The Nation Newspaper

Category: City Beats

  • New needle hits market

    New needle hits market

    agkorce Nigeria Limited has launched the MK VanishPoint Retractable Syringes and Needles. These modern medical apparatus were being introduced into Africa’s largest economic for the first time. The MK VanishPoint syringe, needle and other gadgets that comprise those for blood collection are produced in America by Retractable Technologies INC.

    Its African affiliate, Magkorce is franchised to distribute the company’s wide range of medical products in Africa. The products were formally made public at the seminar and media chat at Greensland International Hotel Resort, Ogba, Ikeja.

    Magkorce Director, Obinna Victor lamented that Nigerians buy some of the most expensive items in the world but they cannot spend less on their health status, instead, blaming the devil for their woes.

    The uniqueness of the products of MK VanishPoint, Victor said, is to protect the lives.

    On possible adulteration of its products Obinna said: “Care has been taken to stop that. Nobody can bring in fake products of same use. Its high cost will reduce the desire of adulterators. The technology in its production shall also act as a deterrent to fakers of products. “

    He believes that with time, the company shall inculcate government at all levels so that the product can be available to the common man.

    “It won’t come easy because of government bottlenecks in getting things done. But it will eventually come to be since our people deserve the best of healthcare facilities. Moreover if an average Nigerian can afford three set of phones, why can’t he or she pay little for the best medical care in the world? It will reduce unnecessary Needle Stick Injuries (NSI) fatalities,” he said.

    Chairman of the company, Dr Udochukwu Ihenetu said the MK VanishPoint syringe was develop in quest of a single non-reusable safety syringe that would replace the conventional syringe that has been rumoured to be the source of NSI.

    According to him, healthcare workers in Africa suffer an estimated 800,000 to 1,000,000 accidental NSI each year.

    This, he the Ghania-based Nigerian medical practitioner, said amounts to one NSI for every 8,000 injuries given with a conventional syringe.

    “Whenever a syringe is reuse, or when a healthcare worker suffers an accidental NSI, it is imperative that test will be conducted to determine whether or not a blood borne disease has been contracted and often the test must be repeated because it may take several months before some pathogens can be detected. HIV sometimes lies dormant in the human body for up to three years. Such test are expensive in Africa, the cost is approximately $7,000. In instances where blood borne disease indeed has been contracted, treatment can be expensive. Victims of NSI are usually frontline healthcare workers: doctors and nurses that the world cannot afford to lose,” he said.

  • No plan to sell water corporation, says MD

    No plan to sell water corporation, says MD

    There is no plan to sell Corporation (LSWC), its Managing Director, Mr Shayo Holloway, has said.

    Rather, the government is considering the public private partnership to meet the state’s water need.

    Holloway said: “There is no iota of truth in the speculation that the Lagos State government is planning to sell its water corporation. Rather, the government is seeking a partnership with private sector under the Public Private Partnership Law of 2004 to accelerate development of water infrastructure to meet the demand, which stands at 540 million gallons per day (MGD).”

    Holloway, who said the corporation provides water to nine million people daily, said the government had foreseen a situation where water demand would increase to 733 MGD by 2020 because of the increasing population in the state. He stressed that the population projection necessitated the need to boost the corporation’s capacity to provide potable water to the population.

    Holloway said the corporation has unveiled a $3.5 billion master plan that would increase potable water production to 745MGD, adding that its implementation would be witnessed by other government agencies to protect public interest.

    “To address the current water demand and meet the projection of the near future, LSWC developed a master plan to take the state from its current 210MGD to 745MGD by year 2020, through development of additional large water scheme taking raw water from rivers and lagoons for treatment into potable water,” he said.

    The state, Holloway said, could not solely fund the project, which will cover the major water works,  adding, that the government has started implementing part of the master plan in Adiyan Phase II, which would add 70MGD to the supply capacity.

    He identified boreholes as threat to efforts to provide potable water for the citizenry, saying Lagos is at risk of salt water from the Atlantic Ocean migrating to pollute the ground water because of boreholes in coastal region of the state.

    If completely implemented, Holloway said, the master plan would discourage the sinking of boreholes by residents. The multi-billion dollars project, he said, would provide surplus potable water to Lagos homes cheap and discourage the sinking of boreholes.

  • Electricity bill: Residents insist no payment

    Electricity bill: Residents insist no payment

    Residents of Papa Ashafa and Alagba Community Development Association (CDA) in Agege, Lagos, last Saturday stick to their words that they will not pay electricity bills to Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC) until the distribution company improves the condition of service.

    At a meeting with the IKEDC’s officials, the aggrieved residents came out in hundreds to lodge their complaints before the officials. These include “outright cancellation of power shedding, bills amnesty, stoppage of crazy billing, immediate circulation of pre-paid meters, poor maintenance of transformers and electric cables, nonchalant attitude of officials to the residents, among others.

    The residents had on February 23, marched to Dopemu Distribution Centre of the IKEDC to protest  the poor situation of the power supply within the area.

    Youth Alliance for Better Nigeria Coordinator, Moruf Niniola told the IKEDC officials that the residents are fed up with the poor service, noting that they are paying for the electricity which they didn’t consume.

    Niniola said gone are the days residents spent their incomes to buy generators, fuel it and pay for electricity at the end of the month, even at higher billing.

    He urged the officials to quickly proffer solution to the problems, saying that the residents didn’t mind removing all the electricity poles and the cable within the area if that would provide solution to the problems within the maximum of four weeks of their projection.

    A community leader, Chief Afolabi Oniyide, demanded to know the reason for the delayed of the prepaid meters paid for over 7 months ago.

    Oniyide said he paid N12, 000 for the prepaid meters when he discovered non-transparency in the company’s billing.

    He presented documents to back his claim.

    Another resident Olawale Orebayo, described the company’s over-billing as broad-day robbery.

    “There was a time I travelled out of the country for over two months, I could not believe my eyes when I met N28, 000 bill despite that all my home appliances were switched off even the electric cut-out was removed,” he said.

    He wondered why residents should be levied heavily when there was not electricity supply.

    Orebayo said the company is yet to attend to his complaints after several messages and mails concerning the outrageous bill.

    A widow, Mrs Taiwo Adedoyin called for a quick revisit of crazy bills accumulated in her house. She said her tenants have refused to continue paying for the electricity due to the monthly high billing.

    She said the tenants had switch to generating set instead of electricity due to power outage and paying higher amount for electricity bill monthly.

    Mr Nzebude Uzoma told The Nation that the community have spoke in one voice that no house within the area will pay for electricity bill until the authority solve the crisis.

    The Marketing Manager, Dopemu Distribution Company, Mr Victor Amaraegbu, said most of the problems were caused by the country’s low power transmission, but pledged to deliver their message to the company’s higher authority.

    He urged the residents to stop tampering with their metres.

    Tampering with metre, he said, might cause high-speeding.

    He also appealed to them to shun employing local electricians to work on the electricity cables, transformers or connection in case of disconnection.

    These, he said, added to the problems of poor maintenance.

    The Branch Team Leader, Mr Banji Ogunleye said the branch had been doing all it could to ensure the damaged cables within the area are replaced.

  • Govt, monarch bicker over land

    The Lagos State government has accused Oba  Bashir Oloruntoyin Saliu of Oworonsoki of illegal sale of land in his domain.

    But, the monarch has denied the allegation, saying the land being sold belongs to his family.

    In a public notice, Permanent Secretary, Lands Bureau, Mr Hakeem Muri-Okunola, said: “The attention of the government has been brought to the following illegal activities taking place in Oworonsoki Foreshore/Government Scheme in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State; illegal sales of land by persons, family, traditional institution falsely making claims of ownership to government  land and selling same to unsuspecting members of the public, who have failed or refused to check the status of the land being offered for sale from relevant agencies of government.

    “All illegal activities aforementioned including harassment of government allottees and government officials should stop forthwith and any other person (individual, corporate or traditional institution) dealing in any of such illegality shall, henceforth, be promptly sanctioned accordingly and in line with all applicable / relevant provisions of the law.”

    At his palace over the weekend, Oba Saliu said: “The traditional institution under my watch is law abiding. We are not illegal land sellers and there is no one involved in the sale of government landed property in my domain. The land that my family is selling is the 5.171 hectares allotted to me on behalf of the Saliu Salami Rufai Family, which is covered by a Certificate of Occupancy, C of O, signed by the Lagos State governor, Mr Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, on July 3, 2009.”

    “The 5.171 hectares of land were allotted to us, following an Ikeja High Court judgment on October 12, 1994, in suit number ID/390/93. The land was allotted to my family being the original settlers in the community and following a term of settlement ratified by the court as a result of a suit my family filed against Lagos State government. As a matter of fact, we don’t sell our land but lease it out to people. We want to use the land to establish a world class estate like those that can be found in the high brow areas of Lagos State.”

    Oba Saliu asked the Lands Bureau to check its record properly before accusing his family of indiscretion.

  • Disabled persons urge Jonathan to sign bill

    Disabled persons urge Jonathan to sign bill

    Persons living with disabilities have called on President Goodluck Jonathan to sign into law the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities’ Bill.

    This, they said, would reduce their pain and enable them to function well.

    According to the Executive Director, Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Mr David Anyaele, “it is not about given them alms all the time but for the President to sign the Bill into law. The bill provides for prohibition of discrimination against persons with disabilities, right to access to public premises and establishment of a national commission for persons with disabilities among others.

    This bill is a legacy bill as no President has ever signed such in the history of the country, he said.

    Anyaele complained that provisions were not made for people with disabilities to vote in the forthcoming elections, urging the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to reverse this.

    He also noted that parties and their candidates are not including issues concerning disabled persons in their campaigns.

    He urged INEC to make adequate arrangements to ensure that eligible Nigerians with disabilities collect their Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) for them to participate in the coming election and also urged Nigerians to do away violence, saying it can lead to a means of disability.

  • Bus conductor remanded for alleged murder

    In Ebute Meta Chief Magistrate’s Court in Lagos has remanded a 25-year old bus conductor, Idris Rilwan, for allegedly killing one Egunjobi Rotimi, 34.

    The defendant was said to have conspired with others to commit the offence. He was said to have shot Rotimi dead

    The incident occurred on February 16 during a fight between Rilwan and Rotimi at Abule-Oba Costain.

    The charge reads.”That you Idris Rilwan and others now at large on February 16 at about 11pm at Costain area of Lagos in the Lagos Magisterial District, did conspire to commit felony to wit murder and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 231 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State.

    “That you Idris Rilwan did unlawfully kill one Egunjobi Rotimi, 34, by shooting him with a gun and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 221 of the Criminal Law of Lagos.”

    Prosecuting police Inspector Cousin Adam prayed the court to remand the defendant in prison custody pending legal advice from the office of Director of Public Prosecution (DPP).

    The defence counsel, Mr Saka Bello, applied for the withdrawal of the charge against his client for want of “proper investigation”.

    Magistrate Nurudeen Layeni ordered that the defendant be remanded in Ikoyi prison pending legal advice from DPP’s office. He adjourned the matter to April 7.

  • ‘My husband is a thief’

    ‘My husband is a thief’

    A 35-year-old trader, Abimbola Okole, has prayed the Alakuko Customary Court in Lagos to dissolve her 15-year-old marriage to Idowu, accusing him of beating her relations.

    Mrs Okole of 19, Janet Olalekan Street, Alakuko,  Lagos, said her husband was fond of gambling.

    She said: “From the outset, my mother was not in support of my relationship with him. I thought I was in love. I thought my mother didn’t want the best for me. It was when my family realised I was pregnant that they allowed me to marry him. I was barely 19 when we started living as a couple. We were never at peace. My husband is a thief. There was a time I used to keep his younger brother’s salary, he stole everything.

    “I was confused when my husband said he wanted to purchase a land because I knew what he earned for a living couldn’t buy one. On getting a land, my husband didn’t have a kobo to pay. It was my mother who deposited N100, 000. Two months after we moved to our house, he beat me mercilessly, threw my things out, saying he wanted to marry another woman who cared for him.

    “It’s not just only me he maltreats. He beats our children as if he isn’t their father.  Most times, he denies them. I can’t count the number of times I left his house. There was a day he sent our first son out of the house because he tampered with his laptop. There is nothing he does for me. As I speak, he hasn’t paid our children’s school fees for one year. My relations have pleaded with him severally but he wouldn’t listen.

    “I decided to bring his case to court because of what he did during our last argument. On that day, he wanted to take Garri (Cassava) in the store but I refused since he doesn’t buy food stuff to the house. He beat me mercilessly and almost strangled me to death. Even when our son tried to protect me, he beat us together which landed us to a police station. At the station, when my relations tried to apologise on my behalf, his sister pointed her finger into my mother’s nose, beat her and stripped her naked while my husband beat my father and elder brother who limps leaving a scar on his face. I feel so sad. I am tired of everything. I can’t leave my children with him.”

    Idowu, a 37-year-old civil servant in his defence said: “She framed everything. It is a lie. I don’t know how she got the cut on her face but I saw her sister pouring ink on her face. She also slapped my sister.  This is the second time she left my house. I just want the custody of our children.”

    The petitioner’s mother, Mrs Modinat Arogundade, who was in court, said she wasn’t happy about her daughter’s marriage troubles.

    “He is very violent. My husband is just recovering from the pains Idowu caused him. I don’t support divorce, hence I have always advised my children to endure in their marriage. Right now, I am in support of whatever the court decides,” she said.

    The court’s president, Chief Awos Awosola, ordered the respondent’s sister, Onyebuchi Omowole, to serve a three-day community service or pay N5, 000 for harassing the bailiff last Thursday when he went to serve her the court summons.

    Awosola remanded Okole till March 12.

  • NDLEA impounds 810.1kg of cannabis

    NDLEA impounds 810.1kg of cannabis

    National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operatives have impounded compressed dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis sativa weighing 810.1kilogrammes.

    They were seized during a raid of some hideouts in Lagos. The first consignment weighing 658.8 kilogrammes believed to have been imported from Ghana was detected at Alaba Rago area of Lagos.

    The team also discovered another 151.3 kilogrammes at Agege where two suspected drug dealers were apprehended.

    Lagos State NDLEA commander Aliyu Sule, who confirmed the raid, said it was based on intelligence report.

    “Acting on intelligence report, we raided the water front at Alaba Rago area where we found compressed dried weeds that tested positive for cannabis.

    “The team also raided Kasamu Street in Agege where 151.3 kilogrammes of cannabis was found hidden in the ceiling. Both seizures weighed 810.1 kilogrammes. Two suspected cannabis dealers, Raji Kabir, 22 and Yusuf Bako, 19, arrested during the operation are cooperating with our team of investigators,” Aliyu said.

    Kabir, who hails from Oyo State, said he has been dealing in cannabis for over five years.

    “I was introduced into cannabis smoking by friends. Later, I began to sell cannabis at Agege and I used to make a profit of N2,000 daily. I have stopped selling hemp about three times but I keep coming back to the business because I have no money to sustain myself. We were sleeping when officers came to search our house and found the drug inside the ceiling,” he said.

    Bako from Kebbi State told investigators that he sells hemp to sustain himself.

    “After my primary school in Lagos I enrolled as an apprentice in an electrical workshop since I cannot further my education. My friends introduced me to cannabis smoking. I began to sell about a year ago in order to sustain myself. The day I did not go to work, I will go and sell hemp. I used to earn N1,200 daily. We were sleeping at night when NDLEA officers came to arrest us and discovered the hemp in the ceiling,” he said.

    Following intelligence report that the cannabis originated from Ghana, NDLEA Chairman/Chief Executive, Ahmadu Giade has directed his commanders to intensify surveillance along the water ways.

    “I have directed commanders to intensify maritime surveillance to prevent drugs from being smuggled into the country through the water. We are also working very hard to identify other members of the drug cartels. I can assure you that we will not relent in our offensive against drug cartels,” Giade said.

    He called on parents to monitor their children, adding that good parental care will go a long way in preventing drug trafficking and abuse.

  • Girl, 13, missing

    Girl, 13, missing

    A 13-year old girl, Bilikisu Isiaka has been declared missing since February 28.

    According to her uncle, Muhammed Ganiyu, Bilikisu hawks liquid soap when she returns from school till 6pm.

    Last Saturday, he said, she went to hawk and did not return home.

    He said she hawks liquid soap to Ajeromi, Waterside and Ojo road – all in Ajegunle.

    Miss Isiaka is a primary four pupil of Ajeromi L. E. A. School.

    “She lives with her aunt, Salimotu Ganiyu, at 10, Ayetoro Street, Apapa, Ajegunle

  • Salesgirl ‘steals’ N1.19m cash

    A 26-year old sales girl, Opeyemi Lateef, has been arraigned before a Lagos Magistrate’s Court for allegedly stealing her master’s N1.19million cash.

    The prosecution gave her master’s name as Onyebuchi Umeokoli.

    Lateef, who appeared before Magistrate A.T Omoyele, was alleged to have committed the offence on February 13 at 5pm at 18, Sunny Adewale Street, Balogun Market, Lagos Island.

    According to prosecuting police Corporal Francesca Okere, the defendant committed an offence punishable under Section 285 of the Criminal Laws of Lagos.

    The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to her and was admitted to bail in N300, 000 with two responsible sureties.

    The matter was adjourned to March 30, for mention.