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Tag: Ambode

  • Okpekpe Road Race organiser hails Ambode, Access Bank

    Okpekpe Road Race organiser hails Ambode, Access Bank

    Organiser of the Okpekpe 10km international road race, Mike Itemuagbor has congratulated Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode and Access Bank for successfully hosting the second edition of the Access Bank Lagos City Marathon last Saturday in Lagos.

    “I congratulate Governor Ambode for promising and delivering a world class marathon and Access Bank for sponsoring the event,” said Itemuagbor whose race, the Okpekpe 10km international road race is the first and so far only road race in Nigeria to get an International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) label. I am particularly delighted that the second edition of the Lagos Marathon was a remarkable improvement on the first edition and hope subsequent editions would even be much better,” he further said and harped on the health implications of running.

    “Health they say is wealth. A healthy nation will definitely be productive and by extension prosperous. And experts have not ceased to emphasise on the benefits of exercising to the body. By organising this marathon, the governor is not only promoting sports and tourism in Lagos state but also ensuring he governs over a healthy community of people.”

    Itemuagbor also hopes Governor Ambode will strive to take the marathon to the next level by making it the first full marathon in West Africa to get an IAAF label.

    “That will make Nigeria the only country in Africa to have two IAAF label races. With the conclusion of the second edition of the Lagos Marathon, organisers of the event can apply for a bronze label for the race and I am confident their application will be favourably considered.”

    Meanwhile, the fifth Okpekpe 10km international road race will hold on Saturday, May 13 in Okpekpe, Edo State.

  • Ambode : Marathon ‘ll put Lagos on world map

    Ambode : Marathon ‘ll put Lagos on world map

    LAGOS State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode said his administration has begun steps to reposition sports in the State, assuring that no stone would be left unturned to achieve the aspiration. Speaking shortly before presenting the prizes to the winners at the Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, he said the success of the tourney marked another leg of his government’s dreams and aspiration to make State the destination of Sports in Africa.

    To this end, the Governor said the State would continue to explore and attract regional, continental and global sports events to drive home its mission, adding that the all round development of youths through sports remains paramount. Our commitment to continue to support our Youth in Sports Development is resolute, a part that we cannot depart from.  The Access Bank Lagos City Marathon is a testimony to this avowed commitment,” he said.

    Governor Ambode said it was gratifying that the Marathon attracted the presence of the Athletics Federations Presidents from other countries,  and participation of elite Athletes from four continents, 15 countries and about 50,000 athletes overall.

    While expressing delight on the interest and participation of thousands of Nigerians in the Marathon, the Governor said that more importantly, the event had set a foundational infrastructure to put the State on the world map.

    “This mind blowing attendance underscores our determination to occupy a prime place in the Marathon Calendar worldwide and ultimately to be among the top ten Marathon races in the World.

    Governor Ambode said that going forward, his administration would remain committed to supporting outstanding Athletes on the local front and that proactive measures that will encourage and challenge them to excel would be put in place.

  • Marathon: Lagos majority leader hails Ambode

    The Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Sanai Bolanle Agunbiade, has commended Lagos State governor, Akinwummi Ambode for his unflinching support for the staging of a world class marathon in the state. Agunbiade made the remark while speaking about the tortuous 42.5km Access Bank Lagos City Marathon held yesterday.

    Explaining that marathons and road races are now part of the criteria for assessing global tourists’ destinations, the lawmaker said the Lagos City Marathon is helping to rank Lagos alongside other prominent cities across the world that have international marathons. He urged the governor to remain unrelenting in his determination to make sports and youth development an important part of his administration’s effort to better the lot of Lagosians.

    “We thank Governor Ambode, who not only embraced the idea, but has been working hard towards ensuring its success. It is not about who wins, it is about the city hosting such a global event regularly. I must commend Governor Ambode for making this possible through his unflinching support for then event.

    “There are several other cities across the world hosting marathons such as New York, Dubai, Berlin, Boston, Paris, Durban and Accra. The races ar not always won by their citizens. But the one day event is of immense economic importance as it generates thousands of trade and job opportunities in the host cites and millions of dollars are made.

    “I admire Ambode, he is a great sports lover who takes delight in empowering and developing the youth. He is taking Lagos to greater heights and making giant strides in all areas of human endeavour. He is leaving nobody in doubt about his readiness to develop the stater and he is doing this using all available opportunities. The Lagos City Marathon is one of such opportunities to sell Lagos to the world as a global destination of note,” he said

  • Ambode woos investors at Nairobi business summit

    Ambode woos investors at Nairobi business summit

    Lagos State Governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday said the state is willing, able and ready to partner with investors within and outside Africa, just as he said that adequate measures have been put in place to enhance the ease of doing business within the state.

    Ambode, who spoke at the second edition of German-African Business Summit in Nairobi, Kenya, said as Africa’s model mega city, Lagos is strategically positioned to play a leading role in propelling development on the continent, adding that as a result of the growing investors’ confidence, the state is fast becoming a preferred destination for investors in Africa.

    Giving statistics about state, the governor said apart from being the fifth largest economy and fastest growing city in Africa with a population of over 22 million people comprising overwhelming proportion of middle class income earners, Lagos is also the contributor of 30 per cent of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and the leading contributor to the non-oil sector GDP.

    He said: “Lagos accounts for over 60 percent of the country’s industrial and commercial activities; over 70 per cent of national maritime cargo freight; over 80 per cent of international aviation traffic, and over 50 per cent of Nigeria’s energy consumption.”

  • Ambode’s traffic enforcers

    Ambode , ‘Nigeria’s alpha governor’ (apology to Sam Omatseye,) as worthy successor to his trail-blazing predecessors has in the last one and half years continued to validate the over 2000 years old Plato’s thesis that those best equipped to manage society are the philosopher kings.  His preparation through acquisition of relevant training from the best schools across the world has shown in the quality of leadership he has so far offered the good people of Lagos. When many of us shortly after his assumption office urged him to cage danfo drivers and Okada riders who wanted to take his government hostage following false hopes they received from defeated PDP, he in what has become the style of his administration, took time to study the problem before arriving at his own unassailable position which was that even animals with appropriate approach could be tamed. He shortly afterwards inaugurated his Lagos traffic law aimed at taming those who “engage in flagrant disregard or violation of traffic rules with impunity; break traffic rules at will and cause needless traffic snag, drive against traffic and beat the traffic lights, destroy traffic furniture and infrastructure, drive across the road median and through their lawlessness and irresponsible actions, daily inflict pains, grieve and sorrow on fellow citizens.”

    The reservation of some, including yours truly  as expressed on these pages on September 1, 2016 was that“ some of the penalties for some of the 11 new laws which range from  “three years imprisonment without option of fine for ‘One-Way’ driving;  a fine of N50,000 or three years imprisonment, or both; for abandoning vehicle on highway; a fine of N20,000 for riding Motorcycle against traffic, or without crash helmet and smoking while driving ,etc can neither achieved the intended objectives – whether deterrence or to raise revenues for the state – because such stiff penalties provided enough incentives for exploitation of victims by those saddled with implementation of the laws.

    My encounter with some touts pretending as traffic law enforcers about a 100 yards after the Mile 12 bridge and my over one hour observation at their Ikorodu yard for ‘haggling and bargaining’ convinced me beyond any doubt that some of the touts are on the road for other reasons other than the  Governor Ambode’s above stated objectives

    I had overtaken a wobbling truck in front of me as I descended the Mile 12 bridge towards Ikorodu, at about 8.30 a.m last Thursday. There emerged within seconds, two stick-wielding touts and two policemen menacingly pointing their guns at my car. As I rolled down the window of the passenger’s seat to find out what was happening, one of the two boys forced himself into the back seat while one of the policemen still with his gun cocked eased himself into the front seat. I was accused of taking the BRT lane. Shocked, I asked why any sane person at that hour of the morning when an Ikorodu inward motorist driving against the traffic can see as far as 500 yards ahead opt to take a BRT lane. I called their attention to over 10 vehicles that did exactly what I did-(overtake a vehicle) while we were arguing inside my car. They however insisted I must follow them to their Ikorodu office.

    At the Ikorodu office located behind TOS Benson Estate, I was taking before the head of the traffic task force, a young man of about 28. I told him his boys were up to some mischief as I did not commit any offence. After collecting my key, he then took time to explain to me that the portion of the road after the Mile 12 bridge spanning a distance of about 100 yards was marked with two solid lines and that once a motorist tyres pass over that portion, an offence has been committed. His verdict was that I was guilty as charged and would have to go and pay fine in Oshodi before returning to retrieve my impounded car. As he left me standing in the scorching sun along with scores of other victims I met there, he announced openly to no one in particular but for the benefit of all that the fine was N50,000 and those who are not satisfied have the option of going to court.

    After about 30 minutes in the hot sun, the policeman who had earlier forced his way into my car came to advice I introduce myself to the young man. Defeated and deflated, I did, appealing to him to educate unsuspecting motorists like us who obtained our driving license some 50 years back on the relevance of two solid lines on a portion of a road shared by BRT buses and other motorists. Besides I told the chief traffic law enforcer that I was slated to deliver a lecture at 10am in a nearby university. He asked me to go and wait by my car while he consulted with his key men and some policemen under a shed. Shortly afterwards, he came as promised, returned my car key and asked me to go. And when I told the touts manning the gate who insisted on collecting a gate fees of N500 that I had no money left on me except I looked for an ATM around, he graciously came down to open the gate to let me out .

    As I drove out of the place, what was on mind was not the lecture that was already one hour behind schedule. I was overwhelmed with a sense of shame and guilt. Many of those I left inside the burning sun trying to haggle and bargain their way out  trouble because they could not ‘introduce themselves’ as I did are probably victims like me with their day and plan ruined. I felt a further sense of shame that I could not suddenly transform myself into a Femi Falana and fight for the rights and dignity of those with  forlorn long look on their faces who by looking at me as I drove out Ikorodu yard of ‘haggling and bargaining’, I subconsciously believe were indeed accusing of betrayal.

    The pangs of pain increased with the realization that some traffic offence enforcers and their police accomplices who hide at obscure portions of the road to arrest unsuspecting road users who had no incentive whatsoever for BRT lane violation will return to their families with bountiful returns at the end of the day in good conscience. Stiff penalties from which only few thinking animals will not try to haggle and bargain himself from only serve as additional incentive for the sadistic enforcers who set up innocent people for a contrived offence in Mile 12, dragging them to Ikorodu where their vehicles are impounded while they find their way by public transport to Oshodi to pay fine before returning for their vehicles.

    Here is an enlightened Governor Ambode working hard to tame some products of social dislocations in the urban centres while those saddled with executing his noble objective exhibit even worse base instincts than those Ambode set out to reform.

    Ikorodu ‘haggling and bargaining’ yard is only symptomatic of what is going on all over Lagos State where danfo drivers routinely take BRT lane on even  the ever busy Ikorodu Road as in many other places and okada riders ride against traffic unmolested.

  • Ambode and yellow buses

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s announced decision to get rid of the notorious yellow buses of Lagos, later this year, would have left not a few with yellow peril (apologies to the novel titled that, by the Chinese Wang Lixiong; and the West racist slur on the people of East Asia).

    Much more too, may be feeling blues — perhaps with heavy sweating!

    To the mourning and those still about to mourn, the angst is simple: daily bread, for good or for ill, is about to vamoose, almost without notice.

    To be sure, these epitomise sheer madness on Lagos roads: the notorious road outlawry of the drivers of Danfo minibuses;  the lunacy of the older generation of molue (a corruption of “maul it”?) buses, now mercifully being driven away by BRT buses, given their “hired killer” attitude towards other road users; and, of course, the Okada, Marwa tricycle and allied road suicidals, who ride as if they have signed a non-death pact with death, no matter how outrageous their road habits!

    But look more closely, and you’d see, behind that madness, the perfect sanity of a breed chasing daily bread, with all the manic zeal, life and energy could bestow.

    Yet, not a few would be happy to get this bedlam off Lagos roads, and justifiably too!  Daily bread or no, no band of citizens should continue to constitute daily hazards, most of them unprovoked, to other road users.

    So, banning these road louts may well be very popular — indeed desirable.  But that is the easy part, even with all the looming economic Armageddon in a recessed economy, resonant with pains and hurting.

    The hard part would be ridding them of their murderous driving habits and devil-may-care road outlawry.  Or, would the yellow buses go with their generation of mad drivers, to be replaced, open sesame, by another breed with immaculate road habits?

    That, is the problem.

    Even with the phase-out of the old molue buses, the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) reportedly formed a cooperative that  co-owned and operated a fleet of the first set of  BRT buses.

    They simply, most of the time, passed their drivers on to the new scheme.  But their molue driving mentality hardly vanished!  Vandalised buses, wilful crashes from some reckless BRT drivers  and loss of lives and limbs were the result.

    So, if the Lagos government indeed gets rid of these Danfo buses and the Marwa tricycles and the irritating Okada shuttle (which it should), how does it guarantee their road outlawry exits with them?

    That is the challenge, aside from the other obvious question of what to do with the new army of unemployed, who can’t transit into the new avant-garde transport system befitting of a modern mega-city.

    This is an area Governor Ambode must give a serious thought, if the new system would not be tantamount to serving old poison in glittering new plates.

    Otherwise, it’s a vision worth exploring.

     

  • Lagos needs $30b for 30 capital projects in five years

    Lagos needs $30b for 30 capital projects in five years

    •Inaugurates economic team

    Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode has said the state requires $30 billion to execute 30 capital projects in the next five years.
    The governor said this yesterday at the inauguration of a 12-member Economic Advisory Committee at the Lagos House, Ikeja.
    He said the projected figure represents about $6billion per annum, whereas the provision for capital projects in the 2017 budget is pegged at N500 billion (about $1.6billion).
    The governor said the inauguration of the committee was important, considering that government alone cannot address the infrastructure deficit in the state.
    According to him, “If Lagos was a country and we are the fifth largest economy in Africa, then we have to start thinking about the number five.
    “In that regard, you must not think taxes or IGR, you must create some kind of platform that would allow some other people who are outside to tell us how to run a country in a state.
    “Let me crave your indulgence to present a picture of what we are confronted with. Our 2017 budget earmarked about N500 billion (about US$1.6 billion) as capital spending.
    “Whereas our recent infrastructure needs analysis shows that over $30 billion would be required to achieve the 30 most impactful projects for the state over the next five years.
    “It is evident that government cannot address this from current resources. A key task of this committee is therefore to provide specific advice on the overall finance strategy to bridge the massive infrastructure gap.
    “I am glad and privileged that nine competent and well respected Lagosians have accepted our request to serve in the committee,” he said.
    Highlighting some of the key functions expected of the Economic Advisory Team, Ambode said they would be expected to bring an independent perspective on economic and business issues with a primary role of offering advice to his administration under the four strategic 2012-2025 Lagos State Development Plan (LSDP) pillars of economic development; infrastructural development; social development and security as well as sustainable development.
    The governor said whilst the committee is independent and largely constituted by members from the private sector, the need for integration and collaboration to ensure that the views are taken on board necessitated in having three members of the State Executive Council, led by the Commissioner for Finance in the team.
    He expressed optimism that the team would further expand his administration’s all-inclusive governance mantra and achieve the key objective of getting independent views on economic and business issues in delivering the mandate to the people.
    Ambode inaugurated renowned economist Olabode Agusto as Chairman. Commissioners for Finance Akinyemi Ashade; Energy and Mineral Resources Olawale Oluwo and Commerce Rotimi Ogunleye are members.
    Other members include former Skye Bank Managing Director Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti; Former Country Senior Partner, PwC, Kenneth Igbokwe; Founder/CEO Bestman Games Ltd Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbe; Managing Partner, Dalmeida, Ogunlana & Co, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlana; Managing Director, Vetiva Capital, Dr. Laolu Mudashiru; former Minister of Science & Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson; Deputy Managing Director, Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Moruf Oseni and Mrs Yetunde Akinloye who doubles as secretary.
    Agusto assured that they would work diligently and focus on the government’s priorities aimed at making life more comfortable for Lagosians.

  • Ambode: we’ll phase out yellow buses

    Ambode: we’ll phase out yellow buses

    The Lagos State Government will soon phase out yellow buses popularly known as Danfo, Governor Akinwumi Ambode said yesterday.
    He disclosed this at the 14th Annual Lecture of the Centre for Values in Leadership (CVL) held at Muson Centre, Onikan. The theme was: “Living Well Together, Tomorrow: The Challenge of Africa’s Future Cities.”
    He said the present transportation connectivity mode in the state was not acceptable and befitting for a mega city, adding that a well-structured system would soon be adopted to address the challenge.
    The governor said: “When I wake up in the morning and see all these yellow buses and see Okada and all kinds of tricycles and then we claim we are a mega city, that is not true and we must first acknowledge that that is a faulty connectivity that we are running.
    “Having accepted that, we have to look for the solution and that is why we want to banish yellow buses this year. We must address the issue of connectivity that makes people to move around with ease and that is where we are going.
    “For instance, people going from Ikorodu to CMS have started leaving their cars at home because the buses are very convenient and so why can’t we do that for other places? Yes, we don’t have the money to do that but we can go to the capital market and then improve on the technology of collection of fares and that will encourage investors and then the city will change.”
    Ambode said he recognised cities as powerful forces for economic development and shared prosperity, stating: “This is now a generally accepted fact confirmed by economic data. Cities are the world’s engines of growth, and strikingly so in the developing world.
    “In 2015, 85 percent of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was generated in cities. In fact, for millennia, cities have been the centres of activities, drivers of growth and bastions of productivity. No country has ever reached middle income status without urbanising.
    “African countries can capture an urbanisation ‘dividend’ that creates jobs, raises productivity, reduces infrastructure costs and environmental impact, supports new enterprise and shares this prosperity widely. As a result, the growth of the next large cities in Sub-Saharan Africa represents a major opportunity for business. However, these benefits are not automatic. A number of challenges could very easily derail the pace at which these cities grow and prosper and we need to effectively address them.
    ” The issues lying at the heart of urban policy making in any city, old or new, developed or developing includes infrastructure, employment, population growth, economic sustainability and environmental viability.
    “In addition to these, there is the classic urban challenges of overcrowding, unplanned and chaotic growth, insufficient provision of municipal services, from policing to healthcare to education to electricity and sewage – all of which are top of the agenda in many African cities.
    “There is perhaps no better classic example of where these challenges of rapid urbanization come to life than in Lagos. It is estimated that 86 immigrants enter Lagos every hour -the highest in any city in the world – and they have no plans to leave.
    “This is because Lagos has remained over time and most especially in the last decade, the most attractive destination for those who want to realise and live their Nigerian dream. This ever increasing population of the state however means that we have to be “on our toes” to provide facilities for this more than 23 million population.”
    Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano, represented by his deputy, Dr. Nkem Okeke, said the country required leadership with sincerity of purpose and transparency to drive development.
    Obiano said his administration’s investments in agriculture were yielding results, with rice production from 90,000 metric tons to 230,000 metric tons yearly.
    Former Cross River State Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke said the theme of the symposium was apt considering that the country’s population would have tripled by 2050.
    He praised Ambode for his achievements in office so far, saying it was obvious that the governor is performing very well and a good example of continuity in governance.
    Earlier, CLV founder Prof Pat Utomi said the need to inculcate the right leadership values in the younger generation informed the establishment.
    Utomi said the centre has concluded plans to build primary schools in Ikorodu, Lagos and Ibusa, Delta State to offer free qualitative education to indigent pupils.

  • Lagos requires $30bn to executes capital projects – Ambode

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, has said the state requires $30 billion to execute 30 capital projects in the next five years.

    Ambode revealed this while inaugurating a 12-member Economic Advisory Committee at the Lagos House, Ikeja.

    He  said the projected figure represents about $6billion per annum,  whereas the provision for capital projects in the 2017 budget was pegged at N500billion (about $1.6billion).

    The governor said the inauguration of the committee was important considering that government alone cannot address the infrastructure deficit in the state.

    He said, “If Lagos was a country and we are the fifth largest economy in Africa, then we have to start thinking about the number five. In that regard, you must not think about taxes of Lagos State citizens or IGR, you must create some kind of platform that would allow some other people who are outside to tell us how to run a country in a state.

    “Let me crave your indulgence to present a picture of what we are confronted with. Our 2017 budget has earmarked about N500 billion (about US$1.6 billion) as capital spending. Whereas our recent infrastructural needs analysis shows that over $30 billion would be required to achieve the 30 most impactful projects for the state over the next five years (an average of S$6 billion per annum).

    “It is evident that government cannot address this from current resources. A key task of this committee is therefore to provide specific advice on the overall finance strategy to bridge the massive infrastructure gap. I am therefore glad and privileged that nine competent and well respected Lagosians have accepted our request to serve in the committee.”

    Highlighting some of the key functions expected of the Economic Advisory Team, Governor Ambode said they would be expected to bring an independent perspective on economic and business issues with a primary role of offering advice to his administration under the four strategic 2012-2025 Lagos State Development Plan (LSDP) pillars of Economic Development, Infrastructural Development, Social Development and Security as well as Sustainable Development.

    Governor Ambode later inaugurated renowned economist and Founder of Agusto & Co, Mr. Olabode Agusto as the Chairman, while Commissioners for Finance, Mr. Akinyemi Ashade; Energy and Mineral Resources, Mr. Olawale Oluwo and Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives, Mr. Rotimi Ogunleye are members of the committee.

    Other members are former Managing Director of Skye Bank, Mr. Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti; former Country Senior Partner, PwC, Mr. Kenneth Igbokwe; Founder/CEO Bestman Games Limited, Mrs. Nimi Akinkugbe; Managing Partner, Dalmeida, Ogunlana & Co, Mrs. Adenike Ogunlana; Managing Director, Vetiva Capital, Dr. Laolu Mudashiru; former Minister of Science & Technology, Mrs. Omobola Johnson; Deputy Managing Director of Wema Bank Plc, Mr. Moruf Oseni and Mrs. Yetunde Akinloye who doubles as Secretary of the Committee.

    Responding on behalf of other members of the committee, Agusto assured that they would work diligently and focus on the priorities of the state government aimed at making life more comfortable for Lagosians.

     

     

  • Ambode withdraws official number plates from retired staff

    Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, has ordered the cancellation of all official number plates currently in use as a result of gross abuse and directed re-issuance of new official number plates to all government owned vehicles, while retired staff are to forfeit same henceforth.

    The governor has also banned all local government officials in the state from controlling or engaging in traffic duties.

    Addressing journalists at a press conference on Tuesday in Alausa, Ikeja, the acting Commissioner for Transportation, Prince Anofiu Elegushi, said in recent times, there had been complaints about the role of Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) officials in traffic enforcement.

    “Indeed, there are traffic units in all the 57 Local Governments and Local Council Development Areas. However, this is not a responsibility for the third tier of government. We have reported instances of illegal arrest, extortion and general impunity on the part of the local government operatives.

    “It is then appropriate to disband all the units and outfits parading as local government traffic units. This has been communicated to all these agencies. For the avoidance of doubt, officials of the ministry will start monitoring and any infraction will be dealt with in full compliance with the law.

    “Let me also reiterate that only the Nigerian police, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), the Taskforce on Special Offences and the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) can perform traffic duties,” the commissioner said.