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  • Ambode approves recruitment of 2, 200 teachers

    Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Friday, approved the recruitment of 1,200 teachers for the Junior and Senior Secondary schools in the State.

    The Governor, at the last quarterly town hall meeting at Ibeju Lekki, had promised that his administration would employ more teachers into public schools, to meet up with the manpower needs of public schools in the state.

    Confirming the development, Lagos’ Deputy Governor, Idiat Adebule, said the 1, 200 teachers recently approved for employment, were an addition to the 1, 000 teachers earlier approved by the governor for recruitment into Primary Schools in the state.

    Adebule, who superintends over the Ministry of Education, said guidelines for application would be released soon in accordance with civil service rules.

    The development, she added, would boost teaching and learning facilities in the state’s public school system, which had been attracting greater enrollment in the last three years, due to improved infrastructure and welfare of teaching and non-teaching staff.

    She argued that improved facilities and staff motivation have contributed to excellent performance of Lagos students at local and international examinations.

  • Lagos-Ibadan railway to be completed in December – Amaechi

    Minister of Transport, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi has said that the Federal Government is insisting on the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan railway by December and has thus decided that the construction company should move back to Lagos and commence construction immediately.

    Amaechi disclosed this while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of his meeting with Lagos state governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode in Lagos House on Thursday.

    The construction company handling the project is the China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC.

    According to him, there are two types of railway the FG is working on, “the narrow gauge which is already on and the standard gauge and they are emptying into the Apapa Sea port.”

    He said that Lagos has two mega stations which are at Apapa and Ebute Metta but that both stations are too small, “so we are going to expand the two stations.

    “We are going to have a Mall and hotel in the two stations, but we are looking for investors. So we should have two very big stations in Lagos, one in Apapa and the other in Ebute Metta; then Abeokuta and Ibadan.

    Amaechi also said that the FG on Wednesday awarded a contract on the Tin Can-Oworonshoki-Ojota road and that Dangote was doing one other part of it.

    “What we are trying to do there is to get good roads to evacuate cargoes, but it will be faster with the rail. So while we are working hard to make sure that the rail is delivered by this year ending, FG has also awarded a contract to deal with the road from Apapa and Tin Can to enable us evacuate cargoes freely and that is an addition to the rail”, Amaechi said.

    Read Also: Lagos warns residents of recruitment fraudsters

    The Minister praised Governor Ambode who he said has been “very cooperative from the beginning till now”, he also praised the communities from Lagos to Ibadan that allowed the FG to use their land for the project, adding that “we are here to see a win-win situation”.

    Also addressing the correspondents, Ambode thanked the FG and the Federal Executive Council, FEC for approving the reconstruction of the Tin Can-Apapa-Oshodi expressway up to the toll gate on Wednesday.

    “It is in continuaton of finding a permanent solution to what has been happening in Apapa especially in the past two weeks which has seen the Vice president visiting Lagos twice in the past two weeks and promising remedies to the situation.”

    Ambode further thanked the Ministers of Transport and Works “because the road construction that is commencing in Lagos next week is actually from Apapa Port up to Ibadan.

    “That means we are having a two pronged approach to be able to cart away cargoes from Lagos to other parts of the country.

    “We reinterate the commitment to collaborate with the FG as a State Government to make sure that we reduce the sufferings of Lagosians and I am happy that we have come out of this meeting stronger together with the FG and transport ministry to make sure that this particular rail project is delivered in the next 12 months”, Ambode said.
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  • Ambode asks Corps members to report security risks

    Fresh Corps members in Lagos State have been asked to help the government with security by reporting anything suspicious.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode gave the charge at the swearing in  of Batch B Steam 1 Corps members at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp, in Iyana Ipaja last Thursday.

    Ambode, represented by the Commissioner for Special Duties and  Inter-governmental Affairs, Oluseye Oladejo, gave them toll-free lines that they could use to reach security agencies and emergency services.

    He said: “I implore you to key into our community security strategy of ‘if you see something, say something’ by calling our toll free lines, ‘767’ or ‘112’”.

    He described Lagos as a hospitable place for them to do their national service.

    While in camp for the three-week orientation programme, the Lagos State NYSC Coordinator, Prince Mohammed Momoh, said the 3,087 corps members would be exposed to security tips by experts.

    “We inculcate security consciousness in them right from the orientation camp. First, they need to be secured during orientation before they go to the larger community. Part of what we do is that we bring in security agencies to tell them about local and peculiar security issues in Lagos; and what to do to avoid falling victim of such,” he said.

    Momoh also said the NYSC does not post corps members to volatile areas for their safety.

    “We work with the security agencies to identify locations that have security challenges and we go all out to ensure that corps members are not posted to such communities because it is only In the atmosphere of peace that corps members can effectively implement the national service,” he said.

    Regarding disclosure of health status, Momoh said Corps members were gradually opening up on medical issues that they might have. He said full disclosure was in their best interest so they could get support and be posted close to their families.

    He said: “It is only when we know we can support you morally, medically because we have working relationship with all the federal tertiary health Institutions in Lagos State. At present, we have a Corps member at Yaba and we paid his bills.

    “The present DG had been doing a lot In the area of corps members’ health and he has been supporting the states to ensure that we do our best because corps members’ health is a priority for him.”

    Momoh thanked the government for rehabilitating the camp ahead of the orientation, which started on Monday.

    He counselled the Corps members to be law abiding, disciplined and participate in all activities, including paramilitary drills, lectures, skills acquisition, leadership/citizenship trainings and inter-platoon competitions.

    Highpoint of the event was the swearing in of the corps members by Justice Femi Segun who represented the Chief Judge of Lagos State.

  • Ambode seeks patronage of made-in-Nigeria

    The Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has advised Nigerians to patronise goods made in the country to create more jobs and develop the economy.

    Speaking during the inauguration of the furniture factory, “The Home and You” built by Mrs. Feyisola Abiru, in Ikorodu, Ambode  said the factory would produce industrial made-in-Nigeria furniture that can compete globally for both corporate and home use within and outside the country.  He said it is only through this means that the local economy could be developed.

    Represented by Rotimi Ogunleye and Mrs. Olayinka Oladunayo, commissioners  for Physical Planning and Commerce & Industry respectively, the governor commended Mrs Abiru for citing the factory at Ibeshe, a suburb of Ikorodu.

    “This is the first furniture company of its kind in the Ikorodu axis and a clear indication that the efforts of Lagos Sate government to provide security and infrastructure is beginning to yield positive fruits,” he said.

    Speaking at the event, Mrs. Abiru, identified, “passion and an undying crave for success had been the reason I was able to whether the storms in the early days of the 21 year old business.”

    She commended the Bank of Industry (BoI), in the realisation of the noble dream which today has become one of the major economic drivers in the state and Nigeria as a whole.

     

    “But for the support from BoI, we won’t be here today. They gave us the first facility in 2006 to get us running. We acquired world class machines from Italy, when we needed to improve on our quality and expand the capacity of the business, we approached them again for another facility which was granted in 2017,” she said.

    On his part, Olusegun Osunkeye, the pioneer chairman of the company, described the ‘Home and You’ as a great edifice, noting that  Nigeria would benefit from the establishment of the ultra-modern furniture factory as it would create employment and boost the local content policy of the government.  “They will use local wood to produce first class furniture, so it will create employment and because it is profitable, government will get its taxes, and impact skills on the surrounding. So, it is a factory that will bring many benefits to its immediate surroundings, Lagos state and ultimately to the country at large,” he said.

    At the current rate of population growth, more than 500 million Africans are projected to live in cities by 2030. This growth as well as favourable government policies in some African countries is believed to  favour the furniture businessas this is anticipated to increase the demand for real estate; residential accommodation, office space, hotels and schools.

  • How Apapa gridlock can be checked, by Ambode

    At 12th Town Hall, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode proffered lasting solution to Apapa gridlock, reports WALE
    AJETUNMOBI

    The perennial traffic gridlock in Apapa, Lagos and the adjoining axis is now alarming.Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode knows this fact and has proferred lasting solution to the chaos in the axis.

    The governor is convinced that when these solutions are implemented never again will Lagosians see sections of the bridges and roads leading to Apapa from Western Avenue and Oshodi-Apapa Expressway turn into parking lots for tankers, containerised trucks and articulated vehicles.

    A few weeks back,  the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway was completely blocked by articulated vehicles because of the breakdown of operations at the Ports. The situation led to complete state of chaos with attendant negative effects on the people and the economy of not just Lagos State, but Nigeria considering the strategic importance of Apapa to the nation’s economy.

    Lagos State government constituted a Task Force headed by Commissioner of Police Imohimi Edgal to restore sanity. The Task Force had membership drawn from all security agencies and relevant unions within the maritime sector.

    The Task Force was able to clear the service lane within 72 hours in an operation through which over 2000 articulated vehicles were removed from the road and taken to designated holding bays.

    Ambode also followed up the initial gains with a meeting with relevant stakeholders, including the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), maritime unions, among others. At the meeting, the government suspended further approval  for development of Tank Farms, and issued 30-day ultimatum to existing Tank Farms without adequate loading bays to do so, in order to forestall a situation where tankers would have to park on the road while waiting to be called up to load petroleum products.

    The DPR was also directed to implement the directive at the expiration of the ultimatum.

    Speaking at the 3rd Quarter 2018 Town Hall Meeting, Ambode lay bare the activities of government and discussed the ways out to end the perennial gridlock in Apapa.

    The governor urged the Federal Government to revive existing Ports in other states of the federation, saying such was important to bring about permanent solution to the perennial traffic congestion in Apapa axis.

    The Town Hall Meeting, the 12th in the series since the inception of the Ambode administration, was held last Wednesday at the Community Primary School, Iberekodo in Ibeju Lekki Local Government.

    Ambode said the recent chaos witnessed in Apapa was beyond traffic issues.

    He said beyond getting other ports up and running, the issue of tankers queuing up to lift petroleum products from Tank Farms in Apapa was also a major issue causing gridlock and damaging road infrastructure in the area,  which, according to him, was inimical to the economic growth of not just the state, but Nigeria in general.

    Ambode said: “It would be very unfair to Lagosians if I don’t talk about issues relating to traffic management and integrated transport management most especially what we have witnessed in the last one week in Apapa, but again I would like to tell Lagosians that every stakeholder that is relevant to resolving the Apapa crisis, we have gone to work and you can see that there is a major improvement.

    “But again, this issue has become perennial and in the last six years, it’s always been there, it comes and goes, but the challenge is to be able to find a permanent solution and in that reason Mr. President had directed the Vice President to come and see what the situation is and to actually give us a permanent solution. We are grateful to Mr. President; we believe strongly that every layer of government should collaborate to be able to resolve this Apapa crisis.

    “But we all must know that Apapa crisis is more than traffic issues. That is where all states depend on for revenue through Customs because the revenue is shared at FAAC. If anything goes wrong in the Port, whatever they get from Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) could reduce.”

    The governor also noted that oil pipelines should be revived to discourage the trend of thousands of trucks coming from other parts of the country to lift petroleum products from Apapa.

    “It is bad that we still use truck to lift petroleum products from Apapa to other parts of the country. As it is now, other ports in Nigeria must begin to work immediately to decongest gridlock in Lagos; whatever has led to continual use of trucks to lift fuel, which is, vandalism of pipeline should be addressed immediately.

    “We believe that this will allow the roads to become free. We don’t need to continuously use tax payers’ money to build road that were destroyed by tankers. We call on the Minister of Petroleum and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to work towards reviving the pipelines,” he said.

    Ambode expressed concern about the approval for the development of tank farms in Ijegun area of Lagos, saying that as much as the State supports redistribution of tank farms, such should be located in areas that are not populated.

    “We don’t need tank farms within Lagos metropolis anymore. There are 86 tank farms in Apapa alone. That is a serious danger waiting to happen. Beyond Apapa, they have approved tank farms in Ijegun axis and that is where we have huge population.

    “We need to redistribute tank farm establishment to outer borders and other parts. This is what we believe should be done at this moment to free Lagos roads,” he said.

    On the efforts of his administration to develop the economy of the state, Ambode said his administration would continue to keep faith with its mandate to ensure that the future of Lagos remains on a sound pedestal.

    He said the town hall meeting, which had moved round the three senatorial districts in the state from its first edition held in October 6, 2015, has continued to provide the government with first hand information on the needs of the people and how best to solve them.

    “Our promise from the very beginning was that we are going to give you a government of inclusion and it’s very clear that we are on track. When we look at our scorecard, which is to keep Lagos on a trajectory of growth and development, we are on that track.

    “We are happy to be here. We are everywhere meeting the needs of our people, asking them what the issues are and wanting to respond positively to those issues. Yes, we are not perfect, we would try our best but our people know that we are doing things that would create prosperity for their future,” Governor Ambode said.

    Besides, the Governor said that his administration was not oblivious of the fact that the Eastern and Western axis of the State were pivotal to the future prosperity of Lagos.

    Giving an insight on the next plan of action for the Ibeju Lekki axis, the governor  said the construction of the Epe Airport and reconstruction of the Coastal Road were very much on course, adding that the dualisation of the Eleko Junction to the T-Junction in Epe would commence in January 2019, while the 27 network of roads in Ojokoro, Ayinke House, among others would be completed before the next quarter.

    Ambode appealed to people to bear with the State Government over the inconveniences they might be experiencing as a result of ongoing construction works across the State, saying the government was very much aware, and was working towards delivering the projects on schedule.

    “I want to appeal to the people to please bear with us on the infrastructure projects across the State. We are working towards delivering them on schedule. A little pain for greater joy and so I like to appeal to the people to cooperate with us,”  Ambode said.

    The governor thanked traditional rulers, community heads and residents of Ibeju Lekki for their unflinching support towards the advancement of the multibillion dollar projects ongoing in the Lekki Free Trade Zone. He assured that all issues relating to compensation would be resolved before the end of the week.

    Ambode announced the commencement of recruitment of 1,000 teachers in the State, adding that more would be recruited as the need arises.

    He said his administration would go back to the drawing board and respond accordingly to issues raised, appealing to residents to be patient as the Government would continue to deliver more life changing projects to make life more comfortable for the people.

    At the meeting which was also attended by heads of security agencies including the Commissioner of Police, Ambode directed immediately action on security issues raised by residents, saying one of the cardinal objectives of his administration was security of lives and property.

    A physically challenged resident and graduate of Computer Studies, Micheal Ogunyemi, who said he had been jobless for five years, could not hold back his joy as the governor directed the Civil Service Commission to grant him immediate employment from August 1.

    On the traffic around new Jubilee Bridge in Ajah , Ambode directed the General Manager of Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Mr Olawale Musa to immediately move in to free the axis. He said State Government would specifically work with Local Government to relocate a market in the area which was contributing to the traffic, while proposal for more personnel should be brought forward in the event of lack of adequate manpower for the traffic management agency.

    Also responding to issues raised by some physically challenged persons on difficulty to make use of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) along Ikorodu road corridor and access part of the N500million Disability Fund set aside to take care of their needs by his administration, Governor Ambode directed the relevant agencies to sit up and do the needful to make life comfortable for the people.

    He also directed the Lagos State Office of Disability Affairs (LASODA) to come up with modalities to establish the branch of the office in each of the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) for ease of operation, while other relevant agencies were directed to address various issues raised by residents.

    He particularly expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Town Hall was meeting the objectives for which it was established, saying many of the revelations would not have been possible for him to access.

    “For me, I am particularly happy with the fact that the Town Hall Meeting is meeting the objectives for which it was established. I mean if I sit in my office in Alausa, there is no way I could get the feedback I am getting here and that is one of the reasons I am happy that we set this up.

    “I also want to appreciate the people for coming out to tell us what they want us to do and the areas we need to intervene. For me, I will continue to work hard to make life comfortable and better for our people,” Governor Ambode said.

    Indeed, an analyst, Dr Mahmud Zukoji, who watched the town hall meeting live on television in far away Kano State, said: “Watching the live coverage of the town hall meeting in Ibeju Lekki gives one the positive impression that democracy can work for us if those in leadership create the right environment for it to work”.

  • Ambode, Obaseki celebrate retiring Ademowo

    Governors of Lagos and Edo states Akinwunmi Ambode and Godwin Obaseki yesterday showered encomium on the outgoing Diocesan Bishop of Lagos, and Dean Emeritus of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev Adebola Ademowo on his 70th birthday.

    They described him as a respected clergy, who contributed significantly to mankind and national development.

    The governors spoke to reporters at a special thanksgiving service to mark Ademowo’s 70th birthday and retirement held at Cathedral Church of Christ, Marina in Lagos.

    Ambode commended the clergyman for serving the state meritoriously, saying it was not in doubt that he made significant impact to the development of the state and the nation in general.

    According to him, “for somebody that has served Lagos so meritoriously; Bishop Ademowo has been like a father to all of us, and I say a big thank you to him on behalf of all Lagosians and for attaining the age of 70, we are very glad to have witnessed this celebration and I also wish him well and his family.

    “We know the impact that he has actually created for Lagos and even the whole of Nigeria and one is happy to be celebrating this day with him.”

    Obaseki said Ademowo deserved all the accolades and commendation for the peace and unity he brought to bear on the church during his tenure in active service, as well as the service to mankind.

    He recalled how his mother worshiped in the church for 50 years, saying it was on record that Ademowo performed his role as spiritual leader brilliantly and excellently well.

    “My mother worshiped in this church for the past 50 years and Bishop Ademowo was my mother’s Bishop and as a true Anglican, we know how much contribution that he has made to the Anglican Communion; the peace he has brought, the unity and more importantly the service he has made to the church and to mankind.

    “We wish him well; we wish him God’s grace and God’s peace in his retirement,” Obaseki said.

    In his sermon, Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Most Rev Nicholas Okoh, thanked God for His grace and loving-kindness which saw Bishop Ademowo through his service to the church and mankind, saying it was evident from all fronts that the clergyman had enjoyed the blessings of God.

    Taking his text from the book of Psalm 103, Okoh said the thanksgiving service was most deserving considering the landmark achievements of Ademowo in his 46 years of service to the church, 29 of which was in the episcopacy (being Bishop), saying he would be greatly missed.

    Besides, Okoh admonished the people to run away from sin, saying it blocks access to God and weakens the power of man.

    While declaring that the church was against all forms of homosexuality, Okoh also urged people to prepare for eternity, saying it was important for people to know that their actions in life had eternal consequences whether good or bad.

     

     

  • Ambode, Obaseki, others celebrate Ademowo at 70

    •Anglican cleric retires

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode and his Edo State counterpart, Mr Godwin Obaseki, yesterday hailed the Dean Emeritus of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) and outgoing Diocesan Bishop of Lagos, Most Rev Adebola Ademowo on his 70th birthday.

    The two governors described Ademowo as a respected cleric who contributed significantly to mankind and national development.

    Addressing reporters at a special thanksgiving service to mark Ademowo’s 70th birthday and retirement at the Cathedral Church of Christ in Marina, Lagos, Ambode praised the cleric for serving the state meritoriously.

    The governor said it was not in doubt that he made significant impact on the development of the state and the nation.

    He said: “For somebody who has served Lagos so meritoriously, he (Bishop Ademowo) has been like a father to all of us. I just want to first of all say a big thank you to him on behalf of all Lagosians and for attaining the age of 70. We are very glad to have witnessed this celebration. I also wish him well and his family.

    “We know the impact he has actually created for Lagos and even the rest of Nigeria. One is happy to be celebrating this day with him.”

    Obaseki said Ademowo deserved all the accolades and commendations for the peace and unity he brought to bear on the church during his tenure as well as his service to mankind.

    The Edo State governor recalled how his mother worshiped in the church for 50 years.

    He said it was on record that Ademowo performed his role as a spiritual leader brilliantly and excellently.

    Obaseki added: “My mother worshiped in this church for 50 years and he (Bishop Ademowo) was my mother’s Bishop. As a true Anglican, we know how much contribution he has made to the Anglican Communion, the peace he has brought, the unity and, more importantly, the service he has made to the church and to mankind.

    “We wish him well; we wish him God’s grace and God’s peace in his retirement.”

    In his sermon, the Primate of Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), Rev Nicholas Okoh, thanked God for His grace and loving-kindness which saw Bishop Ademowo through his service to the church and mankind.

    The cleric said it was evident that the clergyman had enjoyed the blessings of God.

    Taking his text from Psalm 103, Okoh said the thanksgiving service was most deserving, considering the landmark achievements of Ademowo in his 46 years of service to the church, 29 of which was in the episcopacy (being Bishop).

    He said the retiring cleric would be greatly missed.

    Besides, Okoh admonished the people to run away from sins, saying they block access to God and weaken the power of man.

    Other dignitaries at the service included Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun; former Lagos State Deputy Governors Femi Pedro and Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; former Deputy National Chairman (South) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George; former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Odein Ajumogobia and foremost banker, Otunba Subomi Balogun.

  • 2019 elections: Ambode urges religious groups to champion peace

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday appealed to religious bodies to help to ensure that the 2019 general elections were conducted peacefully through constant prayers for the country.

    Ambode, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr Idiat Adebule, made the call at a Muslim Leaders Interactive Forum.

    The forum was organised by the Muslim Community of Lagos State (MCLS) with the theme, “Make Your Life Count: Unity of Muslim Ummah in Focus”.

    He said religious organisations by their standing in society had enormous responsibility in ensuring that peace prevailed in their communities.

    According to him, religious bodies could impress upon their members on the need to eschew all forms of electoral violence during the elections.

    “There is the need for religious bodies and leaders to educate the people on the need for political tolerance to promote peace and tranquility before, during and after the elections,” he said.

    Ambode also expressed appreciation for the efforts made by religious bodies in supporting his administration and maintaining peaceful coexistence in the state.

    MCLS President Prof Tajudeen Gbadamosi, assured that the Muslim community in the country would play a significant role in the country’s bid to ensure a peace during and after the elections.

    “We are close to an election year. We know the peculiarities of this period – hate and inflammatory speeches as well as consequent killings and other damnable actions in the religious and social spheres. As a religious group, we have a duty to ensure peace and harmony,” he said.

    Shaykh Muslihudeen Kalejaye, in his lecture, said Islam was a religion that tolerated other religions and ordered its followers to respect and protect all humans.

    “Where there is no unity, it will bring about disruption, devastation and disputes,” he said.

    Dr Ridwan Olagunju of the Department of Islamic Law, University of Ilorin, urged all religious bodies to continue to pray for the peace of the country.

    Olagunju urged the Muslim faithful to adhere to the tenets of Islam as well as do good to make their life count.

    He also appealed to government at all levels to seek the advice of religious leaders in policy formulation.

  • Ambode, Shittu, honoured at online merit award

    KEY drivers of Nigeria’s online revolution were recently honoured at the maiden edition of Nigerian Online Merit Awards (NiOMA) for outstanding contributions to the success and development of internet in the country.

    The event, which held in Lagos, was in three categories. First category: Newspaper website of the year. Bank website of the Year; second category: MDA website of the year, state innovation e-project of the year and state website of the year;  and third category: ICT Icon of the Year, e-Governor of the year and the Minister of the year.

    Among the awardees were: e-Governor of the Year, awarded to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State; Minister of the Year, which went to the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu and ICT Icon of the Year, awarded to Zinox Group Chairman, Leo Stan Ekeh.

    Akwa Ibom State went home with the Best State Website of the Year. State Innovative e-Project of the Year award was won by Abia State and the Nigeria Communication Commission (NCC) won the Best MDA Website of the Year.

    In the Bank Website of the Year category, Zenith Bank International Plc won Platinum, Fidelity Bank  won Gold and Access Bank won Silver. The Newspaper website of the year Platinum Award went to Vanguard, The Guardian won the Gold Award, while Daily Trust went home with the Silver Award.

    Speaking at the event themed, Leveraging the Internet Revolution to Leapfrog Nigeria’s Development, was ICT expert and former Chief Executive Officer of NCC, Ernest Ndukwe. Ndukwe, who was chairman of the occasion, emphasized on the need for government to embrace ICT, as well as make internet access free in major cities across the country, especially Lagos, as this would contribute immensely to the growth of the nation’s economy. Ndukwe said: “It is important for us in this country to harness the potentials of this very important technology and I just hope that our various leaders would take it very serious. When I was with NCC as the chief executive officer, it was actually a tall order getting the state governments and some of our important leaders to appreciate the transformation role that ICT can make in people’s life. It was so difficult in those days I was at the NCC to convince governors to give what is usually referred to as right of owner to operating companies to be able to roll out service that will improve the lives of the citizens.”

    He noted that much hasn’t changed in the sector. “A few of them have embraced that knowledge today but quite a large number are still looking for how to generate revenue from operating companies, instead of looking at how to empower their people with knowledge which is what ICT in their neighbourhood can bring to them. So, we keep praying that our people will continue to understand the need to lace this country with optic fibber infrastructure, to lace this country with transmission infrastructure and a city like Lagos should have internet facility all over the place at a very good speed. That will help us do what we want to do and improve the standard of living for our citizens.”

    Ndukwe asserted that they (ICT experts) will continue to “talk and do what ever that is necessary to convince our leaders, policy makers and decision makers to ensure that ICTs continue to play the role it is suppose to play. That is why it is generally referred to as infrastructure in infrastructure because it actually enables efficiency in nearly every aspect of human endeavour.”

    Present at the ceremony were: Lady Maiden Alex-Ibru, Chairman Guardian Editorial Board Prof. Wale Omole and Leo Stan Ekeh, who was the guest speaker.

    NiOMA was conceived by News Express Nigeria, a Lagos-based online media service after a rigorous study of the nation’s digital landscape. The medium is of the belief that soon, the host of Nigerian media will be setting the agenda to stimulate thinking and provoke thinking on what can be done to our nation with relevance to the ICT revo lution.

    Members of the organising committee comprise Lanre Alabi, chairman; Isaac Umunna, administrator; Sunny Okim, Secertary and Afam Nnaji, Moshood Isamotu and Ruth Onyeike.

    Speaking, the committee chairman said “It is a merit-based award adjudged as the most authoritative, factual, objective awards on companies and institutions’ online performance.”

    The objective of the award, he said, is to foster the growth and development of the online platform for the promotion of business. “The evaluation is done by our prestigious judging panel consisting of communication experts from all over Nigeria. Our panel looks out for the best and brightest achievements in digital communication.”

  • Ambode calls for private sector participation to boost water transportation, GDP

    Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode has expressed his administration’s commitment to provide critical infrastructure and enabling environment for investors and the private sector to participate in the ongoing efforts to boost water transportation in the state.

    Ambode made the promise at a Roundtable on Water Transportation organised by the State Government under the auspices of the Ministry of Transportation which held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island.

    The governor said he wants the private sector to own the state economy because that is the only way to grow the Gross Domestic Product, GDP of the state.

    Critical stakeholders/strategic partners who were part of the Roundtable include: United Passengers Waterways Association; University of Lagos; The Good Beverage Recycling Alliance; United States Mission in Nigeria, Trade and Investment Department of British High Commission, South Africa government, Paramount Maritime Holdings of South Africa etc.

    Ambode said though the water transportation sector had been left unattended to over the years it, however, remains critical to solving the traffic congestion problem affecting the State.

    According to him, “The question to ask is what has brought us to this despicable situation so to speak where the only mode of transportation for over 22million people is road and the road itself is chaotic. In the last three years, we have been fighting traffic and unfortunately in the last two weeks, we have seen what has happened in Apapa and what we have been trying to do. Just about three weeks ago, we saw what happened with regards to the Otedola Bridge disaster and then the carnage, as well as the inability of government to provide for the needs of the people.

    “So, among the over 22 million people, almost 8 million are walking on the streets every second and at the same time, 86 people enter into Lagos every one hour according to United Nations statistics for 2016 which is the largest in the world. So, if other states are failing, more people are going to be coming to Lagos and that means maybe right now, there are 120 people entering Lagos not wanting to go back and the only mode of transportation we have for them is just the road and that is why we are coming up with other modes”, said Governor Ambode.

    While reeling the benefits of water transportation especially to traffic management, the Governor said it was instructive to note that being surrounded by water, many parts of the State could be connected within few minutes.

    Earlier, Commissioner for Transportation, Mr Ladi Lawanson said the essence of the roundtable was to evolve effective framework in partnership with the private sector and relevant stakeholders to play up water transportation in Lagos with the view to diverting a lot of pressure currently on the roads to water.