The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Kanu joins photographers for ‘photo walk’

    Football icon, Kanu Nwankwo joined Nigerian photographers who staged a walk to mark World Photography Day in Lagos.

    The walk took off from the Freedom Park, Lagos Island, to Silverbird Galleria in Victoria Island and ended at Ember Creeks, Ikoyi, where an exhibition and a talk held.

    Nwankwo joined the entourage at the Silverbird Galleria where his appearance threw the place alive with excitement. While screaming his fond name, Papilo, in excitement, eager photographers and photo enthusiasts rushed to take snapshots with him.

    After the walk, he pledged support for the photography industry.

    According to him, the photography industry holds large potential that would yield a lot for the great country if well tapped.

    He urged photographers to keep their dreams alive and focus on being the best in what they do.

    “It feels great celebrating this day with photographers and lovers of photography across the world. It feels great to be loved by them; and seeing them rushing to me in exciting made me really happy, that I had made the day memorable for them. They made it memorable for me too.”

    The convener and founder of the World Photography Day Nigeria, Mr Yemi Royal, lamented that the industry has remained an untapped goldmine, urging government to support it.

    “There several opportunities waiting to be tapped in this industry, we are using this day to call on the government and investors to take advantage of what the industry has to offer. Our mission today is to engage, educate, empower and stimulate the photography community in Nigeria,” Royal said.

  • Court dissolves 14-year-old marriage over sex

    An Igando Customary Court in Lagos yesterday dissolved the 14-year-old marriage between Mrs Adeola Adelani and her husband, Olajide, after the wife said she had been sex-starved for eight-years.

    In his judgment, the court’s President, Mr Hakeem Oyekan, said the estranged couple were tired of the marriage and all efforts to reconcile both parties had failed.

    Oyekan ruled: “Since both parties consented to the dissolution of their marriage, this court has no choice than to dissolve the marriage. The couple can no longer stay together because the marriage has broken down totally; both parties are no longer husband and wife, they are free to go their separate ways.

    “Both parties are to keep the peace all the time; any violation of the order should be reported to the police for redress.”

    The petitioner, Adeola, 39, had approached the court seeking to dissolve her marriage to Olajide for allegedly refusing to make love to her for eight years.

    She told the court that she was married to Olajide about 14 years ago and had a 12-year-old son with him.

    “My husband refused to make love to me for eight years. I want to have another baby because our son is 12-year-old and I am not satisfied with only one child,’’ she said.

    The petitioner accused her husband of abandoning her and their child for an unknown destination since 2013.

    She alleged that her husband had refused to disclose where he lives and where he works, but said that he always sent his son’s school fees and house rent through her bank account.

    Mrs Olajide said her husband told her pastor that he had married another woman and had children, and that she should find another husband for herself.

    The petitioner said she was a sad woman with neighbours referring to her as a “rejected and abandoned property.’’

    She begged the court to dissolve the marriage because she wanted to move on with her life.

    Olajide, 45, a businessman,

  • Our plans for Togolese asylum seekers, by Lagos

    Our plans for Togolese asylum seekers, by Lagos

    Lagos State yesterday said the Togolese asylum seekers who it accommodated at its Relief Camp in Igando are safe and sound.

    They had besieged the Awolowo Road, Ikoyi, Lagos Office of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) last week.

    The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) General Manager, Mr Michael Akindele, took reporters on a tour of the camp to see how the asylum seekers are faring.

    There are 110 Togolese at the camp, made up of 27 families. Among them are 60 adults (35 males and 25 females) and 50 children (24 males and 26 females).

    There are five furnished dormitories with double beds and mosquito nets, each of which can accommodate between 2000 to 5000 persons.

    Also within the premises is a dinning hall, a kitchen and clinic/sick bay with two doctors and nurses.

    Armed guards provide security, while a Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) official was seen teaching the asylum seekers English language in a large air-conditioned hall.

    The Camp Commandant, Fakilade Olatubosun, said the asylum seekers have been cooperative.

    He said they are fed three times daily. Beside receiving English and Mathematics lessons, they also engage in sporting activities. He said only a few of them speak English.

    Akindele said before being accommodated, each of them were screened by medical experts, and those with serious health problems were referred to the Igando General Hospital and the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

    According to him, NCFRMI officials will send an Eligibility Committee today to determine those to be granted refugee status.

    He said: “Last week, Governor Akinwumni Ambode gave a directive that we should move in and relocate them to a secure location.

    “It was borne from his passion for security of lives not minding where they are from but so long as they are already within Lagos,” he said.

    The asylum seekers expressed gratitude to the Lagos State Government for treating them like VIPs.

    One of them, Sogbo Mounou, said they were among opposition members who fled Togo to Benin Republic in 2005 following threats to their lives due to a political crisis during presidential election.

    According to them, the Benin Republic government, after nearly 10 years, did not recognise them as refugees, hence their decision to seek asylum in Nigeria.

    Agbokou Komlan, 42, who has a wife and a child, said they are already in love with Nigerian food, especially “Semo”. “Nigerian soup is nice,” he said.

    Akindele said: “So long as they are in Lagos, they will receive the best treatment. We did not need to obtain approvals before relocating them because it was an emergency situation. Imagine if all this children had been outside till night or if it began to rain.

    “Immediately the Federal Government saw the action of the state government, the NCFRMI Southwest office in Ikoyi informed us about the statutory steps they are also taking.

    “The office is in contact with us. Tomorrow (today), the Eligibility Committee comprising the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), will be visiting the migrants to assess their eligibility status.

    “Until the committee concludes the assessment, we cannot say how long they will be in the camp. We operate with the best international standards.

    “We have a standard clinic with doctors, nurses and pharmacists running a 24-hour shift. We have a caterer on stand-by who cooks their three-square meal. All these are been done out of Governor’s passion for the life of everyone in Lagos.”

  • Elegbeda’s funeral holds today

    The remains of the late Elegbeda of Egbeda, Oba Samson Alade Balogun will be interred today at the palace.

    The late Oba Balogun, 80, was due to travel to the United Kingdom before his death last Friday.

    The Christian wake was held yesterday at a hall inside the palace.

    The three hours event was coordinated by the Shaddai Baptist Church, Egbeda, Lagos.

    It featured praises, hymns, scriptural reading, brief testimony, exhortation and a special prayer for the family.

    Former Lagos Commissioner for Transportation Comrade Kayode Opeifa enjoined the gathering to emulate the late monarch’s selfless life-style.

    The late Oba Balogun, Opeifa said, was very accommodating and always ready to contribute to the growth of the community.

    Former Lagos State Independent Electoral Commissioner Alhaji Musibau Oyefeso, said Awori has lost an industrious son.

    In his tribute to the late monarch, Oyefeso said, he brought orderliness and modernity to the community.

    “Of course, we are pained because we lost a great man; Awori in particular has lost an industrious person. He was very trendy and passionate about the development of the community,” he said.

    The former LASIEC chief appealed to the traditional institution to look for a suitable person to succeed him.

    “In replacing him, they should look for a very passionate person who will be keen about the welfare of the people; who will consider the development of the area like the deceased’s monarch. Development is springing up fast in Egbeda, so there is need for a monarch that will assist the government in carrying out its policy,” he said.

  • Three businessmen docked for alleged stealing of N1.3m fuel

    Three businessmen yesterday, appeared before Justice Mohammed Yunusa of the Federal High Court, Lagos, for alleged stealing of 15,000 litres of petroleum products worth N1.3 million.

    The accused persons Jamiu Ajani, 25, Damilola Lawrence, 30, Ramon Adedejo,42, of no fixed addresses, were arraigned on a four-count charge of conspiracy, unlawful tampering with petroleum pipeline and stealing.

    The prosecuting police officer Mathew Omosun said the accused committed the offences on July 2, around 1pm, at Magidun, Ikorodu, Lagos.

    Omosun said the accused persons unlawfully tampered with petroleum pipeline and stole 15,000 litres of PMS, valued at N1.5 million, property of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    He said that the accused persons dealt in the product without any lawful authority or appropriate license.

    The prosecutor said that the offences contravened Sections 390 and 516 of the Criminal Code Act C38, Laws of the Federation 2004 as amended.

    “The Sections contravened also includes 7 (a) and (b) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation 2004 as amended,’’ he said.

    The accused pleaded not guilty.

    Omosun urged the court to remand the accused in prison custody pending the determination of the case.

    The accused counsel, Mr O. O. Onun, urged the court to admit the accused to bail on liberal terms.

    Justice Yunusa remanded them in Ikoyi prison and adjourned the case till September 3, for ruling on their bail applications.

  • One feared dead as hoodlums clash in Oshodi

    One feared dead as hoodlums clash in Oshodi

    One person was reported dead after two neighbourhood gangs clashed in Mafoluku area of Oshodi, Lagos on Wednesday night.

    The Nation learnt that the two factions were fighting over supremacy in the environment.

    The fight, which started at Ayo Motor Park, spread to Olaiya Street, Mafoluku where the hoodlums wielded guns and shot at themselves. Residents and passersby ran for safety. Shops were looted.

    An eyewitness who owns a restaurant said: “This has been on for three days now, and we have been off business since Monday.

    “Our sales are mostly at night; this is a place where people come to relax, drink and work. We have been having sleepless nights and also most of our properties have been destroyed; like cars and shops. The police came in late after a while, less movement has been on the road since yesterday and we don’t know how long this would continue.”

    Another witness, a trader said: “When this started around 6pm, I locked myself in my shop with some of my costumers and other passers-by. We watched them shooting one another; they have been on this fight for years now but these last three days have been worse. They usually have physical fight but this time around, it’s quite different. Some of my goods and properties were destroyed.”

    According to him, one man died during a fracas between two factions of tout at Keke Marwa’s park along Oshodi-Airport road, Ajao Estate.

  • Court sentences student for ‘theft’

    An Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos, yesterday sentenced a student to one week community service without an option of fine over theft of cable wires worth N200,000.

    Magistrate O.A. Komolafe gave the ruling after Abayomi Adebayo pleaded guilty to charges preferred against him.

    The accused, 23, was charged with a four-count charge bordering on stealing, wilful damage and breach of peace. Earlier, the Prosecuting Sergeant Joseph Ajebe, said that the accused committed the offence on August 16, at Mosco Road, IJaiye, Lagos.

    Ajebe said that the accused broke and entered the warehouse, where Etisalat Nigeria Limited mast was mounted and stole the wires.

    “The accused used an iron spanner to destroy the padlocks in order to gain entrance into the premises.

    “The security men guarding the mast caught him while he was trying to escape with the wires and handed him over to the police,’’ he said.

    Ajebe said that the offences contravened sections 21,166,307 and 337 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State, 2011.

  • Lagos terminates N50m shopping complex lease

    Lagos terminates N50m shopping complex lease

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday terminated the concession granted by the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation (LSDPC) to Afriland Properties for the redevelopment of the Falomo Shopping Centre in Ikoyi.

    The Governor said the decision was carried out based on a recent discovery that the concession was grossly detrimental to the interests of the people.

    According to him, only N50 million was paid by the concessionaire, Afriland Properties, for a 50-year lease of the property belonging to the government.

    He said government as custodian of the interests of Lagosians is committed to the restructuring of the LSDPC to ensure it begins to provide positive capital returns for the ultimate benefit of Lagosians.

    Governor Ambode two months ago, relieved former Managing Director of the LSDPC, Mr Biodun Oki of his appointment, just as he appointed Mr Jacob Agosu in acting capacity.

    The move, he said, was aimed at stemming the tide of negative capital returns of the corporation.

    Afriland Properties Plc is a property management, investment and development company, offering end-to-end services along the real estate value chain, from management to joint-venture investments.

    On its website, it says it has a portfolio size of over N10 billion and one of the largest land banks in Nigeria.

    In April, Afriland Properties announced a profit before tax of N1.74billion for the year ended December 31, 2014.

    The company is run by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Mrs. Uzo Oshogwe, who is said to have joined the company when it was still known as UBA Properties.

    Also on the management team is Mutiu Bakare, who is the Chief Financial Officer.

    The company is chaired by Angela Adebayo, was quoted as saying that the upturn in company’s net earnings “is attributable to improved operational efficiency and focus on value creation.”

  • Ambode warns contractors on road projects

    Ambode warns contractors on road projects

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday warned contractors handling various state projects that the state would not accept anything that would make life difficult for the residents.

    The governor frowned at the slow pace of work on the reconstruction of some of the road projects.

    Speaking during a project inspection tour in Bariga, Alimosho and Oshodi, Ambode reiterated his determination to make life comfortable for the people.

    At Somolu/Bariga, he said the reconstruction of the road is so important due to its strategic location and link to other areas.

    He mandated the contractor to deliver the work before Christmas, adding that while the work is going on, the contractors should provide palliative measures for the residents so that they can live their normal lives.

    At Alimosho, the Governor, who described Alimosho as the most populous Local Government in Lagos, empathised with the people on the untold hardship being experienced daily by commuters and promised to ensure completion of on-going works on the road within the next three months.

    “In the course of my campaign, I came to this neighbourhood three times asking you to vote for me, I am back here to let you know that this road that is so important to the economy of this area, we would complete it within the next three months” he said.

    Ambode hailed the residents for their perseverance, assuring them that the deplorable condition of the road would soon be a thing of the past.

    “I want to appeal to all our people living here. The contractor is going to work day and night and also create palliative for you to be able to use the road while he is working,” he said.

    At Oshodi, Ambode, ordered immediate reconstruction of Brown Street, just as he told traders to immediately vacate the right of way to ease free flow of vehicular movement in the area.

    The Governor, who walked through the stretch of Brown Street, Oshodi, said the road is germane to economy of the area.

    “Nobody should trade on this road henceforth and stop spreading your market on the road. I have seen what you experience on daily basis, that is why I took it upon myself to walk through Brown Street and I can assure you that work would commence within the next seven days,”, Ambode said.

    The council’s Executive Secretary, Dawood Adeola Olajobi appealed to the governor to help work on some major roads that needs urgent attention.

    Olajobi thanked Ambode for coming to have a firsthand information about the condition of roads in Oshodi, saying that the gesture will go a long way to show that he is a listening Governor.

    He pledged the council’s cooperation towards sustainable economic growth of Oshodi.

  • Man jailed for theft

    An Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court has sentence a 25-year-old man, Uzoma Duru to two months jail for stealing an electricity generating set.

    Uzoma, a resident of Ondo Street, Ebute Meta on August 16 stole Honda electricity generating set worth N80,000.  The defendant pleaded guilty to two count charges on stealing and forcibly entering.

    Police prosecuting Inspector Moses Uademevoi told the court that defendant broke into the house of one Mr Segun Thomas to steal the set.

    Magistrate Fowowe-Erusiafe sentenced the defendant to two months jail term with 100 hours of community service as option of fine.