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Tag: Fashola

  • Domestic violence needs more attention, says Fashola

    Domestic violence needs more attention, says Fashola

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has restated the need for state police.

    Fashola spoke during the January 1st live television show and 12th anniversary of Ms Funmi Iyanda’s Change-A-Life programme at the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) Network Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos.

    He said the police are too busy fighting violent crimes, such as kidnapping, armed robbery and assassinations, to tackle domestic violence and the abuse of women and children, which are regarded as lesser crimes, but are actually grievous crimes.

    Fashola said the capacity to enforce laws protecting the vulnerable was lacking, adding: “The truth is that the capacity of our law enforcement agents is overstretched. If the police, who should ordinarily be in charge of apprehending, investigating and giving evidence are busy chasing kidnappers and more violent crime situations, where lies the capacity to deal with the processes of prosecution?

    “This is one of the arguments I have made that if we really want to protect women, we must look again at the prospect of state police. Even if the only responsibility we give the state police is the protection of women and dealing with domestic violence, and we leave the federal police to deal with other violent crimes, it would be a huge step forward.”

    The governor said although Lagos State has made laws against domestic violence and criminalised certain acts, the problem remained the enforcement of the laws.

    He said: “One of the responsibilities the police have in the law protecting women against domestic violence is to file a complaint on behalf of the victim before a court and to seek a restraining order against the respondent, who is the aggressor, but how many of those cases really get to court?”

    Fashola said rape and domestic violence are not peculiar to Nigeria, adding that there are many impediments to the prosecution of rape cases. He said often times, rape victims are reluctant to report the crime to the police because of the stigmatisation it may expose them to.

    Fashola said: “Rape has been traditionally a very difficult case to prove, often because of the indignity the rape victim suffers. Sometimes they are not reported and oftentimes when they are to give evidence, they are subjected to all kinds of questions from very skillful defense lawyers suggesting that, perhaps, at one time there was consent and all of that.”

    He said other hindrances include the fact that a suspect, who is presumed innocent until proven guilty, is entitled to some legal provisions, adding that the burden is on the prosecution to prove its case.

    Fashola said: “So you need semen samples and medical records. We have no DNA labs and forensic labs.”

    To assuage the pain of domestic violence/abuse victims, he said the government had built a transit home for them.

    The governor said: “We know that oftentimes, men are the aggressors, although we have seen some female aggressors. Oftentimes, the traditional story is that the women and children are thrown into the streets. So we built a transit home that I describe as a port of safety for the vehicle of life. So when women fall victim of such situation, we have the capacity in Alimosho to take them in. We provide bed and board; medical facilities and teachers. So while we are trying to resettle them, the children’s education goes on unhindered, medical issues are dealt with and so on.

    “We have also built a home in Ketu for children with special needs. We have finished the first phase and are on the second. So children with Down’s Syndrome and all of that are being managed in that home.”

    Pointing out that the government can only address reported cases of domestic violence and abuse, Fashola thanked his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, who supervises the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation; the Director-General of the Office of the Public Defender and volunteer lawyers “for their selfless work”.

    He said: “At the end of the day, what matters are the value choices we make as a people. If our value choices, our moral and ethical choices are reviewed for the better, there would be a reduction in the disposition to defile and abuse women and children.”

    On his administration’s focus in the New Year, Fashola said: “Our commitment to improve the life of the people, who are our employers, remains at an all-time high and we will focus on the foundation for service delivery, which is security.

    “It is when citizens are safe that we can embark on capital-intensive development. We are building a massive water works at Adiyan. It will be ready next year and will add 70 million gallons of water to the reservoir.”

    Highlight of the programme was the presentation of the Remi Lagos Award of Academic Excellence to two outstanding students of the Funmi Iyanda Change-A-Life Foundation, Miss Olatunji Fumilayo and Miss Umoh Victoria Uwana.

    Also at the occasion were Commissioner for Information and Strategy Lateef Ibirogba; the Executive Director of the foundation, Mrs. Jumoke Giwa; Mrs. Susan Eyo-Honest, board members and beneficiaries of the foundation.

  • New Year: Believe in Nigerian project – Fashola

    New Year: Believe in Nigerian project – Fashola

    Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, on Tuesday urged Nigerians to believe in the Nigerian project.

    “That hope, dreams and expectations must not be lost, we must resolve this New Year to return to ourselves and give impetus to them.

    “To do this successfully, we must begin to believe in Nigeria and the Nigerian Project once more.

    “We must start by defining for ourselves the kind of future that we want. It is only when we agree on this that we can unite towards recreating the Nigeria of our collective dreams,’’ he said in a New Year message released on Tuesday.

    Fashola expressed the optimism that the nation’s challenges were surmountable.

    According to the governor, most of Nigeria’s problems are man-made that require conscious efforts by citizens to resolve them.

    “Nigerians should shun religious and ethnic intolerance which is the cause of the nation’s woes.

    “Looking back at all that we went through in the past year, perhaps, the time has come for us to take an introspective look at ourselves in an attempt to get to the root of our problems and challenges.

    “The truth of the matter is that, whether it is the downturn in the economy or our security situation, the challenges are traceable to ourselves,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Fashola as saying in the message.

    He urged Nigerians to re-invent the unity of purpose which existed in the 60s and 70s, saying they should draw strength from the nation’s diversity.

     

  • Lagos contributes $90b annually to GDP, says Fashola

    Lagos contributes $90b annually to GDP, says Fashola

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said Lagos contributes about $90 billion annually to the National Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    Fashola spoke yesterday at the Third Lagos Corporate Assembly, tagged BRF meets Business Chief Executives Officer (CEO), organised by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

    He said the massive contribution was possible because of the thriving private sector, which has seen Lagos emerge as the fifth largest economy in Africa.

    Fashola said: “If anyone underestimates the reason we decided to hear from you, it is because of the number of what you contribute in the aggregate to the economy of the country and the sub-region. The number showed a GDP of about $90 billion generated by Lagos alone. So it is important to have this constant discussion to feel the pulse of this group.

    “While there was agitation over the issuance of building permit in Lagos between January and June this year, we have issued 706 building permits to residents.

    “These are issues important in urban planning. The buildings that collapsed were not built today, but less than 30 years ago. I have tried to ensure that buildings under construction are insured to create employment for the insurance company.”

    Fashola also spoke on the Independent Power Project (IPP) initiated by the government, saying the essence was not to distribute the power generated but to use it in government facilities.

  • Fashola, Oguntade to judges: be courageous

    Fashola, Oguntade to judges: be courageous

    Some judgments of the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Ayotunde Phillips have been published by Velma Publishers. ADEBISI ONANUGA was at the presentation.

    Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) has advised judges in Lagos State to be courageous and fair.

    He also restated his belief in the independence of the judiciary to remain the last hope of the common man.

    Fashola gave the charge last week at the presentation of a book, Landmark Judgments: a compilation of some of the notable pronouncements of the Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Phillips at the City Hall, Lagos.

    The governor, represented by his deputy, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, said his administration would continue to support the judiciary to make it the best in the country.

    “We have not interfered in the judiciary and would not do it. We believe in the rule of law and that the law should be allowed to always take its course in all matters. We would not interfere in the administration of justice delivery in Lagos State,” he said.

    The governor, who described the honoree as an “efficient, effective, responsible and very accessible” personality also thanked God for her life and for the good name she has made for

    The chairman of the occasion, Justice George Oguntade (rtd), who said he has had the privilege of reading some of the judgments published in the book, described Justice Phillips as “a brilliant judge and an honour to the judicial system of the country”.

    “Those judgments say a lot about the guest of honour. They are the hallmark of a good judge,” he stressed.

    The former Justice of the Supreme Court described the system as oppressive, adding that in such situation, only the judiciary stands as the hope of the common man.

    He charged judges across the country to fear God in the discharge of their duties.

    He admonished judges to be courageous and deliver judgment the way they see the facts presented before them.

    He said: “For every judgment a judge delivers, such a judge is making history and those judgments say a lot about the person of the judge.

    “As judges, your duty is to your conscience and to God. History will bear witness to any judge who dispenses justice on the other way round.”

    He recalled that when he was sworn in as a judge in 1980, he presided over a judge involving an employee and the state government.

    He said many people had expected that his judgment would be in favour of the state, but that after looking at the fact of the matter, he delivered his judgment in favour of the state employee.

    “Later, the government gave judges land in Lekki, but I was given land at Iyana Ipaja. Three years after, when I was serving as chairman of armed robbery tribunal, a lady walked in and asked if I was Justice Oguntade and I answered in the affirmative.

    “She brought out an envelope and handed it over to me that it is from the government. When I opened it, I found that it contained documents of a land in Lekki and in my name.”

    “So, when you sit in court, your duty is to your conscience and not to any person else. You must be alert and ensure that justice is given fairly.

    “When you sit over cases in court, you fear only God, not any governor or any deputy governor because our duty as a judge is only to serve God,” he further admonished them.

    Justice Oguntade further told the judges and magistrates that when they deliver landmark judgments, it is collection of this that would say a lot about the judge.

    He advised judges to always apply the law courageously and that once this is done, “history will vindicate you”.

    He counselled judges and magistrates, who he said have the honour to sit in judgment over others, to follow the footsteps of the chief judge and chart for themselves.

    “If you do this, you would have made history for yourself with the judgment you are writing. I believe that posterity will celebrate you after,” he added.

    The reviewer of the book, Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe, described the book as a good resource material to other judges and students of law.

    He said after reading the book, he was convinced that every judgment published was a landmark delivered on their merit.

    The erudite professor, however, lamented the dearth of published judgments of the court.

    He was, particularly, not happy that Lagos has stopped the publication of judgments delivered in the state and suggested that the practice be revived.

    The Chief Judge said she was humbled by the comments on her.

    Justice Phillips said the book, ‘Landmark Judgments’ is the first volume she delivered so far and that she would publish the second volume after her retirement.

    She said the proposed second volume of her judgments would contain judgments that would surprise readers as they are devoid of technicalities, but based on facts of the matter and as presented by the parties involved.

    On the stoppage of the practice of publishing judgments delivered in the state, Justice Phillips said she was negotiating with an organisation about how they would be putting judgments of the judges of the state judiciary on-line.

    She advised judges and magistrates not to be afraid of appeal, but to deliver judgments according to what they see before them and “you would never go wrong’’.

    In most cases, the two parties would be happy with your judgments except where you gave judgment to the wrong person.

    “I look forward to that day when my brother judges would quote from my judgments and I would know that I got it right,”she added.

     

     

  • Fashola decries weak structure of SMEs

    Fashola decries weak structure of SMEs

    The lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola  said the poor structure of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in the country was responsible for the inability of the sector to contribute significantly to the growth of the economy.

    Fashola stated this in an address presented at the maiden edition of the First Bank of Nigeria Limited SMEConnect conference titled: “SMEs at the Heart of National Development: Creativity, Capacity and Capital,” held in Lagos.

    The governor expressed concern that SMEs in Nigeria had not performed to their full potentials. To this end, Fashola argued  the vital and vibrant roles SMEs play in the economic growth and development of other countries was yet to reflect in the Nigerian economy.

    “Most of the challenges the SMEs face arise from the need to have a mode of operation of the enterprise. Some of these challenges include lack of effective policies or appropriate legal framework, financial constraints and access to credit, poor infrastructure and most especially, unstable power supply, lack of skilled labour and poor ethical conduct.

    “In most cases, our SMEs routinely operate outside the normal structure of the economy; they ignore extant laws and regulations and continued to be somewhat indifferent to changing trends both domestically and globally. It is therefore not surprising that the survival rate of SMEs have continued to be abysmally low. In my view, this essentially accounts for the pervasive level of unemployment we still record in Africa,” Fashola, who was represented by the Commissioner of Finance, Lagos state, Mr. Ayo Gbeleyi said.

    However, the Lagos State governor described the SME sector in any nation as the main driving force behind job creation, export earnings, poverty reduction, wealth creation, income redistribution and reduction

  • Fashola, Sosan, others give parenting tips

    Fashola, Sosan, others give parenting tips

    The need for parents to be good role models to their wards was the main thrust of a parenting forum organised by the Lagos Empowerment and Resources Network (L.E.A.R.N), the pet project of the wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs Abimbola Fashola, at the MUSON Centre, Onikan, Lagos.

    Mrs Fashola and former Lagos deputy governor, Princess Sarah Adebisi Sosan, took the lead in urging parents in the packed Shell Hall to set good examples for their wards by living right.

    “As parents, what do you stand for? Do you have any moral values that your children can emulate? What are your character traits? What do you exhibit to others at your various spheres of life? Can your children testify to your character?” Mrs Fashola asked the audience, adding: “The society we have at present is a product of our parenting style.”

    Mrs Sosan, the keynote speaker and moderator of the panel, said for parents to do a good job raising their wards to be responsible members of the society, they must have the right values themselves.

    “It is impossible to shape the future without beaming the torch on ourselves. There are set goals for parenting. The first one is to reproduce the nature of the parent in the child. Secondly, it is to reproduce the character of the parent in the child; that is, share same values, display same characteristics. Thirdly, parenting reproduce the behaviour of the parent in the child, meaning to have same view of the world and respond to life in the same way,” she said.

    The parents also learnt from many other distinguished speakers during the event, which turned out to be an interesting and interactive forum that featured breakout sessions and panel discussions.

    Speakers who featured on the panel discussion included: Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef, Imam, Lagos State House of Assembly Mosque; Mrs Bola Falore, Proprietress, Mind Builders School; Mr Olufunbi Falayi, educationist; Mrs Bolanle Austen-Peters, Chief Executive Officer, Terra Kulture; and Pastor Gbenga Adeboye, Senior Pastor, Praise Outreach Community.

    Others are Pastor Bimbo Davies, Co-Pastor, Global Impact Church; Mrs Laila Jean St Matthew Daniel, Executive Director, Act Generation; Mrs Victoria Peregrino, retired Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary; Mr Ifeatu Onejeme, retired Executive Director, UBA; and Dr Bukola Ahimie of the Guidance and Counselling Department, University of Lagos.

    Many of them highlighted the importance of parents being committed to their wards’ upbringing.

    Mrs Austen-Peters urged parents to pass on good values to their wards; Mrs Ahimie told them to be observant and watch out for signs that their wards are derailing; Mrs Daniel advised them not to involve the children in their personal issues; while Mrs Falore underscored the importance of spending quality time with children.

    Mrs Peregrino, speaking as an educationist, advised parents not to focus only on the cognitive domain of learning but also pay attention to the affective (behavioural) and psychomotor (hands on physical) domains so the education of their wards can be total.

    “Most of us concentrate on the cognitive. What about the affective – values, relationships; what about psychomotor? What can he do with his hands? The total man is what we need to build a total nation,” she said.

    Motivational Speaker, Mr Fela Durotoye wrapped up the panel discussion with this poser to the parents: “If your life was going to be repeated in your children, would you be a happy grandmother? You are designing your retirement now. Parenting is not a nice thing to do; it is the need thing to do.”

     

  • Impact of Fashola’s education reform

    Impact of Fashola’s education reform

    Given the universally acclaimed status of education as the strongest weapon to fight poverty and a useful pillar on which brighter and rewarding future is laid, the Government of Lagos state has accorded education the attention it deserves. Since assuming office, Babatundde Fashola has taken a keen interest in addressing the issues in the education sector because of his believe that it is the only weapon that can define the future of the country. This is why the regime has embarked on a lot of reforms to improve the sector.

    At a time in the state, the problem was that of access to qualitative and affordable education. However, in the last few years, alongside infrastructural development of the state, the BRF government has carved a niche for insisting on quality education. He has gone about this through creation of enabling environment.

    Today, just as we can talk about what the government has invested in terms of rehabilitation and construction of well-furnished new blocks of classrooms across the state, distribution of free text books, provision of well-equipped laboratories and libraries, provision of buses for teachers  to ease transportation problems, re-launch of uniformed voluntary organizations in the state’s public schools, implementation of  Teachers’ Salary Scale (TSS) for teachers in the state public schools among others, the impacts has also been enormous.

    The far-reaching achievement of Lagos state under Fashola has not just ignited hope on revival of value delivery in public administration in Nigeria, it also holds the template of assessing results on both quantitative and qualitative basis

    The recent improvements recorded in external examinations by pupils in the state are indicative of the positive result of the reforms and additional trainings of teachers in the state service. We can conveniently say that we have about the best teachers in the country courtesy of the heavy investment in training and re-training programme of our teachers.

    To keep the flag flying, the state government recently hosted the third Lagos State Education Summit with the theme, “Qualitative Education in Lagos State: Raising the Standard” at the Eko Hotels and Towers, Victoria Island.

    An integral part of the state’s educational reform is the EKO Education Project which has been a huge success thus far. The way the project has been adapted to suit the Lagos experience has promoted accountability and openness through its approval of discretional grants to schools.  The Eko Education Project enjoyed an unprecedented high rating from the World Bank, which is a partner in the project.

    One facinating aspect of the Eko Project is the volunteer teachers’ scheme which has injected about 20,520 hours per month into the schools system, an equivalent of 183 full time teachers. The spirit behind the Eko Education Project was to improve the quality of education, compel the government as regulator to monitor the performances of the students, the schools and the teachers and encourage others to challenge themselves for greater heights.

    Another innovation by the Lagos Eko Project is the provision of a Report Card for every school, with the card giving detailed account of how a school has performed in relation to other schools, Local Government Areas, Education Districts and statewide, a programme which is unique to the Nigerian assessment system. In its characteristic innovative style of governance, the state government, with a view to involving other stakeholders in the funding of education in the state, instituted the now popular ‘adopt a school policy’. Through this policy, well-meaning individuals, corporate Organisations, and religious bodies among others are encouraged to pick and develop a school in their choice location.

    The state government has since received favourable response from several stakeholders across the states that have been making massive contributions in this respect. Presently, the state government operates free education programme in all public primary and secondary schools across the state.  It should also be stressed that Lagos, unlike other states, does not limit its free education programme to only the indigenes. Consequently, the state spends more money in running its free education programme as it has to make provision for more pupils and students taking into consideration the cosmopolitan nature of the state.

    Aside running free education at primary and secondary school levels, the state government has equally invested heavily in the construction of multi-lingual laboratories, installation of ICT laboratories in 120 schools and installation of science laboratories in 170 secondary schools.Till date, the state government has provided  over 2,876 new classrooms in the state.

    In order to reduce the financial burdens on parents, the Fashola administration has sustained the payment of the West African Examination Council and the National Examination Council (NECO) for all of SS3 students in public secondary schools in the state as part of the support for education of the people. The special intervention programme for 495 trainee- teachers to assist WASCE candidates with extra coaching was also introduced.

    Similarly, the State Governor recently presented a cheque of N252 Million to 126 junior and senior secondary schools, which have displayed improved performances over a period of time in the first Governor’s Education Award. With the competitiveness that the award will bring into the educational sector, the result would be for the benefit of all stakeholders in Lagos State.

    Despite its huge investment in public primary and secondary education, the state government remains committed to creating an enabling environment where indigent students in the tertiary institutions would not in any way be short-changed. This is being done through periodic increase of bursary awards, scholarship and grants. Equally, government is currently working on the overhauling of facilities at all the state owned tertiary institutions in order to guarantee qualitative education. Guests at the 2200 days event of the state government, which took place at LASU few weeks ago, would readily attest to the fact that a new LASU is presently evolving.   True democracy cannot exist in a society incapable of supporting the aspirations of its youth, and indeed its people. A truly representative government must be able to create the enabling environment for its citizenry to freely express itself in positive ways so that the diverse potentials of its people could be easily harnessed for growth and development. Alexis de Tocqueville, in his immortal classic ‘Democracy in America’ (1835), insists that building the people is more necessary than creating wealth, for the value of the latter is tied to the existence of the earlier. As it is often said, great minds think alike. Undoubtedly, Governor Fashola was having Tocqueville in mind when he declared recently at a public function that “if this investment matures (the investment in the education sector), Lagos will be a better place because we believe clearly, without any doubt, that the greatest resource this country has is not oil but its people.”With the kind of reforms that has been started by the state government through its steadfast focus on upgrade of school infrastructure and teachers’ improvement, a significant progress has undoubtedly been made.

    Lawal,  writes from Festac Town

  • Bill on international finance centre unconstitutional – Fashola

    The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) at the weekend described the proposed “Nigerian Financial Centre Bill, 2011” before the National Assembly as an act of over legislation that is very clearly in defiance and in conflict with the Constitution.

    The governor who spoke with newsmen after the 10th Executive/Legislative Parley with the theme: ‘Towards Perpetuating the Culture and Practice of Excellence’, organised by the Political and Legislative Powers Bureau held at the Orchid Hotels, Lekki, added that there is doubt about whether it is possible to legislate the existence of a Financial Centre.

    “We think the intent and purport of the legislators in the bill itself is probably well defined in the activities of the Stock Exchange, the Security and Exchange Commission, the Central Bank and other agencies of the government.”

    The governor explained that the proposed law also purports to set up a court for itself as an appellate court adding that this is clearly in defiance of the constitution noting the parley critically examined the issue and came to the conclusion that the idea that Lagos is the financial centre is one that is difficult to debate.

    Fashola reiterated that in other jurisdictions, what is available is the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange and there is nothing like the American Stock Exchange just as there is no German Stock Exchange while there is a Frankfurt Stock Exchange and so on.

     

  • Aganga, Fashola others for FirstBank SME confab

    In its quest to sustain development of small and medium scale enterprises nationwide, FirstBank has initiated an annual conference that will highlight challenges and opportunities for small businesses.

    The maiden edition holds on Tuesday at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, with the theme: ‘SMEs at the heart of National Development: Creativity, Capacity and Capital.’

    Among those expected at the conference is Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola as the host; Minister of Trade, Mr. Segun Aganga as Guest of Honour, while CEO, SOKOA Chair Centre, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika and CEO, Konga.com, Mr. Sim Shagaya ‘will serve as keynote speakers respectively.

    Awosika’ an award winning entrepreneur and the founder and CEO of Chair Centre Group, has extensive experience in manufacturing and retail services that will drive conversations around capacity development in this sector and the opportunities available to entrepreneurs across the entire retail value chain.

    Shagaya, is founder of Konga.com and DealDey.com, and has over 11 years of management and entrepreneurial experience.

    Justifying the need for the conference, FirstBank’s Executive Director, Retail Banking South, Mr. Gbenga Shobo, said the critical role of SMEs as the engine of growth in the economy, providing employment to thousands of people and contributing significantly to the gross domestic product (GDP) makes the conference a timely platform for repositioning the nation’s SMEs for sustained growth.

    According to Shobo, the conference will have two panel sessions that will address access to capital, leveraging creativity and deepening capacities, among others. “Creativity is at the heart of entrepreneurship and all SMEs require some measure of this to birth their companies and continue to evolve and grow their businesses. Growth is not possible without building capacity in each sector by the acquisition of necessary skills and human resources to drive the business. Expansion can only be funded by acquiring the capital to invest in the business and take it to the next level of operation,” she said.

    Participants, expected from across the nation, are expected to pre-register on the Bank’s dedicated microsite for the conference at www.firstbanknigeria.com/smeconnect. The site, among others, will provide links to non-financial services such as toolkits and templates serve as a channel to obtain feedback from customers and resolve complaints and communicate products and services targeted at SMEs.

  • Fashola redeems bus pledge

    Fashola redeems bus pledge

    Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola yesterday redeemed his pledge to buy an 18-seater bus for Omole Senior Grammar School.

    A pupil of the school, Juwon Folarin Boadley, who won the 2013 Spelling Bee competition and was the 2013 One-day Lagos Governor, requested for a school bus.

    The governor, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Chief of Staff, Mr. Samuel Ojo, handed over the bus to the Tutor-General/Permanent Secretary, Education District VI, Mrs. Iyabo Osifeso, who represented the school.

    Urging the school to continue to produce outstanding pupils, he said Boadley displayed exemplary leadership qualities by requesting for a bus for his school and not for himself.

    Mrs. Osifeso and Boadley, who was also at the ceremony, thanked the governor.