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Tag: Ayotunde Phillips

  • We will create economic prosperity for our people – Hon. Rasak Ajala Akinola

    We will create economic prosperity for our people – Hon. Rasak Ajala Akinola

    Hon. Rasak Ajala Akinola was on Tuesday sworn in as the Executive Chairman of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye Local Council Development Area (LCDA) by Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode.

    The 57 newly elected council chairmen were sworn in by the governor at the state secretariat in Alausa, Ikeja.

    Ajala, who represented the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Saturday local government election in Lagos, defeated his opponents by a landslide.

    In a chat with our correspondent after his inauguration, he described the election as free and fair.

    Ajala also praised the Chairman of the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Ayotunde Phillips, for organizing a credible council election for the state.

    He said: “Although the turnout was not as expected due to the heavy downpour on the day of the election, however, the turnout was very encouraging. As a party we proved a point that the APC is politically entrenched in Lagos State. Our victory was overwhelming – landslide in the ratio 70 to 30. It is a bold statement by the people of Odi-Olowo/Ojuwoye that we are still with the APC leadership and its leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    “We live among the people, and know what their expectations and aspirations are; therefore, our programs would be tailored along that line so that at the end of our tenure, we would have succeeded in creating a people with great economic, social, and infrastructural prosperity.

    “As a government, we have five covenants we have made with our people. They are – infrastructural development; social intervention, youth, sport and women development; capacity building and education; health and environment; governance and security.”

    He said his administration would as much as possible work with the people and ensure that every modicum of apathy with respect to the affairs of the council – from elections to the daily running of the community is eradicated by engaging in massive sensitization and advocacy.

  • Lagos council poll: LASIEC to announce results at collation centres

    Lagos council poll: LASIEC to announce results at collation centres

    The Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC) says it will announce results of the July 22 local council polls at ward collation centres.

    The Chairman of commission, Justice Ayotunde Phillips made the disclosure in a statement by Mr Dapo Olatunde, LASIEC’s Director of Publicity.

    She, however, said the commission would set up an election support centre at its head office to monitor developments in various collation centres and other locations.

    Philips expressed the resolve of the commission to conduct a free and fair election on Saturday.

    She added that the commission had started distribution of non-sensitive electoral materials to electoral officers across the 20 local governments and 37 development areas.

    The LASIEC’s boss said the early distribution was to ensure early arrival of the materials to various polling units for a hitch-free election.

    She said electoral officers would distribute the materials to the Presiding Officers in the various councils who would deploy them to the various polling units.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that LASIEC has fixed July 22 for the council polls and July 29 for run-off.

  • Lagos CJ frees 75 prisoners

    Lagos CJ frees 75 prisoners

    Lagos State Chief Judge Justice Ayotunde Phillips freed yesterday 75 awaiting trial inmates of the Kirikiri Prisons.

    Justice Phillips seized the occasion to announce her retirement on July 26, which coincides with her 65th birthday.

    Most of the freed inmates, including a woman, Mandy Freedom, had been awaiting trial for two years.

    Three of them, including a critically ill Luqman Alabi, who was brought in on a stretcher, were released from the Maximum Security Prisons. The remaining 71 were from the Medium Maximum Prisons.

    This brings to 672 the number of awaiting trial inmates freed during Justice Phillips’ two-year tenure.

    The Deputy Commissioner of Prisons in charge of the Kirikiri female prisons, Mrs. Leticia Onwuli, lamented the poor state of health facilities in the prison.

    She said the female clinic lacked equipment needed to care for inmates, especially expectant and nursing mothers.

    Mrs. Onwuli urged the government to grant female inmates rebate in public hospitals.

     

  • There’s no evidence of economic growth – Tambuwal

    There’s no evidence of economic growth – Tambuwal

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, on Monday questioned the Federal Government’s claim that the economy is growing.

    Figures from the recent rebasing of Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product placed the country as Africa’s largest economy and the world’s 26th.

    But Tambuwal said there is nothing to show that such a claim is true.

    Nigeria, he said, is full of paradoxes, as corruption and violence threaten its existence despite the churches and mosques that abound everywhere.

    He said this in his keynote address at the Eight Annual Business Law Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL).

    It has the theme: “Exemplary governance: enhancing economic development in Nigeria.”

    Tambuwal, represented by Mr. Moyo Onigbanjo (SAN), said only good governance can rescue Nigeria.

    He said: “We live in a country of inexplicable contradictions. We have great human and material resources yet we are always on the list of countries with the worst poverty index.

    “Our economy is alleged to be growing, including the recent rebasing, but the lives of the majority of our citizens do not convey this testimony.

    “We have more places of worship per square meter than most nations on this earth yet corruption and violence threatens our very survival.

    “We have some of the best agricultural lands in the world but we import food. We are the sixth largest producer of crude oil, but we import finished petroleum products.

    “We have lived together as a nation for over 100 years yet daily you hear stories of threats of our breaking up.

    “Only good governance and true development can unravel these paradoxes which are clear indices of underdevelopment.”

    Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) said there cannot be good governance when Nigerians refuse to vote in elections.

    He said during his re-election, only 31 per cent of the registered 6.4million voters turned out.

    “Do we vote? In India, 73.3 per cent of registered voters turned out to vote. In South Africa, 72 per cent turned out to vote in their last election. But I can’t recall when last up to 50 per cent of registered voters in Nigeria came out to vote,” Fashola said.

    According to him, such indices send negative messages to investors, adding that it takes the votes by the electorate to choose good leaders.

    “Do we deserve to ask for good governance when we stay away during election?” Fashola asked.

    The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips, said exemplary governance is critical for economic development.

    She said economic development also hinges on strict observance of the rule of law, and an efficient and independent judiciary.

    For Justice Phillips, represented by the Head Judge, Justice Olufunmilayo Atilade, good governance entails a system that encourages transparency and accountability.

     

  • ‘We’re committed to child protection’

    ‘We’re committed to child protection’

    The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips yesterday day expressed her commitment to the protection of the Nigerian child.

    She spoke at the inauguration of children’s lounge for the Family Courts, which was held at the Commercial Division of the Lagos High Court, National Assembly Complex, Lagos,.

    She said the lounge would remove the children from the psychological influence they would have suffered if they heard the divorce story of their parents.

    The lounge was equipped with children’s story/toy books, exotic toys and games of different kinds, couches and other electronic items like television, water dispenser, cookies and candies. She said the lounge would assist in quick dispensation of cases in the family courts.

    The chief judge, who was represented by the Head Judge, Justice Funmilayo Atilade, warned staff of the judiciary against bringing their children to the lounge, otherwise called crèche, insisting that it was essentially meant for children of litigants in family courts.

    She described the lounge established by virtue of section 150 of the Child’s Right Law, as the first of its kind in all the 19 states that have adopted the law so far.

    The Head of the Family Courts, Justice Yetunde Idowu, praised the chief judge for the gesture and for making all resources readily available for the take-off of the centre.

    Justice Idowu, however, sought from the chief judge, approval of remand forms, reproduction forms, warrant of arrest and other documents to enhance smooth implementation of the Child Rights Law.