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Tag: Ambode

  • Regular exercise aids healthy living, says Ambode

    Regular exercise aids healthy living, says Ambode

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has advised people to do regular fitness exercise in order to live healthy life.

    Ambode gave the advice at the 2017 annual fitness exercise tagged “Walk For Life’’ organised by the Human Concern Foundation International in Lagos.

    The fitness exercise involved walking from Jibowu bus stop along Lagos-Ikorodu expressway to Maryland and back to Jibowu, a distance of about 10 kilometres.

    The governor, who was represented by the Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem Abdul-Lateef, said a “healthy nation is a wealthy nation.’’

    “On behalf of the Governor of Lagos State, I congratulate the Human Concern Foundation International (HCFI) for this fitness exercise.

    “I want to say that living healthy requires that we do a lot, taking the right food, understanding the value of water, understanding when to rest and more than anything, physical exercises.

    “So, by doing this regularly, I believe that it is not something that should be annual but it is symbolic.

    “It is just meant to gear all of us up that this is what we need to do; minimum of 30 minutes fitness exercise everyday and I believe that you’ll take advantage of this. “This is the type of collaborative efforts that the government is talking about.

    “Only a healthy nation can be refer to as a wealthy nation. So on this note, I flag off this, we will go in peace and come back in peace.’’

    HCFI Coordinator Dr Ibrahim Oreagba remarked that the annual physical exercise was initiated to encourage Nigeria to always take walk on regular basis to keep fit and live a healthy life.

    Oreagba, who is an Associate Professor at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, said the theme of this year’s walk for life is “Come let’s Walk for Health and Unity’’.

    A lecturer at the University of Lagos, Dr. Tajudeen Yusuf, urged government to consider the fitness of its citizens when constructing roads.

    “Government should create roads in a way that will encourage walking and trekking and not cars and motorcycles alone,” he added.

  • Ambode’s wife seeks end to women discrimination

    Life of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, has called for the eradication of discrimination and violence against women and girls.

    Mrs. Ambode spoke at her office in Alausa, Ikeja, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

    She noted that violence against women and girls remained one of the most devastating human rights violence in the world, saying achieving gender parity would require more vigorous efforts and legal frameworks, to tackle established anti-female practices.

    Her words: “Everyone has the right to live their life without the threat of violence. This holds for everyone irrespective of age, gender, religion or any other characteristics of human identity.

    ‘’We must unite to end these acts by supporting the passing and implementation of laws to protect girls and women from child marriage, female genital mutilation, domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment. We must also agitate for proper monitoring and evaluation.

    The First Lady added that prevention of violence against women and girls must begin early, stressing that children and young ones must learn the principles of equality, respect and non-violence for future generations.

    She urged women and girls to speak up and report discrimination and abuse to appropriate government agencies for immediate action.

  • Ambode gives filmmaker’s widow one million naira

    Ambode gives filmmaker’s widow one million naira

    The Executive Governor of Lagos state, Mr Akinwumi Ambode, has presented one million naira to the immediate family of late filmmaker, Obi Madubogwu.

    The cheque was presented by Honourable Desmond Elliott to the late actor’s widow, Uju Ngozi Madubogwu last Thursday. Present at the presentation was the late filmmaker’s friend, Nobert Ajaegbu, a popular lawyer and film marketer.

    The widow expressed her thanks to the governor and prayed for God’s blessing for him. Hon Elliot also commended the governor’s magnanimity and passed the governor’s condolence message to Obi’s family.

    Obi Madubogwu, aka King of Musanga was laid to rest on 10th November, 2017 at his country home, Nkwere Ogidi, Anambra state.

    Before his death on August 28, 2017, Obi battled diabetes for several years. The condition got chronic that he developed  ‘acute diabetics foot ulcers’ and Nigerians had to come to his rescue to help foot his medical bills.

  • Dogara, Ambode, Amosun, Ooni, Alake, others for Ogun monarch’s coronation anniversary

    The Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara; Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State and his Osun and Ogun State counterparts, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Ibikunle Amosun; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi and Alake of Egba, Oba Aremu Gbadebo are among the dignitaries expected at the 12th coronation anniversary of Eselu of Eselu in Yewa North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Oba Akintunde Akinyemi.

    The event will be held on Sunday December 3 at the Eselu palace in Oja Odan. Others expected at the event are the Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, Ebumawe of Ago Iwoye, Oba Rasak Adenugba, Abepe of Joga, Oba Adeyemi Adekeye, Oloja of Epe, Oba Kamordeen Animashaun, among others. Oba Akinyemi said the event was planned to thank his people, friends and associates for standing by him in the last 12 years of his ascension to the throne. He said his kingdom had witnessed fairly impressive development since he be came the monarch, adding that there was prospect for mineral exploration in the community. ‘’There has been increase in infrastructural development such as rural electrification. The community is blessed with mineral resources like limestone,  and gypsium. The limestone and gypsium deposit in my domain, according to a geological survey can last over 100 years.’’

  • Ambode woos investors for Okokomaiko-Seme Border project

    Ambode woos investors for Okokomaiko-Seme Border project

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the government will partner any investor willing to key into his administration’s infrastructural renewal drive.

    Such partnership, he said, would be a win-win situation for the overall benefit of the people.

    At an interactive session with members of the business community and informal sector, the governor said public private partnership was critical to acceleratimg development.

    Ambode said the state would be willing to partner with any investor interested in taking up the second phase of the Mile 2 to Seme Border ten-lane road project.

    He said: “Work is already ongoing from Eric More to Okokomaiko but we are willing to partner with any investor interested in taking up the construction of the second phase which is ten-lane road from Okokomaiko to Seme Border.

    “If we are able to achieve that, it will open up and transform the western axis, especially Badagry forever, and the project will also complement the massive projects being undertaken in the axis.”

    Ambode said plans were  at advanced stages to ensure constant power supply to all homes and businesses by the end of 2018.

    He said though the political geography of the country was affecting the strategy to solve the power challenges being control by the Federal Government, but the State Government had devised policies and strategies to short-circuit power generation, transmission and distribution to ensure constant power supply to the people.

    The State Government, he said, is also in talks with electricity distribution companies operating in the state to see possibility of supplying 24/7 power to residents at a bit higher tariff than what currently obtains subject to agreement of all stakeholders, while government would be the guarantor of the people.

    The Governor also revealed that the legal framework to prevent power theft and also legitimise the concept of power generation had already been sent to the State House of Assembly for approval.

    He said: “Presently, we have less than 1,000MW in Lagos and the fundamental issues remain with generation, transmission and then distribution. Who is transmitting? It is still owned primary by the Federal Government but in Lagos State, we have become creative and we have done Independent Power Project (IPP) before through which we were able to generate 47.5MW which was distributed short-circuiting transmission.

    “So, if it works, does it look like a template we can now use to get power freedom or what we call power security? If we say we are the fifth largest economy in Africa and we are not in control of how power is generated in an economy that wants to move from fifth to third, then something is wrong. So, what we are saying is let’s find a way to short-circuit them within the ambit of the law.

    “If the law allows you to have independent power and going through the regulatory commission then you are smart enough to do that. The only thing we have done is to get permission from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to create clusters of embedded power in our state and if we are able to do it, it becomes a test case for the rest of the economy.”

  • Osinbajo, Dogara, Ambode, others for Christian Conscience annual lecture on corruption

    Osinbajo, Dogara, Ambode, others for Christian Conscience annual lecture on corruption

    Issues affecting corruption and strategic directions in tackling the menace will be the focal point at the annual lecture series of the Christian Conscience group, a non-governmental and non-denominational pressure group next week Thursday, November 23.

    Operating with the theme, ‘Religion and corruption: Strategic direction in fighting corruption in Nigeria, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, will lead government functionaries at the event as he presents the keynote address, while the executive governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, will be the special guest of honour.

    According to the release by the association’s National Publicity Secretary, Tunji Oguntuade, the wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, is expected to be the mother of the day.

    The annual lecture, which holds at the Chapel of Christ The Light, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos, at 10am will be delivered by the Rt. Revd. Prof. Dapo Asaju, the Bishop Theologian, Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, and Vice Chancellor, Ajayi Crowther University, Oyo.

    Also, the former Minister of Education, Mrs Oby Ezekwesili, and the Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Hon. Dr. Abdul-Hakeem Abdul-Lateef, are expected to jointly lead a panel of discussants drawn from the public and private sectors at the event.

    The event is expected to attract religious leaders, traditional rulers, students and other eminent personalities and members of the public.

    According to the National Chairman of the group, Chief Enock Ajiboso, “the topic was carefully chosen to sensitize all the good people of Nigeria to join hands with the Buhari-Osinbajo-led government in tackling the monster called corruoption that has eaten deep into the fabrics of the nation.”

  • ‘Ambode working to give Lagosians water’

    ‘Ambode working to give Lagosians water’

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is working to give Lagosians potable water by supporting water projects, the Managing Director of Lagos Water Corporation, Mr. Muminu Badmus, has said.

    Badmus, an engineer, who spoke yesterday at a stakeholders’ meeting on network extension of water distribution to Ogudu Ori-Oke in Kosofe Local Government, said residents of the community would have access to potable water on completion of the project.

    He said: “I thank our amiable and hardworking Governor Ambode for assisting Lagos Water Corporation to provide drinkable water for Lagosians. He has fulfilled the promise he made to Ogudu Ori-Oke residents a few months ago through the commencement of this project.

    “Today we are holding a truly significant forum, because water is life and nobody survives without it. This is why Lagos State government places high premium on the interest of the people and believes that water is key for the survival of residents. Every household must have access to potable water. This is why the government is committed to ensuring that this community is provided with uninterrupted water supply through this network extension that will be supplied from Adiyan Waterworks of 70MGD. The reticulation will cover Ogudu Ori-Oke, boost pressure to parts of Alapere and other neighbouring communities and will later be expanded to accommodate more households.

    “The project is part of government’s efforts to strengthen water supply network, increase operational efficiency and water flow capacity to meet the demand for water and contribute to development. It is a demonstration of government’s appreciation of the cooperation and support residents of this community have given to the Governor Ambode administration. It is our hope that you will continue to cooperate with the government in its desire to transform Lagos.

    “This project is being undertaken by Salini Nigeria Ltd. The contractor is undertaking 70MGD Adiyan Phase II. It has been our good partner by executing our projects in consonance with the specifications and standards. When the reticulation is completed, the connected properties will be metered to assist us in ensuring efficiency and reliability of our water networks and reducing wastages.”

    The Managing Director of Salini Nigeria Ltd, Mr. Paolo Capelala, said: “We will support Lagos State Water Corporation to provide potable water for Lagosians.”

  • How to end Apapa gridlock , by Ambode

    How to end Apapa gridlock , by Ambode

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday identified seamless port operations as permanent solution to the traffic gridlock in Apapa.

    Ambode spoke at the Lagos House in Ikeja during the second edition of Lagos Corporate Assembly tagged ‘A+ Meets Business.’

    The forum was organised by the State Government to interact with members of the Organised Private Sector (OPS) as well as Small and Medium Scale Enterprises.

    The governor lauded the move to repair major roads in Apapa, but wants issues that gave rise to the crisis to be addressed.

    According to him, call-up system for tankers and containerised trucks must be structured to eliminate the present chaos, while issuance of licenses for more tank farms in the axis must be put on hold.

    He said: “Beyond the roads, the fundamental issues have more to do about the concession and also the fact that the basic capacities of the ports not meeting what is presently going on there and then maybe in the loading bay inside the ports, you only have capacity to accommodate  about 50 trucks and then there is no organised exit and entrance system. So, someone who does not have any permit drives all the way from other states without any focus and then pack on the bridge; he does not even have any business inside the ports, the ports maybe can only take 50 trucks and then you have almost like 500 trucks so everything is just totally disorganised and because Lagos is a sub-national, there are limitations of political power play and the conflict of personalities. Those things affect your organisational drive. So, sometimes, Governors sometimes get frustrated and out of frustration you keep quiet.

    “The truth is that those issues are more germane than the roads. So, if Akin Ambode goes and repair the roads but the planning process and logistics to enter the ports are not in my hand. If I stop those trucks at the toll gate, they will say I am being sectional and so I must allow free movement; we are just in a fix.

    “On repairing the roads, the Federal Government has taken charge but one thing is to say what you want to do, the other thing is to quickly do it. In the process of planning, speaking and delivery, it could take years but within our own limit as a State Government, we have set up a Joint Task Force of all the security agencies to ensure that at least there is free movement within the structured chaos we have in Apapa.”

    While expressing optimism that the intervention of Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo would go a long way in addressing the crisis, the Governor also condemned the granting of approval for another tank farm to be situated in Apapa, saying such would only aggravate the chaotic situation already on hand.

     

  • Ambode restates commitment to economic recovery

    Ambode restates commitment to economic recovery

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has restated his administration’s commitment to the country’s economic recovery through provision of access to credit for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

    Ambode, represented by Secretary to the State Government, Mr Tunji Bello, made the assertion yesterday during the Lagos State Special Day at the 31st Lagos International Trade Fair.

    The Trade Fair with the theme, “Positioning the Nigerian Economy for Diversification and Sustainable Growth’’ is organised by LCCI.

    Ambode said the government was providing conducive business environment to accommodate all shades of investors.

    “Lagos State, indeed is a discerning investors’ delight. Apart from improving the quality of life of our citizens, we have started the process of generating 200 megawatts of electricity for the state,’’ he said.

    The state is constructing more roads and rehabilitating already existing ones to ease the lives of Lagosians.

    Commissioner for Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives Prince Rotimi Ogunlewe, underscored the need for collaboration between the state and the private sector toward enhancing investments in the state.

    LCCI President Mrs Nike Akande, urged the state to  tackle the challenges of urbanisation.

    This, she said, will make the state compete with global cities.

    Mrs Akande noted that the state with a fast growing population of above 22 million people, hosts several large and small industries.

    She noted the latest figure from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), showed that the state generated the highest Internally Generated Revenue (igr) in the country, put at about N302 billion in 2016.

    Mrs Akande said the Annual States Viability Index (ASVI), computed by Economic Confidential, revealed the state as coming first with 169 per cent.

    She urged the state to create a conducive business environment for businesses to thrive and have a bigger capacity to generate jobs and lift people from poverty.

  • Ambode, others task youths on wealth creation

    Ambode, others task youths on wealth creation

    The Lagos state governor, Akinwumi Ambode has impressed on the youths the need to be self-reliant rather than wait on government’s lean resources for socioeconomic empowerment.Ambode gave this charge yesterday when he delivered the keynote address at a public forum tagged: ‘Lagos Money Conference’ with the theme, ‘Financial Literacy: Antidote to Economic Recession.

    The governor who was represented by the Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment, Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti was however quick to add that the parlous state of the economy notwithstanding, there are lots of opportunities for businesses, especially startups. He said the state government is doing everything within its limited resources to create opportunities for the financially excluded in order to support their quest for economic empowerment.

    According to him, Lagos state he said has approved N4.9b loans for over 6000 micro, and small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These modest efforts, he maintained, is to assist the teaming population of youths out there just as he implored the youths to make the most use of opportunities like volunteering rather than staying idle.

    Speaking earlier, Mayowa Adeduro, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Anchor Insurance Company Limited, who spoke on ‘Uncommon strategies for financial inclusion’ regretted that over 112million Nigerians, which represents 70% of the entire population of over 180million, are living below poverty line. He tasked youths to be ready to take up any opportunity that comes their way rather than daydream about hitting it big.

    Fielding questions from journalists, Pastor Ola Adejube, the convener of the conference said he is convinced that if they youths are equipped with the right skills set and knowledge their worldview will change for the better.