The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Commission seeks better deal from council officials

    Lagos State local government officials have been urged to improve on service delivery to compliment Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s efforts.

    Lagos State Local Government Service Commission chairman Mr Babatunde Rotinwa gave the charge when members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Lagos branch, visited him on Friday.

    Rotinwa said since the local government is closer to the people, its officials should be conversant with their needs so as to meet them.

    He advised the officials to improve on their community relations, noting that the Lagos City Hall, an edifice on Lagos Island, was built by a local government.

    Earlier, Lagos branch of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), president, Comrade Afolabi Ajose hailed Ambode for his choice of chairman.

    The appointment, he said, showed Ambode’s commitment to transforming the councils.

  • Synagogue trustees, engineers trial begins

    Synagogue trustees, engineers trial begins

    The trustees of Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) will today be arraigned before a Lagos State High Court in Ikeja over the collapse of a six-story building in the church on September 12, last year which led to the death of 116 persons.

    Senior Pastor of the church, Prophet Temitope Joshua is one of the trustees.

    The trustees will be arraigned before Justice Lawal Akapo alongside the engineers that constructed the collapsed building.

    A statement by the Deputy Director, Public Affairs of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Bola Akingbade confirmed it.

    It would be recalled that Justice Ibrahim Buba of the Federal High Court in Lagos had dismissed the fundamental human rights enforcement suits filed by the engineers who constructed the collapsed six-storey building to stop their planned trial.

    The engineers – Mr Oladele Ogundeji and Mr Akinbela Fatiregun, had filed two separate suits before Justice Buba seeking an order restraining the police from inviting, arresting or prosecuting them over the victims’ death.

    The Lagos State Government, had set up a Coroner Inquest to unravel what went wrong, and via a verdict delivered on August 7 by Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, the Coroner had indicted the engineers and recommended them for investigation and prosecution for criminal negligence.

    The engineers had filed the suits following the Coroner’s verdict, which attributed the building collapse to structural defect.

    But Justice Buba, in his ruling on the defendants’ preliminary objection, held that the engineers “had not made out a case of infringement on their fundamental rights even on the merit of the application,” and dismissed their applications.

  • Tinubu has done well for Lagos, says Okunnu

    Tinubu has done well for Lagos, says Okunnu

    Former Lagos State governor and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu was the toast yesterday at a reception for the party’s National Legal Adviser, Dr Muiz Banire (SAN).

    The event, held at Protea Hotel, Ikeja, GRA, was to mark the conferment of SAN on Banire.

    It was organised by the University of Lagos Muslim Alumni (UMA).

    Though Tinubu was not present at the event, he was extolled for the good job he did in Lagos.

    To former Federal Commissioner of Works Alhaji Femi Okunnu, Tinubu did a lot to ensure Lagos attains a mega city status.

    Okunnu said he prevailed on Banire not to quit the party when he (Banire) was complaining that Tinubu is like Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    “Like him or hate him, Tinubu has done a lot for the country, Lagos in particular. He is like Awolowo in term of leadership style. If you say Tinubu is overbearing, Awolowo was dictatorial. Awolowo took full control of the party during his era and that’s what I find in this young man, Tinubu. I told Banire not to quit rather stay there, dig in there, don’t go anywhere because you still have a mission in the party,” he said.

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said with Banire, there is no dull moment.

    Mohammed recalled how Banire jokingly embarrassed a fellow commissioner during executive council (exco) meeting in Tinubu’s administration.

    “Muiz will drop his phone in commissioner’s pocket unknowingly to the latter while entering the meeting venue. Then, he will now ask you can I use your phone to call my line; my phone is missing and his phone will start ringing in your pocket (laughter); that is the kind of person he is,” he said.

    Secretary-General, Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs, Prof Is-haq Oloyede thanked Allah for turning the opportunities that came Banire’s way into blessings.

    A lot of people have different opportunities in life that never tuned into success, he said.

    “With the blessings of Allah, the opportunities, talents and hard work of our brother have turned into a blessing, not only for him but also to his community and to all of us who know him. Apart from the blessings of Allah, Muiz Banire is successful because he was able to combine his opportunities with talent and turned both into success,” Prof Oloyede said.

  • Lagos gives mudslide victims’ dad N5m

    Lagos gives mudslide victims’ dad N5m

    It was a moving scene yesterday at the Lagos State Secretariat as the government gave a N5million cheque to Mr Okeoseye Odia, who lost four children to a mudslide in Magodo about three weeks ago.

    The four boys were killed after the mudslide hit their home at 50 Otun Araromi Street, Orisha, Magodo Phase1 following a downpour on Novermber 7.

    Their father broke down in tears when he collected the cheque.

    The tragedy, Odia said, was too much for him to bear, adding that he would not return to the community.

    Presenting the cheque to him, Commissioner for Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Relations Mr Seye Oladejo said the government would look after the family.

    He noted that, no amount of assistance could replace the loss, saying the gesture would assist the family to secure accommodation, cope socio-economically and get on with life.

    Oladejo said: “As part of government magnanimity and commitment at alleviating the impact of this disastrous and unfortunate incident on the Odia Family, Governor Akinwumi Ambode has graciously approved financial assistance to the family. But we are using this opportunity for people who are living in dangerous areas to please vacate such areas.

    “The incident is very unfortunate, we are not happy to do this. Imagine a family losing four children. But the lesson there is that some of these tragedies could be avoided.

    Lagos State Emergency Management Agency,(LASEMA) General Manager Mr Michael Akindele said the agency helped the family to recover and bury the children.

    Akindele said: “While we commiserate with the family, we also urge people to begin to value their lives, they should vacate potential dangerous areas. Prevention is better than cure.“

    Akindele also raised the alarm over looming disaster in Idumota Lagos Island, saying the agency just got a tip-off about a building that has partially collapsed three times. The landlord, he said, was about patching the building again.

     

  • Lagos is a victim of its success, says Ambode

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday warned the public against testing his will in taking “tough decisions and implementing effective strategies in traffic management.”

    Speaking at a Traffic Management and Transport Summit held at the Civic Centre at Ozumba Mbadiwe Street on Victoria Island, by the government, he described “Lagos as a victim of its own success”.

    He said: “Lagos, in many ways, is a victim of its own success as many people leave other states and travel to Lagos seeking better opportunities. More Nigerians want to reside in Lagos and this obviously comes with some challenges.

    “As one of the leading commercial centres and an emerging city-state, we need to go back to the drawing board and agree on how our transportation sector can be effectively and efficiently operated to support the kind of trade and investment we want to continually attract.

    “We need to collectively examine how transportation sector can improve public sector delivery through better institutional framework, quality transport infrastructure and then tackle wasteful and socially harmful transport patterns. You will agree with me that the ease of travelling, mobility and communication are critical fuels for our state economic engine.”

    The governor urged stakeholders to evaluate and articulate smarter and effective strategies for reducing traffic congestion.

    Earlier in his welcome address, Commissioner for Transportation Dr Dayo Mobereola said the summit would address the state’s traffic challenges.

    Corps Marshal and Chief Executive of Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Boboye Oyeyemi said Lagos accounts for about 70 percent of the country’s transportation network and over 30 percent of its vehicular density.

    Meanwhile Southwest Chairman of National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Mr Tokunbo Korodo has said the Apapa traffic would continue until petrol scarcity eases.

    Korodo told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday that petrol tankers across the country were loading at Apapa depots, adding that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) depots had not been loading because of vandals’ activities.

  • 15 hospitalised after inhaling fumes

    There was panic at Owode-Onirin Market in Lagos on Wednesday when 15 persons, including an expectant woman, slumped after inhaling fumes. The fumes were from a fire burning a substance at a section of the market.

    Others included six officers of the Lagos State Fire Service deployed to put out the fire, which started around 6: 05 pm.

    The fire, The Nation gathered, arose from the burning of refuse and other materials on the land beside the market by its owner, Mrs Emily Patrick.

    Two of the victims, sources said, are in intensive care at the Burns and Trauma Centre of Gbagada General Hospital. Others were rushed by Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS) to the Accident and Trauma Centre at the Toll Gate near Oregun, Ikeja.

    Sources said a dumpsite nearby was filled with fibre materials and other used-industrial equipment.

    The wind blew the fire to the dumpsite, a source said, adding that the efforts of Mrs Patrick and her husband to quell the fire failed.

    A trader, who gave his name simply as Olatinwo, said the victims collapsed after inhaling “the poisonous fumes discharged from the industrial equipment on the dumpsite”.

    Owode-Onirin Market Chairman Alhaji Wahab Adeoti described the tragedy as pathetic.

    He said:”I have instructed our traders not to burn their refuse. Rather, they should put it in bags and wait for the Private Support Participation (PSP) operators to cart away their refuse. And they have abided by this. In fact, the dumpsite has been abandoned for several months. We don’t dump our refuse there.

    Director State Fire Service Razaq Fadipe said his men were responding to treatment.

    “Eleven people are suspected to have inhaled the toxic fumes from the fire. We attacked the fire professionally; bearing in mind that the area is surrounded by iron scrap markets and residences and if not quickly quenched, it could have been disastrous.”

  • Motorcyclist kills LASTMA man

    Motorcyclist kills LASTMA man

    A motorcyclist has killed a Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) official, Prince Sunday Segun Shenuga, on line of duty.

    The late Shenuga otherwise called SS was knocked down on the Third Mainland Bridge while trying to assist a man whose vehicle broke down.

    The motorcyclist also suffered arm fracture.

    He is at Gbagada General Hospital.

    Shenuga, who rode a LASTMA motorcycle, was rushed to the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja where he died.

    According to a LASTMA official, the late Shenuga was flagged down by the distressed motorist.

    “He parked, removed his helmet and was trying to assist when a motorcyclist hit him. He was rushed to LASUTH and died the following day,” he said.

    The late Shenuga, The Nation learnt, was among officers that give situation report to the Traffic Radio Control Room, Alausa, Ikeja.

    LASTMA General Manager (GM), Bashir Braimah described the incident as sad, adding that the late Shenuga’s remains had been buried.

    LASTMA, Braimah said, footed the hospital and funeral bills.

    On whether the authority will press charges against the motorcyclist, he said: “That is left for the police to handle.”

    Braimah appealed to motorists to see LASTMA officials as fellow human beings.

    “They are family men and women like all other Lagosians. They have wife and children just like everybody; they have relations and most especially are your neighbours. So, why do people think of attacking them for trying to make life easier for the populace? They are always out there in the rain and under sun to keep traffic moving. Attacking them shouldn’t be contemplated at all,” he said.

    The GM assured his men that their welfare is paramount, urging them to see Shenuga’s case as an act of God.

  • Corporal held for wife’s death

    A police corporal Yinka Oloko of the Lagos State Command is being held for the death of his wife.

    He is being detained at the Ikeja Police Division for alleged taking home his service pistol which accidentally discharged and killed his wife on Tuesday.

    According to a source, the incident occurred around 9.30pm in his house at Egbeda, Lagos. The suspect, the source added, allegedly went to Police Officers Wife Association (POWA) market to relax after closing from work before going home.

    “When he got home, his wife helped him to hang his clothes. She kept the gun on the bed while helping him with his dresses. The pistol suddenly exploded and the bullet hit the woman on her lap. The corporal rushed her to a nearby hospital but all efforts by the doctors and nurses to save her life failed, “the source said.

    Police spokesman Joe Offor, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) described the incident as an accidental discharge.

    Offor described Oloko as a “fine gentleman.”

    Investigations, Offor said, showed that the couple’s families are not quarrelling.

    The Nation learnt that Oloko’s case has been transferred to the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS).

  • Police kill five robbery suspects in gun battle

    The police yesterday killed five suspected armed robbers and arrested one with bullet wounds.

    Sources told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ikeja, the Lagos State capital, that the suspects were killed in a gun battle with policemen from Elemoro Division, Ajah in Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area.

    “The police in Elemoro got information that the suspects were operating at Abule Parapo, opposite Awoyaya in Elemoro area of Ajah around 2am.

    “The suspects engaged the police in a shootout as soon as they saw them. Two locally made double barrel shot guns, one cutlass and iron cutter were recovered from them.

    “The gang had been terrorising residents of Ajah, robbing and raping women,” a source said.

    NAN reports that the casualities were brought to the Lagos State Police Command Headquarters in Ikeja at 12.15 p.m.

    The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) has taken over the case file from the Elemoro Divisional Police Officer (DPO), Sani Limawa, a Superintendent.

    Contacted, the command’s spokesman, Joe Offor, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) said he had yet to get the details of the case.

  • Four women plead guilty to prostitution

    An Igbosere chief Magistrates’ Court in Lagos yesterday remanded four women after pleading guilty to prostitution.

    They are Sandra Akomake, 58, Helen Ugwu, 34, Chika Okoro, 40, Roseline Jebba, 43 and Theresa Ordega, 61. They were arrested by the police on Tuesday night for allegedly soliciting for sex in exchange for money.

    They were arraigned before Magistrate S. K. Matepo.

    Prosecuting police Sergeant Nicholas Akeene alleged that the women committed the offence around 11pm at Thompson Avenue in Ikoyi.

    The offence, he said, contravened Section 142 (1) (a) (b) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2011.

    Ugwu, Okoro and Jebba pleaded guilty, but 61-year-old Theresa, the fifth defendant, denied the allegation.

    “I know nothing about this,” the sexagenarian said.

    Her counsel, S.A. Owhoraye, said she was a trader and applied for her bail.

    Matepo granted Ordega N50,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum. She adjourned the case till Monday.