Mrs. Ambode said the three-day conference had opened the mind of participants to new ideas, information and statistics, adding that the women are better empowered to become change agents.
She explained that the success story of the conference could not have been without the excellent cooperation of the women who form COWLSO, just as she admonished them to put all what they were taught at the conference into use in their respective offices and homes.
The Lagos State Government says it has assisted four farmers’ cooperative societies in the state with N8 million to enable them to contribute meaningfully to the national food security.
Sanni Okanlawon, the Special Adviser to Governor Akinwumi Ambode on Food Security, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Tuesday in Lagos.
Okanlawon said that the money was meant for the acquisition of modern tools that would aid commercialisation of agriculture in the state.
According to him, the societies are Ayobo-Ipaja Farmers Forum, which got N2.5 million, United Farmers Forum (N2.5 million), Ifesowopa Farmers Cooperative Society (N1.5 million) and Amuwo Odofin Cooperative Society (N1.5 million).
He said the money was given under the National Food Security Programme in collaboration with the Federal Government.
Okanlawon told NAN that the beneficiaries had contributed to the agricultural sector in the state, were rewarded during the 2016 World Food Day.
Okanlawon said: “The amount given to the groups depend on the size of the cooperative.
“The grant is such that the Federal Government gives half of the money, while the state government provides the other part.
“When the money is given, part of it is released to the groups while the ministry takes the other part to purchase other farm equipment needed by the groups to increase production.
“This is another way of empowering farmers towards improving food security.
“The beneficiaries are closely monitored by the Agriculture Development Authority to guard against diversion of the funds.”
According to Okanlawon, ADA monitors the flow of the monies through a confirmatory note sent to the ministry by the group before withdrawal.
Kunle Gbadamosi, a member of the Ayobo-Ipaja Cooperative Forum, which got N2.5 million, lauded the government for the gesture.
Gbadamosi restated that the money was to further drive commercialisation of farming activities in the state.
He said that the gesture had further assured farmers of the present administration’s drive to ensure food production and security.
Some residents in Lagos state today staged a protest at the Custom’s office on Moboloaji Bank Anthony way, Ikeja, over the death of a motorcyclist, Omotosho Zaheed who was allegedly killed by some customs officers at Mosalasi bus stop, Alagbado, Lagos State last week Thursday.
Barely a year and six months in office, the governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has disclosed that his administration is making tremendous progress but added that what he has achieved so far was just a tip of the iceberg.
He asserted that the administration has just started unveiling what it has in stock for the citizens of the state.
Speaking on behalf of the governor, while receiving a delegation of young professionals in the state led by former President of the Student Union Governing Council, Federal University of Technology Akure, Mr. Wale Adelakun, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Strategy, Mr. Idowu Ajanaku, said the administration will not rest on its oars until it meets the yearnings of the people to the best of their expectations.
According to Ajanaku, “There are over eight thousand federal and state roads in Lagos, with most of the road networks linking the rural areas with the urban areas in deplorable conditions; fixing these roads is a major part of the people’s demand from the governor during the electioneering campaign.
“Against the backdrop, governor Ambode’s response has been immediate and impressive, as he embarked on the construction of two roads each, in each of the 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Councils (LCDA). About 114 roads have been completed across the state since he assumed office. This has contributed in no small measure to the socio-economic development of the state.”
Ajanaku explained that the decision of the government to embark on the demolition of shanties and criminal hide-outs in recent times was in line with the vision of the government to achieve the Mega City status, which the predecessors of Ambode, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Babatunde Fashola started since 1999.
His words: “Governor Ambode’s vision and burden is in the mould of Lee Kuan Yew, the Father of modern Singapore, who set out with an infrastructural revolution in Singapore. This move was met with a lot of resistance but with determination and doggedness, today Singapore is a modern day wonder.
“The Lagos of Ambode’s dream is a mega city of note and investment friendly destination of choice in sub Saharan Africa and he is determined to get there.”
In his response, Mr. Adelakun commended the administration for keeping its campaign promises by opening up rural areas and also changing the look of governance from elitist to such that has the common man at heart.
Adelakun said, “If the governor continues with the present tempo, very soon, the state would become a very good place to live in.”
However, citizens of the state are still expecting the administration to do more in the area of security as they expressed concern over the recent spate of kidnapping within Lagos.
Some of them actually urged the governor to carry out a lot of intelligence research to find out why the spate of kidnapping has suddenly increased across the state.
Abuja- Mr Suleiman Hashimu, who trek from Lagos to Abuja to celebrate the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 general elections, is to embark on another trek for the president.
Hashimu, however, said on Friday that this time around, he would not use his legs but vehicles in touring the 36 states and FCT.
He said he wants to showcase the achievement of the president so far.
“I will be embarking on another trek for President Muhammadu Buhari. This time, my trip is with a vehicle, not my usual trekking. I would tour the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“This is to showcase achievement recorded by this administration so that they will appreciate the achievements recorded so far. “President Buhari has achieved a lot in security and anti-corruption crusade. People that are untouchable in this country are answerable to the law of the land.
“Another big achievement recorded on Thursday was the rescue of the 21 of the over 200 kidnapped Chibok school girls. This is no doubt a great achievement.
“I will like to tell Nigerians to continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari to achieve all the promises he made during his campaign for the presidency,’’
A 50-year-old man, Suleman Buhari, who allegedly raped a 13-year-old girl in a Lagos Island market, has been denied bail and remanded in prison custody by an Igbosere Magistrates’ court.
The accused, who resides at Shop 50, Ojaoba Market is being tried for unlawful carnal knowledge and sexual assault.
The accused though pleaded not guilty to the charge was ordered to be remanded in Ikoyi prisons.
The Magistrate, Mrs O.A.Ogunbowale, asked the accused to request for bail from a High court and instructed the prosecutor to duplicate the case file and forward a copy to the State Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal advice.
The Police Prosecutor, Ajaga Agboko said the accused committed the offence of rape on October 5 in the market.
“The accused unlawfully had a carnal knowledge of the girl in the market,’’ he said.
The offences contravened Sections 137 and 261 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.
The Lagos State Government Wednesday disclosed that no fewer than 10,427 private schools were operating in different parts of the state without approval, warning that it would shut them if they failed to comply.
The state government also revealed that of the 15,000 private schools currently operating in the state, only 4,573 complied with the state’s school standard practice and other stipulated regulations.
The Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Adebule, disclosed this at a meeting with the Deputy Head of Regional Operations, Department for International Development (DFID), Mr. Ben Nicholson, in her office at Alausa Wednesday.
She said the state government was committed to the ongoing enumeration and registration of all private schools operating in the state, saying the exercise became imperative to standardise the operation of private schools.
Adebule explained that the purpose of enumerating and registering all private schools was “to ensure that they have government approvals and comply with the stipulated regulations and standards.”
She added that the exercise “is aimed at ensuring that all pupils have equal access to quality education irrespective of whether they attend private or public schools. Already, we are making efforts to get all private schools registered.
“That is the essence of the enumeration and registration exercise. For now, out of 15,000 private schools operating in the state, only 4,573 are duly registered and have received government approval.
“Others are operating without licenses because they do not want to conform to standard practice. Any school that does not meet government requirements after the exercise will be forced to close down.”
By implication, the deputy governor noted that about 10,427 private schools were operating without government approval, thereby representing 69.52 per cent of all private schools in the state.
At the meeting, Adebule expressed its readiness to strengthen its collaboration with the DFID in its quest to improve on the quality of education in the state, acknowledging that previous collaborations with the body has brought significant improvement to the growth of quality education in the state.
He added that the DFID’s Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) implemented in Lagos “has helped to build teachers’ capacity and helped in the upgrade of public schools infrastructure.
“Though the ESSPIN contract will expire January 2017, the state government is considering the review of the programme with a view to extending the pact because of the great value it has added to the education sector.”
She urged them to design programmes that/further expose teachers in the public service “to modern teaching techniques and build their capacity in the overall interest of raising the standard of education in the state.
“The collaboration of the DFID with the state government in the area of education has been of tremendous benefit to the state government and we hope to strengthen this working relationship so as to further promote the quality of education in our dear state.”
The Lagos State Government on Wednesday said suspected militants from the Niger Delta were behind the abduction of four pupils and teachers, who were whisked away from their school, Lagos Model College (Senior and Junior), Igbonla, Epe on October 6.
The state government, however, said the victims, comprising two pupils, vice-principal and head teacher had already gone through medical checkup and safely reunited with their families.”
The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, said this in a statement he issued yesterday, saying the state government would spare nothing until the state “is rid of criminal elements.”
After the victims were released on Tuesday, Ayorinde reiterated the resolve of the state government “to protect lives and property. The children have undergone medical check-up after which they were reunited with their families.
“The children are doing well. Also, they have gone through medical checkup. Already, they have been safely reunited with their families after they were released and undergone medical checkup.”
Ayorinde said the state government “welcomed the release of the school pupils, vice-principal and head teacher of Igbonla Model College, Epe. The victims were kidnapped by suspected Ijaw militants on October 6.”
The commissioner urged residents to be more vigilant, security conscious and report all suspected persons and objects seen within their neighbourhood to the appropriate security agencies.
“The determination of the government to ensure 24-hour security of the state is evident in the huge investment in the equipment and welfare of security agencies, especially the police,” he explained.
He said the state government “has taken adequate steps to stem the tide of kidnapping in the state, in line with the directive of the state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, plans have been concluded to commence the demolition of illegal structures erected across the state waterfronts and creeks.
“Often times, the incidence of kidnapping are perpetrated through the waterways and as such, these illegal structures provide a leeway for these criminal elements to plan and execute their nefarious activities.
“This step, we believe, will go a long way to address this menace. The state government has also begun steps to boost community policing with the recent announcement by the governor that at least 5,000 neighbourhood watchers will soon be recruited to improve surveillance across the state, especially at the rural areas.”
Meanwhile, following the release of the two kidnapped students of Government Model College, Igbonla, Epe, their vice principal and teacher, late Tuesday night by their abductors, it was yesterday gathered that they were not assaulted or molested in any way.
Although one of the students was a female, she was also not assaulted by the gang, rather, her ill health facilitated their early release from captivity.
Kidnapped four pupils and two teachers of Lagos State Model College, Igbonla Epe, were ferried to safety in two speedboats by their abductors on Tuesday, it was learnt yesterday.
The victims – Abu, Emmanuel Okonkwo, Jeremiah Ruth, Isaac Adebisi – Junior School Vice Principal A. O. Oyesola and English teacher Lukman Oyerinde, were dropped off inside a forest where they trekked for over two hours before meeting their relatives.
Our reporters learnt that they were asked to walk in a line and not look back until they got to the point where family members had waited for over four hours.
The vice principal led the pack and the English teacher was asked to stay at the rear, leaving the pupils in-between.
The victims were taken to the Epe General Hospital for check-up. Some of them were diagnosed with typhoid and malaria.
The father of one of the victims said: “They spent many hours at the hospital and were later moved to a house in Epe where the principal addressed them.
“Two parents went to a designated place in Epe, where the kidnappers directed them to. They were at the place around 6pm and stayed there till about 10pm without any sign of the victims.
“As it was getting late, they said they were scared but had to remain there because that was the kidnappers’ instruction. So, around 10:30pm, they showed up, saying they had trekked for over two hours.
“I received the kidnap news with rude shock and since then, my family has been disorganised. I was not staying in Epe. My wife and I relocated to Epe ever since the bad news broke.
“I thank God when I was called by 10:30pm to inform me that the victims have been released. When I arrived at the school, I saw my son alive.
“I was not afraid that something sinister might happen to them because I have been praying alongside with many other sympathisers and I have the assurance that they would come out alive. God has really done it.
“Let’s not talk of ransom, I did not pay any. I don’t know whether anyone paid. I did not pay. My joy is that my son and others are hale and hearty. I want to thank the state government and the police for the roles they played while the victims were in captivity.”
Ruth’s sister who spoke on condition of anonymity said: “We suffered hell when we went to pay N1 million for our sick child. The kidnappers after two days of playing pranks with us dropped them off in the bush and gave them a description on how to come out to the road.
“Our joy knew no bounds when we saw our children and their teachers coming out alive. I was deeply involved because our child was described as being ill, but, not as ill as we were made to believe”
Police spokesperson Dolapo Badmos, a Superintendent (SP) said they were neither assaulted nor traumatised.
She stated that the medical examination carried out on the victims indicated that none of them was molested.
Some security guards of Greenland Estate in the Mende, Maryland area of Lagos State killed three 30-foot pythons in the early hours of Tuesday.
It was learnt that the killing of the reptiles brought panic into the estate as residents expressed fear for their safety.
It was gathered that the animals were exposed after the dredging activities of the Lagos State Government.
It was gathered that after killing the pythons, the security guards on the estate put them up for sale for N10,000.
The Vice Chairman of the estate, Sola Adekoya, said more than 15 pythons had been killed on the estate in 2016 alone, urging the government to find a lasting solution to the overgrown canals in the area.
He said, “The security men and some squatters caught the three pythons this morning around 8am. The giant snakes were about 30-foot long.
“We have seen more than 15 pythons this year alone; the guards kill them regularly. The reason is that the canals are overgrown and the snakes always hide under the canals. We need government’s intervention on time to avoid any tragedy.”
It was learnt that residents of the area always stayed indoors at night for fear of being attacked by snakes.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday disclosed that the State Government would begin the disbursement of the much anticipated N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) and other empowerment programmes initiated by his administration next week.
Governor Ambode, who spoke at the 3rd Quarter 2016 Town Hall Meeting, held at the Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere said that the funds for the programmes targeted to assist youths, artisans and the needy become self reliant have been provided, hence beneficiaries would start getting support from the last quarter of the year.
“We will roll out all our empowerment programmes immediately to assist all our youth, artisans and the needy. The funding for the N500m Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund has been provided and beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter,” Governor Ambode said.
To beef up the security in the State, especially at the community level, Governor Ambode also disclosed plans to recruit at least 5,000 Neighbourhood Watchers with new recruits expected to earn at least N25, 000 monthly with other allowances.
He said the neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill which he signed into Law on August 15, 2016, was part of efforts to institutionalise and deepen community policing in the State.
“There is a law that has just been passed which is the Lagos State Neighborhood Safety Corps Law, 2016 and in line with the resolution taken by the House of Assembly yesterday, we would go all out to make sure that this agency is activated and all our neighborhoods will be covered, and then centralize with the State Government with all the necessary equipment and resources to ensure that we establish what we call community policing and that is the way to go.
“We will rebrand Neighborhood Watchers and re-equip them to the level that each Neighborhood Watchers in all the Local Governments will have their vehicles and necessary equipment to complement security. We are also working on employing additional 5,000 Neighborhood Watchers in all our Local Governments and they will be paid by us, while the basic salary for the entrance level will be N25,000 per month,” the Governor said.
Speaking on the budget performance of the 2016 budget, Governor Ambode disclosed that the State’s budget performance for January to September performed at 69 per cent as against 65 per cent for the same period in 2015.
He said a total of N166.8billion has been spent on capital projects this year, a figure, he said, was more than double the N53.6billion spent for the same period last year.
Governor Ambode said the State generated a total revenue of N97.3billion in the last quarter with an expenditure of expenditure of N110.2billion, noting that the cash reserve of the State has remained positive.
The Governor also disclosed that a total sum of N55billion was expended on capital expenditure in the last quarter.
According to him, the last quarter witnessed a lot of activities from the delivery of massive road infrastructure across the Local Governments in the State as well as the promulgation of the anti-Land Grabbing Law, aimed at making life easier for property owners and a boost in investment activities that will enhance the growth and development potentials in the State.
He expressed optimism that despite the recession, the State’s economy would remain on a strong and sound footing if capital expenditure spending is increased.
“In this quarter, we will concentrate more resources on capital projects. We will put money in the hands of our local contractors and through them stimulate and reflate the economy. Immediate payments will be made to contractors handling health sector and education sector projects within the next two weeks,” Governor Ambode assured.
Speaking on some projects outlined for the next quarter, the Governor said that plans have been concluded to transform the Yaba Bus Park with the provision of modern bus shelters replica of the ones erected at the Tafawa Balewa Square.
Governor Ambode also assured that the road rehabilitation projects ongoing at Adetola Street and Brown Road in Aguda, Surulere as well as Olajuwon and Biney Streets in Yaba would be completed before the end of the present quarter.
He said with the completion and delivery of the first phase of the 114 local government roads last month, the process of bid invitation for the construction of additional 114 roads across the 20 Local Governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas would commence within the next three weeks.
“We have commenced a multi-faceted development that will change the face of Lagos Island. We have installed new bus shelters at Tafawa Balewa Square and before the end of December, various projects will be commenced within the National Museum axis, Onikan to Tafawa Balewa Square, and from Lagos House Marina and Freedom Park. By the time we complete these projects, Lagos will become a major tourist destination in West Africa,” the Governor said.
Also speaking during the interactive session at the event witnessed by captains of industries, party chieftains and members of the diplomatic corps, Oba of Lagos, HRM Oba Rilwan Akiolu, lamented the suspension of a bill seeking special status for Lagos by the Senate, but expressed optimism that the bill would still become law in the nearest future.
He said: “The suspension of the bill sponsored by our amiable daughter and wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu is unfortunate but it is better and advisable to let these people know that this is not a matter of quarrel but a question of time. It will definitely happen.”
The monarch, who recalled the history of the agitation for special status for Lagos, urged the promoters of the bill to go back to drawing board and do their home work well before representing it for consideration and passage.
The Governor, who also spoke on the issue, commended Senator Tinubu for her courage to push for the bill, while also lauding the Senate President, Bukola Saraki for his magnanimity in allowing the bill to be presented on the floor of the Senate.
He however expressed optimism that the bill would be reactivated and represented again, saying that the success of the bill was in the overriding interest of Nigerians.
Lagos State is on the verge of making the Guinness Book of World Records via sports having successfully hosted the biggest ever Monopoly tournament.
The competition, tagged “City of Lagos Monopoly’’ was organised by the Lagos State Sports Commission in collaboration with Lagos-based Bestman Games, a sports development outfit.
The competition, held at the Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere, broke the world record of “Most People Playing Monopoly” under one roof.
The U-17 championships which had about 1,300 students overshot the expected number of students which the organisers initially pegged at 1,000.
The former world record was set at the Universal Studio in Singapore where 605 people gathered for the game on March 19, 2016.
Bestman Games says it is awaiting the confirmation of the feat by the Guinness Book of World Records for Lagos.
Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode has berated the Senate for turning down a bill meant to grant Lagos special status which will entitle the state to a special grant.
The Senate on Wednesday votes overwhelmingly against the bill sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu.
In a statement on Thursday, Ambode commended Senator Tinubu for pushing the need for Lagos State to be recognized and rewarded with a Special Status and Grant into the forefront of national discourse even if the import of that request is lost on a number of her colleagues.
In a release signed by the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Steve Ayorinde, Ambode said that history would remember Senator Tinubu kindly for her thoughtfulness and courage in promoting the bill that sought a special recognition for Lagos State as the commercial capital of Nigeria as well as one per cent of federally generated revenue in view of its socio-economic importance to the entire country.
Ambode stated that without prejudice to the decision of the Senate to stand down the bill, Senator’s Tinubu’s informed position and push will remain an important contribution as well as a reference point in the national economic discourse.
“At a time that our country needs courageous voices that seek solutions that can benefit millions of Nigerians irrespective of where they are from, what the distinguished Senator Oluremi Tinubu has done is to draw attention to how Lagos State can provide more succour to Nigerians being the home to the largest assemblage of Nigerians. She has drawn attention to how Lagos deserves to be assisted so that the state can further provide assistance to millions of Nigerians. It is a pity that this import was not seen from that perspective by the majority of her colleagues,” he said.
Ambode stated that in spite of the set-back the bill suffered on Wednesday, the fact remained that Lagos State has always played a special role to Nigerians as individuals and to the country as a whole.
“The truth of the matter is that as the most populous Nigerian state and the commercial heart-beat of the entire West Africa; a state that would have been the fifth largest economy in Africa if it were an independent country, Nigeria needs Lagos in order for other parts of the country to continue to benefit from Lagos.
“A special status and a special grant are fair requests that would have encouraged and rewarded Lagos State for what it contributes to the federal purse. A yes for the bill would have provided an opportunity to truly reflate the economy and empower Lagos State in serving as home to more than 21 million Nigerians and as the hub to the largest volume of businesses and foreign direct investments in Nigeria. But clearly, a spectacular opportunity has been missed by ignoring this important bill,” Ambode said.
The governor added that in spite of the rejection of the bill, Lagos State would continue to be special and will not be deterred in continuing to play the important role of serving as a conducive and secure home for Lagosians as well as local and international visitors where opportunities are limitless and lives and property are safe.
The Senate on Wednesday rejected a Bill seeking statutory grant and recognition of Lagos State for its `strategic socio-economic significance.’
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Oluremi Tinubu (Lagos Central), was rejected by most of the lawmakers who argued that it contradicted certain constitutional provisions.
Tinubu had urged her colleagues to support the bill for Lagos to be granted one per cent of revenue from the Federation Account as statutory grant.
“Lagos is of strategic, social economic significance as the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria. Today, Lagos serves as the commercial capital of Nigeria.
“The strategic importance of Lagos State is inherent in several sectors of the economy.’’
She said statistics indicated that six out of 10 international passengers arrived in Lagos while eight out of 10 departed from Lagos.
“Lagos is home to the major ports that served Nigeria. It accounts for over 90 per cent of all maritime exports.
“The state delivers much of the funds and charges that go into the coffers of the Federal Government. It is incontrovertible that Lagos state generates much of Nigeria’s income outside its oil sector.
“According to FIRS report in 2008, 86.2 per cent company income taxes were collected in Lagos, including 56.7 per cent value added tax.
“As a city which caters for the welfare of residents and visitors, Lagos is placed under a huge strain that affects its infrastructure and has welfare implications for residents and transient citizens of other states in Nigeria.
“This grant will be utilised in meeting the public infrastructural need of Lagos state, including rail infrastructure to decongest the roads’’, she added
In the same vein, Sen. Solomon Adeola (APC-Lagos West), drew the attention of his colleagues to the cosmopolitan nature of Lagos.
He said if the grant was approved, it would not only benefit the state but the entire nation.
Sen. Fatima Rasaki, wife of former Lagos administrator representing PDP Ekiti Central, said the bill was overdue adding that the state deserved the grant as a former capital city.
However, many senators voted against the bill, arguing that one state could not be `so favoured’ over other states.
Sen. James Manager said that although he was in support of the bill, it would not be possible to pass it as it contravened certain sections of the constitution.
The argument in support took a complete turn when the Majority Whip, Sen. Olusola Adeyeye spoke on the bill.
Adeyeye said Lagos State deserved 13 per cent like states in the Niger Delta.
He countered Sen. Philip Aduda’s plea that the Federal Capital Territory be considered also for a similar grant.
He further stated that the FCT had enjoyed so much attention from the federal government, describing the territory as a “rotten pampered child.”
His comment irked many senators and generated mild commotion in the chamber until he retracted the comment with the intervention of Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who presided.
When the question was put, many senators in voice vote, voted against the bill.
In a related developement, the Senate passed for second reading a Bill seeking to protect Nigerians from lynching or extrajudicial killings.
The billed is titled: “A Bill for an Act for the Prohibition of and Protection of Persons from Lynching, Mob Action and Extrajudicial Execution and other Related Offences, 2016.
The bill, sponsored by Sen. Dino Melaye, received the nod of the Senate and was referred to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters to be returned in four weeks.
The authorities of University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka, have ordered the closure of the gates of the main campus at Akoka due to protest by students.
The aggrieved students were said to be protesting against the rustication of some members of the students’ union.
The rusticated students were leaders of the students body that led a protest in April over poor electricity and water supply in the community, and the difficulty faced by a large number of students living off campus to attend classes as a result of the fuel crisis.
Members of the suspended University of Lagos Students Union (ULSU) executive had earlier in the month protested what they described as an “unjust rustication” of the union members.
The aggrieved students gathered at the school’s Senate building to demand thorough investigation of the suspensions of the students’ leaders, ranging from two to four semesters, for their role in a protest that led to the closure of the university in April.
The police in Lagos State have launched a manhunt for a resident of Azeez Olaosebikan Street, Agege, Babatunde Igbara, after he allegedly battered his wife’s eyes.
The man reportedly rained punches on the 38-year-old woman, Gbemisola Igbara, in the presence of their four children until her eyes became swollen.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Babatunde had approached the victim on Monday morning, two days after he was released on bail from the Kirikiri prison, demanding if she took the N2,000 he kept in the room.
He was said to have accused her of stealing the money and resorted to violence when she refuted the allegation.
Our correspondent gathered that it took the intervention of the couple’s neighbours to restore order to the household while the incident was reported at the Abattoir Police Division.
Gbemisola told PUNCH Metro on Thursday that the 12-year-old marriage had been fraught with quarrels, adding that she decided to endure the assaults because of her children.
She said, “I was very weak that morning because of the stress I passed through to secure his bail from the prison over a land matter. He woke me up and asked if I took N2,000 from his clothes. I said no. When he continued to accuse me, I asked him why he thought I would steal his money when I spent over N20,000 and borrowed money from friends to facilitate his release.
“I told him to stop disturbing me. He then started punching me in the face and my eyes became swollen. My children begged him, but he refused. It was our neighbours who rescued me from him. I am fed up; but I don’t want to pack out because of my children,” she said.
Gbemisola explained that a similar incident happened about a year ago and she reported to the police at the Ile Epo division.
She said her husband’s mother prevailed on her to withdraw that case from the station.
“I can no longer bear the beating. He beats me to the point that I won’t be able to open my shop for days. I took a loan of N200,000 to start the business, but it has been difficult for me to repay it because of these troubles. I have reported to the police at the Abattoir division and they promised to get him arrested,” she added.
However, Babatunde, who spoke with our correspondent on the telephone in Yoruba, denied assaulting his wife, saying she slipped during the altercation and got injured.
“I didn’t beat her. It was a lie. It was true that we had a misunderstanding that day but I never used my hands on her. She fell and hit her face on an object. I need to see you so that I can explain better. Our families have been trying to resolve it,” he said.
But some neighbours of the couple, who spoke with our correspondent, said they had advised Gbemisola to quit the relationship due to the violence.
One of them, Akeem Alabi, said, “Many people on our street know he has turned the woman to a punching bag. I decided to take her picture and post it on the internet after he beat her on Monday. I want rights activists and security agencies to come to her aid and ensure justice is served.”
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, had yet to reply to a text message sent to her phone on the incident as of press time.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engineer Babachir David Lawal, Thursday revealed that nomads from outside Nigeria have migrated into the country and that they are the ones perpetuating most of the crises among farmers and herders across the country.
He also reiterated the decision of the present administration to establish ranches and grazing reserves across the country as solution to the incessant clashes between cattle rearers and local farmers.
The SGF who gave the revelation when he received in audience, a delegation of Tabital Pulako Njode Jam Foundation, led by the Chairman, Alhaji Abdul Bali, assured that government will do the needful to enlighten herdsmen on how to make cattle rearing more profitable by utilising the ranches and reap other social and political benefitsthat such settlements will offer.
In another development, the SGF assured the people of the North East that government agencies responsible for the rehabilitation of the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the region, do not discriminate, in the provision of relief materials to the various states.
According to him, relief items were distributed with a deep sense of equity and fairness, and emphasised that the severity of the hardships of the IDPs in the affected communities and states was the major consideration in the distribution exercise.
He made this clarification in his office when he received a delegation from another group, the Lardin Gabas Elders Forum led by the Chairman Board of Trustees, Captain Paul Tahir.
He explained that rehabilitation efforts in the North-East, apart from the of foods items, tents and building materials, included the reconstruction of schools, hospitals, police stations and barracks.
He said to streamline rehabilitation activities in the region, and accelerate the return of normal life to the North-Eastern states; a Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative (PCNI) will soon be inaugurated by Mr. President.
The Forum, according to the delegation, is ready to work with the Federal Government to ensure that succour is brought to victims of the insurgency. The forum also advocates the return of Christian Religious Studies to school curriculum to teach youths about good moral upbringing, early.
A 35-year-old man, Ejike Onyejekwe, has been killed in the FESTAC Town area of Lagos State.
It was learnt that the victim, who lived on 21 Road, K Close, FESTAC, was stabbed to death after winning a lot of money from a lottery.
It was also gathered that Onyejekwe, to celebrate the winning, bought drinks for his friends and threw a party last Thursday and Friday.
It was learnt that on Friday evening, he was heard arguing with an unidentified person on the phone.
He allegedly told his friend he was going to see the man, but never returned.
His corpse was allegedly discovered the next day on one of the estates.
A resident, who did not want to be identified, said the chairman of the estate called the attention of residents to the corpse on Saturday.
He said, “I was sipping tea around 7am when I heard the chairman blowing a whistle. I thought it was strange, but my wife called my attention to the surging crowd on the estate.
“I went downstairs and saw the corpse on the road. Like everybody, I was alarmed. We could not tell how the corpse got there or who he was. He had multiple stab injuries in the head. We all resolved that the case should be reported at the FESTAC Police Station.”
It was learnt that some of the victim’s friends later identified him.
The corpse was said to have been deposited in a morgue, while the police arrested and detained the chairman of the estate and his secretary; they were later released.
Lagos Assembly Summons Contractor of Poorly Constructed Road In Itokun Ikorodu. DHV Nigeria Limited, the construction company that constructed the substandard Low Cost Bye Pass Itokun road in Ikorodu North Local Council Development area has been summoned by the Lagos state Assembly over poorly constructed road in the said area.
The road condemned barely two weeks after commission. Itokun Road is part of the 114LGA Road commissioned by Governor Ambode.
The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday said the State has all it takes to have as many world class Deep Sea Ports as possible, expressing the readiness of his administration to partner with investors to develop the maritime sector.
Governor Ambode spoke at the Lagos House, Ikeja when he met with the International Management of Dubai Port World, led by its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem.
He said the State is open for real investment and that government is willing to partner with interested investors to develop its port.
He said Lagos, being a coastal city, deserved to have its port and that the decision of DP World to partner with the State in the area of developing a Deep Sea Port and other areas was cheering and encouraging.
Aside the natural endowments for Lagos, Governor Ambode said the State is also blessed with the market to drive any investment, adding that there are favorable fundamentals for investments.
He said: “I want to thank the management of DP World for their confidence in the Nigerian economy and Lagos economy. As a matter of fact, the decision of the firm is cheering because they are investing at a time of economic turbulence and this is a further assurance that the country will come out of recession even stronger.”
The Governor also promised that his administration would continue to provide all the resources needed for the investment to thrive, especially in areas of security and infrastructure, as well as other incentives needed for ease of doing business.
Earlier, Sulayem said his team was at Lagos House on a fact finding mission to look at opportunities for investment in logistics and other areas.
He said: “We believe the economy of Nigeria has a lot of potentials and we believe the economic fundamentals of Lagos are very strong still. We are of a strong opinion that there are opportunities in Lagos and in Nigeria and we believe there are many ways to unlock the opportunities and we believe the fundamentals are very strong for Nigeria.
“We are looking at opportunities and have received information and we are going to study them to see which part to invest. We have 77 terminals all over the world. We are not just into port management, we also specialize in logistics and many others.”
The Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode, has called for the continuation of the cordial relationship and peace, which he said exists between the judiciary and the executive arm of government in Lagos State.
The governor, who described the judiciary as the last hope of the citizens, also admonished the Chief Judge of the state, Justice Oluwafunmilayo Atilade, and the rest of the judges to continue to dispense justice with the fear of God.
Ambode reiterated the commitment of his administration to the enthronement of the rule of law in Lagos State, which he said was the reason the state had continued to invest in judicial sector reforms.
The governor said this on Monday at the church service to usher in the 2016/2017 legal year.
Atilade led serving and retired judges, magistrates, judicial staff members, Senior Advocates of Nigeria and other lawyers to the church service, which held at the Cathedral Church, Marina, Lagos.
Also present at the service was the immediate past Lagos CJ, Justice Ayotunde Phillips (retd.).
Ambode, in his speech, said the service was significant as it was a way of seeking God’s protection and guidance for the new legal year.
He acknowledged the continuous support he said he had been receiving from the Chief Judge in the last 16 months that his administration came on board and harped on the need for continuous innovation in the judiciary in order to preserve the status of Lagos State as the centre of excellence.
Ambode said, “The judiciary remains the only and the last hope of the citizens here in Lagos State. Our administration is det ermined to enthrone the rule of law and protect the less privileged in our society and that is why we’ve laid so much emphasis on judicial sector reforms and we believe strongly that this we can also do together.
“I just want to urge all of us in the judicial sector that we should discharge our duties with the fear of God. In this new legal year, let just innovate and reform, so that the Lagos State judiciary continues to retain its pride of place in Nigeria.”
Four weeks after issuing public notices and ultimatum, the Lagos State Special Task Force on the Clean-Up of Ikoyi, Victoria Island over the weekend started the clearing of all illegal structures and shanties.
The Clean-Up operation team which was led by the Chairman of the Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, Supol Yinka Egbeyemi, commenced simultaneously in Ikoyi and Victoria Island at 8am on Saturday and has continued on Sunday morning.
It featured the removal of kiosks, sheds by the roadside, disused tyres, pulling down of shanties and structures on road setbacks, medians and walkways by bulldozers and payloaders.
The Clean Up team comprised of operatives of the Task Force on Environmental and Special Offences, Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI), officials of State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA), State Parks and Garden Agency (LASPARK), Ikoyi- Obalende LCDA, Iru-victoria Island LCDA and representatives of Victoria Island Ikoyi Residents Association (VIIRA).
The Ikoyi team which started it’s Clean -Up from Awolowo Road down to Falomo through Bourdillon Road before terminating at the frontage of Lekki-ikoyi Link Bridge, removing items and structures by the roadside and also apprehended some commercial motorcyclists who rode against traffic.
The team in Victoria Island commenced the Clean -Up at the Ozumba Mbadiwe Waterfront which had not only become a massive refuse dump but also an automobile workshop and food court.
At the end of the Clean-Up at the Waterfront, the heaps of garbage was carted away by trucks of LAWMA and the site secured by the State Parks and Garden to prevent re-entry by the owners of the shanties.
The Task Force also cleared Water Corporation Drive in Victoria Island which is a location to several infractions like building on the median and setback.
All the illegal structures on the road setback at the beginning of Water Corporation Drive which included bars, canteens, block moulding industry and a car wash were all pulled down.
The stretch of Ahmadu Bello Way was also touched by the Clean-Up team which removed garbage on the roadside whilst affixing 12hours removal notices on indiscriminately parked vehicles and equipments.
The Clean Up team also touched many of the abandoned State Liaison offices on Ahmadu Bello Way which were being inhabited by squatters including the former Kogi Liaison Office which had been converted to a canteen and gave directives to occupiers to do the needful or risk a sealing off.
A large expanse of land on Ligali Ayorinde which had been taken over by squatters who erected alcohol joints, canteens and a home for undesirable elements was cleared by the Task Force after the evacuation of the squatters, their goods and properties.
The Chairman of the Task Force and Secretary to the State Government, Tunji Bello while inspecting the level of Clean-Up at Ahmadu Bello Way, Ozumba Mbadiwe Waterfront and Ligali Ayorinde used the opportunity to once advice owners of illegal structures not yet touched to willing pull them down before the Task Force does so.
The Clean-Up exercise which is a continuous one is aimed at restoring the original masterplan of Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki.
Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Friday said plans are afoot to link inner roads in the State to the Lagos Smart City Project, just as he expressed readiness to commence deployment of Close Circuit Television (CCTV) Cameras in October across the State.
Governor Ambode, who disclosed this in Coker Aguda area of the State at the commissioning of some of the 114 roads, newly constructed in the 20 Local Government Areas (LGs) and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), said Government will complement the project with strategic security management driven by technology.
The Governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Science and Technology, Olufemi Odubiyi at the commissioning of 500 meters Bolaji Banwo Street in Coker Aguda LCDA, said security remained one of the cardinal objectives of his administration, and that technology will play a key role in securing residents.
Also in Coker Aguda LCDA, Governor Ambode commissioned 580meters Opere Street through a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Surulere Constituency 1, Desmond Elliot.
Speaking to journalists, the Governor said: “One of the cardinal areas in which we focus on is security in the State and we have realised that the man policing we have in Lagos is not sufficient if you look at the ratio of the policemen that we have to the citizens of the State.
“We have come up with an initiative which is an ongoing project and it is called the Smart City Project. In the area of security, we are going to be deploying CCTV Cameras to ensure that when you are sleeping, you have a guaranty that you are being watched.
“The present administration is interested in making sure that this city is safe and technology is one of the areas we are looking at by deploying CCTV Cameras which will be linked to our Command and Control Centre in Alausa. We are going to have an eye over Lagos and this is because of the importance this government is paying to security of lives and property,” he said.
At the handover of Otolu and Ojuoto/Ajegunle streets in Lekki LCDA, Governor Ambode said good road network remains a veritable tool for economic prosperity of any community especially the Lekki Free Trade Zone, just as he assured investors of friendly business climate.
The Governor who was represented by the Chairman House Committee on Transportation, Fatai Mojeed and a House of Representatives member, Gbenga Ashafa, said Lekki community would soon be the greatest generator of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) for Lagos State with a call on residents to pay their taxes promptly for more dividends of democracy.
At the handover of Borno Way, Ebute-Meta in Lagos Mainland LG, the Governor represented by the Secretary to the State Government, (SSG) Tunji Bello, cautioned against arbitrary cutting of roads and vandalism.
He said the government will not take vandalism of public infrastructure lightly, tasking community leaders in the areas where the new roads were built to take custody of the roads.
The Governor also commissioned Oloto Road, Ebute-Metta also in Lagos Mainland LG and was represented by Alade Adebayo.
In Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, the Governor who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Olukunle Ojo at the commissioning of Zion Street, said the use of inter lock stones, asphalt and concrete to construct roads by local companies was an indication that the era of foreign construction companies in Nigeria was nearing its end.
Likewise, at the inauguration of Adedoyin Street also in Agboyi-Ketu, the Governor who was represented by his Special Adviser on Food Security, Ganiu Sanni lauded the quality of work done, saying it was up to standard.
Watch Tower and Imam Salisu Street in Imota LCDA were also inaugurated by the Governor through his representatives, Hon Sanai Agunbiade of the Lagos State House of Assembly and HRH the Ranodu of Imota, Oba Ajibade Bakare Agoro, with a call on residents to put the facilities provided by the Government to judicious use.
In Badagry LG, Governor Ambode who inaugurated Hunwi Tande Road, Ajara and Hundeyin Street where he was represented by his Special Advisers on Environment, Hon. Babatunde Hunpe and Transport, Prince Anofi Elegushi said his administration would not neglect any community within the state.
In Oto-Awori LCDA, the Governor who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Mrs. Oluranti Adebule, at the inauguration of Babalola Ilogbo Okeagbo Road, said his administration will continue to carry out people-oriented projects to make life more comfortable for Lagosians.
Governor Ambode also inaugurated Goriola Oseni Street and Mosafejo/Ilufe Road in Ojo LG, and was represented by Ebenezer Kuponu of the Ojo Community Development Council (CDC) and Prince Rabiu Adio-Oluwa, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Similarly, the Governor also commissioned Sotunde and Omodunni Street in Agbado-Okeodo LCDA and was represented by a member of the House of Assembly, Hon. Yinka Ogundimu and his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Hon. Kehinde Joseph.
Kayode Street and Odebiyi/Dosumu Street, both in Ifako-Ijaiye LG were commissioned by a member of the House of Assembly, Hon. Rasheed Makinde and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Commerce, Hon. Adeyemi Olabinjo as representatives of the Governor
Six persons have died of cholera in Isolo Local Council of Lagos State after allegedly eating Abacha, a local delicacy.
Commonly called African salad, Abacha, is a delicious Nigerian meal that is native to Igbos. It is prepared from dried, shredded and fermented cassava, leaves of garden egg, stockfish, castor bean, palm oil and local spices.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, confirmed the deaths yesterday at a press conference.
Idris told journalists: “The ministry was notified of an upsurge of diarhhoea diseases in some communities in Isolo Local Council Development Authority (LCDA).
“Following this, 45 cases were line-listed by the Epidemiology Unit of the Ministry. Six deaths were recorded among the 45 cases. Majority of the cases did not present with the classical rice-water stool, rather they presented with atypical diarrhoea and vomiting.
“Ano-rectal swabs were collected from 15 cases and taken to the Central Public Health Laboratory, Yaba, Lagos. Initially, there were no growths, however, continuous culture yielded Vibro cholerae from seven out of the 15 samples. The Vibrio cholera was later confirmed to be Ogawa strain.
“The main suspected source of infection is the salad called Abacha, a staple food of Isolo residents and adjoining local councils. Some domestic wells within the communities are also suspected. Samples of the Abacha salad and well water were collected and sent to the Lagos State Drug Quality Control Laboratory for analysis.
“The report of the analysis revealed the presence of Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella species and Escherichia coli in abacha and one of the two well water samples,” he said.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), cholera is an acute diarrhoea disease with or without vomiting caused by bacteria referred to as Vibro cholerae and it is transmitted through ingestion of food or water contaminated with infective faeces.
Food or water contamination is usually due to poor sanitation and the source of contamination is usually other cholera cases when their infective watery stool gets into food or drinking water supplies.
Prevention of cholera can be achieved through basic water sanitation, such as boiling water of unclean sources. Cholera can kill within hours if left untreated.
The commissioner, however, said the state has instituted measures towards quick containment and control of the outbreak.
Idris explained: “Our health workers are in the community striving assiduously towards quick containment and control of spread of the disease. Chlorination of water supply has been intensified, awareness campaign is on-going and cases are been promptly diagnosed and appropriately managed in our hospitals.”
Other prevention and control measures instituted by the state government include: Identifying the three vendors of contaminated Abacha at Cele Bus Stop; ban on sale and caution in eating of Abacha when not prepared by you; and distributing factsheets on cholera to the Medical Directors of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and 26 General Hospitals in Lagos State and Medical Officers in all the 57 LGAs/LCDAs for circulation to all health workers in their facilities.
The commissioner advised the general public to take the following precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the disease: Wash your hands with soap and water frequently and thoroughly especially after using the rest room; boil water before drinking, especially if you are not sure of the source; keep all cooking utensils, plates, cutleries, cups and other materials clean before and after use.
Others are cover foods and water sources; cook foods adequately; store foods in fridges; wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly; dispose of waste materials appropriately; and limit body contact, especially hand contact with faeces.
The Chairman of Lagos State Taskforce, SP Olayinka Egbeyemi has revealed that a lot of beggars on streets of Lagos are people, who pretend to be sick to deceive innocent people and get money from them. He said this while parading a 40-year-old female suspect Chinagoro Uwenke and her 11-year-old son Sunny, at the Oshodi area of the state.
He said the woman had faked that her son had an injury. The taskforce chairman disclosed that there were many fake beggars pretending and deceiving innocent members of the public with different illnesses and diseases
“The rate at which these fake beggars operate in the state calls for concern. That is why the Agency is collaborating with relevant government Ministries, Agencies and Departments to get rid of these beggars on the streets and roads of Lagos. The Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Mr Fatai Owoseni has directed that the suspect be immediately charged to court,” he said.
The suspect who confessed to the crime said that she bandaged her son’s leg with two rolls of white bandages and poured Gentian Violet (GV) on the leg every day to deceive members of the public to give alms to the boy. Uwenke explained that she abruptly stopped her son’s education at a junior secondary level for street begging when she realised that she can make between N3,500 and N5,000 daily.
The suspect who stays at Oyingbo, pleaded with the government not to charge her to court, saying she was ready to go back to her town and re-unite with her family voluntarily.
The three landlords at Oshorun Heritage Estate, Isheri Kennedy Ucheagwu, Dr. Omololu Bello, Fidelis Esang, who were kidnapped last Saturday along with their trainer, Coach Oni by gunmen dressed in Military camouflage while they worked out near Lekki Garderns Estate have been released.
The gunmen who initially demanded N300 million as ransom for each of them later reduced it to N20 million.
The alleged kidnappers who are said to be young boys have been reportedly tracked through the phone number they used in contacting the victims’ relatives with. Their messenger has also been identified as Mary.
Spokesman for the Estate Association who confirmed the release of the victims, he said:
“We thank God. They have been released. They got home late. I don’t have much details now”.
The Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday said the menace of cultism and kidnapping currently sending jitters down the spine of many Lagos residents will no longer be tolerated in the state.
Ambode who said this while commissioning the newly constructed Omo Alade Alafia and Oloruntoyin/Jebina Streets in Bariga Local Council Development Area, charged community leaders in all the 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Area to report known cultists, kidnappers and other criminals in their domains.
The governor emphasized that exposing the criminals remained the only effective means of curbing crimes in the state.
Ambode added that apart from aggressively embarking on infrastructural renewal across the state, his administration would also do everything possible to protect lives and property.
He said the state government was determined to make the state uncomfortable for the cultists, kidnappers and other criminals.
The governor, who was represented by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru and a community leader, Mr. Raphael Olusegun Ajayi, said that timely report of kidnapping, cultism, vandalism and hoodlums will help in dealing with criminal activities in the state.
The governor said: “I enjoin our royal fathers, traditional chiefs, Community Development Associations, market men and women and other stakeholders in our various communities to address the menace of cultism, kidnapping, miscreants, vandalism and hoodlums by providing timely information to our security agencies.”
Ambode who urged the community leaders to take ownership of the facilities, said that plans were afoot to embark on another round of 114 roads project in all the councils in the state.
According to the governor, it was illegal for anyone to sell on the road or engage in unauthorised breaking of roads, adding that it was also forbidden for anyone to convert the roads to automobile workshop, as well as refuse dump site.
The Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday said the menace of cultism and kidnapping currently sending jitters down the spine of many Lagos residents will no longer be tolerated in the state.
Ambode who said this while commissioning the newly constructed Omo Alade Alafia and Oloruntoyin/Jebina Streets in Bariga Local Council Development Area, charged community leaders in all the 57 Local Government and Local Council Development Area to report known cultists, kidnappers and other criminals in their domains.
The governor emphasized that exposing the criminals remained the only effective means of curbing crimes in the state.
Ambode added that apart from aggressively embarking on infrastructural renewal across the state, his administration would also do everything possible to protect lives and property.
He said the state government was determined to make the state uncomfortable for the cultists, kidnappers and other criminals.
The governor, who was represented by a member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Rotimi Abiru and a community leader, Mr. Raphael Olusegun Ajayi, said that timely report of kidnapping, cultism, vandalism and hoodlums will help in dealing with criminal activities in the state.
The governor said: “I enjoin our royal fathers, traditional chiefs, Community Development Associations, market men and women and other stakeholders in our various communities to address the menace of cultism, kidnapping, miscreants, vandalism and hoodlums by providing timely information to our security agencies.”
Ambode who urged the community leaders to take ownership of the facilities, said that plans were afoot to embark on another round of 114 roads project in all the councils in the state.
According to the governor, it was illegal for anyone to sell on the road or engage in unauthorised breaking of roads, adding that it was also forbidden for anyone to convert the roads to automobile workshop, as well as refuse dump site.
The Lagos cable car project is on course. It is privately driven and the private sector need to get all the permits.
After three years of postponement, work has begun on the $275million cable car project.
In an interview with The Guardian, Lagos state Commissioner for Transportation, Dayo Mobereola, revealed intricate details of the car project.
“The Lagos cable car project is on course. It is privately driven and the private sector need to get all the permits, on the side of Lagos, we have given them all the necessary permit, they are talking to the federal government to get some level of guarantees and we have assisted them to write to the federal government. They have taken the advantage by starting to build from the Iddo side of Lagos.”
Upon completion, the project will have eight stations in three routes, in order to handle the estimated 240,000 trips daily.
The car project will begin at Ijora, then move to Apapa and Victoria Island, with a central hub around Adeniji Adele.
The recent discovery of oil in Lagos State in commercial quantity has been described as a good omen for the development of the oil and gas industry, which Dangote refinery will benefit from.
Speaking in his office in Lagos on Monday during a visit by the leaders of the League of African Development Students, the Group Executive Director, Dangote Industries Limited Mr. Devakumar Edwin, said it was a good development that Lagos was now an oil producing state, adding that this would further strengthen the country’s oil output.
He stated that Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical would be more than willing to work with the state and the Federal Government in ensuring that oil production from Lagos would add value to the economy of the state and the nation at large.
Edwin was quoted to have said in a statement issued by the firm, “We are very happy at the discovery of oil in Lagos. It is indeed a good and welcome development for us as a company. It will accelerate the growth level of the state and also be of immense benefit to the residents and the country at large.
“Not only will Lagos be regarded as an oil producing state and share out of the derivation fund, but Lagos will continue to be an invaluable partner to the Dangote Group with the Dangote refinery in Ibeju-Lekki.”
He pointed out that though crude oil prices might be unattractive at the moment, a situation that had made major International Oil Companies to slow down, “it did not mean that the oil and gas industry is devoid of development.”
The Lagos State Government yesterday unveiled a newly-built Lay-by off the ever-busy Ketu-Alapere expressway. The development is meant to decongest traffic off the expressway to motorists heading towards Alapere, Mile 12 and Ikorodu.
The new construction gives the place an unbeliveable beauty, as the walls on the walk way were finished off with creative graffiti.
The Governor said that the commissioning of the “Ketu-Alapere Lay-By is a strong indication of our commitment to make life better for residents and investors. This Ketu-Alapere lay-by is one of our interventions to decongest traffic gridlock in that axis. The Alapere-Ketu Lay-By is a 2-lane access road from Iyana Oworo inwards Alapere-Ketu”
The kidnappers of four residents of an Estate in Isheri, a border community between Lagos and Ogun states, weekend, demanded N1.2 billion ransom for their release.
Reports gathered that they made contacts with family members of the victims, suspected to be held hostage in the creeks, yesterday.
The victims, Mr. Kennedy Ucheagwu, Dr. Omololu, Bello and Mr. Esang, said to be landlords at Oshorun Heritage Estate, had gone for an aerobic section, Saturday, when eight masked gunmen in military camouflage intercepted them, shooting sporadically.
While others managed to escape, same could not be said for the victims, as they were whisked away in boats through the waterways.
One of the relatives of the abducted men, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told reporters yesterday: “I got a call very early yesterday, where the unknown caller informed that he was one of the kidnappers that took our people away on Saturday.
“He warned that in our interest and for the safety of the victims, we should not contact the police or try to play smart.
“He said anything of such would lead to the death of our people. He did not allow me to speak with my person, as he claimed that he was sleeping.
“He said that we should get N1.2 billion before they would be released. He also told me to meet with relatives of the other people. He called back about four hours later to find out if the money was ready.
“He also asked if I had my own N300 million for the release my relation. I begged him to accept N200,000, as that was the only money we could afford, except he wants us to go and start borrowing or sell our property.
“But the line went dead at that point. Where do we get that kind of money at this time? My worry is that my relative is hypertensive.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in-charge of Zone 2 Command, Lagos, Abdulmajid Ali, has deployed a Tactical Rescue Team to rescue the victims.
Alli explained that the team comprised police operatives and ICT experts from the Lagos and Ogun states commands, as well as those from the Force headquarters, Abuja. The team, according to Ali, who condemned the act, had been directed to rescue the victims unhurt as well as arrest perpetrators of the act.
He assured the affected relatives and residents of the area of timely and successful rescue operation, adding that police had clues.
Ali also appealed to relations of the victims to support police with useful information that would enhance the rescue operation, adding that he was working with the Commissioners of Police in Lagos and Ogun states and other stakeholders to ensure the rescue of the victims and to sustain the fight against crimes within the commands.
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested the four men who allegedly robbed Mr. Wilson Onazi, the father of Nigerian footballer, Ogenyi Onazi.
The suspects are Kingsley David, Ebuka Ugochukwu, Joseph Ozo and Ali Audu.
Our correspondent had reported that the suspects on Monday attacked the home of the Onazis at the Government Reserved Area, Jos, Plateau State.
They were reported to have carted away several items, including a white Toyota Highlander and an undisclosed amount of money.
They reportedly inflicted machete cuts on Pa Onazi, who was admitted in a hospital after the incident.
We gathered that after the robbery, the suspects moved to a bar in the community where they deliberated on what to do with the vehicle.
It was learnt that the four men took off for Lagos and lodged in Shibiri Hotel in the Ajangbadi area where they were arrested by policemen attached to the Ilemba Hausa Police Division after a tip-off.
A police source in the division told PUNCH Metro that the men were arrested around 7pm on Wednesday while they awaited a buyer for the vehicle.
He said, “We got a tip-off that some suspicious people had lodged in a hotel in the area. They had been bringing several people to inspect the vehicle at the hotel, but they did not get a buyer.”
The suspects, who were arrested along with one of the intending buyers of the car, Osita Eze, were paraded at the Lagos State Police Command headquarters on Thursday.
The leader of the gang, David, 24, a polytechnic graduate, said he lived close to the victim’s house and had monitored his movement, adding that they robbed him to celebrate Sallah.
He said, “We are all friends. We planned the robbery a week to the actual day. I live close to the man’s house and I sold the idea to my friends. Our intention was just to take his car for the Sallah break. I didn’t follow them into the house. I only pointed the place to them and they finished the job. It was after they were done that I joined them in the vehicle.”
Ugochukwu, 26, an indigene of Idemili, Anambra State, said the robbery was easy for them because only Pa Onazi was at home.
He said, “We discovered that the man is old and he lives alone in that big house. He does not stay with his wife or even house help. There was no security man guarding the house or any other form of security. We also robbed him because he does not help people.
“When we got to the house, we knocked the gate and pretended as if we wanted to deliver a letter to him from Lagos. While he was checking the letter, we brought out our cutlass. We just held him by the hand as he begged us not to harm him.
“We asked him to take us to his bedroom and he did. He said he didn’t have any money in the house, but we took his ATM card, which we couldn’t use because it had expired.
“He gave us N5,000. We also stole his vehicle. We didn’t touch him because of his advanced age; if we had touched him, he could have died.”
Ugochukwu blamed the incident on financial challenges, saying he had never robbed in his life.
The third suspect, 24-year-old Ozo, who claimed to be a graduate of a university in Plateau State, said the gang wanted money to celebrate Sallah, adding that he drove the vehicle to Lagos.
He said, “Kingsley (David) brought the idea. He said he knew Pa Onazi’s house, adding that we could rob him, take his vehicle and sell it in Lagos. They invited me because I can drive very well. I was promised a share of the money.
“We were not afraid because the car papers were complete. It was due to indecision between Kingsley (David) and Ebuka (Okechukwu) that delayed the sale.”
Another suspect, Audu, said his only role was to use the letter to distract the victim.
The intending receiver of the car, Eze, said he was introduced to the gang while relaxing in a bar, adding that they had yet to negotiate.
“After the meeting at the bar, I collected their contact and I went to meet them at the hotel where I met policemen,” he added.
The Commissioner of Police, Lagos State, Fatai Owoseni, said the suspects would be handed over to the Plateau State Police Command, together with the exhibits recovered from them.
He said, “We are passing a strong message that wherever a crime is committed in Nigeria, we will hunt the culprits. There is no hiding place for criminals in this country.”
No fewer than 65 police personnel have been arrested for various offences in the last one-month in Lagos State.
The arrests were made in different parts of the state by the Anti-Extortionist Squad in the Lagos State Police Command.
Already, some of the arrested policemen have been recommended for dismissal and others are to be demoted.
Those involved in murder have been charged to court while some others involved in criminal offences are undergoing departmental orderly room trials.
The Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr. Fatai Owoseni, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the squad arrested 33 persons as at August 8, 12 more as at August 24, and another 20 by September 8.
“Some of them have been recommended for dismissal; some to be demoted in ranks. Those involved in unlawful killing have been charged to court for murder.
“Some others are undergoing departmental orderly room trials.
“There is no place for corrupt and unprofessional police in Lagos command,” he said.
The Lagos police boss said that the action was in compliance with the directive of the Inspector- General of Police on zero tolerance to corruption and unprofessional conduct in the force.
As part of efforts to ensure that officers in Lagos keep to the ethics of the force, Owoseni said he embarked on re-orientation and retraining.
He said 75 constables had undergone training in arms handling at the Ikeja Police College, in a move to check accidental discharge.
He said every action of the officers and men would be accounted for, stressing that the second batch of such training would come up soon.
“The police must know when and how to use force and they will be accountable for any force used in the course of their operation.
“They are to use force proportionately. Their action should not make anyone orphan, widow or widower.
“Policemen are servants and not masters. That is the training we had and we must keep it so,” he said.
A former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said that the state has political and economic stability because of a solid foundation.
He told reporters after observing the Eid prayers at Dodan Barracks praying ground in Lagos, that lack of solid foundation contributed to the nation’s current economic situation.
He said economic restrategising and replanning were necessary to achieve sustainable national prosperity.
“The political and economic stability we are enjoying in Lagos today is as a result of a solid foundation. Without a good and solid foundation, we cannot achieve a sustainable economic prosperity.”
On the hardship in the country he said: “We need to re-strategise and re-plan, but that planning period is always a very difficult period in any family, organisation and nation.
“That is what we are experiencing now, but it is for a better and stronger future.”
Lagos State Deputy Governor Mrs Idiat Adebule urged Nigerians to uphold the significance of Eid-el-Kabir, total trust and obedience to God, to accelerate the pace of economic recovery.
Adebule also urged them to celebrate peacefully and reach out to the less-privileged among them.
“We can only enjoy Allah’s favour when we totally trust and obey His will. He is our creator and He knows what is best for us as individuals and as a nation,” Adebule said.
House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, urged Nigerians to be patient and not lose hope.
Gbajabiamila said President Muhammadu Buhari was making efforts to reform the economy.
“I urge us to be prayerful and by God’s grace we shall get better and stronger as a nation”’ he said.
Chief Imam of Lagos Garuba Akinola-Ibrahim called for greater sacrifice from the government and citizens to survive the recession
“In the spirit of Eid-el Kabir, we urge the government to double up efforts to avoid our situation from getting to a critical stage which can rub off negatively on all government’s achievements so far,” he said.
“I also urge the citizens to exercise patience and be prayerful in this trying period.”
Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni called for reflection on the significance of Eid-el Kabir and modest celebration to reduce crime.
Owoseni advised residents to be security conscious and cooperate with security agents to ensure a crime-free celebration.
Residents of Shodipo Crescent in the Ikeja Government Reserved Area of Lagos State were shocked on Wednesday to find an abandoned baby boy crawling on the road.
It was learnt that the nine-month-old baby, whose name had yet to be ascertained, was seen crawling by residents, who quickly alerted some policemen on patrol in the area.
It was gathered that the child was picked up by the policemen and brought to the Lagos State Police Command headquarters, Ikeja.
The baby was thereafter taken for a checkup.
It was gathered that the nine-month-old was believed to have crawled out of his parents’ apartment, although no resident in the area had showed up for the baby boy.
A police source said that the child would remain in the police custody until his family showed up with concrete proofs of relationship.
She said, “We found the boy on Shodipo Crescent in the Ikeja GRA. He is about nine months old. He was found crawling on the road. Some residents thereafter alerted some policemen on patrol.
“The police team rescued the baby. So far, nobody has come up to claim the baby. He must have left the custody of his parents or guardian and that is how some children fall into the hands of kidnappers and ritual killers. He is still with us at the command headquarters.”
ays Investment Confirms Nigeria’ll Come Out Of Recession.
Firm To Create 15,200 Direct Employment, Train 800 Annually The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Thursday, demonstrated his commitment to attract foreign investors into the State by approving land for the establishment of a training centre in Lagos where architects, civil engineers and craftsmen will be trained on modern trends and technologies in the construction sector.
Governor Ambode, who gave the approval when he received a delegation from The Knauf Group, which is a German firm currently establishing a $75miilion building/construction tools manufacturing factory in Lagos, said the approval for the land became imperative in view of the need to encourage investors to continue to invest in Lagos.
The Knauf Group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of modern insulation materials, dry lining systems, plasters and accessories, thermal insulation composite systems, paints, floor screed, floor systems, and construction equipment and tools.
The delegation was led by a member of the Management Committee of the firm, Isabel Knauf and Consular General of German Embassy in Lagos, Mr. Ingo Herbert. Governor Ambode, who recalled the last time Herbert visited the Lagos House about eleven months ago, said his administration has remained focused to the promise of upholding judicial and security sector reforms, as well as creating a friendly environment for investment to thrive.
He said the massive investment by The Knauf Group in Lagos was a pointer to the fact that investors were still willing to invest in Nigeria despite the economic recession, and that the country will come out of the economic doldrums even stronger.
“I must commend the German government and The Knauf Group for showing something important to all Nigerians that beyond the economic recession, their total believe in our economy is unshaken because it is not enough for any investor to come into an area where they have never invested before and months after, the parameters for investment are not really looking good, but you stuck in there and beyond the fact that you have gone to procure land, you also have an established office within the last eleven months and you are already pumping in money into what you want to do.
“This is a great pointer to the fact that you believe in the Lagos economy and also believe in the future of Nigeria and I like to encourage other investors to emulate what your firm and government is doing in Lagos and as they show interest, we will not hesitate to give them the necessary support,” the Governor said.
Governor Ambode said The Knauf Group specifically deserved to be commended for not just investing in Nigeria, but also bringing the German vocational expertise on an area of construction that was hitherto not in existence in Nigeria into Lagos.
Besides, the Governor said he was excited about the fact that the firm was not just establishing a factory here in Lagos, but also a training centre where Nigerians will be trained, adding that he would stop at nothing to encourage investors such as The Knauf Group.
Earlier, Isabel Knauf said the team was at the Lagos House to brief Governor Ambode on the progress made so far since the project started in September 2015. She said the firm has 23 training centres all over the world training about 14,000 people annually, and that they would like to build the same training centre in Lagos where architects, civil engineers and craftsmen would be trained on how to technically install their products.
She said upon completion of the factory, the firm would create 25,000 direct employment, adding that the training centre will cost about two million Euros to establish, while at least 800 Nigerians will be trained annually in the first phase. Knauf, however, solicited the support of the State Government in land space for the training centre and permit issues, a request which was instantly granted by the Governor.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has clarified the N500bn Bond Programme approved by the State House of Assembly, saying the Bond was a pool fund that would span over a period of time and not just for the current Appropriation year.
The Governor, who spoke to journalists on Wednesday, said that it was pertinent to clarify the Bond Programme as it had been technically misrepresented in some section of the media.
Explaining the modalities of the Bond Programme, Governor Ambode said that the State, since 2007, has had two Bond Issuance Programme, adding that the one recently approved by the Assembly was the third and would run for a period of three to five years.
He said that for the current Appropriation Year, the State can only draw N60billion from the pool of N500billion, saying that the State would draw from the fund for subsequent years as approved by the House.
Before you can actually even appropriate it in your budget, you need that programme and that programme was what was approved by the House.
But in the appropriation of 2016, what is in the Appropriation law for 2016 is just N60billion. So, it’s from this Programme that we are pulling out this N60billion.
So, for next year’s budget, if the House approves for instance N80billion as bond, we don’t need to go back to the House again after they have approved that budget, you draw from that issuance programme and take another amount which is approved for 2017 budget.
“If they approve any amount for 2018 budget, you take from that pool of N500billion, which can take the next five to ten years. So it’s just a lump sum which you now draw down based on the authorization by the House. That is the technical explanation. It’s not as if the State wants to go and take another N500billion, it’s just a requirement by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) so that you follow the procedure on a yearly basis.”
The Governor also assured that the N60billion Bond Programme approved for the current year would be used to accelerate the aggressive infrastructural development ongoing in the State.
Popular comedian, Basketmouth was robbed at gunpoint in his home in Lekki today September 7, 2016.
According to Bovi, the father of two was robbed between the hours of 2am-4am at gun point.
He took to Instagram writing, “Basketmouth was robbed this morning in his home in lekki phase 1 between the hours of 2am and 4am, 7th of September 2016. He and his family were held at gun point while the sad episode lasted. Nobody was hurt.
Valuables were taken including the CCTV device. A report has been made at the police station. He can’t be reached at the moment but will be back on as soon as possible.”
According to eyewitnesses, the comedian was spotted at home laughing with friends and didn’t appear to be bothered about the robbery as neighbours sympathised with him.
The Lagos State House of Assembly on Tuesday approved a three-year N500 billion bond for the state government spanning 2016 to 2019.
The approval followed the presentation and adoption of a recommendation by the Ad hoc Committee constituted by the House on the bond.
Presenting the report, the Chairman of the committee, Yinka Ogundimu, informed the lawmakers that the bond was necessary for the development of the state.
According to him, it will be repaid through deduction of 23 per cent of the state’s internally generated revenue.
Ogundimu, who is also Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, added that necessary plans had been put in place to ensure that the money was judiciously spent for the purpose it was meant for.
Contributing to the debate, Rotimi Olowo, the Chairman of the House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, said Lagos State remained the future of Nigeria.
He said that the bond would assist in the infrastructural development of the state.
Olowo stated: “If the bond is geared towards development, it will open Lagos state to other parts of the world and generate more employment for the people.
“We have enough to take care of the bond. By 2019, Nigeria will be out of recession and Lagos will be better for it.”
In his contribution, the Chairman, House Committee on Waterfront Infrastructure, Gbolahan Yishawu, said the state had always been at the forefront of development in the country.
The lawmaker said the bond was meant to increase spending and develop the state.
Other lawmakers from the majority and minority political parties in the assembly gave their support for the bond’s approval “to further move the state forward”.
In his remark, Speaker of the house, Mudashiru Obasa, said the bond would help to develop the state and ensure its adequate infrastructure development.
After the debate, the bond was approved through a unanimous voice vote by the legislato
The police in Lagos State have begun investigation into the death of a 57-year-old American, who was found hanged with a rope in a hotel room in the Lekki area of the state.
It wa learnt that the American, Charles Carlson, had checked into Ellyx Vile Hotel on African Line, Lekki Phase 1, on Monday before the incident happened.
It was gathered that the hotel workers discovered Carlson had hanged himself when it was time for breakfast on Tuesday and he failed to show up or pick his calls.
The hotel room was thereafter forced open and his corpse was found hanged with a rope.
The incident was thereafter reported at the Maroko Police Division which came to evacuate the corpse.
The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the death, said the Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, had directed operatives to unravel the mysteries around his death.
She said, “The matter was reported to the police by the manager of the hotel, identified as Vincent Owunke. The guest, Carlson, an American, it was observed did not pick calls to the intercom in his room and he did not come out for breakfast.
“The police are investigating a case of sudden and unnatural death. The American was found motionless and hanged himself with a rope close to the door. The CP, Owoseni, has directed the case to be transferred to the Homicide Section of the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba, for further investigation.”
A teenager, Faisa, has been killed by a mudslide in Lagos after days of incessant rain in the state.
The 16-year-old was killed in the Agidingbi, Ikeja area of Lagos State, less than two weeks after her wedding.
She and her husband, Muhammed, reportedly got married about 10 days ago in their village in Goza, Borno State, and had relocated to Lagos afterward.
It was learnt that the deceased was alone in the house when the incident happened.
The corpse was recovered by officials of the State Environmental Health Monitoring Unit, who responded to a distress call.
Also present at the scene were officials of the National Emergency Management Agency, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Rapid Response Squad and the Lagos State Building Control Agency.
One of our correspondents, who visited the scene, gathered that the slum, which was on Dosumu Street, off Amara Olu Road, Agidingbi, was inhabited by Borno State residents who fled their homes to seek refuge from Boko Haram attacks.
It was also learnt that there were about 100 people staying in the slum, popularly called Kurata.
A resident, Umaru Mate, said the mudslide occurred around 10am, adding that three shanties were destroyed by the impact.
He said, “I went out very early this morning and returned around 10am. I was about going into my house when I heard a loud noise.
“About 20 of us rushed there and saw that three houses had been destroyed by the mudslide. We were able to rescue a man, Umar, his wife and their five children.
“The woman that died just got married to her husband in the village. They have not stayed up to 10 days in this place.”
Another resident, Hassan Aji, appealed to the government to find a better place for them.
He said, “We are all from Borno State. We left our villages because of Boko Haram. We relocated here about two years ago. Our villages are deserted. As I speak with you, I don’t know where my mother is. I have two wives and seven children and if the government sends us away from here, I don’t know where to go.”
Ibrahim Aliu, another resident, said they paid N24,000 per year as rent to some men who claimed to be working for the Lagos State Government.
The General Manager of LASEMA, Michael Akindele, said the slum was not habitable.
Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said that Nigeria is better off with Lagos than with the Niger Delta despite the oil deposits in the latter.
Sanusi also condemned Nigeria’s long dependence on oil as a sole source of income and the determination of some persons to divide the nation over the oil.
The Lagos story is a story of what Nigeria can do with itself – transparency, consistency, regulations.
That’s why today Lagos state is 30% Nigerian non-oil GDP, and Lagos can do without oil. This country is better off with Lagos than with the Niger Delta. Let’s not make that mistake. We should be together as a country,” the Emir wrote via Instagram on Monday, September 5, 2016.
Every part of the country is important. But, let us not be so obsessed by a resource, because we have had the commodity driven model, and we are blind to the potentials of an alternative model.
Lagos doesn’t need oil. What is oil anyway? It is a raw material. You don’t drink it. You need it to move your vehicles. Now, you have electricity. You need it to fill your generator. Now you have solar power, and biomass.
“The future of oil is not there. So, those few people who are trying to break up this country over oil, after sometime that oil will be worthless,” he added.
The Niger Delta has been the centre of crisis due to the activities of militant groups, many of whom seek to stake a superior claim to the oil in the region.
Banky W reveals on his Instagram page that FC Barcelona is opening an annex camp of their academy in Lagos. He further stated that he is working with the Lagos State Government to sponsor kids to get in and develop as athletes.
He captioned:
So FC Barcelona is opening an annex camp of their academy in Lagos (wow!!!) And I feel SO honoured to team up with the Lagos State Sports Commission to sponsor kids to get in and develop as athletes and people… feeling real blessed to be able to support them in this. And feeling very proud of Lagos and the strides we are making. #IAmCapable#Lagos#Barcelona#Academy#Scholarships
The Lagos State Police Command has arrested a 22-year-old housekeeper, Tanko Abdulateef, who allegedly stabbed his employer, Mrs. Mabel Okafor, to death in Ajah, VGC area Lagos.
DAILY POST recalls that the suspect fled the scene of the incident after Mrs. Okafor was stabbed in her apartment and stole some of her valuables including her phones which aroused police suspicion that he was behind the murder.
The state Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, had detailed a decoy team of the Rapid Response Squad in charge of tracking to get on the case to weed out the killer.
According to a correspondent of police, the suspect was tracked to a hideout in the Bali area of Taraba State where he was arrested.
He said, “The suspect allegedly ripped the victim’s stomach open. He also took away valuable items from the house, including three mobile phones, a trinket and a lot of clothes. All the items were recovered from him after his arrest.
“On the day of the incident, policemen went to the house and discovered that the place had been ransacked and a lot of property had disappeared.
“The housekeeper was also nowhere to be found.
“The deceased was moved to the mortuary and the policemen from the Ajah division investigated the matter and it was later transferred to the State Criminal Investigation and Intelligence Department, Yaba.
“The suspect was arrested in Taraba State two weeks after he fled.”
The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, who confirmed the arrest, said the suspect would be charged to court after the conclusion of investigation.
She said, “After about three days in Bali, operatives were able to recover some of the phones stolen from the victim before eventually arresting the suspect where he was hiding.
“There is no escape route for criminals in Lagos State, any crime committed in Lagos will be unravelled.”
“The suspect has been handed over to the SCIID for further investigation, before being charged to court,” Badmos added.
The National Open University of Nigeria said on Friday that it had identified and closed down five illegal study centres operating in different parts of Lagos.
The Director, Media and Information of the institution, Malam Ibrahim Sheme, explained that the decision was taken following reports from some concerned Nigerians.
He said that NOUN had to constitute a committee to monitor the activities of its study centres nationwide, in the interest of the general public.
He said, “We will continue to clamp down on the activities of such centres, whose main aim is to defraud Nigerians of their hard-earned incomes, given the economic situation in the country today.
“We just visited Lagos to monitor our centres and their operations and discovered five illegal study centres operating there.
“Anyone who wants to run a study centre must go through due process by officially registering with the institution, subject to meeting all the laid-down criteria.
“It is not by doing it illegally or by way of fraud. Those who discuss with NOUN for such purpose are given permission to do that, after meeting the prescribed requirements.”
Sheme said that all those found to have been operating the illegal study centres of the institution would be made to face legal action.
He also decried the collaboration of owners of some major schools by allowing operators of such centres to cite the centres in their institutions.
Sheme said that such school owners would also be prosecuted alongside the operators of the illegal study centres, stressing that ignorance of the law was not an excuse.
Tragedy struck on Wednesday at the Secretariat end of CMD Road, Ikosi Ketu, Lagos, after a tricycle rider, Christian Ugochukwu, was crushed to death by a truck. It was learnt that the truck driver, John Monday, had bashed the victim’s tricycle earlier on Shangisha Road and refused to stop.
The victim was reported to have parked his tricycle and chased the truck. He reportedly caught up with it at the Secretariat bus stop and hung to its side door. The driver reportedly flung the door open and Ugochukwu fell. He was subsequently crushed to death by the truck’s back tyres.
A witness, who did not identify himself, said the incident happened around 1.30pm. He said, “Christian (Ugochukwu) plied the Shangisha route and he was in his tricycle when the passing truck bashed it. The truck driver continued his movement as if nothing happened. He also didn’t heed the cry of the man to pull over. So, Christian started chasing the truck, caught up with it and hanged to its door. He had a stick in his hand and he used it to threaten the driver that he would hit him if he didn’t stop. The driver suddenly opened the door and he fell. The back tyres climbed on him and he died. It was a bad sight”
It was learnt that immediately the incident happened, the driver sped off.
Another witness said a crowd mobilised and chased the truck driver, adding that he was caught at a filling station in the Otedola Bridge area. A police source said the driver and his conductor were rescued by policemen from the Isheri division, joined by officers of the Metro Patrol and Safer Highway. The driver said he drove to the filling station to escape being lynched by the mob, who had petrol to pour on him.
“He was rescued alive and taken to the station along with the man’s corpse. The corpse was later deposited in the Iyana Isolo General Hospital morgue,” he added.
It was that Ugochukwu’s wife had just been delivered of a baby on the morning of the incident. He was said to be looking for money for hospital bill when tragedy struck. The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Dolapo Badmos, confirmed the incident, adding that the suspect would be charged to court at the end of investigations.
She said, “The suspect is in our custody and he is assisting with investigations. Meanwhile, the victim’s corpse has been deposited in the mortuary for autopsy.”
A 55-year-old man, Yekini Ogunjobi, who allegedly abducted a teenage girl for several days and assaulted her sexually, was on Wednesday in Lagos released on a N100, 000 bail.
Police have pressed abduction and sexual assault charges at an Ikeja Chief Magistrates’ Court against the security man, who lives at 12, Esuola St., Oko-Oba, Agege, a suburb of Lagos.Prosecutor Rafael Donny told the court that the offences were committed between July 25 and July 28 at the residence of the accused.
Donny said the accused lured the 14-year-old girl, who was sent on an errand, into his house and shut the door before assaulting her sexually.
“The accused abducted the girl for four days and assaulted her sexually. “It was one of her relations who sighted her in front of the accused’s house that reported to the police,”
Sgt. Donny said. According to the prosecutor, the offences contravene Sections 141(a) and 259 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011. The accused, who entered a `not-guilty’ plea, risks 18 years or life imprisonment on conviction.
A 24-year-old woman, Angela Job, who allegedly bit off her friend’s eyelid during a fight, has appeared before a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos. Standing trial on assault occasioning grievous harm charge, the accused entered a `not guilty’ plea.
According to the prosecutor, Insp. Ben Ekundayo, the accused had on Aug. 19 at about 6.30 p.m. at Papa Bus Stop, Badore Road in Ajah on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, bit off the eyelid of the complainant, Uche Anyanwu. He said Angela bit off Anyanwu’s eyelid when she asked the accused to pay the money owed her.
“A fight ensued when Anyanwu asked for the money and the accused bit off the eyelid, causing him grievous harm,” he said.
The offence contravened Section 243 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011. In his ruling, Magistrate Ade Adefulire, granted the accused a N200, 000 bail with two sureties in like sum. Further hearing has been fixed for Sept. 29.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, on Monday commissioned the newly rehabilitated fuel dump for the State Police Command, just as he reiterated his unwavering commitment to keep Lagos safe, secured and uncomfortable for criminal elements and their collaborators.
The facility, which has 33,000 litres capacity for both diesel and premium motor spirit (petrol), was rehabilitated by the State Government for the purpose of dispensing fuel to vehicles used for patrol and surveillance activities by the Police in the State.
Speaking at the commissioning, Governor Ambode, who was represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations, Mr. Oluseye Oladejo, said provision of the facility was in line with his administration’s determination to further enhance security of lives and property in the State.
He said: “Since our inauguration, we have left nobody in doubt about our commitment to keep our State safe and secured. We have demonstrated commitment to this course through massive investment and the provision of modern security equipment to strengthen the crime fighting capacity of security agencies, especially the State Police Command.”
Till date, we have empowered security agencies with 100 Saloon Cars, 195 Ford Ranger Pick Ups, 10 Toyota Land Cruiser Hilux and several others.
These were provided with the main objective of facilitating mobility of officers within the nooks and crannies of the State.
“With this dedicated facility, the State Government has once again made a clear statement of its determination to make Lagos uncomfortable for criminals and their collaborators,” he said.
The Governor said he was not oblivious of the fact that the major requirement for efficient running of vehicles is regular fuel supply and maintenance, adding that such necessitated the approval he gave for the revamping of the old and dilapidated fuel dump at the State Police Command.
While expressing delight at the completion of the rehabilitation and handing over to the police, Governor Ambode urged the State Command to ensure adequate monitoring, as well as usage of the fuel only for the purpose intended.
Besides, Governor Ambode assured the State’s Commissioner of Police, Mr. Fatai Owoseni of the readiness of the State Government to sufficiently service the facility for a 24/7 mobility of security vehicles.
Earlier, Owoseni thanked Governor Ambode for once again demonstrating that he is a worthy partner, adding that the commissioning and handing over of the facility was a milestone to the Police.
“The State Government has been at the forefront of supporting us both in terms of equipment and logistics. On behalf of the Inspector General of Police, I want to specially thank Governor Ambode and the State Government for supporting us in fueling the vehicles provided for us.
“We want to assure the good people of Lagos that we recognise that to whom much is given, much is expected. We will reciprocate this kind gesture by redoubling our efforts in other to make Lagos safer and more secured,” Owoseni assured.
Drivers of mass transit buses yesterday boycotted Okoko / CMS route to protest the alleged killing of their colleague Sunday evening by a Mobile policeman.
The deceased, identified simply as Fatai was said to have been hit by a stray bullet from a Mobile policeman , at Doyin bus-stop in Orile area of Lagos. The policeman with an undisclosed identity, who was said to be escorting a jeep, reportedly fired some shots into the air apparently to disperse vehicles which blocked the road, only for a bullet to hit the mass transit bus driver.
One of the protesting drivers , Ishola Manni, who spoke with this reporter, said: Our friend and colleague, Fatai , popularly called Oshe was killed by a Mobile policeman on Sunday.
He died leaving behind a wife and five children. Who will take care of them?, he asked. An eye witness, Ebere Madu explained that: “ I was attending to some customers when we heard some gun shots. Everyone ran away, thinking it was a robbery operation, but by the time the whole place was calm, we were told that a man who was hit by a stray bullet fired by a Mobile policeman was lying in the pool of his blood.
When the Policeman realised what happened, he disappeared from the scene, leaving the vehicle he was escorting . Boys in the area swung into action and arrested an occupier of the jeep whom they handed over to policemen at Orile division. The corpse was taken to the police station, from where it was taken to another location”.
In a bid to avert incidents of Lassa fever and other vector-borne diseases in Lagos State, a non-governmental organisation, Phosguard Fumigant Limited, in partnership with the state government, has introduced a bounty, ‘Kill rats, make money.’
Under the project, rodents in the state will be bought by the NGO after they had been killed using hi-tech chemicals and equipment that would make their decomposing bodies non-infectious, the News Agency of Nigeria reports.
The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr. Oluwasegun Benson, on Sunday, said the bounty would help to get rid of rats in the state.
“We will buy at least 20 rats for a yet-to-be determined amount. In Lagos now, it is operation kill rats and make money.
“A rat has 28 days gestation period and in the past years, there has not been any solid structure on ground to curb them from infecting humans with diseases.
“We are already approaching an epidemic with Lassa fever and we must be proactive and find a more coordinated approach to control them. It is war against rodents and pests in Lagos State,’’ he said.
In spite of the commencement of production from its newly discovered oil wells, Lagos State may have to wait until crude oil export commences before it joins the league of states benefitting from the 13 per cent derivation principle.
This clarification was made yesterday at Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting.
This emerged just as allocation available for sharing by three tiers of government for the month of July dipped by N115.369 billion to N443.663 billion as against June’s allocation of N559.032 billion.
The reduction was caused by sustained attacks on oil installations by Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) leading to disruptions both in oil production and sales.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Dr. Mahmoud Dutse-Isa, who spoke with journalists after the FAAC meeting, said Lagos would begin to enjoy 13 per cent derivation when crude export commence from its oil wells.
“Lagos state is yet to start enjoying from derivation principle. When crude oil export commences from the wells, the revenue realised from such wells will be allocated to them,” he said.
For the month of August, the gross statutory revenue stood at N287.819 billion, an amount lower than N538.788 billion received in previous month by N250.970 billion.
“Crude oil export volume decreased by 2.8 million barrels in April 2016 partly because of a subsisting force manjeur declared at Forcados terminals. Also, shut-in and shut down of pipelines at other terminals due to the activities of vandals and for maintenance impacted negatively on production. There was a revenue decrease of $102.17 million in federation export revenue despite the increase in average price of crude oil from $38.64 in March to $42.21 per barrel in April, 2016”, the permanent secretary explained.
From the statutory revenue of N258.151 billion shared, federal government got highest amount N129.212billion, states got N65.538 billion, local government N50.527 billion while oil producing states got N 12.874 billion as 13 per cent derivation.
The balance in Excess Crude Account stood at $3.03 billion.
A 36-year-old man, Ezechi Uwazie who allegedly abducted a 17-year-old girl, has appeared before a Surulere Magistrates’ Court, Lagos.
The accused is facing a two-count charge of abduction and fraud.
The Prosecutor, Sgt. Christopher Okoliko, told the court that the accused committed the offences with others still at large at Suru-Alaba in Orile-Iganmu area of Lagos on Aug.19 at 12.00 p.m.
According to him, the accused walked up to the girl and presented himself as an importer, who is in search of the place where his goods are kept.
“The girl, who was sent to the bank by her boss, described how he can get to Cele Bus Stop in Okota, Lagos.
“The man insisted that she should take him to the place claiming that he was new in Lagos.
“Suddenly, a man, who is also an accomplice, came to meet the girl, pretending that he did not know the man, suggested that they should accompany the man to the place.
“The girl became unconscious and accepted the offer and they boarded a bus heading to Cele Bus Stop.
“When they alighted from the bus, they told the girl that they should take a bus heading to Ejigbo, but the girl insisted that she cannot help again.
“When they were at Cele Bus Stop, a man, who noticed that something was fishy, went to a nearby police station to report,’’ Okoliko said.
“In the course of the argument, the accomplice pretending to be a Good Samaritan saw the man coming with a policeman and absconded.
“The `fake importer’ was immediately arrested.’’
The offences contravened Sections 141 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.
The Magistrate, Mrs. M.I. Dan-Oni, granted the accused bail in the sum of 200,000 with two reliable sureties in like sum.
