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Tag: Akiolu

  • I didn’t snub Ooni, says Akiolu

    I didn’t snub Ooni, says Akiolu

    OBA of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu yesterday cleared the air on the video in the social media being misconstrued for the monarch’s snubbing the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi at a public function in Lagos.

    One of the white cap chiefs, Lateef Aderibigbe Ajose, Opeluwa Onido of Lagos, said the Lagos Monarch did not ignore Ooni of Ife at the public function as being misconceived by people.

    The video in which Oba Akiolu allegedly refused to return the greetings of the Ooni at a function went viral on Wednesday, drawing outrage in the social media.

    But chief Ajose said noting of such happened According to him, what the people misconstrued as snubbing is the culturally acclaimed way of greeting by a monarch in Lagos.

    He said the Lagos monarch has been trying to revive the culture and tradition of ancient Lagos, which is peculiar to the state.

    The Opeluwa Onidi said: “Other tribes also have their peculiar ways of greeting. The sign by Oba Akiolu signifies, ‘inu mi, inu e’, the culture of greeting in Lagos. If Oba Akiolu wanted to ignore, he would have turned his face away from Ooni. There is no misunderstanding between both highly revered monarchs in Yoruba Land”.

    He said: “Oba Akiolu was well represented at the coronation of Ooni of Ife, which attested to the fact that he does not disregard the office of Ooni Adeyeye.

    “There is no sentiment in the culture of Lagos. As we met it that is the way we are doing it. Kabiyesi Oba Akiolu is trying to bring back the old pattern, the old culture we have left behind.

    “What happened that day was wrongly speculated by the social media to disrupt peace and order and misinterpret Oba Akiolu’s action.

    “We just want to appeal to the social media to stop spreading wrong information. They should try and understand the reason behind every action carried out most especially by traditional rulers. Yoruba has a very rich culture. There is no quarrel between the Oba of Lagos and Ooni of Ife.”

    A spokesman at the Ooni’s palace in Ile-Ife, Osun State, said Oba Ogunwusi would never be disrespect to the Oba Akiolu.

    Also yesterday, the Obi of Onitsha, Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe took exception to a request for his comment on what transpired between the two foremost royal fathers.

    He urged reporters against dabbling into issues involving the royalty.

    “You are very rude to ask me such a question.” the Igwe told The Nation reporter on the sideline of an event in Lagos yesterday.

  • Akiolu to bankers: stop using women as marketers

    Akiolu to bankers: stop using women as marketers

    The Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, has urged heads of banks and other financial institutions to stop sending women out as marketers to look for hefty deposits.
    He said the approach should not be encouraged, if the banking sector would develop the economy.
    The frontline monarch spoke yesterday in Lagos while receiving an award from the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) at the 22nd World Conference of Banking Institutes.
    Akiolu noted that for the banking sector to grow, security gadgets, technology, cameras and other facilities should be deployed to stem financial crimes.
    He called for the adoption of his report, which he obtained from the Special Chief of Police conference in the United States of America (U.S.A) when he was in the police.
    The monarch urged President Muhammadu Buhari to grant Lagos State a special status.
    He said the unplanned attitude and wasteful spending of the past, which caused the recession, should not be adopted again.
    Akiolu prayed God to give the President good health to enable him oversee his reforms to fruition.
    The Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, said keeping money locked up somewhere should never be allowed in the society where there is no stable water supply and electricity for the masses.
    He called for attitudinal change from the nation’s leaders.
    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, was also honoured.

  • Akiolu to Fed Govt: build barracks at Ishawo

    Akiolu to Fed Govt: build barracks at Ishawo

    Lagos paramount ruler, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, has urged the Federal Government to establish a Police Mobile Force (PMF) and military barracks at Ishawo in Ikorodu and other militant-infested riverine communities in Lagos State.
    Akiolu spoke yesterday when the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) incharge of ICT, Foluso Adebanjo, visited his palace at Iga-Iduganran in Isale-Eko, Lagos Island.
    Supporting the current demolish of shanties by the state government, Akiolu said a PMF and military barracks be established at waterfronts to forestall criminalities.
    He said: “As I sit here, I get intelligence report from across the country. So, tell the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to liaise with other security agencies to establish a mobile base and military base at the Ishawo, Ikorodu axis. And all those shanties in riverine areas around Lagos State should be demolished.
    “Let the full arm of the law be extended to anyone arrested for a crime. Anyone who comes to you and says I asked that someone be released is lying. Tell them the Oba of Lagos is a disciplinarian; I do not condone criminality. Even if it’s my son that’s arrested for committing a crime, he should be arrested and dealt with, as the law prescribes.
    “I have told the government on several occasions to give the police their dues, and they will perform. The crop of officers you are training in all training institutions now; the conditions in which they are doing the trainings are nothing to write home about. “I know what the IGP is experiencing. It didn’t start with him. Any day the government is prepared to have efficient policing, it should give, not only the police but all other security agencies, the logistics required to do the job.
    “Nigerians too must cooperate fully. Security is the responsibility of all Nigerians. The public must assist with useful information.”
    “The Lagos State government is spending huge amount of money on security. The recently introduced Neighbourhood Watch is to complement the police; it is not to rival the police. We are here to monitor them, to ensure that doesn’t happen. Nigerians should be able to acknowledge and appreciate the police for the good job they do.”

  • Akiolu to FG: Establish mobile barracks at Ishawo

    Lagos Paramount ruler, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu, has called on the Federal Government to establish Police Mobile Force (PMF) and military barracks at Ishawo and other militants’ infested riverine communities in the state.

    Akiolu made the call when the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) in charge of ICT, Foluso Adebanjo, visited his palace at Iga-Iduganran in Isale-Eko.

    Supporting the ongoing demolish of shanties by the state government, Akiolu said the PMF and military barracks should be established at all the waterfronts to guide against criminalities.

    He urged the government to give the security agencies all needed logistics to execute their jobs, insisting that without finances, not much could be achieved.

    “As I sit here, I get intelligence report from across the country. So, tell the IGP to liaise with other security agencies to establish a mobile base and military base at that Ishawo, Ikorodu axis. And all those shanties at all riverine areas around Lagos State should be demolished.

    “Let the full arm of the law be meted on anyone arrested for a crime. Anyone who comes to you and say I asked that someone be released is lying. Tell them the Oba of Lagos is a disciplinarian and I do not condone criminality. Even if it’s my son that is arrested for committing a crime, he should be arrested and dealt with as the law prescribes.

    “I have told the government on several occasions to give the police their dues and they will perform. The crops of officers you are training in all training institutions now; the conditions in which they are doing the trainings are nothing to write home about. I know what the IGP is experiencing. It didn’t start with him. Any day the government is prepared to have efficient policing, it should give not only the police but all other security agencies the logistics required to do the job.

    “The Nigerian public too must corporate fully. Security is the responsibility of all Nigerians. The public must assist with useful information. Lagos State government is spending huge amount of money on security.  The recently introduced Neighbourhood Watch is to complement the police. They are not to rival the police and we are here to monitor them to ensure that doesn’t happen. Nigerians should be able to acknowledge and appreciate the police for the good job they do.”

     

  • Akiolu urges prayers for Buhari

    Akiolu urges prayers for Buhari

    Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu has called on Nigerians to pray for President Muhammadu Buhari’s speedy recovery.
    According to him, it is ungodly to wish another person death when sickness is a human phenomenon.
    Akiolu spoke yesterday when the management and executives of Nigerian Maritime and Safety Agency (NIMASA) visited him at his Iga Iduagan palace.
    Oba Akiolu described President Buhari as very disciplined and focused, noting that his whistle-blowing policy is reducing greed and unnecessary accumulation of wealth.
    “Nigeria has gained international respect because of things Buhari has done. Let’s not wish him dead but give constructive criticism through the right channels,” he said.
    The monarch called for Lagos to be accorded a special status because of the pressure on its infrastructure.
    The team, led by NIMASA’s Director General, Dakuku Peterside, noted that Lagos plays an important role in the development of the country because 60 per cent of goods come into the country through Lagos ports.

  • Obasanjo denied Lagos special status, says Akiolu

    Obasanjo denied Lagos special status, says Akiolu

    •Ambode unveils plans to roll out empowerment programmes.

    Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu  has accused former  President Olusegun Obasanjo of being responsible for Lagos not being granted special status.

    Akiolu spoke yesterday at the third quarterly Town Hall Meeting organised by the Lagos State Government at the Indoor Sports Hall, Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere.

    The event was attended by the senator representing Lagos Central, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Chief Tajudeen Olusi, party chieftains, captains of industry among others.

    Oba Akiolu said Obasanjo had the opportunity to have granted Lagos a special status during his eight years tenure, but never did it in spite of the pressure mounted on him.

    He added that when a delegation of eminent Lagosians, which he led, met with the former president on the issue , Obasanjo told them that he had already drafted the special status plan for Lagos.

    Oba Akiolu said if Obasanjo had fulfilled that promise, the issue of the National Assembly turning down Senator Tinubu’s bill would not have arisen.

    “Yar’Adua had promised to grant Lagos a special status. If Yar’Adua had not died, it would have happened by now,” he said.

    The monarch, however, said it was a matter of time as Lagos would certainly be accorded a special status.

    Oba Akiolu also expressed worry over the spate of kidnapping in Lagos despite the efforts of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode to provide security, calling for the establishment of Local Government Security Committee to work with the police to nip kidnapping in the bud.

    Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode assured residents that better days are ahead.

    The governor said the N500 million Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund would commence later this month.

    “The funding for the N500m Lagos State Persons Living with Disability Fund has been provided and beneficiaries will start getting support from this quarter.”

    He added that review of the 2016 budget showed that the state generated N97.3 billion in the last quarter and had a total expenditure of N110.2billion.

    Ambode said: “We expended N55 billion on capital expenditure in the last quarter. Our budget performance for January to September is 69 percent as against 65 percent for the same period in 2015.

    “A total of N166.8billion has been spent on capital projects this year more than double the N53.6 billion spent for the same period last year. We believe strongly that continuous increase in the capital expenditure spending is a necessity at this particular period.

    “In this quarter, we will concentrate more resources on capital projects. We will put money in the hands of our local contractors and through them stimulate and reflate the economy.”

    On security, the governor explained that plans were on to recruit at least 5,000 Neighbourhood Watchers.

    He said the neighbourhood Safety Agency Bill, which he signed into Law on August 15, was part of efforts to institutionalise and deepen community policing.

    “We will rebrand Neighborhood Watchers and re-equip them to the level that each Neighborhood Watchers in all the Local Governments will have their vehicles and necessary equipment to complement security. We are also working on employing additional 5,000 Neighborhood Watchers in all our Local Governments and they will be paid by us, while the basic salary for the entrance level will be N25, 000 per month,” the governor said.

     

     

  • Youths to Akiolu: we need your tutorship

    Youths to Akiolu: we need your tutorship

    Youths under the aegis of the Nigerian Youth Parliament have urged Lagos monarch, Oba Rilwanu Akiolu to teach them his leadership skills and adopt them as children and leaders of tomorrow.

    The youths, from various group across the country, made the appeal over the weekend, when they paid Akiolu a visit at his Iga-Iduganran palace.

    They sought to make him their grand patron during their first summit billed to hold later in the year.

    Their leader, Ayodele Obe, said there was a burning need to learn valuable leadership skills from the monarch, which will be useful to them in the future. He also noted that the summit will feature seminars, sensitisation and trainings.

    In his remark, Akiolu advised them to shun greed and show respect for constituted authorities.

    He urged them to draw closer to God, be cooperative amongst themselves, adding that they should be patient.

    Debunking the notion that Lagos was ‘no man’s land’, the monarch attributed the peace being enjoyed in the state to  peaceful coexistence.

    Akiolu said: “The youths are the hope of the present. Yet, they are greedy and lack respect for constituted authorities and the government.

    “It is good that they put down their demands through the right channel, which will be met how it should be instead of them resorting to violence.

    “Search your consciences; tell yourselves the truth; talk to others and wait for all to be well.”

  • Akiolu to subjects: Prevent glaucoma

    Akiolu to subjects: Prevent glaucoma

    Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu has  called on  Lagos residents to go for glaucoma screening to prevent blindness.

    Oba Akiolu said this when the management of Pfizer Specialties, the country’s arm of Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, paid the monarch a courtesy visit.

    Oba Akiolu said he has lived with the condition for over 21 years and was able to manage same because of the right information. “So, as a person living with glaucoma, I can say for anyone not to go blind, if you are being treated for glaucoma, be sure to take your prescribed glaucoma medicine every day. See your eye care professional regularly. You can help protect the vision of family members and friends, who may be at high risk for glaucoma, especially those over age 40 and everyone over 60 years and people with a family history of the disease by sharing information as I am doing.

    “Please encourage them to have a comprehensive dilated eye examination regularly. Remember that lowering eye pressure in the early stages of glaucoma slows progression of the disease and helps save vision,” said Oba Akiolu.

    He said glaucoma is the thief of sight hence, “immediate treatment for early-stage, open-angle glaucoma can delay progression of the disease. “That’s why early diagnosis is very important. Glaucoma treatments include medicines, laser trabeculoplasty, conventional surgery, or a combination of any of these. While these treatments may save remaining vision, they do not improve or restore sight already lost from glaucoma,” he said.

    Director, Corporate Affairs, Pfizer Specialties Limited Nigeria and East Africa Region (NEAR) Region, Mrs Margaret Olele, said the company was at the palace to explore ways to partner the monarch to ensure that more people have access to routine screening in the state, including glaucoma. “There is no cure for glaucoma. Glaucoma is described as sneak thief of vision. Vision lost from the disease cannot be restored. Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to eye’s optic nerve and gets worse over time. It’s often associated with a buildup of pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life. So, we want to create awareness on that and also provide medical-posts where people, especially the market men and women can go and check for non communicable diseases (NCDs). Glaucoma cannot be prevented, but if it is diagnosed and treated early, the disease can be controlled,” said Mrs Olele.

    Explaining how glaucoma comes about, she said: “The increased pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. If damage to the optic nerve from high eye pressure continues, glaucoma will cause permanent loss of vision. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years. Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see an eye doctor regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated before long-term visual loss occurs.”

    She reinterated that if one was over age 40 and has a family history of glaucoma, one should have a complete eye examination with an eye doctor every one to two years. If one has health problems such as diabetes or a family history of glaucoma or is at a risk for other eye diseases, one may need to visit an eye doctor more frequently.

    Members of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) Glaucoma Support Group Initiative were also there.

  • Akiolu hails Air Force for dislodging militants

    Akiolu hails Air Force for dislodging militants

    Oba of Lagos Rilwan Akiolu has hailed the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) for leading the offensive against militants, who held Lagos and Ogun communities hostage.

    Akiolu spoke when the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Logistics Command, Air Vice Marshal Sani Ahmed, visited his palace.

    According to Akiolu, the NAF has played vital roles in crime prevention, urging continuous cooperation among security agencies.

    Warning the militants to stay off Lagos territory, the monarch called for enthronement of security plan between Lagos and Ogun states.

    He advised the militants to seek alternative ways to channel their grievances.

    The AOC sued for cordial relationship between residents and NAF personnel.

    He urged Lagosians to avail security agencies useful information to prevent crimes.

    He noted the importance of the command’s role to military operations, adding that it was responsible for procuring, receiving, storing, distributing, transporting and sustaining NAF equipment.

    “There is virtually no military operation that can be successful without logistics as is evident in the ongoing operation AWATSE, which needed logistics for its success,” he said.

  • Be patient, all will be well, Akiolu tells Nigerians

    Be patient, all will be well, Akiolu tells Nigerians

    Oba Rilwan Akiolu I of Lagos yesterday urged Nigerians to be patient in spite of the hard times in the country. He said all will be well in the course of time.

    “I am confident that the economy of the country, under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari, will change for good because our president is focused,’’ Akiolu told newsmen in his palace during the celebration of the Isese Festival at Isale Eko area of Lagos Island.

    The present hardship in the country, according to him, is a prelude to a better tomorrow.

    “Let us cooperate with the government. Do not take the law into your hands and always inform the security agencies wherever there are criminal activities,” Akiolu said.

    He appealed to the Niger Delta Avengers to stop bombing oil facilities and put their grievances on the table for the government to address.

    He added: “I agree to some extent with them that certain things have to be done for them, but they just have to give peace a chance and things will work for them.

    “They should stop and put their grievances on the table and the government will address it. It is not too late to mend.”On the festival, Oba Akiolu said it was an inherited custom and tradition which he does not joke with.

    The Isese festival featured diverse cultural activities to enhance interaction and promote harmony in the state and the country at large.

    Numerous Lagosians joined in the celebration of the festival, dancing and singing to various deities.