Category: South West

Lagos State Government has urged construction companies to get insurance covers for their workers and operations.

Director-General of the Lagos State Safety Commission (LSSC) Lanre Mojola spoke at a one-day training in Safety, Health and Hygiene for artisans, with the theme: ‘Safety Compliance at Construction sites’.

He said the training was to enlighten company owners and artisans on their responsibilities to insure their workers.

He added that the training was in line with the commission’s mandate to ensure people were trained in safety protocol and practices.

Mojola said: “The training is devoted to the construction sector, while we have picked artisans across associations, from electricians, bricklayers, welders, to teach them in ensuring safety measures on site as well as the need for insurance.

“There are insurance schemes appropriate for their level, such as Employers’ Liability Insurance, Insurance of Public Building and Insurance of Building under construction, depending on the type of contractor or contract.”

“Our message is that they need to be insured on whatever job they take, so the risks will be minimal in the event of any eventuality.”

He added that the commission was also teaching the artisans basic safety etiquettes and practices on how to reduce accidents at construction sites.

He advised them to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at their construction sites to reduce hazards.

“We are preaching the message of PPE to them for their own safety. Part of this is to let them know that if they lose their limbs, they won’t be able to work, so they need to continue to wear their PPEs,” Mojola said.

The Timi of Ede,  Oba Muniru Adesola Lawal (Laminisa 1) is set to host dignitaries from all walks of life as the grand finale of this year’s Ede Day holds Saturday, December 10, 2022, at the Ede High School premises.

The celebration with the theme, “Ede Re-positioned for Leadership”, began with an interdenominational church service, Sunday, December 4, 2022.

Other activities carried out during the week-long celebration include medical outreach, a talent hunt, and other educational programmes involving secondary schools in the town.

A release signed by Azeez Babatunde, said Osun State Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke, will be the chief host of the grand finale which will be chaired by the former President of the Ede Descendant Union, Barrister Dele Adeyemi.

Babatunde added that Alhaji Orelope Abdulrauf Raji and Chief Modupe Adeleke-Sanni will be the father and mother of the day.

No fewer than 44, 933 bags of rice and other sundry contraband worth N4. 98 billion have been intercepted by operatives of Ogun Area 1 Command of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) between 6th of February and December 6, 2022.

The command’s Comptroller, Controller Bamidele Makinde made this disclosure on Tuesday while briefing journalists yesterday at Idiroko border town in the Ipokia Local Government Area of the state on the activities of his command within the past nine months when he assumed duty in the command.

Makinde said that the foreign parboiled rice, an equivalent of 73 trailer trucks with each bag weighing 50kg, was intercepted along with other contrabands, which overall Duty Payable Value (DPV) worth over N4. 886 billion in a total number of 842 seizures carried out by his command within the period under review.

The Controller also disclosed that the NCS Ogun Area 1 Command was able to generate a total sum of over N58. 676 Million as revenue since April, 2022 when the Federal Government gave the directive for the reopening of the Idiroko border till date.

He explained that the revenue generated accrued from the auction and sales of perishable and other highly combustible items such as the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) being smuggled out of Nigeria, but intercepted by operatives of the command.

Makinde added that his command was able to achieve the feat through a collaborative effort of the traditional rulers in border communities, and sister security agencies, as well as through an “intensive round-the-clock surveillance and patrol” but not without its attendant collateral damages to the officers and men of the command.

”It is important to note that activities embarked upon by the command were patriotic-driven and are in the interest of the economic development and national security of Nigeria.”

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon. Oladipupo Adebutu, flagged – off his campaign in Abeokuta, the state capital, on Friday with a declaration that the party will take over power from the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) in the state next year.

Adebutu who addressed a crowd of party members and supporters at Ake Palace ground, the venue of the flagged-off campaign, also declared the readiness of a PDP – led government to redeem residents of Ogun state from the shackles of APC and the alleged poverty, he claimed, the ruling party had foisted on the people.

The former federal lawmaker said if elected, he will focus on seven areas, including a sustainable relief scheme to address poverty and youth unemployment, education, local government autonomy, security, health, and agriculture.

He decried what he described as poor governance in the state and the rising debt profile on the watch of governor Dapo Abiodun, submitting that Abiodun and his government have caused the people so much suffering as a result of inexperience and lack of integrity.

He said: “Today, we are here to formally declare our readiness as a party to take over power on the way to good governance in May 2023. We recognize that this process cannot be easy and it is because it is difficult, we have chosen to walk this path to achieve victory in the general elections of 2023.

”Our commitment to deliver the good people of Ogun State from the shackles of the ruling party stems from the first-hand experience I have by living amongst my people in Ogun State for the past 31 years. I am proud to say that I have not for once lived outside our beloved State for any appreciable time during this period.

”I make bold to say that all my life investments are domiciled in Ogun State. With these realities, I am privileged to feel the pains our people go through to earn a living and eke out a meaningful life. Unfortunately, in most recent times, the government has not been available for the people it governs with provisions of basic social services, particularly at the lower tier of government.

“In our quest to serve the people of our dear state, we conducted an independent survey to identify the needs of our people, the result of the survey is alarming and as a matter of fact, there is a need for an urgent rescue mission. The survey revealed high rates of endemic poverty, youth unemployment, inadequate social services, poor infrastructure, and insecurity, the cumulative effect is unbearable life for all and sundry.

” Insecurity pervades our communities and has become the norm, as our people cannot sleep with their eyes closed again. Dear people of Ogun State, It will interest you to know how much damage this government has caused us as a result of their inexperience, lack of integrity, incompetence, and stratospheric height while key members of the government presently face grievous charges of corruption which ideally should have caused them to recuse themselves from governance.

“The debt profile of the state is of great concern and worry, it keeps increasing since the inception of this government in 2019. The debt rose from N173.07bn in 2019 to N192.82bn in 2020, which caused our state to be ranked 7th most indebted state out of the 36 states. The situation has continued to get worse as the State’s debt is now been shielded from the public because it has astronomically gone up.

”The domestic debt profile as recorded by this administration again rose from N155.57bn in 2021 to N241.78bn by June 2022 representing a disheartening 55.4% increase in debt.  This government has continuously succeeded in enlisting Ogun State in the list of highest indebted states in the country.”

The Bishop of Ijesha North Anglican Diocese, Dr. Isaac Oluyamo has urged the new governor of Osun State to ensure he fulfills the promise of paying 15 months of backlog salaries and pension owed civil servants and retirees by the administration of Rauf Aregbesola.

The Bishop during the 2022 Diocesan Summit of Ijesha North of the Anglican Communion while speaking in the church admonished Senator Adeleke to ensure the fulfillment of all his promises to the people as he congratulated the new governor.

He urged Adeleke to serve the people of Osun State with love and accountability, stressing that, “the governor must be prudent and accountable, the upliftment of the people out of poverty and underdevelopment should be paramount in the Governor’s heart. I want to assure him that the entire Ijesha North Anglican Diocese will continue to pray for him to have the wisdom to deliver good governance and have a successful tenure of office.”

He added that, “I want to urge him(Adeleke) to rule the State with the fear of God and with the love of the masses at heart. With these two things in mind, he will hardly commit any errors. He should always remember that the people of the State willingly gave the mandate through their votes and he should not let them down.

“I strongly implore him to fulfill all his promises to the people especially as it concerns Civil Servants and retirees. He should endeavor to pay the backlog of salaries and the pension of retirees because it is their due and they have laboured for it”. He stated.

Speaking with newsmen at the summit, the Alase of Ilase Ijesha, Oba Jimoh Isiaka Adesina called on Christians worldwide to love their neighbors and render assistance where necessary as it is the essence of serving God.

Also speaking, the Chancellor of the Diocese of Ijesha, Mr. Adeleke Agboola urged the church to be sacrificial and win souls for Christ,

Lagos State Lotteries and Gaming Authority (LSLGA) has rewarded 12 winners of the Eko Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (EKO STEM) quiz competition with a total sum of 9,050,000 million naira. The gaming authority organized the competition in partnership with the State Ministry of Education. Over 1000 students from all the council areas in the state competed for the star prices.

Scholarships ranging from N2.3 million, N1.3 million, N800, 000 to N400, 000, were doled out to the winners. Commissioner for Education in the state, Folashade Adefisayo, commended the sponsors of the competition and implored parents of the winners not to divert the money given to the students to no other things than their education, saying the government is ready to support them to further their education to any level.

The Chief Executive Officer of LSLGA, Bashir Are said the aim of the project was to support Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s laudable efforts to take education to next level in Lagos. He said the cash prizes presented to the winners are meant to help them acquire educational materials and digital equipment like laptops to develop themselves positively and help them focus on their studies.

The Senior Special Adviser to the governor on education, Dr. Adetola Salawu said Governor Sanwo-Olu’s administration’s intervention in education has yielded fruits as pupils in the state are coming out with flying colours in various competitions they participated across the country.

Winners of the first and second positions, Akorede Olajide and Dokun Jibril, from Brainfield College, Salolo, smiled home with two million, three hundred thousand naira, and one million three hundred thousand naira respectively while the third position, Oluwafemi Opemiposi of Methodist Boys High School, Victoria Island,  won one million fifty thousand naira cash prize.

The fourth to tenth position winners from St. Gregory College, Ikoyi, Agidingbi Senior Grammar School, Penny International College, Iworo Ajido Senior Model College, Ajegunle Senior High School, and Linksbond College were compensated with four hundred thousand naira each, while the two last standing female students in the competition from Lagos State Senior Model College Kankon, and Murtala Muhammed Airport Schools, Ikeja, received eight hundred thousand naira each.

Three years after it was established, Trinity University (TU), Lagos has been given a full operational licence by the National Universities Commission (NUC).

The private tertiary institution of learning commenced its operations following the approval by the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) in January, 2019 and consequently, issued a provisional licence by NUC.

Recalling some of the notable accomplishments of the university within the short period of its establishment, the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Charles Ayo, said: ‘’The University presented the four take-off programmes for accreditation during the 2021/2022 accreditation exercise. The four (4) programmes earned full accreditation status. The programmes are: Computer Science, Information Technology, Mass Communication and Microbiology.

‘’Some of the pioneer students are currently participating in the November/December, 2022 National Youth Service Corp Scheme.

‘’The remaining programmes of the University are currently undergoing the 2022/2023 accreditation exercise. We trust the God of Trinity for a resounding success.’’

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has assured residents of Oke Ogun Zone 2 comprising Atisbo, Saki West, Saki East, Oorelope, Irepo and Olorunsogo local governments that his administration will complete Saki-Ogbooro-Igboho road in due course.

He said his administration would also fix the Igboho-Kishi-Igbeti road with a view to linking Irepo/Oorelope/Olorunsogo Federal Constituency to the burgeoning economy of Saki, a commercial nerve centre.

The governor, who made this known at a Town Hall Meeting held at Saki Parapo Hall, Saki, said the government embarked on the construction of the road and that it would complete it.

He urged residents not to allow themselves to be deceived by some politicians.

A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, indicated that the governor, who carried out an inspection tour of the road, said he would hold a meeting with the contractors of the project and that they would begin the asphaltic tarring of the road, which connects Saki West, Saki East and Oorelope local governments.

The governor had on Monday, at the Consultative Meeting with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders, held at the OYSADA Hall, Saki, told party faithful that his administration would continue to meet their yearnings in terms of governance, project delivery and improvement of the welfare of party loyalists.

He called on the electorate in the axis to support all candidates of the PDP in the 2023 general election

Lagos State House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa yesterday said Lagos deserved a law on surrogacy, human fertilisation and other related areas.

He spoke during a stakeholders’ meeting on “A Bill for a Law to Regulate Human Fertilisation and Surrogacy Procedure and Practice”.

While seeking to provide a legal framework for regulating surrogacy in the state, the bill further seeks to prohibit certain practices in connection with embryos and gametes.

Represented by Desmond Elliot, a lawmaker, Obasa said the proposed law would give a ‘human face’ to the practice by experts in the field and add to the advancement of Lagos.

“Lagos State has consistently grown since 1999 when we birthed the current democracy. Today, we remain proud to say we are in a state that has become a good example to others in terms of good governance, advancement in thoughts and actions and good leadership.

“The bill being discussed today is another example of good thinking and effective leadership,” the Speaker said.

He promised that the opinions and contributions of the stakeholders, including those from the Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) sector, would be considered by the House in passing the bill.

Noting that the bill would address the controversies and litigations associated with surrogacy and related matters in the society, the Chairman of the Committee on Health Services, Sokunle Hakeem, urged the stakeholders to submit memoranda that would help the passage of the bill into law.

Giving a general overview of the bill, Victor Akande, chairman of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC, said the proposed law would ensure surrogacy was practised responsibly and in accordance with the law.

Emeritus Prof. Osato Giwa-Osagie, founder of OMNI Medical Clinic and expert in In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF), urged the House to ensure that a comprehensive legislation about Assisted Reproductive Technology is made for effective enforcement.

He hailed Lagos for being a leading state in the health sector in Nigeria.