The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FESTAC

  • Mamaye, LASG educate Amuwo-Odofin community on good maternal health

    An NGO, Mamaye and the Lagos State Government on Friday said there was need for increased sensitisation on the importance of good maternal health and family planning (FP).

    The two bodies made the assertion at the “Lagos State Community Sensitisation on Maternal, Newborn, Child Health (MNCH) Activities’’ at Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Council headquarters in FESTAC Town, Lagos State.

    The World health organization (WHO) says maternal health is the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period.

    Dr Saidat Okaga, representing the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Primary Healthcare, said the lack of understanding of good health for pregnant women had adverse effects on them and their children.

    According to her, regular attendance to ante-natal clinics, strict adherence to instructions by healthcare attendants, exercise and good nutrition are important in observing good health during pregnancy.

    She urged women to be aware of the danger signs in pregnancy and advised that prompt medical attention be sought once observed.

    “There is need for women to be aware of the danger signs in pregnancy; it will help in the management of their condition and saving the lives of the mother and baby.

    “Such signs include shortness of blood, severe abdominal pains, fever, excessive weakness, severe headache and blurred vision, reduced or no movement of baby, seizures and drainage of fluid from the vagina.

    “Unusual swelling of feet, hands and face, any form of bleeding or spotting, lower abdominal pains before 37 weeks, excessive weight gain, shortness of breath, severe diarrhea and vomiting are also danger signs.

    “Pregnant women, relatives and friends should immediately take them to a health facility if any of these is observed,’’ Okaga, who is the Director of FP and Coordinator, Reproductive Health, Lagos State’s Ministry of Health said.

    Also, Mrs Olukotan of the Lagos State Ministry of Health said that Family Planning was important in improving the lot of mothers, children, fathers and society at large.

    “The importance of Family Planning cannot be over-emphasised. It is not only good for the mother; it is also good for the husband, children and the society.

    “Family Planning has to do with planning and spacing the number of children that one can adequately cater for.

    “It gives room for a woman to recover from the last pregnancy, for close bonding between mother and child; it also gives room for the father to recover financially.

    “Family Planning also helps to control unwanted pregnancies, thereby reducing the incidence of abortion and maternal deaths,’’ she said.

    According to Olukotan, there are many types of family planning methods, including contraceptives, Intra-Uterine Devices (IUDs), injectibles, implants and condoms.

    She advised women to visit their nearest health facility for evaluation and counselling before adopting any of the family planning methods

  • Police find three abandoned babies in Festac

    Police find three abandoned babies in Festac

    Policemen attached to Festac Division have found three abandoned babies in Festac Town.

    The mother of the babies was caught after dropping the about three-week-old child near a gas station on 21 Road.

    It was gathered that the woman identified as Bose Ojo, 27, went to the area around 9am On July 27, dropped the baby and left.

    Unfortunate for her, a resident in the area saw her from her apartment in a high rise building.

    The resident, it was gathered, raised the alarm and the woman was chased, while policemen at Festac Division were notified.

    She was arrested and upon interrogation, the woman was said to have denied abandoning the baby.

    According to a police source, Ojo and her baby were examined at Mother and Child Hospital, First Avenue, after which the child was admitted.

    “She claimed that she did not abandon the child. That she just dropped the baby to rest. The woman has no fixed address and she hawks sachet water.

    “She said the child’s father, a bus driver called Oduayo abandoned her after their home at Orile-Iganmu was demolished.

    “The woman cannot keep that child unless she gets support. She is not married. No visible means of sustenance. No accommodation. She has no skills and she’s not in good state of health too. The woman never attended ante natal and also had her baby in a neighbouring bush all by herself,” the source said.

    For the second child, a boy of about six weeks, he was found at Third Avenue, behind ‘H’ Close, the source said.

    “A Good Samaritan, who lives in the close, picked him up at about 9:18am. The child was taken to the same hospital and he was certified okay. There is urgent need for protection order for both children,” the source said.

  • Ali calls for revival of FESTAC

    A former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Col. Ahmadu Ali, has called for the revival of Festival for Arts and Culture (FESTAC).

    He also urged the Centre for Black and African Arts and Civilisation (CBAAC) to provide a centre for African studies in the country.

    Nigeria hosted the FESTAC in 1977.

    Ali made the call on Friday when the Director-General of CBAAC, Mr. Ferdinand Anikwe visited him in Abuja.

    “The centre for black studies will be like a centre for post graduate studies centre where you can bring in all our brothers in Nigeria and the diaspora to lecture and impact knowledge.

    “And from there, we can try to build on what we lost when we abandoned the spirit and importance of FESTAC.

    “FESTAC, as far as I am concerned was a one-in-a-million event because of the enormity of the arrangement.

    “CBAAC needs to create a centre where Nigerians can learn more about black cultures, norms and values,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the ex-PDP chairman as saying at the forum.

    Anikwe thanked Ali for giving him audience and promised to revive and keep the spirit of FESTAC alive.

    “The spirit of FESTAC is working in us and that is why we are visiting the people who actively participated in the FESTAC 77 event that are still alive.

    “We want you to use your powerful social connections, both within and outside Nigeria to attract people who are interested in its revival,’’ Anikwe said.

  • Presidential monitoring visit boosts FESTAC Phase 2 project

    The A seven-member Presidential project monitoring team led by its director, Mrs. Sandra Fadeyi, has vistited FESTAC Phase 2 project located in Amuwo-Odofin Local Government area of Lagos State.

    The visit was a boost for the concessionaire, the New Festac Property Development Company Limited (NFPDCL).

    Also on the inspection tour were some officials of Federal Housing Authority (FHA), led by its General Manager, David Kpue, the concessionaire with their consultants led by its Managing Director, Mr. Goody Egbuji. The FESTAC Phase 2 estate sits on 1, 126 hectares of land.

    Before the commencement of the tour, officials of the NFPDCL, had at a meeting with the government team, made a visual presentation of the project, detailing all aspects of the project, including already completed site investigation studies and preliminary works , the status of ongoing reclamation work  and some legal challenges that were standing as impediments to the advancement of the project. Several structures, mainly said to be illegal since they were built without the necessary approval from the FHA, were noticed by the team, especially a massive building erected directly on the main road and on a drainage channel, thus blocking some access routes, and causing disruption to the original masterplan of the area.

    At one of the sites, a member of the team, who declined to be mentioned because he is a civil servant, said the concessionaire has a an pu hill task ahead. Presently, the NFPDCL has commenced development works on the land, especially the sand filling and land reclamation aspects of the land. This is the second phase of development in the bigger land mass of Festac Town, whose entirety sits on a total land area of measuring 2, 024 hectares. The first phase was developed in 1977 and served as home for visitors to the second World Black Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) hosted by Nigeria in 1977.

    Consequently, the concessionaire has assured the investing public of good return of investment (RoI) as the development would make the estate an investment haven. Already, the concessionaire explained that the estate would be second to none and for the discerning investor, FESTAC Phase 2 would be an unprecedented estate because of the planned facilities to be put in place. For instance, the serviced plots to be realised through the concession will be complemented with green areas, off street parking, power supply, petrol stations, shopping malls, hospitals, hospitality centres, well laid roads, water  works, street lights, sewage disposal systems, and all necessary support infrastructure.

    “FESTAC Phase 2 has attracted strong interest from savvy investors who see beyond today in their investment decisions; this is why it is an investors’ and investment destination. There is an excellent location in here; the large population of Festac Phase 1 also makes for a ready market for any form of investment including schools, shopping malls, banks, eateries, and small and medium enterprises,” Egbuji explained.

    Real estate operators have also expressed optimism that the development of the FESTAC Phase 2 will transform the entire axis into a modern city and yield great benefits both in the infrastructural and socio economic development of Lagos.

    In September 2014, the federal government approved the concession of the Phase 2 of the FESTAC scheme to NFPDCL under a 30-year build-operate-and-transfer (BOT) lease agreement. Based on this agreement, NFPDCL, is  undertaking land reclamation, sand filling, infrastructural development, marketing and sale of the over 7, 000 plots of land to be created from the reclaimed land.

    Also, from the project, the Federal Government is estimated to earn N25.765 billion as premium and an additional N150 million ground rent annually for the 30 years of the concession.

  • FESTAC Banks robbery: Police deny blaming Navy, Army

    FESTAC Banks robbery: Police deny blaming Navy, Army

    The Police in Lagos on Friday refuted reports that the command shifted blame to the Nigerian Navy and Nigerian Army while visiting the FESTAC Town banks robbery scene on Thursday.

    CSP Adebowale Lawal, the Zone 2 Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), made the clarification while addressing newsmen on Friday in Lagos.

    Lawal said that the Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) in charge of the zone, Mr Bala Hassan, did not blame either of the two security formations while granting interviews.

    “There is no basis for the allegations that the police shifted blame to the Army and the Navy that they did not respond when they were called.

    “In fact, they all gave their assurances that they are ever ready to work with him to ensure that Lagos and Ogun states under the zone are peaceful.

    “I wouldn’t know where the journalist got that information from because while the AIG was granting the interview, he never at any time shifted blame to either of the two.

    “The AIG in charge of Zone 2, Bala Hassan, upon assumption of duty visited other sister security agencies,’’ Lawal said.

    “This is because he appreciated the collaborative efforts of all the agencies in combating crime in Lagos and Ogun states where he co-ordinates.

    “He appreciates their collaborative efforts in fighting crime and that is one of the reasons why he visited them to seek for a continuous support and to strengthen the relationship.’’

    The PPRO also advised that journalists should verify their stories before publishing.

    “Journalists should always get their facts right before publishing anything so that they don’t tarnish the good relationship existing among security agencies in Nigeria.

    “They should always do what we call investigative journalism. They should not just publish information without sieving it,’’ the PPRO said.

    The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the former Area E Police Commander, ACP Frank Mba, had said that all security agencies contacted during the robbery incident responded swiftly.

    It will be recalled that armed robbers had on Tuesday robbed Access and Diamond banks on 4th Avenue, FESTAC Town, an incident that caused the death of a mother and child through stray bullet.

    However, the response of the police forced the robbers to abandon N27 million, 240 live AK 47 riffle ammunition.

  • FESTAC robbery: Police blame navy, Air Force

    FESTAC robbery: Police blame navy, Air Force

    The police in Lagos have said their calls for help from the Navy and the Air Force during Tuesday’s robbery at FESTAC Town were ignored.

    Some senior police officers said they contacted the navy when the robbers arrived on the scene.

    It was learnt that the navy told the police that even their smallest vessel was too big to enter the canal.

    The police were reportedly asked to seek help from the Air Force.

    The Air Force was also said to have been contacted to trail the robbers on the canal but failed to take action.

    The senior police officers said the Air Force directed the police to contact its headquarters in Abuja for clearance.

    Navy’s Director of Information Commodore Aliyu Kabiru said the outfit would not engage the police in a blame game or controversy.

    The Area Commander, Area E in Lagos State, Frank Mba, has been redeployed.

    His redeployment, which was reportedly sent by Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase, directed the ACP to resume in Osogbo, the Osun State capital.

    A query was reportedly issued on Wednesday to the mobile policemen guarding the banks but there were no indications that Mba was queried.

    The police were said to have recovered N27 million from the robbers as they fled.

    Police spokesman Jospeh Offor said he was not aware of the allegation against the navy and the Air Force.

    The police spokesman also said he was not aware of Mba’s transfer.

    The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG) in charge of Zone II, Bala Hassan, yesterday decried the lack of an intelligence gathering system in the service.

    The police chief blamed civilians for not providing the police with information. He said some people would have been aware of the criminals’ plans before they struck.

    Hassan spoke during his inspection visit to FESTAC Town.

    The AIG, who said there would have been more disaster if the police had not engaged the criminals, assured that the Force would arrest and prosecute the hoodlums.

    Hassan said: “It is our duty to ensure that the criminals are brought to justice within the shortest possible time. That is the only way the hearts of Lagosians will be at peace. We must do our best to stop a repeat.

    “You can equip them (Marine Police), but there is no way you can cover the vulnerable areas. Therefore, there is need for us to be on guard and ensure that we cooperate with other security agencies and the public to get information that could stop their operations.”

    “They (criminals) must have gone to a drinking joint; somebody would have seen them. If you had reported to the Commissioner of Police that you saw some people in suspicious manner, drinking and planning a robbery operation, they would have been arrested.

    “We must increase our level of intelligence to make sure that this thing does not happen again. That the robbers were in military uniform does not mean they were uniform men; the purpose of that was to create an atmosphere of intimidation so that they would carry out their operation.

    “If we had followed the way they (robbers) did, there would have been a lot of causalities, because this is a built-up area – from the bank and the neighbouring community.

    “The important thing now is for the robbers to be arrested and brought to justice.”

  • Festac robbery: Technology deployed to identify suspects

    Festac robbery: Technology deployed to identify suspects

    The police may have deployed a special squad to collect fingerprints from the two banks attacked by robbers in Festac Town, a suburb of Lagos on Tuesday.

    Both banks have been cordoned off with police patrol vehicles.

    It was gathered that the anti-bomb squad concentrated efforts in areas, such as the strong room and other places the hoodlums went to.

    A police source said  Tuesday’s robbery was the last the armed gang would execute, adding that the police won’t rest until they are caught.

    He said the criminals were the same gang that attacked commercial banks in Lekki and Ikorodu earlier this year, adding that the police observed the similarity in their  tactics.

    The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, has directed that the mobile policemen assigned to secure the affected banks be quizzed.

    At the area yesterday, the armed police and soldiers deployed there on Tuesday had left the neighbourhood and normalcy had been restored.

    But for Pastor Peter Ndirika, the husband and father of Jane Beluchukwu-Ndirika and Nmesoma (14-month-old baby) both killed by stray bullets, the pain was yet to go away.

    The widower said his daughter was buried on Tuesday night while his wife’s body had been deposited at the mortuary.

    Reliving his experience, Ndirika said he was at the mechanic’s workshop when he got the news his wife was hit by stray bullets in their living room.

    “I ran home and saw a pool of blood in my living room. I met people in the house and asked whose blood it was and I was told me it was my wife’s.

    “I asked for the hospital she was taken to and when I got there, I saw her lifeless and then I asked about my daughter.

    “They told me that they have taken her to navy hospital at Satellite Town. I took my wife to Mother and Child Hospital at First Gate, where they said she was dead.

    “I refused to accept and took her to the Chosen Hospital and they told us to take her to a general hospital, we then took her to the Alimosho General Hospital.

    “It was there that she was confirmed dead. I was still in shock when I received a phone call from my wife’s younger brother who told me my daughter was dead.

    “I don’t blame anybody. God allowed it happen; I believe nothing happens without His permission.

    “We all should learn from what has happened. As she’s gone, I know she and my daughter are in a better place. And to all of us still living today, we are all going to meet her because death is inevitable.”

  • FESTAC residents ask new leaders to walk their talk

    FESTAC residents ask new leaders to walk their talk

    Residents of FESTAC, Lagos State have called on the newly elected leaders from the area to immediately get to work upon assumption of office to see how they can tackle infrastructural gaps in the community.

    At the quarterly meeting of the Festival Town Residents Association (FTRA) its President, Mr Shola Fakorede, lamented the pitiable state of the fire service, saying that fire fighters cannot respond to emergency situations. He said that the fire station in the area has been in a derelict state for years, and has now been turned into to a drinking joint.

    The meeting held at 512 Road, offered residents the opportunity to also discuss poor road networks.

    Fakorede, admonished newly elected leaders to walk their talk as the perennial neglect suffered by the area is enough and can no longer be tolerated.

    He assured that FESTAC community would not relent in attracting more of government’s presence in especially in the improvement of facilities and employment opportunities for youths. The recent fire outbreak at 22 Road Fakorede explained, resulted in untold havoc because fire fighters could not respond promptly.

    When the fire station at FESTAC was alerted, the vehicle had no water, while the second vehicle that had did not have battery, Fakorede explained, adding that by the time fire fighters from Badagry and Ikeja stations arrived the scene, three buildings had already been torched.

    He said the FTRA would soon embark on a self-help initiative to revive the ailing fire station, so as to forestall future occurrences. The association, Fakorede stressed, would parley with kind-hearted individuals, companies and corporate bodies within FESTAC to discuss plans towards pumping life back into the fire station.

    “We should take our destiny in our hands. We will no longer leave town hall meetings for politicians to organise. It must not be party affairs either. It should be people’s affairs and we must get involved. It is our duty to make elected representative accountable to us.”

    Fakorede thanked residents for the peaceful presidential and gubernatorial elections, attributing the development to series of peace-meetings FTRA had with the key political actors in the area. According to him some of the events witnessed during the last elections point to the fact that power now resides with electorate.

    The Chairman of 512 Road, Tunde Ajayi, called for the construction of 512 Road by the next executive chairman of the Amuwo- Odofin council.

    “From its inception, 512 Road residents levy themselves to repair and maintain the road annually. But when the opportunity came for such three-digit roads to be reconstructed, residents of 512 were shocked when their roads were left out despite a promise by the former council chairman,” he said.

    Like Fakorede, Ajayi also urged elected leaders to justify the confidence reposed in them and work for the people. He commended the leadership of the association for the vociferous demand for the installation of free pre-paid metres in FESTAC by the Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC).

    The Divisional Police Officer, FESTAC, Ifeanyi Owo, praised residents for the exemplary conduct exhibited during the last election. Owo also expressed joy on the effective policing of FESTAC environs, a situation which has now restored peace in FESTAC.

    “This is the day of human rights. We follow due process, not battering or intimidation. I am a human rights police officer. We allow the law to take its course. I don’t believe in jungle justice. The synergy between the police and FESTAC community has been so cordial.”

  • FHA set to transform FESTAC, Gwarimpa, others

    The FESTAC housing scheme in Lagos which was built in 1977, and the Gwarimpa Estate, Abuja, are to be rehabilitated under the Federal Government’s urban renewal initiative.

    Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Managing Director Prof. Mohammed Al-Amin said under the initiative, projects to  be worked on have been prioritised, based on the estate’s age. FESTAC, he said, is among the first generation of estates that deserve FHA’s attention.

    He said many issues would be resolved before the project starts, adding that for instance, there were issues of non- payment of statutory fees, allocations and multiple uses in lands restricted for extension.

    Al-Amin said a four-prong approach has been adopted for Gwarimpa Estate, pointing out that this is because there are four native settlements/villages that are still part of Gwarimpa. Hence, negotiations are on going, trying to convince the locals to accept relocation to another place temporarily, while the government tries to remove their shanties, construct high rise buildings, and then allocate a certain unit of those blocks to them.

    “This is a new system of urban regeneration, where you integrate the original inhabitants of urban communities.We are starting it for the first time in Nigeria. The so called neighbourhood centres that we have both in FESTAC and in Gwarimpa are going to be transformed to not only market type of barrack stalls and shops, but into modern mini-malls where you can get in there, buy almost all you want and then come out within a beautiful parking lot with all the security or facilities that you have that is what we are planning and that is what is coming to FESTAC,” Al-Amin explained.

    He said just as modern estate around the world have fantastic facilities, utilities and services, which he said, are absent in FESTAC estate as well as in other estates in the country, the FHA is determined to create a very large area of its estate and erect solar farm, which he reckons will take the estates off the national electricity crisis, and making electric power available for the occupants of the estates 24 hours.

    Other services to be improved on include the fire service, the landline telephones for houses and excellent security system with CCTV cameras, a dedicated line for water system. These are to start with Gwarimpa scheme, and then taken to FESTAC.

    Also, the landscaping issue, for instance, in Gwarimpa, will see the environment benefitting from a planned planting of seven million trees in the area this year alone. This, according to the FHA boss, is in line with the thinking of bringing Gwarimpa to a standard of the neighbourhood that is known as Surrey in England, where most of the rich live. “Most of the millionaires don’t stay in London really, they migrate to Surrey because of the fantastic things that are there. This is exactly what is going to happen in Gwarimpa and FESTAC and not only in these two places, but across the country,” Al-Amin added.

    But the regeneration of an estate as huge as FESTAC or Gwarimpa involves huge capital. This is a source of worry for stakeholders who said the government alone cannot muscle the financial requirement for this initiative.

    The FHA boss explained that the financing of the scheme would not be handled by an entity, and that FHA as facilitators for this urban renewal programme, has its own budgets, just as the private developers that are participating in the project also have a certain amount of money that they have injected.

    Besides, the residents will have to bear certain costs, which are normally the commitment that they are owing the authority. “If you have spent 10 years without paying, we will ask you to pay just for five years and then we will wave the rest. If you have altered the structures that we have provided, you will need to pay us planning fees. We are going to subsidise it, but ensure within certain period that fee is paid. If there are some other contraventions that attract penalties we will encourage you to pay,” he said.

    On FESTAC, Al-Amin said some issues were being sorted out; work on the FESTAC Phase II development had been okayed by the Federal Government under a new model by conceding a certain part of the area to private developers to provide services, come up with a fantastic designs and allocate the lands to people under strict supervision.

    This area will be competing with Dubai up to Geneva, or even Los Angeles in terms of structures, when completed, Al-Amin added.

  • Accountant with a heart of gold

    Accountant with a heart of gold

    An accountant,  Mr Gabriel Onyema, enjoys serving humanity. To live his passion, he joined some clubs. Following his emergence as 33rd President of Rotary Club of Festac Town, Lagos, District 9110 Nigeria, Onyema is promises to touch more lives, writes OLATUNDE ODEBIYI. 

    Gabriel Onyema is an accountant with a passion for  humanity.

    The Chief Executive Officer of Whitehall Multinational Limited and Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Onyema is also the founder and sponsor of the late Mary Ann Charity Foundation in Amamaogu, Imo State.

    His quest for solving other people’s problems led him to joining social and charity organisations, like Rotary Club, the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul, OMPH Catholic Church and the Lagos Metropolitan Council of the Society of Saint Vincent De Paul, where he held senior positions.

    Onyema became a Rotarian to fulfil his dream of touching lives and rendering service to humanity. He is a strong supporter of Rotary Foundation: he has held various positions, attended about eight international conventions and is a Six Star Paul Haris Fellow and a member of the Paul Haris Society, which is earned by only those who have given over $6000 to Rotary Foundation.

    Today, Onyema is the 33rd President of Rotary Club of Festac Town, Lagos, District 9110 Nigeria, whose investiture took place last month.

    “My passion for charity and service to humanity is excellent. It is one thing that I derive personal satisfaction from. I feel great solving people’s problem and helping others. Becoming a Rotarian in 2002 and now the President makes me happy to accomplish my dreams of making life better for people.”

    Being a President of the group, he said, offers him another opportunity to impact positively on the lives of people, saying: “It is my intention to touch all the areas of service in Rotary”.

    To boost economic and community development in FESTAC, his district under Onyema, trained and gave money and equipment to 15 indigents in the community. He also provided physiotherapist equipment to Beth-Torrey Home for the Handicap, inaugurated a borehole and installed water treatment plant at The Spinal Cord Injuries Association of Nigeria, Scian Village, Amuwo Odofin.

    Onyema described his one-year journey as a “very big task but is achievable”. “Indeed, the year will be exciting, fun and challenging. With all hands of my members involved. And I urged Rotarians in my club to donate their time, talent and treasure.”

    With a budget of about N25million for several project executions within the year, he said his administration hopes to inaugurate many projects in FESTAC Town and Amuwo Odofin. And because malaria cases are increasing and more people are dying from it, he added that his administration will make provision for disease control and prevention, adding they hope to put more smiles on the faces of many people.

    He said: “Within the next one year of my administration, we will construct six rooms toilet in Sosaid Charity Home and carry out other projects in The Maternal and Child Care Hospital, FESTAC Town. We will distribute treated mosquito nets; carry out health assessment/ screening of various diseases and supply clean bedding to General Hospital. We will sponsor two children in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos with hole in the heart surgery in India and also provide assessed equipment at the local government health centre. We are also going to construct and maintain a peace Triangle symbol and let people see and embrace peace in the market square and other places.”