The Nation Newspaper

Category: South West

  • Foundation organises cancer awareness campaign

    Foundation organises cancer awareness campaign

    Worried by the devastating nature of cancer, especially in women, several medical and non-governmental groups have been at the forefront of waging war against the disease.

    One of such organisations is MyBodyMyAsset Cancer Foundation, which has been sensitising Nigerians, specifically women, to the dangers of the disease and how to prevent it.

    One of the awareness creations is encouraging women to be part of screenings for cervical cancer, which attacks the cervix of the uterus. The screening for cervical cancer has been carried out for decades and it is provided free.

    To further raise funds for the treatment of those who have the ailment and to prevent its spread, the foundation has concluded arrangements for it called the grand finale of MyBodyMyAsset Cervical Cancer Awareness Campaign and fundraising is slated for tomorrow.

    Organisers of the event said the occasion, which will begin with red carpet at 10am, will hold at Suit 317, Plot 112 Bethel Plaza, beside Mobil Filling Station, Shasha Akowonjo Lagos.

  • Firm celebrates Data Privacy Day

    Firm celebrates Data Privacy Day

    DataPro will today join the rest of the world to celebrate Data Privacy Day.

    It is observed annually on January 28 and aims to raise awareness about the importance of data privacy.

    Data Privacy Day is also celebrated in the European Union, United States, Canada and Israel. The issuance of the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) in 2019 showcased Nigeria’s commitment to Data Protection and Privacy of its citizens.

    To commemorate the 2022 celebration, Ademikun Adeseyoju, team lead, Data

    Protection & Privacy Compliance Department of DataPro Limited; a leading Compliance Solutions Company in Nigeria, and one of the licensed Data Protection Compliance Organisations (DPCO) speaks about the history and significance of the day as well as the achievements of the NDPR regime, three years later.

    The first event, in commemoration of the day, was held in 2007 by the Council of Europe and was referred to as the “European Data Protection Day”. Upon attaining international status, it was renamed “Data Privacy Day”.

  • Lagos to divert traffic at Yaba for Red Line train construction

    Lagos to divert traffic at Yaba for Red Line train construction

    Lagos State Government will divert traffic from Yaba as it continues the first phase of the construction of the Red Line covering Oyingbo to Agbado from midnight February 1, to February 16.

    A statement by the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, said the two-week closure is to protect road users during the precast beam installation.

    According to the diversion plan, motorists heading towards Murtala Mohammed Way from Western Avenue, will be diverted to Empire Road, at Jibowu, while traffic inbound Yaba will be diverted to Empire Road to access Western Avenue.

    In the same vein, motorists on Herbert Macaulay will be able to connect Empire Road to access Western Avenue for their desired destinations.

  • ‘No endorsement yet for anyone to become Oba of Oshodi’

    ‘No endorsement yet for anyone to become Oba of Oshodi’

    The Chairman of the Oshodi Tapa Chieftaincy family in Lagos State, Chief Maroof-deen Babatunde Oshodi, has said the family has not endorsed anyone as the traditional ruler of Oshodi.

    There were insinuations that the Chairman of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Lagos State chapter, Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly called MC Oluomo, was to be installed as the Oba of Oshodi.

    Briefing reporters on the position of the family, Maroof-deen said that the Oshodi Tapa Chieftaincy family was the absolute owner and controller of Oshodi town in Oshodi/ Isolo Local Government.

    He said: “We have not endorsed anybody to be Oba. We have not even called for candidature as I speak. We, therefore, take report of Musiliu Akinsanya also known as MC Oluomo’s moves to be Oba of Oshodi as a rumour because he is not a member of the Oshodi Tapa chieftaincy family and has no right to the stool of Oshodi town. It therefore will stand to reason that members of the Oshodi family, being undisputed owners of the land, will be traditional rulers of the entire Oshodi community in focus. We want to publicly distance our family from this campaign.

    “We have already instituted a case, we have made an advertorial that has been published and we have also written to the government.”

  • ‘We will key into Sanwo-Olu administration’s THEMES agenda’

    ‘We will key into Sanwo-Olu administration’s THEMES agenda’

    Broiler farmers in Ikorodu, Lagos State have said they would key into the THEMES agenda of the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration.

    A member of the technical committee, Dr. Olajide Basorun, made this known yesterday at a retreat/training and formal launch of the association at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu campus.

    The theme of the retreat was: “Sustainable Broiler Business in Lagos”.

    He said the aim of the group coming together was to make broiler production and its value chain business a profitable and sustainable one, which would propel members ahead of their peers in the state, country and globally.

    The Chairman of the occasion, Soga Olufawo, an engineer, said efforts should be made to ensure that there was no food scarcity in Lagos by collaborating with the current administration in the state to enhance broiler production.

    Commissioner of Agriculture Ms Abiola Olusanya, represented by the Director of Veterinary, Ministry of Agriculture, Dr. Rasheed Macaulay, said Ikorodu Broiler Hub was ready for business, and declared government’s readiness to partner it.

    Keynote speaker Dr. Joseph Deji-Folutile urged the farmers to improve on their marketing.

  • Ikoyi building: We recorded no casualty during rescue, says LASEMA

    Ikoyi building: We recorded no casualty during rescue, says LASEMA

    The Director General/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Dr. Femi Oke-Osayintolu, yesterday gave an account of how the rescue was carried out by responders at the 21-storey high-rise building on Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    He said none of the victims of the collapsed building died during the rescue.

    Oke-Osayintolu, who was giving evidence before the Lagos Coroner, Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe, said evidence showed that the victims were all dead before the rescue began.

    Led in evidence-in-chief by counsel for the Lagos State Building Control Agency (LASBCA), Mr. A. S. Odugbemi, the LASEMA boss said that the rescue operations were carried out by professionals and non-professionals, assisted by their equipment.

    He said the agency, in its years of existence, was confronted with what he described as “a classical national emergency”.

    Oke-Osayintolu said the rescue team he directed in his capacity as the incident commander moved into the incident area, following a primary assessment, partitioning the ‘building’ into quadrums 1 to 4 and employing heavy and life duty equipment.

    He said the use of drone and Delsa equipment for detection of life enabled the primary and secondary emergency responders to determine that there was no life in the debris before work commenced.

    “Where we put the excavator is the first quadrum. We used the Delsa to detect if there is somebody that is alive and I said this type of collapse building, it’s unique itself.

    “When it pile on one another there won’t be air going in, it will compress the victim and the way our response was operated we divided the place into quadrums. We used a Delsa and a drone, I can say that the probability is close to zero.”

    Speaking on oath before the coroner, Mr. Ola Adeosun, representing Prowess Engineering Ltd, supported the claims of the LASEMA Director General on casualty.

    “My Lord, with my medical background, I have attended to a lot of emergencies in the country, I will say no.”

    The coroner asked:  “Are you telling this court that before moving your equipment, you must have confirmed that there is no person alive?

    The witness replied: “100 per cent yes, My Lord.

    “There was nobody that died in the course of our intervention to the best of my knowledge.”

    Earlier during resumed proceedings, Mr. Muritala Olawale, a structural engineer and the managing director of Prowess Engineering Nigeria Ltd, continued with the testimony of the incident.

    He tendered documents on the soil test conducted, which were admitted by the coroner as exhibit.

  • Ooni, Ogunsua support Oyetola’s re-election

    Ooni, Ogunsua support Oyetola’s re-election

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, and the Ogunsua of Modakeke, Oba Moses Oladejo Oyediran, have hailed Osun State Governor Adegboyega Oyetola for fulfilling his electoral promises despite the socio-economic realities.

    The monarchs supported the governor’s re-election ambition, saying they had no reason not to do so, as he had made them and their subjects proud through his people-oriented policies and programmes.

    Oyetola said the Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) was ready for whatever mode that might be adopted by the national secretariat of the party in Abuja for the conduct of the governorship primaries on February 19.

    The governor had on Monday received his nomination form earlier purchased for him by his associates.

    Speaking in his palace on Wednesday, the Ooni praised Oyetola for his faithfulness to his electoral promises.

    Oba Ogunwusi, represented by Obalufe of Ile-Ife, Oba Idowu Adediwura, said the Oduduwa kingdom was behind the governor.

    He appreciated the good work Oyetola had been doing to transform the state, noting that the people would reciprocate his gesture by re-electing him.

    The foremost traditional ruler, who appealed to the governor not to be deterred or distracted, urged him to continue his good work.

    He identified some intra-city roads that needed urgent intervention, saying fixing those roads would help to complement the ongoing and already-completed infrastructure in the ancient town.

    At the Ooni’s palace, Oyetola said: “I am very happy to be here today. I am very sure that if Baba Kabiyesi were to be fully aware that we were coming, he would have managed to be here. But I am glad that we met all of you here. I have listened to all you said in terms of other things you want us to do.

    “We can’t joke with Ife in the scheme of things. We are very committed to ensuring all-round development in Ile-Ife and its environs. What actually brought us here is to seek your permission and blessings before we go to the field to address our party loyalists.”

    The Ogunsua assured the governor of maximum support and cooperation, saying the entire Modakeke town would stop at nothing to re-elect him.

    The monarch, who showered royal blessings on Oyetola and his entourage, said his subjects were pleased with him and were committed to the progressive cause because of his prompt and timely socio-economic interventions aimed at changing the face of the town.

    Corroborating the traditional ruler, the President, Modakeke Progressive Union, Mr. Julius Odegbemi, said the union would support the governor before, during and after the election.

    Addressing party supporters in Modakeke and Ile-Ife, the governor said that the large turnout of the people was an indication that Ife was for progressive government.

    Former Osun State Deputy Governor Iyiola Omisore, retired Permanent Secretary Mr. Fatai Kolawole, among other notable indigenes of Ife Federal Constituency took turns to thank  Oyetola for his good work

    Some of those in the governor’s entourage were Mrs. Kafayat Oyetola, Deputy Governor  Benedict Alabi, House of Assembly members, Secretary to the State Government Wole Oyebamiji, Chief of Staff to the Governor Charles ‘Diji Akinola, Deputy Chief of Staff Abdullah Binuyo, members of the state Executive Council, local government chairmen in Ife Federal Constituency, top government functionaries, political leaders, among others.

  • Sanwo-Olu launches project to link Ojota-Opebi bridges

    Sanwo-Olu launches project to link Ojota-Opebi bridges

    A traffic solution proposed 20 years ago to ease perennial gridlock that usually stretches from Sheraton Link Road into Opebi corridor has become a reality, as Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu yesterday launched the building of a carriageway that will solve major traffic congestion in Ikeja.

    The 3.89 kilometre-long road infrastructure will open into Ojota axis in Kosofe, taking traffic from Opebi U-turn and dropping it at Ikorodu Road via intersection that will be constructed under Odo Iya Alaro Bridge at Mende.

    The road will be supported by 276 metre-long deck-on-pile bridge and 474 metre-long mechanically stabilised earth-wall approach sections.

    The carriageway, which is a new connectivity, will create an easy exit for commuters leaving Ikeja-Onigbongbo axis towards Ojota and Maryland.

    The project was initiated to proffer permanent solution to inadequacies of Opebi Link Bridge and the Opebi U-turn, and to ease pressure on overburdened routes within Ikeja, with the objective to reduce travel time along the corridor.

    At the groundbreaking event, Sanwo-Olu also announced that the government had procured additional three sets of train for the Lagos Blue Line Rail project expected to be completed before the end of the year. The rail line traverses Okokomaiko and Marina.

    The news came a week after the governor completed the deal for the procurement of two Talgo trains in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the United States (U.S.) for the Lagos Red Rail Line project, stretching 37-kilometre from Abule Egba into Oyingbo.

    Speaking about the road infrastructure, Sanwo-Olu described the project as “another landmark progress” recorded by his administration towards delivering requisite infrastructure in Lagos. The ceremony, he said, demonstrated the priority accorded the welfare and well-being of the residents in line with his government’s drive towards delivering a Greater Lagos Vision.

    He said: “This launch demonstrates the priority we accord the well-being of the people of Lagos, as we are witnessing another milestone in the implementation of the Traffic Management and Transportation Pillar of our administration’s THEMES Agenda and the State Strategic Transport Master Plan (STMP). Prior to this project, there was no direct road linkage between Opebi, Maryland and Ojota. Available roads linking the areas are limited in connectivity options, thus paving the way for the high traffic volume and congestion within the Ikeja traffic network.

    “We recognised the need to create permanent solution to the conflicts by initiating another legacy construction project linking Ojota, Opebi and approach roads to connect Opebi Road from its tail end with Ikorodu Road by Odo Iya Alaro. Upon completion, the carriageway will reduce travel time for Lagos and Ikorodu-bound traffic from Opebi. It will also ease the traffic situation at Opebi-Sheraton Link Road and Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way. This legacy project will not only provide a new link to commute around Ikeja and its environs, it will also enhance economic prosperity and life expectancy.”

    The governor stressed that Messrs Julius Berger was favoured as preferred contractor for the iconic project, given the civil engineering firm’s capacity and track record in construction on swampy terrains.

    Since his administration came on board, Sanwo-Olu said 65 road projects and dozens of junction improvement work had been completed, while over 50 road infrastructure projects were at various stages of completion across the state.

    He added that the government’s traffic improvement work was being complemented with constant road maintenance.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure, Aramide Adeyoye, said Julius Berger carried out extensive studies and engineering investigations along the project alignment two decades ago, prompting the government to take proceed with the construction.

    The member representing Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke, who led residents to the launch, described the project as “a surprise gift” to Ikeja community, praising the governor for his vision to open up the swampy channel.

  • PDP not a threat to Lagos APC, says Oladejo

    PDP not a threat to Lagos APC, says Oladejo

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State has said the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot be a threat to its agenda for continuity in the ‘Centre of Excellence’.

    Its Publicity Secretary, Seye Oladejo, said the opposition would meet its Waterloo again in next year’s election.

    He spoke with reporters in Lagos about the recent emergency rally of the PDP at Tafawa Balewa Square, Onikan, the defection of Jide Adediran (Jandor) and threats by opposition governors to hijack power in 2023.

    Oladejo also spoke about the variability of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu’s presidential ambition and PDP’s indulgence in fuelling falsehood and propaganda ahead of future polls.

    Describing Tinubu as an experienced, exposed, talented, hardworking and fulfilled leader, he said he is qualified to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Oladejo said PDP leaders spreading rumours about the eminent politician, including Chief Bode George, could not match him in any contest.

    He said Tinubu had left his detractors behind in their pool of deceit and controversy, stressing that he was focused, determined and optimistic about the roles he intended to play in Nigeria’s future.

    The publicity secretary said George, who had threatened fire and brimstone that he would join the race if Tinubu declared interest, was free to fulfil his threat.

    He said opposition leaders, who never covered themselves in glory as military governors and board chairmen, and who could not win at their polling booths during elections, were fond of unnecessary noise making.

    Oladejo decried the antics of PDP chieftains allegedly involved in the sharing of security money, who had turned around to take prominent seats in the media.

    He chided PDP leaders, particularly governors, who stormed Onikan last week for Adediran’s defection, saying they came for a non-event because they were idle in their states.

    He said they ought to have asked the Lagos PDP chapter why its prominent chieftains shunned the supposedly revival rally.

    Oladejo, who said PDP was busy chasing shadows, maintained that PDP governors, accompanied by rented crowds from neighbouring states, assembled in aid of a starter.

    He described the defector as a lazy and impatient politician, who could not abide by the tradition of the Lagos APC.

    Oladejo said:”Jandor is a moment without a motion. Why did key leaders of Lagos PDP not attend the defection? Jandor cannot get the ticket. He will move to another party.”

  • Ekiti 2022: Yoruba group urges support for Ojo

    Ekiti 2022: Yoruba group urges support for Ojo

    A Yoruba socio-cultural group, the Yoruba Study Group, has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State to support the aspiration of Mr. Kayode Olubunmi Ojo.

    It said Ojo, an engineer, would use his wealth of experience, intellectual vigour and kind heartedness to take Ekiti to the next level and the desired promised land.

    The President of the group, Adeosun Williams, speaking while presenting the Golden Leadership Excellence Award to Ojo, said his victory would reposition Ekiti State for positive development.

    He recalled how Ojo gave cash and other palliatives to residents in the state during the COVID-19 lockdown.

    Williams said:  “We want to praise his donation of a fire service station to the ongoing airport project in Ekiti State, awards of bursary and scholarship to students, in addition to youth and women empowerment.

    “Ojo has demonstrated some rare qualities, which have towered him above his peers. He will surely bring good things to Ekiti State.”

    The aspirant promised not to forget the people if elected as governor.