The National Directorate of Employment (NDE) in Oyo State has begun the training of 66 youths in environmental beautification, in Ibadan.

The State Coordinator, Mrs. Olayinka Olayemi, said the programme was a rare opportunity provided by the directorate, under the leadership of Acting Director- General Mallam Abubakar Fikpo.

Olayemi, who acknowledged that unemployment was a ravaging scourge, said NDE would double its efforts until the worrisome situation was brought under control.

She said two beneficiaries were selected from each of the 33 local governments, totalling 66 across the state.

The Director, Special Public Works (SPW) department, NDE headquarters, Alhaji Idris Wase, represented by Mrs. Bimbo Olorunpomi, urged the trainees to maximise the opportunity given them. He said they should count themselves lucky to have been selected among the thousands of applicants.

Mr. Adu Adedotun, Head of Department, SPW and Mrs. Steve Ogundipe, Head of Department, Small Scale Enterprises (SSC) Department, also advised the trainees.

Ogundipe urged them to make dedication, perseverance and humbleness their watchwords throughout the training.

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Three of the trainees, Alebiosu Adeseye, Adekanye Oluwatobi and Lateef Olusegun, speaking on behalf of others, thanked the Federal Government for the opportunity, saying it would make them to be self-reliant.

NDE yesterday began vocational skill acquisition training for 32 youths in Ekiti State under its Environmental Beautification Training Scheme (EBTS).

The skill acquisition encompassed tiling, interlocking, landscape designing, raising nurseries, casting construction of water fountains, planting and maintenance of grasses and flowers as well as casting.

Speaking during the one-day orientation exercise for the 32 trainees, the NDE Acting Director- General, Abubakar Fikpo, said the scheme was designed to make unemployed youths self-reliant.

Fikpo, who lamented the rising poverty and unemployment rate among youths, said that the Federal Government was determined to halt the ugly trend.

The NDE Coordinator, Mr. Babatunde Alao, said the trainees, drawn from 16 local governments, would undergo three months training.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Ajayi Emmanuel praised the Federal Government for the gesture and pledged to work hard to acquire the skills in order to become self-reliant.

By Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie

Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun yesterday inaugurated the 10.25km Lusada-Igbesa Toll Road.

He also launched the reconstruction of Atan-Lusada-Agbara roads in Ado-Odo Local Government.

Prince Abiodun hailed the support of the management of FTZ, in conjunction with the residents and people of Lusada/Igbesa, for the completion of the projects.

At the twin-event, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works, Adamu Ailero, assured the Ogun State Government that the committee will ensure that the reconstruction work on Atan-Lusada-Agbara road is included in the 2022 Appropriation Bill.

Noting that the road would be completed in 15 months, Governor Abiodun said although the road, which was part of the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway, belonged to the Federal Government, his administration decided to embark on the reconstruction to give succour to the residents and industries in the area.

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The Board Chairman of Ogun State Free Trade Zone, Prince Gboyega Nasir Isiaka, said the inauguration of the road would remove impediment to growth in the area, adding that it would also boost the state’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).

“One major challenge in this area has been poor road infrastructure, which has discouraged the siting of industries. With the inauguration of this road today and the launch of the reconstruction of the larger Atan-Lusada-Agbara roads, this administration has removed that major inhibition to growth,” he said.

The events were attended by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo; the Chairman, Senate Committee on Works and former governor of Kebbi State, Senator Adamu Aliero; the lawmaker representing Lagos West and Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Olamilekan Adeola; Senator Ayo Akinyelure, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and Senator Micheal Nnachi.

Others are Ogun State Deputy Governor Mrs. Naimot Salako-Oyedele, Secretary to the State Government Tokunbo Talabi, monarchs, religious leaders, students, artisans, captains of industries, members of chambers, representatives of manufacturing industries, members of China community, representatives of local and foreign investors.

By Oyebola Owolabi

Thirty thousand people have been employed by the Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) in two years, it was learnt yesterday.

Commissioner for Environment and Water Resources Tunji Bello said this during a news conference to mark Governor Sanwo-Olu’s second year in office.

He said: “LAWMA, during the period under review, employed over 30,000 persons and increased the number of daily trips to landfills from 357 to 850 the average.

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“We also witnessed growth of Public Sector Participants (PSPs) from 350 to 437 (87 new PSP companies). The period has also seen the acquisition of 210 new compactors by the PSPs, who have also employed over 8,200 people.

“There is also a potential of 6,000 new jobs in recycling but currently averaging 4,000 for the formal and informal sections. Nine hundred and fifty persons were hired under our waste monitoring and policing, and another 350 as street captains.

“Other employed are 300 (marine waste), 14,010 street sweepers and another 3,500 under as highway managers. LAWMA has also installed a medical/health care waste treatment plant at its Agege Transfer Loading Station.”

Bello said contracts have been awarded for the building of drainage channels at 47 strategic locations.

Lagos State Government yesterday unveiled the creation of six waterfront schemes, to reduce housing and land deficit.

The schemes cut across the three senatorial districts.

Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development Ahmed Kabiru Abdullahi made this known at the annual news conference to commemorate the second year in office of Governor Babajide  Sanwo-Olu.

He said the ministry has obtained approval for preparatory work to begin the creation of six waterfront schemes.

The schemes are Idogun in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Lepia also in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government, Alayande- Sangotedo in Eti-Osa Local Government and Owode-Apa in Badagry Local Government.

Others are Akodo in Ibeju-Lekki Local Council Development Area (LCDA) and Ibeshe in Ikorodu Local Government.

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Abdullahi said the government would work on its ongoing man-made estates, which included: Eko Atlantic City, Green Field Island, King City Islands off north of Victoria Garden City (VGC), Ostia Island, FBT Coral Estate and Amuwo-Odofin Waterfront Scheme.

To boost water transportation, the commissioner said the government had opened up four navigable ferry routes to complement existing routes in the last one year.

He said: “The channelisation, which involves dredging of ferry routes, creating a path of 40 metre width and four metre minimum of depth to accommodate bigger boat movement includes the channelisation of 4km ferry route from Mile 2 to Marina, which is already in use, channelisation of 6.4km ferry route from Ebute (Ikorodu) – Ilaje (Falomo), 10.3km route from Ojo to Badagry and 4.10km Ilaje (Bariga ) to white sand in Oyingbo is almost completed.

“The new routes are to complement the existing ones: Ipakodo (Ikorodu) to Addax/ five cowries in Falomo, Ipakodo  (Ikorodu) to CMS/ Marina and Badore (Tarzan) to Ijede, Ebute Ojo to Liverpool to CMS / Marina. Others are Mile 2- Liverpool-CMS/ Marina, Baiyeku(Ikorodu) to Oke-Ira nla to Badore in Ajah and Ilaje to Bariga to Ebute Ero and CMS.”

By Adebisi Onanuga and Robert Egbe

Judiciary workers have resumed partial duty in Lagos State after a 23-day strike to press home their demand for financial autonomy for the judiciary in the states.

Their resumption followed a directive by the Administrative Department of the Lagos State Judiciary signed yesterday by the Director, Administration and Human Resources, Kamal A. Sanusi.

The memo titled: “Notice of Resumption” directed to “all members of staff”, stated: “In view of the communiqué issued by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), Lagos State branch, on April 27, I have the directive to inform all members of staff to resume at their duty posts on April 29.”

It directed officers of the judiciary to be in office on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays of every week until further directive from the staff union.

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All the departments of the state judiciary were opened in compliance with the directive as at yesterday, unlike Tuesday and Wednesday when only the cash office was opened. Deponents were allowed into the court complex.

The court rooms within the Ikeja High Court complex and the Roseline Omotoso Court House were all opened, while the registrars were seen behind their desks arranging case files at the court rooms, but judges were yet to begin sitting.

A source said that the JUSUN strike affected the dates already scheduled for ongoing and new cases before judges of the two court houses.

The source said judges will start sitting as soon as new dates are scheduled for case files at the courts.

The cash office was also opened to lawyers and deponents, who have started thronging the courts to file new cases and depose to affidavits.

However, judiciary workers at the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos, National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), Ikoyi and the Court of Appeal, Lagos remained shut, as workers continued to stay away from the courts in compliance with the directive of the national officers of JUSUN, which is insisting on full financial autonomy for the judiciary across the country.

The Lagos State Chairman of JUSUN, Asiwaju Kehinde Shobowale, in a post on his whatsapp platform to the workers and other comrades, reiterated that the development is “partial strike” and that “staff first” is their new slogan.

By Robert Egbe

The Court of Appeal sitting in Lagos yesterday dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP)’s suit which sought to disqualify Senator Adetokunbo Abiru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from continuing to represent Lagos East Senatorial District.

A three-man panel of the court affirmed the March 1, 2021 decision of Justice Chukwuka Obiozor of the Federal High Court in Lagos, which dismissed Babatunde Gbadamosi and the PDP suit for lacking in merit.

APC chieftain Abiru won the last December 5 senatorial by-election by a landslide, polling 89,204 votes against Gbadamosi’s 11,257 votes.

But Gbadamosi and the PDP challenged Abiru’s eligibility to contest the election.

The challengers sought to disqualify Abiru on the grounds of double voter registration, residency, indigeneship and violation of Section 31 of the Electoral Act.

But in dismissing their case, Justice Obiozor agreed with Abiru’s counsel, Kemi Pinheiro SAN and APC’s counsel, Abiodun Owonikoko SAN that the issue of residency and indigineship were not disqualifying factors under the constitution.

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Dissatisfied, Gbadamosi and PDP approached the appellate court.

Delivering the unanimous judgment yesterday via Zoom, the court- Justice Daniel Kallio presiding – decided the appeal and another cross-appeal in Abiru and the APC favour. Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa SAN led other lawyers for the appellants, Gbadamosi and the PDP.

Wendy Kuku represented the 1st respondent, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Pinheiro led other lawyers for the 2nd respondent/ cross-appellant Abiru and Owonikoko led other lawyers for the 3rd respondent/cross-appellant, APC.

The court in its judgment agreed with Pinheiro’s arguments and held that the appeal was unmeritorious.

In particular, the Court of Appeal held that the residency of a candidate to an election is not a qualifying or disqualifying factor.

It held further that the 2nd respondent (Abiru) did not submit false information to INEC.

The court also dismissed the arguments of the appellants that the 2nd respondent had irreconcilable names.

The justices further agreed with the arguments of Pinheiro and allowed the cross-appeal.

In resolving the cross-appeal, the court held that the suit of the appellants at the lower court was speculative and premature and the lower court ought to have dismissed same at the instance of the preliminary objection filed by the 2nd and 3rd respondents.

Judgment was delivered via Zoom and Gbadamosi was online when his appeal was dismissed.