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Tag: Epe

  • Ambode to open Epe’s KayoKayo Festival next week

    Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, will next weekend lead top dignitaries to declare open the Kayokayo Festival, a historical and highly revered religious gathering of the Epe people. The one week festival, the traditional melting pot of Epe Indigenes, and a baby of Oba Shafiu Olatunji Adewale, Bamgbopa Eshilokun, the Olu Epe of Epe Kingdom, is an annual celebration of the historical arrival of Prince Kosoko, a famous Lagos King, to the Epe Kingdom in 1851.

    The festival, which places a lot of religious importance on its tourism value chain, is seen by the people of the town which incidentally is the home town of Governor Ambode, as a look-alike arrival of Noah of the bible.

    Chairman Kayokayo 2016 Organising Committee Alhaji (Chief) Shakiru Alade Okule explained that the 2016 festival will be celebrated to open the Epe historical kingdom to the tourism dreams of Lagos State government, adding that the week-long event would keep tourists on their toes with Oganla exponent, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma, to drive the entertainment content.

    Other key contents of the KayoKayo festival include prayer outing, or Tahjud, at the Epe Central Mosque next Friday, a Quranic competition, a replica of the water voyage of King Kosoko, a youth rally, children’s party, royal visit by the Oba to the districts of Epe founding fathers, royal procession on the Lagoon beach and the Kayokayo Musical Night.

  • Lagos Assembly condemns neglect of model colleges

    Lagos Assembly condemns neglect of model colleges

    Chairman, Committee on Education of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Olanrewaju Ogunyemi has condemned the state of infrastructure in the state’s model colleges.

    He then advised the state government to urgently address the issues in the colleges to sustain the visions of their founders and restore the lost glory of the schools.

    Ogunyemi, who led other members of the committee to Lagos State Model College, Igbonla, Epe on Wednesday lamented in an interview with journalists that the school has been cut off from the society, and that the facilities in the hostels and the school generally have been overstretched.

    “We don’t want to assume that things are right, which is why we decided to go round all our schools in the state to be sure that we are really doing what ought to be done.

    “Our tour so far has been extremely revealing about the dilapidation and retrogression of our model colleges. There is need for us to improve the situation. Since much is being given to education in the budget of the state this year, we should seriously improve the facilities in our model schools. We would go back to the drawing board and advise the executive to ensure that we give the children in model schools a new lease of life,” he said.

    According to him, a trip round the school revealed that the students were being subjected to inhuman condition in their hostels, which he said were over-populated and unkempt.

    “The facilities in the hostels are inadequate, we see a lot of cramping of beds and we saw that it is not conducive. There is a hostel there that has been abandoned since the school was established, if the building is completed, it would go a long way to improve the hostel facilities.

    “The feeding of the students should be improved upon, also some of the children could not take care of themselves because they are under-aged. So, the government should apply age restriction and we feel that the model schools in the state should be model in their outlook,” he said.

    Ogunyemi described as worrisome a situation, where the students have to keep their luggages outside the hostels due to congestion and over-population, defecate in the open, while some of them that are under-aged have special rooms because they bedwet.

    He also condemned the conversion of the school library to examination hall without an alternative location for library, where he said the children could do researches.

    “The school should have improvised a room for library because without a library, the students cannot research. The vision of the founders of model schools in Lagos State needs to be sustained and we need close and adequate monitoring of our model schools to ensure that we get it right. We will go back to let the executive know that we have an urgent and critical need in our model schools.

    “We have asked the school authority about their security, the number of security men they have and advised them to ensure that they relate with the community to handle emergency situation,” he said.

    He also condemned the state of the road leading to the school, stressing that it is terrible and that the schools in the state should be accessible to the public.

    Addressing the students in the dining hall, Ogunyemi said that the committee decided to pay an unscheduled visit to the school to see how they were faring.

    “Though you cannot vote due to your ages, but some of your parents voted for us and we promised them that we would protect their interest. We came to see where you sleep and where you are learning and what you eat.

    “By the grace of God, your situation would change. We want you to continue to be good children and keep good hygiene, nobody would take care of you better than yourselves,” he stated.

    He told the students that some of the things that the committee members saw in the hostels were irritating, adding that some of the students were defecating in the open spaces.

    “The odour around your hostel was bad. We have seen the condition under which you live and we could see that the facilities are overstretched. By the grace of God, the government would do something about it and we are happy to be here,” he said.

    The Principal of the Junior Section of the school, Mr. Bolaji Oyesola, who led other staff to receive the committee members, said that a room has actually been converted to a library for the students.

    Oyesola added that the school management is trying to make do with what they have within their limited resources.

    “We take care of their feeding very well and give them water. We make sure that the students are comfortable. We have been managing what we have since the school was established in 1988. The facilities were meant for below 200 students, but now we have over 1,000 students,” he said.

    The committee later visited the Education District 3 of the state in Falomo, Ikoyi, Lagos that is controlling the college, where they met with the Tutor General/Permanent Secretary of the District, Mr. Olayinka Gbemi Olaniyi and other top management staff of the district.

    Ogunyemi intimated them of the findings of the committee in the school and urged the district to ensure that they are conversant with the condition of the schools within their jurisdiction with a specific reference to the model college in Igbonla and its challenges.

  • Road construction excites Epe residents

    A Ray of hope is on the horizon for Epe,the big Lagos State riverine community.

    Last week, the state government appointed Messrs Granebury Construction to handle road expansion and rehabilitation in  Epe. The contractor is expected to mobilise to site any moment to kick off the first phase of the job.

    The roads slated for rehabilitation are categorised into two: A and B. Unnder Category A, which are to be completed next year, are Lagos Road, Oke Osho/T Junction, Aiyetoro/ Roundabout; Central Mosque Junction/Orita Marun Stream. Category B comprises Oloja Estate; Bature/ Otunba Adeniyi/Omotayo/Uthman Mustapha and Raman/Ishawu Owolabi.

    However, due to the scope of the project, which will affect some properties, and also require the securing of right of way, officials of the Ministry of Works and Infrastructure, have held a meeting with the community.

    The meeting, tagged: “Stakeholders meeting on the rehabilitation of strategic/arterial/inner roads in Epe Local government,” was attended by traditional rulers, women groups, youth groups, property owners, businessmen and lawmakers from the area. They agreed that the projects should be executed without hindrance.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Mr. Ganiyu Johnson, explained that the meeting became imperative because some properties that fall on the Right of ways (ROAs) would need to give way for the project. Johnson further explained that as a responsible government, it would not want to take her citizens for granted or put them through any hardship for no reason. And to serve as a palliative, Johnson assured that there would be  proper enumeration to ensure that those to be affected by the project  are compensated..

    “We, therefore, solicit for the understanding and cooperation of all residents, especially, those whose properties will be affected. We realise that this temporary inconveniences will soon give way to all the conceivable comfort that the project, when completed, will bring to the entire community,” Johnson pleaded.

    The traditional ruler of Epe, Oba Kamorudeen Animashaun, assured of the community’s support for the project. Besides, he explained that with Epe now playing host to several monumental economic development projects sited within its domain, the people had no option than to throw their full support behind the State government.

    “We have Lagos Free Trade Zone, the proposed airport, fertiliser plant by Dangote Groups and others like that. At the end of the day, it is Epe that would benefit most,” Oba Animashaun said.

    Similarly, the Oba of Noforija community, Babatunde Ogunlaja, assured the contractor of enjoying a molest-free engagement during the construction. He urged parents to warn their children to desist from being used to hinder the project.

    “We don’t want the Governor to regret coming to our division with this laudable project. Let us all join hands to ensure that it is successfully completed and in good time,”  the monarch said.

    The Managing Director, SEGSON Nigeria Limited, Pastor Segun Ogunade, who is also a member of the community, appealed to the youth not to see the project as means of exploitation, but rather one that would be beneficial to all.

    ‘’But for a project of this magnitude, it becomes imperative that suitable alternative roads be put in place. This was why the women group called for the immediate rehabilitation of some road portions along Epe-Temu, Imota Agbowa and Isiu axis where there are craters and potholes. Specifically, they want the deplorable state of the road leading from the town to IKorodu to be addressed immediately.

    “We are traders going to Mile 12, daily to purchase our goods, but the condition of the road is appalling. On several occasions, trucks, in the process of trying to avoid potholes, would face un-coming vehicles, which is very dangerous. We plead with the government to, as matter of urgency, patch the affected spots,” Mrs. Khadijat Ibiyemi, one of the women leaders, appealed.

    The Chairman, House Committee at the Lagos State of Assembly, Mr. Biodun Tobun, appealed that the compensation should be paid effortlessly, urging that builders, youths and artisans in  the community be involved the project by the contractor.

  • Ambode, APC win in Epe

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos state recorded a convincing victory at the polling unit of its gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, at the elections held today in his Epe hometown.

    At the Unit 33, Ward A5 polling centre located in Ogunmodede Secondary school, Papa Epe, Ambode led a hoard of enfranchising Epe electorates to give the APC and its candidates a big win that saw them poll an average 60% of the votes at all levels.

    Out of a total 170 accredited voters in the booth, the APC Presidential ticket of General Muhammadu Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbajo amassed 97 votes as against the main opposition’s 71; APC Senatorial candidate for Lagos East, Senator Gbenga Ashafa polled 103 votes to defeat the People’s Democratic Party’s 66, and Wale Raji, APC candidate for the Epe Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives got 101 votes to cap off a sweeping victory.

  • NGO laments ‘no electricity supply’ in Epe

    A non-Governmental, non political pressure group, Epe Finders Initiative (EFI), has appealed to the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and other authority in charge of electricity to rescue the historic town from total darkness which has been its lot over the last decade. Restoring constant power supply to Epe town would improve its living standard, create employment opportunities and attract investors to set up new companies.

    EFI Protem Chairman Adedeji Adenusi told The Nation at a briefing in Epe that the town has had enough of darkness, a development he lamented is encouraging social ills particularly among youths.

    Said Adenusi:”We are not even talking of having power in a particular area in Epe and not in other areas. We are talking of total darkness. To put it straight, we hardly experience power for seven days in a year. This town is run on fuel and diesel every other day. There is hardly any house that you do not find a generator either big or small. Everybody has to create budget for fuel.  It’s like people have resigned themselves to fate after countless attempts which were never successful. That is how bad the situation is.”

    Adenusi recalled Epe heydays when the town once boasted of establishment such as Epe Plywood, Epe Boatyard, and a lamp-making industry among several others, adding that those companies either went moribund or were forced to relocate elsewhere when the cost of diesel was taking a lion share of their profit.

    EFI secretary Leke Ilesanmi said Epe Division which forms one of the five divisions in Lagos State and is adjudged as having the largest land mass, has been plunged into such predicament for years.

    Inhabitants of Epe, according to him, are reputed for farming and fishing occupations, noting that the town has suffered tremendous economic loss since there is no means of preservation for leftover farm produce and fish caught by fishermen.

    Aside a dive in social life, Ilesanmi said poor electricity supply is also having its toll on artisans such as welders, electronics repairers, hairdressers, and others, sending many out of jobs.

    “Our purpose is to look into the plight of our people’s welfare and lend our voices where necessary. We make bold to say there is no community or group of people that is being kept in the dark; yet you expect a meaningful development from them. Our people’s occupations traditionally are fishing and farming but many fishermen and farmers are suffering economic loss as there is no means of preservation.

    “Healthcare is also expensive. Though we have public hospitals with generator provided by government to power them, but those generators don’t run for 24 hours. However operators of private hospitals charge us exorbitantly since they channel more of their resources on diesel. We have had many cases where those who cannot afford private hospital have lost their lives during emergency and other cases.”

    A member, Femi Keshinro, noted that distinguished sons and daughters of the town have in the past made several attempts in this direction. Keshinro explained that Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola visited the town few years ago to express his incapacitation over their plight. He said the governor pleaded that the state would needs Federal Government’s interventions since the issue bordering on power is on the exclusive list.

    ”We know electricity has been privatised in Nigeria. Our problem is that here in Epe, we don’t know where we belong. If we knew, perhaps we would have known what to do, Said Tunji Zaccheous another member.

    EFI was founded in December 2010 by individuals of like minds of Epe extraction, with membership cutting across varying disciplines.

  • Rising stars bring glory to Epe

    Rising stars bring glory to Epe

    Just one week after displaying brilliance at the BRF Quiz Competition, Epe Grammar School shone again at the Lagos State Secondary Schools’ debate held at the LTV8 Blue Roof last week.

    In the quiz, the school’s representative, Yeko Joseph, proved that he was a genius in mathematics, winning the best individual category in a performance that wooed the audience.  He also helped his school to win the second place trophy in the senior secondary school category of the same competition.

    Last week, it was the duo of Zainab Amusa and Kaosarat Olabode who made the school proud, lifting the Schools Debate trophy with 79.63 points.

    They narrowly edged out Bukola Orekoya and Victoria Ayenuro of CMS Girls Senior Grammar School, Bariga, whose score was 79.13 proved how difficult it was for the judges to decide the winner.

    The two teams argued on the topic: Leadership is not the problem but followership.  They marshalled out their points in a manner that kept the audience at the edges of their seats, arguing for and against various issues of societal importance.

    The second speakers of both teams, Kaosarat (for Epe) and Victoria (for CMS) also played commendable roles in their team’s performance, helping their chief speakers bounce back stronger after failing to conclude properly before their time expired during their first appearance.

    For winning the debate, Epe Grammar School got a prize of N500,000, a trophy and other gifts.  CMS Girls Grammar School was rewarded with N350,000 and a trophy, while third placed Meiran Community Senior High School represented by the pair of Oluwabukola Ogunmuko and James Oluwatomisin won N200,000.

    Reacting to their victory, 13-year old Zainab, an SS1 pupil, gave glory to God.

    “We feel privileged.  I thank God for helping us to win.  I did not believe we could win, but l had second thoughts and stayed awake in the midnight to prepare,” she said.

    On her part, Bukky though disappointed at the narrow miss, yet said she was grateful her school did well.

    “Actually, I cannot say I am happy or sad.  But I want to thank God for this opportunity even though this is not our expectation,” she said.

    In the Individual Speakers’ category, Kehinde Adeyemi of Vetland Senior Grammar School, Agege, Lagos came first with 35 points for her excellent presentation on “Oil wealth: A blessing or a curse.”

    She was followed in the second position by Jeremiah Lawal of Isheri Senior Grammar School, Isheri and Toheeb Edun of Egan Senior Grammar School, Egan who came third.  They were presented with N75,000, N50,000 and N25,000 respectively.

    The Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, praised the participants for putting up a good performance.

    “My children, you all did very well.  But someone had to win.  I am really impressed by your courage and performance,” she said, urging them  to work harder in their studies.

    The Special Adviser to the Governor on Education, Otunba Fatai Olukoga, said the event has helped pupils to deliberate on issues that affect society.

    “I am grateful that I am part of this success of imbibing in our students the culture of being outspoken and attacking issues.  Most of the topics they spoke on are issues affecting this nation and they spoke well,” he said.

    About 276 pupils from public and private schools started the race for the school’s debate trophy in January.

  • Epe day unites oloja, olu

    Epe is blessed with rich culture and alluring landscape, most especially overlooking town from the upland area, a little further from the waterfront. That might have informed the town’s history of past wars to wade off adventurist invaders.

    Two major festivals,Eebi Epe and Kayo Kayo, in the town signpost the rich culture. So, when the town sent out invitations that there was going to be a combined celebration of the Epe Day. It was not out of place to expect a display of rich and diverse culture that underlines the town’s history.

    For those interested in cultural tourism, the Epe Day offered ample opportunity to experience the people’s rich culture and to visit some of the notable tourist sites like their famous fish market.

    The day turned out to be unprecedented. One did not only experience the culture of the people, but became eyewitnesses to the history of the town.

    In the area of cultural display, there were no dull moments, as various cultural groups were on hand to perform. But the culture paled into insignificance when the town’s indigenes used the opportunity to open a new chapter in their history. By virtue of the events that took place on the last Epe Day, what used to be the biggest problem of the town might turn out to be its strongest asset, if the gains made on the last Epe Day were to consolidated.

    To understand Epe, one needs to understand certain peculiarities of the town. The indigenes of Epe are divided broadly into two: the Ijebu Epe and the Eko Epe. The Ijebu-Epe, according to the history of the town, were original inhabitants of the place before the Eko Epe people came to settle there when King Kosoko was dethroned as the King of Lagos in 1851 and he moved to Epe.

    But what the Epe people have decided to do, using the last Epe Day celebration was open a new chapter of peace and unity that would usher in positive developments to the old Epe Division.

    The event that sealed this historic occasion kicked off in the afternoon with different masquerade and traditional groups, performing and generally entertaining the huge gathering.

    The Ijinla Group, in their all-white outfits, came dancing round the arena and paying homage to top dignitaries that were at the event.

    The first monarch to arrive was the Olu of Epe kingdom, Oba Shefiu Olatuni Adewale. His entry was electrifying. A retinue of traditional dancers, horsemen and women accompanied him singing dancing and generally making merriment.

    Some minutes later, the Oloja of Epe, Oba Hamarudeen Ishola Animashaun, came also with the accompanying singing and rejoicing. He made his way towards the high table. As the Oloja danced towards the high table, the tension became even more palpable.

    He made his way to the Olu and suddenly smiles enveloped their faces as they embraced. The arena erupted in shout of appreciation and thanksgiving to God. To many indigenes, they watched the whole scenario with a certain air of disbelief. Many said they never believed such an epoch-making occasion would happen in their life time.

    This brought to an end the strained relationship between the Ijebu-Epe and the Eko-Epe people.

    Probably the happiest person that day was Otunba Teni Zacheus who was the chairman of the organizing committee of the Epe Day. He and some close friends in Epe midwived the peace truce that culminated in the united Epe Day celebration.

    He had this to say: “We have targeted this day and have worked towards achieving this goal: the unity of Epeland. History has brought us together collectively as a people. All that had gone on before now-bitterness, fractiousness, polarization and disputations-cannot detract from the fact that we are, to all intents and purposes, one. There have been a lot of intermarriages and other forms of socio-economic and cultural collaborations between us for generations that we are not practically intertwined.”

    He continued: “ As Epe citizens, let us forget our differences. Let us think about the future of our children and generations yet unborn, and let us work together, hand in hand, for our own common good.”

    The chairman of the occasion, former military governor of Osun State, General Leo Segun Ajiborisha, was passionate in his call that the Epe new-found unity should be sustained, saying it was the only way that development would spread to the whole of old Epe Division.

    He asked two rhetorical questions: “ Why do we discriminate against one another? Why do we fight against what has been divinely ordained by God and cannot be changed by any mortal till eternity?” He explained that no corporate organization would invest in an area that is bedevilled by strife.

    The Oloja also spoke in the same vein. He said: “Let me call on all the people of Epe, both indigenes and non-indigenes, to come together in unity, regardless of ethnic or religious affiliations. It is in unity that we can achieve the much-desired development for our town and local government area.”

    The Olu described the occasion as a milestone in the history of the town and advised the indigenes to “use this atmosphere of peace and unity to chart a new course for our land, so that we can properly harness the anticipated development coming to Epe, the proposed airport, seaport and many other developmental projects.”

    As a kind of endorsement of the peace, top sons and daughters of Epe were on hand to witness the epoch-making occasion. The included the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly,Hon. Adeyemi Ikufiriji, the Lagos State Commisioner for Education, Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye, Chief Lanre Razak , retired Justice George Oguntade and other dignitaries.