The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • Use Ikorodu road well, says Fashola

    Use Ikorodu road well, says Fashola

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday urged Ikorodu residents to use the new Ikorodu expressway well to preserve the facility.

    Describing the road as the first of its kind in the state, with BRT lanes and bus stops on its median, Fashola said there was need to prepare users for what its expected of them.

    Fashola said the people must treasure the facility because the engineering drawings that eventually produced it were rejected thrice at the States Executive Council before they were accepted for implementation.

    Fashola who was represented by his Special Adviser on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga, at a stakeholders’ meeting at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transortation Authority (LAMATA) workyard in Majidun, said the road, which is built with tax payers’ money, must be protected.

    He said government would frown at driving against traffic, overspeeding and the conversion of walkways and lay-bys into trading posts or turning them into a mechanic yard.”

    The road, he said, must be cleared of all obstructions to allow free flow of traffic and enable the masses to enjoy its benefit.

    LAMATA’s Managing Director Dr Dayo Mobereola urged those who turned the BRT median into parking lot, especially at Owode Onirin, to desist from such practice, as the BRT buses would soon be deployed on the road.

    He said LAMATA would be deploying about 400 buses between next month and July to boost public transportation within and outside Ikorodu.

    Mobereola represented by Mr Gbenga Dairo, a director in the agency, listed a number of don’ts for motorists, adding that there would also be “strict compliance with the state’s traffic law”.

    He said: “Motorists should also obey all traffic signs, while hawking are prohibited in and around bus shelters and the BRT terminals, even as shelters, terminals and laybys have been designated as no sleeping areas for commuters.

    “Okada operators are restricted on the expressway and should not be found on the BRT lanes, while cutting of the road for any purpose whatsoever has been outlawed as enough ducts have been put at strategic places along the corridor.”

    Mobereola said though work was not completed on the road, the agency thought it should bring the stakeholders together to enlighten them on how they could help the government preserve it.

  • Monarch denies confronting govt on water bills

     Traditional ruler of Onigbongbo in Ikeja, Lagos  Munirudin Yusuf, has denied confronting the government with his directive on water bills.

    On Monday, Yusuf in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), directed every household in his community to disregard water bills from the Lagos State Water Corporation.

    The traditional told NAN yesterday that after the publication, some members of his community, including some of his chiefs,  accused him of confronting government with the directive.

    Yusuf said: “I’m not in any way trying to revolt against the government. I gave the directive based on several complaints from my subjects on the water bills and for government to take action.

    “I’ve been receiving calls from my subjects who accused me of declaring war against the state government. I have never declared war against the government and have no intention to do such because the government has been co-operating with me since my reign. I stand to be exonerated from such false allegation.’

    According to him, his subjects will only be cheated to pay bills for water which was not supplied.

    “This is because the corporation has not relented in bringing outrageous bills to a community which has not benefited from its services,” he said.

  • Rotary endows six undergraduates

    Six brilliant but indigent undergraduates have been endowed with a yearly scholarship of N100, 000, courtesy of the Rotary District 9110 Educational and Welfare Endowment Fund (DEWEF).

    Since inception in 1991, DEWEF has churned out 42 graduates.

    Cheques were presented yesterday at the District office in Ikeja, Lagos.

    “Part of the criteria for selection includes the fact that the students must be brilliant and be in their 200 level in the university. Upon application, a careful rigorous selection process and assessment of their 100 level performances and family background constitute some of the criteria for selection,” said a past district Governor Mr Adeniji Raji.

    Raji said the gesture is to address the humanitarian needs of the society by assisting students in government institutions situated in Lagos and Ogun.

    The District Incoming Governor Otunba Bola Onabadejo said the gesture is a way of investing in the future of the youth and putting smiles on their faces through contributions of its members.

    One of the beneficiaries of the scholarship six years ago, Dr Adeyinka Abdul-Hakeem, who was at the event, hopes to pursue residency training in International Medicine in the United States.

  • Contractor charged with N6.1 m fraud

    A 35-year-old aluminium sheet contractor, Babatunji Ogunjimi, was yesterday arraigned before an Ikeja Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos for allegedly swindling a marketing agency of N6.1 million.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Eranus Nnamonu, said the accused deliberately supplied ‘05mm -sized aluminium sheets to his client for a project rather than the agreed ‘055mm’ type.

    Nnamonu said the defendant committed the offence on April 30 at Oracle Experience Company at Jolly Street, Allen Avenue, Ikeja, Lagos.

    He said: “Ogunjimi, with intent to cheat his client, Oracle Experience Company, purchased 05mm-sized aluminum sheets from Tower Aluminum Company, rather than the agreed 055mm type, being fully aware that the `05mm-sized was not the standard specification that his client requested for.

    “He fraudulently made away with N6.1 million for purchasing lower quality aluminum roofing sheets.”

    Nnamonu said the offence violated Sections 363(1) and 364 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos State.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate Abimbola Komolafe granted Ogunjimi N500, 000 bail with two sureties in the like sum and adjourned the case to June 11.

     

  • Fashola stops widow’s planned protest at Govt House

    Fashola stops widow’s planned protest at Govt House

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday moved fast to stop a nonagenarian proprietor, Madam Roseline Ololo, from occupying his office.

    Last week, Madam Ololo, 91, threatened to occupy the governor’s office over the government’s alleged refusal to return her school.

    Madam Ololo and her late husband co-founded Metropolitan College in Isolo, Lagos in 1955.

    Through her lawyer, Malcolm Omirhobo, the nonagenarian, on Monday, notified the police of her protest at the governor’s office from yesterday.

    But, when she and her family members got to the governor’s office entrance yesterday, her lawyer informed waiting reporters that they got a call from Fashola to shelve the planned action.

    He said: “We were already on our way here when we received a call from the governor, who asked us to shelve the planned protest and come for a meeting on Friday at the Ministry of Education.”

    The woman with her late husband, Chief Michael Ololo founded the college in 1955 through their firm, Akaix West Africa Limited.

    The school and 47 others were taken over in 1976 under the military’s Education (Private Secondary Institutions Special Provisions) Law.

    Isolo Secondary School was subsequently established on the same premises as the Metropolitan College.

    In 2001, the then Bola Tinubu repealed the law and returned the affected schools to their owners, including Metropolitan College,  after reaching an agreement with the founders at an Arbitration Court.

     

  • Council gets 20 eco-friendly toilets

    Council gets 20 eco-friendly toilets

    Some communities in Ajeromi/Ifelodun Local Council Areas (LCAs) in Lagos State have been provided with 20 units of eco-friendly enviro-loo toilets to stop open defecation.

    This, Senior Special Assistant, New Partnership for African Development (NEPAD), Lagos State, Mr Ademola Amure, said was part of the state government’s efforts to improve sanitation, especially in the rural areas.

    Amure spoke at the inauguration of eco-friendly enviro-loo toilets in slummy communities as part of urban slum base services project by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Ajeromi/Ifelodun LCAs.

    Quoting the UNICEF, he said, about 119 million Nigerians lack adequate toilets, which make 50 million of them to defecate in the open.

    He said: “Lagos State shared a large chunk of this number due to its population. In India, the government has taken the initiative with the Prime Minister leading the charge on stopping open defecation.”

    The environmentally friendly solution, he said, was a partnership involving the government, UNICEF, NEPAD and Enviro-Loo to address the sanitation concerns of the people.

    The facilities, he said, were prioritised by the government.

    He said lack of water supply and power to manage a conventional toilet informed the government’s decision on the ‘eco-friendly’ water-free facility.

    Amure said Nigerians treat environment matters, with levity, adding that this shouldn’t be.

    The government, he said, had been educating people on the danger of poor sanitation and open defecation.

    Dr Niyi Olaleye of UNICEF Lagos said the journey towards helping the government TO meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDgs) started in 2010.

    The state, he said, was doing well in education, noting that there were disparities in the growth of some parts.

    “Lagos State shared a large chunk of this number due to its population. In India, the government has taken the initiative with the Prime Minister leading the charge on stopping open defecation”

     

  • IG’s ban on checkpoints excites motorists

    IG’s ban on checkpoints excites motorists

    Motorists are excited over the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase’s ban on checkpoints and road blocks.

    They said yesterday that they were now free from “unnecessary traffic and extortion” by policemen.

    Mr Tunde Alaba, a commercial bus driver, said he was happy that checkpoints had been banned.

    “Thank God the checkpoints are reducing, we will now be able to save more money to earn our living,’’ he said.

    Another commercial bus driver, Mr Sadiq Adekunle, said that he was happy over the withdrawal of police checkpoints but complained about the few still existing.

    “It’s a good thing that the police checkpoints are being withdrawn but some policemen still put up their roadblocks in some inner parts of Lagos,’’ he said.

    An engineer, Deji Adeleke, said banning of checkpoints was good since the police had realised that it was causing Lagosians more pain than good.

    “The ban on checkpoints is a good development. I guess the police have now realised that it’s the policemen at the checkpoints that paint a bad image of the force,’’ he said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), however, observed that checkpoints were still mounted at nights in some areas.

    At Oshodi, opposite the Nigerian Army Shopping Complex, Arena, at the junction leading to Oshodi Local Government Secretariat, some policemen take advantage of the traffic to extort money from motorists.

    Some experts have argued that the police do not need checkpoints or roadblocks to curb crime.

    Mr Jide Oluwole, a security consultant, said the world had gone beyond setting up roadblocks to check crime.

    “Since it’s certain we can’t be everywhere at the same time, with the use of technology, the crime rate in the state can be minimised,’’ he said.

    Mr Mike Olutayo, Head Operations at Identity Securities, said Close Circuit Television (CCTV) could be installed to monitor crime.

    If those already installed covered Lagos, he said, it could be used with a functional database, adding that the police do not need roadblocks to secure the state.

    But some Lagosians are worried that hoodlums may cash in on the ban to wreck havoc.

     

  • Doctor remanded for alleged N13.5m fraud

    An Ikeja High Court in Lagos yesterday ordered that Dr Obinna Monagor be remanded in prison for alleged fraudulent conversion of N13.5 million.

    Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye ordered the remand of the defendant following his arraignment by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a one-count charge of stealing by fraudulent conversion.

    Monago, 62, who lives on Alhaji Masha Road, Surulere, Lagos, will remain in prison pending the perfection of the N5 million bail conditions.

    Monagor, according to the EFCC counsel, Mr Ademola Omeiza, sometime in 2010, approached the complainant, Mr Godwin Achi, that he had a three-storey building for sale.

    Omeiza said the property, on Tade Aromolate Close in William Estate, Surulere, Lagos, was offered to the complainant for N150 million.

    He said the complainant paid the first instalment, but could not pay the balance following his inability to obtain bank loan.

    The EFCC counsel said Achi finally got the loan in 2012, but discovered that the said property had been sold to another party, Edscob Suites.

    The prosecutor said following the development, the complainant demanded the refund of his deposit but the company declined to pay him.

    He said Achi was compelled to petition EFCC following the defendant’s refusal to pay back the money one year after the deal.

    The commission, the prosecution said investigated the transaction, adding that the outcome informed Monagor’s arrest and trial.

    He said the defendant’s action contravened under Sections 390 (8) (b) and (9) of the Criminal Code Laws of Lagos State of Nigeria, 2003.

    Monagor pleaded not guilty.

    Defence counsel Dr Muiz Banire applied for his client’s bail.

    The prosecution did not oppose the application.

    Justice Ipaye granted the defendant N5 million bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    The judge directed that one of the sureties must be the defendant’s relation, adding that they should produce evidence of three years tax payment.

    She adjourned the matter to June 24.

     

     

  • ‘Actress’ husband held for ‘robbery’

    ‘Actress’ husband held for ‘robbery’

    THE husband of an actress arrested for alleged armed robbery has said that the bad company he kept led him into the world of crime.

    Daniel Ekwerekwu, 43, a spare parts’ dealer, said he was lured into robbery by a friend whose name he simply gave as Segun.

    Explaining his role in the robbery that led to his arrest, Ekwerekwu said: “I am a motor spares’ dealer. I was serving my master who sells shoes at Ochanja Market in Onitsha, the commercial hub of Anambra State. He gave me N2,500 as entitlement after serving him for four years. Later, I left Onitsha with my brother, Ifeanyi Onuekwe, an importer.

    “My father died of stroke. He had 22 children but death reduced us to six – four girls and two boys. I left for Lagos in 1992 to do motor spares business at Herbert Macaulay Way, Yaba. My business grew. That year, I gave somebody N2.2 million to buy motorcycles, but he disappeared till date with my money. It affected my business. To survive, I travelled to Cotonou where I stayed till 2014 when I returned, helping Nigerians who came to Cotonou to buy second-hand clothing. Before his death, one Emeka collected N950,000 from me for business with an understanding that we would share the gains arising from it.”

    At Emeka’s wake-keep at Ejigbo in Lagos, he said he met Segun who claimed to be into auto spares business. He added: “Segun later asked me to come to Oshodi, where he sold to me, two brain boxes at N20,000 each and one pressing buttons. I sold the boxes for N35,000 to one Israel, who asked me to come in the morning the next day for another deal. But when I got there, OPC (Oodua People’s Congress) people held me. As they were beating me, some policemen rescued me. I was later transferred to SARS (Special Anti-Robbery Squad) for investigation.”

    Ekwereku told the police that a gang that vandalised vehicles used to sell spare parts to him. He said he later joined the gang to double his profit.

    Ekwerekwu denied ever using a gun, saying: “I am not into full-time armed robbery and car vandalism. I just started it to make more money.”

    The Lagos Police Command’s spokesman, Ken Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP), said the fleeing members of the gang would be arrested.

     

  • Man, 45, ‘defiles’ girl, 12

    A 45-year-old man, Friday Sunday, who allegedly defiled a 12-year-old girl, yesterday appeared before an Apapa Magistrate’s Court in Lagos.

    Sunday, who resides in Ajegunle, Lagos, is being tried for alleged indecent act.

    Prosecuting Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Soji Ojaokomo, said the accused committed the offence on May 9 at his residence.

    Ojaokomo said that the accused, who was living in the same house with the parents of the minor, lured the girl into his room and started inserting his fingers into her private parts.

    Ojaokomo said the offence contravened Section 134(2) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    Sunday pleaded not guilty.

    Senior Magistrate Patrick Adekomaiya ordered that the case file be duplicated and a copy forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) for legal advice.

    Adekomaiya granted the accused N50,000 bail with one surety in the like sum and adjourned the case to June 11.