Category: South West

Former Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has urged youths to register and get their permanent voter cards (PVCs),  to vote in the 2023 general election.

The ex-governor, in a statement shared on his verified social media platforms yesterday, said power is in the hands of youths.

He thanked his supporters for the “overwhelming endorsement” of his “modest contributions” to the growth of Lagos.

“After all we have been through, God has been faithful. Thank you for the overwhelming endorsement of our modest contributions to the growth of Lagos,” Ambode said.

“It can only get better for Lagos, and indeed Nigeria. The youth are coming.

The power is in their hands. Go and get your Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ready. Your future is now!” he said.

On January 16, the former governor inaugurated the turf wicket of Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) Cricket Oval in Lagos.

In February last year, he revalidated his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at Epe ward – his first public appearance since the 2019 elections.

In May 2021, he was appointed as the deputy chairman of the Southwest sub-committee of the contact and strategy committee of the APC.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq switched on the Kwara Television 24-hour transmission yesterday.

He said it is a giant step that takes the medium an inch closer to the administration’s vision of making it a leader in the audiovisual industry and a viable means of informing the public.

The development represents another first in the history of the broadcast station, which was established over two decades ago.

The switch, which makes Kwara TV available on StarTimes Channel 113 and Free TV Channel 502, is one of the early steps towards making it available on DSTV.

The governor turned on the 24-hour transmission switch at exactly 4:06pm (WAT), calling it another milestone that would be built upon with massive deployment of modern technology, local contents and rich human resources available in the state.

Ogun State Government has said pupils without 70 per cent attendance will no longer be allowed to sit for examinations.

The Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Abayomi Arigbabu, made this known yesterday during a visit to Abeokuta Girls Grammar School, Onikolobo, Abeokuta.

He said: “Absenteeism of learners in schools is worrisome to us as a government. This, we believe, is also part of the behaviour we frown at.

“We have therefore ensured digitalisation of names of our learners. This will make it impossible for anyone that does not record 70 per cent attendance to sit for any examination.”

The commissioner said this was part of measures put in place to reduce misdemeanour in schools.

He advised students to shun behaviours that would bring shame to their families, schools and the state.

Arigbabu said that to make the measure effective, private schools had been directed not to admit any pupil expelled from a government school.

On the case of a viral video of some pupils smoking shisha in a school, the commissioner said the suspended pupils had been pardoned and had returned to school after undergoing counselling.

Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola has begun rehabilitation of 200-kilometre of roads across the state.

The governor yesterday, while inspecting the roads, said over 20 roads were approved for rehabilitation, dividing the state into six zones.

Speaking during the inspection, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Transport, Toke Olaniyan, said Oyetola approved rehabilitation of over 25 roads across the state to improve socio-economic activities and vehicular movements.

He said: “We are rehabilitating 200km of roads and the cost is running to over N1billion. These roads are going to be done in batches, but they will be delivered before the rainy season.”

He said the road at Iwo is a federal road, covering about 20 kilometres. According to him, about 4.3-kilometre of the road is within the town, mapped for rehabilitation.

Said he: “Whether the road belongs to the Federal Government or other tiers of the government, the situation requires that the state government should intervene to save the lives of the citizens and improve the socio-economic situation.

“For a long time now, this road has been abandoned and the stretch that passes through the town divides the town into two. The governor directed that we should fix the bad portion of the road.

“We tried to reach the Federal Government, but due to one issue or the other, they could not come over and we decided to embark on the rehabilitation of the road. We know we are going to bear the cost, but it is a thing of joy that we will make our people comfortable.

“We have divided the state into six zones. We have Ikirun/Ila, Iwo/Ejigbo, Ife/Ijesha, Osogbo/Ede, Gbongan/Ikire and others. We have spread it across the nooks and crannies of the state. We will complete the project before the rainy season. This is why we are working day and night to ensure that all areas mapped out are completed.”

Among the places visited by reporters include: Iwo, Gbongan/Oyo road, Ikirun, Otan, Iree, Obagun and Ila roads.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said the completion of the Lekki Port would end Apapa gridlock.

He added that it would also solve congestion of the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway.

The governor spoke yesterday at the opening of the Africa Business Convention, organised by Business Day Newspapers, on Victoria Island, Lagos.

He noted that “the final solution to Apapa gridlock will be the completion of Lekki Port.”

Sanwo-Olu said measures would be put in place to ensure Apapa became congestion-free, adding that “we need to change the officials regularly to ensure there is no compromise in the services rendered.”

The governor, who spoke passionately about his administration’s commitment to delivering the dividends of democracy to Lagosians through the THEMES developmental agenda, said his government had completed important projects in the last two and a half years.

He cited some of the infrastructural projects such as Lekki Deep Port, 4th Mainland Bridge, Red and Blue Line Rails and Imota Rice Mills, among others that are ongoing, “which will be completed and become operational within the next 24 months.”

Sanwo-Olu said the process leading to the beginning of the construction of the 4th Mainland Bridge, which starts from Badore in Ajah and ends in Ikorodu, will be completed before the second quarter of the year.

He said: “Lagos is in addition being Africa’s most populous megacity, the continent’s premier business and investment destination. We will continue to do all within our power to remain so.

“As I speak, several landmark public and private infrastructure and investment projects are underway or nearing completion, namely the biggest single-train petroleum refinery in the world, one of the largest rice mills in the world, one of the largest and most modern deep-sea ports on the continent and West Africa’s biggest light rail network. Within the next 24 months, we expect all of these to be operational.”

“We are Africa’s Startup capital, ahead of Nairobi, Cape Town and Johannesburg, in terms of the number of startups, investment inflows and the size of exits. Flutterwave and Paystack, two of the most prominent African unicorns of the decade, were born here.

“In addition, we are home to several major investments ongoing in real estate, such as Eko Atlantic on the edge of Victoria Island and Alaro City on the Lekki Peninsula.”

The Publisher of Business Day Newspaper, Mr. Frank Aigbogun, hailed the governor for the great work he had done in ridding Apapa of gridlock and for delivering on his promise to the people.

The World Council of Churches (WCC) at the weekend urged Christians in Nigeria to join politics, to have a stake in government and not to be left behind.

It said they needed to unite and go into politics without fear, so that their voice would be heard.

Speaking in Ibadan, Oyo State, at the end of a four-day WCC delegate visit to Celica Church of Christ Worldwide, WCC stalwart Dr. Simon Benjamin said many Christians were facing persecution and challenges in the country, “but going into politics can bring a kind of relief to their predicaments.”

“We urge Christians to participate in politics because it’s part of democratic structure,” he said.

Benjamin noted that WCC was a fellowship of 349 churches worldwide with over 600 million Christians across the world working for peace, unity and reconciliation among churches.

He said their visit was part of the process of admission of Celica Church to the World Council of Churches fold, and to learn first-hand about the life, struggles, and hopes of the church as well as to share information about the WCC.

The Leader and Founder, Celica Church Worldwide, Dr. Emmanuel Adeonigbagbe, hailed the efforts of WCC towards bringing Christians together into one fold.

He, however, urged it not to relent in its efforts toward uniting churches, saying “Nigerian Christians need a lot of support and encouragement.”

Lagos State Government is intensifying strategies to achieve a circular economy through sustainable waste generation and management.

The General Manager of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), Dolapo Fasawe, and the Chief Resilience Officer of the State Resilience Office (LASRO), Folayinka Dania, said efforts were on to ensure that the about 14,000 tonnes of waste generated daily were put to good use.

They spoke at a stakeholders’ engagement on achieving circular economy and an environmentally resilient state, noting that plastic was not totally bad, but its improper disposal was worrisome.

According to Fasawe, Nigeria operates a linear economy, ‘but a circular economy will allow everyone to put everything to good use by ensuring that waste is not wasted.”

She added: “It is an economy where, from conception, you’re already thinking sustainability because you want to know what your end product will be. Plastic is not a totally bad thing, but when not properly disposed, it clogs our drainage system and causes flooding.

“So, we are saying when you use plastic, reuse it and recycle it. A single plastic can be used for up to 10 times before off takers come for it. And yes there are off takers in this country and LASEPA will gladly oblige you with a list.”

Dania noted that circular economy was about reducing waste to the barest minimum.

She said the forum was to mobilise stakeholders to key into the state’s agenda on circular economy “because it is not something government can do alone.”

She said: “Stakeholders must be involved in this process. This is why this programme is about facilitating that transition, telling people what we plan to do as a state and getting their insights and contributions on how the state can do this better, and ways that we can work together.

“What we are trying to do is tilted towards ensuring that no waste gets to the dumpsite.”

The Executive Director of Nondunna Limited, Nonny Ugboma, said Lagos, with a population of over 20 million, was the right place to promote circularity.

She said millions of naira worth of raw material was being wasted daily from waste generation.

Ugboma: “We have been called upon to facilitate a circular economy and resilience in Lagos State. Lagos is already ahead of the game when it comes to promoting circular economy. The state has the agenda and it’s doing great things along that path.”

An aspirant for the 2023 presidential election, Olufemi Ajadi Oguntoyinbo, has described his decision to join the race as fulfilling a divine ordination.

Oguntoyinbo, in a statement, said he was offering himself to address the enormous challenges confronting the nation.

“I offer myself, having identified the challenges of the nation, convinced of my prophetic destiny and assigned role in Nigeria’s rescue mission as revealed to me and some others long before now, by God. I indulge every Nigerian to key into this vision,” he said.

Oguntoyinbo also urged the youth to back his quest.

He blamed bad leadership for incidences of youths risking their lives on the Sahara Desert, trying to cross to Europe or other continents for greener pastures.

He said though his political group did not support youths going into crime, the prevailing circumstances at home had made it inevitable.

“If a Nigerian, youth or adult sees other Nigerians recycled for public office over and over, commanding all the millions, exercising all the powers, not because they have very rare qualities, but simply of being connected to one political demigod or dynasty, what do you expect him to do? We do not support crime; we do not support any unpatriotic behaviour, but the Nigerian nation lacks the morality to blame youths indulging in sharp practices, if it had denied such youths every avenue of honest enterprise and personal survival,” he said.

Ajadi said his dream was building a Nigeria that could compete with other world powers, and to that extent, he his political team had developed a programmme of economic viability predicated on the food security, infrastructural development, security of lives and property and economic diversification through enterprise promotion. He mentioned the manifesto to include healthy living, education and the rule of law.