The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FESTAC

  • ‘Tackling housing deficit challenge’

    ‘Tackling housing deficit challenge’

    The Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, has given hope on house ownership to the low and medium income earners under the Federal Government’s housing schemes. In an interactive session with select journalists, she says the initiative will eradicate the pains of securing titles to landed properties. MUYIWA LUCAS was there. 

    Affordable housing for low income earners

    he  Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs Akon Eyakenyi, said several factors are responsible for the rising cost of construction and housing units. She listed cost of land, building materials, titling, among others as militating against the smooth delivery of housing to Nigerians.

    Mrs. Eyakenyi agreed that the cost of rent in the country is high for the common person. “It is a fact that in Abuja, you see many buildings lying unoccupied because the rents are high,”. she admitted.

    giving reasons for this, the minister explained that it is usually hinged on the cost of building construction materials. Therefore, she is of the opinion that if the ministry is able to control, persuade and affect the stakeholders in the industry to bring down their prices for the cost of building materials, the end result, that is, rent, will be low.

    Besides, the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), is in place to assist more Nigerians get their own house.

    The government, she said, is aware of the financial requirement of this institution and that is why it is  taking its recapitalisation as very serious matter. Apart from FMBN, there are other Primary Mortgage Institutions (PMIs), who are also involved in mortgage financing aimed at providing affordable housing for Nigerians, a task she said, necessitated suport for the FMBN. “That is what led to the emergence of Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC). The NMRC is not to nullify or affect what FMBN is doing, but to serve as the clearing house of refinancing the PMIs.

    As the FMBN is undertaking the mortgage of a certain number, other PMIs are also doing. When they (mortgage institutions) defray what they have, NMRC’s responsibility is to refinance them. That’s the essence,”. she explained.

     

    Benef from govt housing schemes

    Mrs Ekayenyi explained that the mortgage for the “off takers” would be carried by the PMIs. The “off-takers” in this perception, are the civil servants firstly, because they are contributors to the National Housing Fund (NHF), through the monthly deductions from their salary. That is the money that goes into serving as down payment for their mortgage, usually either 10 or 20 per cent before the FMBN now take over the remaining amount to pay, and spread it over a tenor. So, she further clarifed, if they were contributors to the NHF, their money will be used to take care of the required 10 or 20 per cent and then the rest will be handled by the FMBN or PMIs.

    For the private sector, interested companies, she said, can approach the ministry to help initiate a housing estate for them. “We will go put up an estate for them and they will pay. The non-salaried people or the informal sector mortgage and housing development programme was launched in December 2011 and the intention is to address the housing needs of Nigerians that are not in formal sector, for example mechanics, drivers,” she said. These categories of Nigerians are expected to come through a cooperative society. There are two schemes in this category. The first is the cooperative estate development loan- that is, the loan that is given to the cooperative society itself to build houses. Then the second category is the cooperative mortgage programme. The first batch of this mortgage facility will be rolled out very soon. “We have about 200 housing units in this category that are being built by the First World Community. It is not just the private people that can do cooperative society housing initiative,”. Ekayenyi said. An example is that being done by the Federal Medical Practitioners Cooperative society, Abakaliki, who came together to do contributions, bought land on their own through their contributions, and started the construction of hosuing units with  the funds for the over 200 members. In addition they have also bought a land for another 100 people. The minister said the society have now  written the ministry, seeking how to get the FMBN to back them up to complete that structure.

     

    Portal for house ownership

    The minister disclosed that a portal  that will give Nigerians access to apply to own a home of their own, housingfinance.gov.ng on the website of NMRC (go www.nigeria.nmrc.ng), has been launched. On the protal is a form to fill by people interested in owning a house of your own through the NMRC process. “You will also have the choice to choose where you want your house to be. If you have a land already, the location may also determine where your house will be,”she said.

     

    Housing data survey

    Mrs. Ekayenyi said the ministry has  developed a framework for conducting a national housing survey with the overriding goal of establishing whether Nigerians are adequately housed or not. The survey will help to establish the actual number of housing deficit in the country instead of relying on forecasts. also, this initiative, she further said, will make government to know the quantum of investment needed to meaningfully address the housing gap as well as the capacity requirement for transforming the housing and urban development sector on a sustainable basis. One advantage of this process, she noted, is that it will also help the ministry of lands and housing to know how many people need a house, say for example, in Akwa-Ibom state. The survey will also show the gap as it will reveal housing under occupation and over occupation. Apart from that, through the NMRC, a website for people to register their needs for houses has been opened. “Again another thing the survey will help us achieve is to ensure that one person owns one shelter. We have a criterion that will detect all these needs and so we will be able to tackle whoever tries to be smart by not disclosing the whole truth. We are not saying we would do 100 per cent, but we will ensure that the people that we are targeting- the low income, the middle income have access to the buildings when they are ready,” she assured.

     

    Building code

    The minister explained that a building code specifies how to construct buildings, how to retain them, how to look after them, the specifications and everything, so it’s not a law. “Nobody is canvassing for it to be a law, the law we are asking for is a law to enforce it. So if you don’t follow the code, we can use the law to now get at you. You can be taken to court for not following building code. Building code itself is not a law because if you make it a law, you will have to go back to review it anything you desire to make an amended to building standards,” she said. This is in line with the fast pace of global development which transcend the  construction industry. So the building code is to be reviewed regularly, every two years, minimum. “We have set up a 12-man implementation committee on this. One of it is the improved land titling process committee. That committee has been assigned the responsibility of getting in touch with the state governors. I have also personally spoken, written letters to the state commissioners on land and housing matters, on the need to release land titles promptly.

    It is a fact that if you own a land without the certificate of occupancy (C of O) the title, you cannot have a real value for your house or for the land,” she said.

     

    Encroachment on govt properties

    Mrs. Ekayenyi cited as a classic example the FESTAC town, Lagos. she explained that government has  put a process in motion for the restoration of FESTAC town to its past glory. The same thing, she said, will be applicable to other government properties that have been abandoned and needs restoration. “We have identified that one major problem facing federal government landed properties, is that of encroachment,” she said. The minister further explained that when land is acquired and it is left for a long time, the indigenes of the community, get in to tamper with it not knowing that when government acquires land, it is not just for the now. “It is for the future projection for development, so you wouldn’t expect that a particular administration will complete developing the hundreds of hectares of land acquired; government will only cut a section, develop it, and then the next government that comes take it up again,” she said. Citing as example the occurrences during the Alhaji Sheu Shagari era, where mass area was acquired in almost all the states for construction of housing schemes, “Shagari estate”. “A section of it was developed. We have mass areas left which this administration will continue from there. Unfortunately, the indigenes, when they see the land lying idle for a long time, they get in to encroach. We’ve tried our best to ensure that we check that,” she said. For those who have encroached on government properties already, she said: “where we can demolish we will, where we cannot, we make them to buy into it for us to regularise then give title and get them to pay some penalties for moving into the land without permission.”

     

    Debts to contractors

    The minister though agreed that the ministry is indebted to contractors, however said in some instances, such debts were not deliberately owed. “You should also know that several factors could have led to that- maybe they (contractors) didn’t finish their work on time, or the money that was released was not enough. But we’ve started paying as the money is released. We owe some people, some dating back to 2010, 2012 and 2013,” she explained. Presently, Mrs. Ekayenyi disclosed that her ministry has secured funds, about N2 billion to pay debts relating to 2012. However, clarified that it is impossible for the ministry to pay all outstanding debts this year due to the allocation to the ministry. Also, another reason is that at the end of the year, funds that are not utilised are taken back to government purse and some contractors delay in completing their projects early enough and the money cannot be made to wait for them in the accounts.

  • Four feared dead in Lagos clash

    Four feared dead in Lagos clash

    •Nobody was killed, says NSCDC

    Four persons were feared killed on Monday evening in Festac, Amuwo-Odofin, Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos, following a clash between operatives of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Neighbourhood Watch, and traders.

    The incident occurred in front of the council’s secretariat on 41 Road, Festac about 4pm, when some traders whose stores were demolished in Alakija area protested the seizure of their good.

    Sources said the council had ordered men of the Neighbourhood Watch to demolish the shops that were tagged illegal.

    However, during the demolition, the traders attempted to salvage what was left of their wares without success as the wares were loaded into the operational vehicle of the officials who insisted that they were seized goods.

    They also tried to seize the money machine of an operator of the popular ‘Baba Ijebu’ lotto centre.

    Sources said the area boys and some members of the National Union of Road Transport Worker (NURTW), who had staked their money in the lotto and were waiting for the result, resisted the move.

    The council was said to have invited two patrol teams of OP-MESSA, comprising policemen and soldiers, to arrest the situation.

    Operatives of the OP-MESSA were said to have arrested about eight of the traders and transport union members and later released them on realising the illegality of the arrest.

    At Alakija, there was a free-for-all between the traders, NURTW members and the Neighbourhood Watch during which broken bottles and other weapons were freely used.

    The Nation gathered that during the fight, the wares seized were moved to the council’s secretariat even as the protesting traders followed them.

    As the protest went on, operatives of NSCDC made futile attempt to disperse the traders. An NSCDC operative allegedly opened fire on the protesters, killing about four and injured many.

    The wounded were rushed to some private hospitals in the area, where they are being treated.

    Area ‘E’ Commander, Dan Okoro, an Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), confirmed the incident, but could not confirm the number of casualties.

    He said investigation was ongoing, adding that he had briefed Commissioner of Police Umar Manko on the incident.

    The NSCDC spokesperson, Chibuzor Mefor said the allegation is not true.

    He said: “Our men did not kill anybody as far as we know. What happened was that a mob besieged the Chairman of Amuwo-Odofin Local Government and the Secretariat. To protect him, our men shot into the air. Even nobody was injured.”

  • Reprieve coming for FESTAC residents

    Reprieve coming for FESTAC residents

    Seyi Odewale reports about the degradation of FESTAC Town and the recent visit of the minister who promised to look into it.

    THE Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mrs. Akon Eyakenyi  has promised to come to the rescue of FESTAC Town residents who have been crying for the maintenance of the roads there.

    According to her, “I was planning to come, but that cry (on NTA Newsline) touched me as a mother and I decided to come straight here to see what is going on with my people. On arrival, the Chairman (Local Council boss) and the Managing Director of Federal Housing Authority (FHA) took us round the entire town, Festac Phase One and Phase Two.  In going round, I have seen the problems facing the residents here-the sewage; the roads; the water problem and the structures.”

    The minister who paid an unscheduled visit to the Town on May 4 drew attention to the residents’ plights which is reputed to be the first prime estate owned by the Federal Government. The degradation the town has suffered over decades, they said, must be addressed. To the residents, living in Festac Town is tantamount to hell.

    Originally referred to as Festival Town or Festac Village, it derived its name from the acronym of the Second World Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) held in 1977.  It was built to house participants of the festival that drew participants from the world over, particularly, black nations of the world. The estate originally consisted of 5,000 contemporary houses and seven avenues and was designed to accommodate about 45,000 visitors and any Nigerian worker or officer working at the festival.

    The Federal Government invested substantially into making the town the best when it was built. It had state-of-the-art facilities; power generators for uninterrupted power supply; police and fire stations; supermarkets; health centres; public rest rooms and postal services. “It was built to evoke the modern age and the promise of state sponsored economic development fuelled by oil revenues,” a report said.

    Lost glory

    After the festival, the Federal Government allocated the housing and landed properties to eventual owners, who participated in a ballot. Initial winners were prevented from renting and disposing of the properties to third parties. But unfortunately, the glamour, beauty and serenity the place boasted of had long vanished and have been replaced by degradation, abandonment and insecurity.

    The degradation in Festac, in the words of the President, Festac Residents Association, Mr. Jola Ogunlusi, is more than what the Federal Housing Authority (FHA), the parastatal in-charge of the estate and any of such owned by the Federal Government across the country, could handle. “When the World Habitat was here, we discussed with them and we told them that it’s beyond the FHA and they agreed with us. We need the intervention of the Federal Government. The World Habitat said they will assist us with $12million, but its been over for years now,” he said while explaining to the Minister the reason why the residents cried out for the world to hear.

    He continued: “We are afraid that Festac is a sand-filled area. It may soon sink if proper care is not taken. We would have seen a few places they have taken you to and those who are responsible for the degradation are not living here.”

    Ogunlusi, who earlier expressed displeasure of the association to the minister and the council chairman for not carrying the residents along when the minister was being conducted around, said in Yoruba language that: “Aa kii fari lehin olori”, meaning : “You don’t shave someone’s head in his absence”. He said: “The Minister Ma, what you have done is barbing our heads in our absence. You should have included us when you are being conducted round. This is because we are the residents and we know where the shoes pinch us most. Nevertheless, you have being taken around to see the place.”

    The Minister earlier in her address, said: “I want to say that the provision of the establishment of Festac by the government was one way of reaching out to Nigerians to enable them have affordable housing. That approach is still ongoing. That is why we have the prototype housing projects across the country.”

    She said it is not the provision of houses that is important, but the maintenance, which cannot be done alone by the government. “For example, as we are moving around, we saw some structures that are dirty and dilapidated. It is not government that will maintain your structure for you,” she said.

    She added: “Today, I have gone round, I have seen it and I’m also aware that about a year ago, a committee was set up when my predecessor was in office. And I have directed that the report of that committee must come to my table. And when that is done, we would look into the report by a smaller group or committee to see which area needs urgent attention. Particularly the sewage, something would be done very soon. Government cannot handle what we have seen here alone. We will look into Public/Private Partnership (PPP).”

    The Amuwo-Odofin Local Council Development Chairman, Ayodele Adewale, whose council supervises Festac Town, in his welcome address, hinted that the Minister had conceded to the idea of PPP, which according to him would address the degradation the estate had experienced.

    “The Minister has gone round the estate, and has seen all the infrastructures that are challenged. She has visited Six Avenue, where the estate’s land is being encroached upon. She has seen that our roads need attention.  She has been taken to the spot where we had boat mishap and has seen that we need a bridge in that area. She has agreed that only the PPP can solve the problem of Festac,” he said.

    The Minister corroborated him: “We have agreed with the chairman on what to do with the issue of security. I want to call on the residents to be patient with us and in a little time we will restore the lost glory of Festac.”

    Among other issues complained about by the residents is double taxation they pay. To them, it is not that they do not want to pay, but paying double taxes on the same issue is not only oppressive, it is condemnable.

    “We are in court for reason on the revenue. It is not that residents are not willing to pay the revenue, but they want us to pay the same rate in two ways and when that happens it’s like burning our candle at both ends. We face land use charge from the Lagos State government and Ground rent from the FHA. To us, it is the same thing, land and ground; it’s all semantics”, Ogunlusi explained.

    According to him, the rule under land use Act says where there is a Federal Government estate, state government cannot charge rates there because they envisaged that the FHA would charge rates there. “But now, we being subjected to two rates and that is why we clamour for harmonisation and when it is done, I will hold meeting with my people to see whether the rates are payable or not,” he said.

    The Minister, however, directed that the reports of the two committees set up by her predecessor must be ready last Monday for further decisions to be taken. She said although the time was short, but it could be achieved if the committees are committed to the assignment.

     

  • Cynthia: ‘Primary suspects specialise in drugging, raping girls’

    Cynthia: ‘Primary suspects specialise in drugging, raping girls’

    • Court admits confessional statements of defendants

    A Lagos High Court,  Igbosere, yesterday heard that the alleged murderers of Facebook lover, Cynthia Osokogu had it all planned few days before she was killed.

    How Olisaeloka Ezike (second defendant) went to Agboju Market at the instance of Okumo Nwabufo (first defendant) and purchased chain and
    celotape, which they used in ‘killing’ Cynthia was disclosed by a prosecution witness, Joseph Edo.

    Led in Evidence by the state Attorney General, Ade Ipaye, Edo told the court that “it is the defendants’ stock-in-trade to invite women to
    hotels, drug and rape them”.

    He told the Justice Olabisi Akinlade presided court that Okumo and Ezike had it in mind to kill Cynthia on her arrival in Lagos.

    “From my investigation, I discovered that the first defendant sent the second defendant to Agboju Market to buy the instruments they used for the operation-Chain and Celotape- few days before Cynthia was killed.

    “The second defendant (Ezike) after getting the items and while still at the market, used his phone to snap them and forwarded the picture to the first defendant (Nwabufo).

    “He equally sent Nwabufo a text message from his phone asking if “this was the chain and celotape you asked me to buy?”.
    “Nwabufo replied Ezike that it will be okay for the job. The messages are all in their phones,” Edo said.

    Continuing, the witness told the court that he also discovered that the third defendant, Orji Osita, who is a pharmacist, aided the primary
    suspects to commit the crime by supplying them the Rohypnol used in subduing the deceased before they carried out the killing.

    He said the fourth defendant, Nonso Ezike dishonestly received Cynthia’s Blackberry phone from his elder brother who is the second defendant.

    “It was discovered that it was not the first phone he (Nonso) bought from the second defendant and he has knowledge of the first and second
    defendants stock-in-trade.

    “They specialise in bringing in ladies into hotel room, enticing them with
    one or two things and then rape them,” Edo said.

    Earlier, Justice Akinlade admitted in evidence, the confessional statements and video evidence made at Festac Police Station on August 20, 2012 by Nwabufo and Ezike admitting the murder.

    In a ruling delivered on the admissibility of the statements made by the first and second defendants, after they alleged that their statements were
    gotten under durex, Justice Akinlade held that their allegations before the court were concocted as there was no evidence to buttress their
    claims.

    She said the prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt the statements were voluntarily made, adding that from her examination of the
    confessional statements, the handwritings of the defendant did not show they were under torture to write them.

    “The defendants were questioned in an open place and were also asked by the Area Commander if they made their statements voluntarily, which they attested in the affirmative.

    “Moreover, from the video evidence, the defendants looked well and untortured. It was when the Area Commander realised their narration was the same as contained in their confessional statements that he requested for a cameraman to video them.

    “I hereby rule that the prosecution has proven its case in the trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the confessional
    statements made by the first and second defendants on August 20, 2012 at Festac Police Station were voluntary.

    “I hereby admit the confessional statements and video evidence made by the defendants and tendered by the prosecution as exhibits,” she held.

    The matter has been adjourned to March 13 for continuation of trial.

     

  • PLANTASHUN BOYZ working on collaboration—Faze

    PLANTASHUN BOYZ working on collaboration—Faze

    FAZE, one of the members of the defunct music group, Plantashun Boyz, has revealed plans for a collaborative work with other members of the group.

    He made this disclosure after the performance of the Plantashun Boyz on February 2, in Festac Town, Lagos.

    Faze, who is working on a new album due for release in March, said,“I am working on my album titled Descender. We are looking at March. Very soon, we will put up a date for it. I am thinking of including a song that Plantashun Boyz did in the album. It feels memorable; it feels good. It is not the first time we will be doing such, anyway. It really feels great and exciting to sing together again. My videos of two singles, Lambo and Ifeoma, will soon be out. I am also working on a new single, which will be released soon.

    “We have been working together, though we all have our busy schedules. I believe the time will come for that.We worked on it, but we have not really finished it. It is in the making. We are all busy pursuing our solo careers and other things. Very soon, an album should drop from Plantashun Boyz.”

  • Gwarinpa: ugly face of Abuja’s largest estate

    Gwarinpa: ugly face of Abuja’s largest estate

    In size, it has no rival. In beauty, only a few can compare. Gwarinpa Estate is to Abuja what the famous Festac Estate is to Lagos.

    It is a mega housing estate, boasting some of the most enchantingly designed houses. It was designed and built by the government of the late General Sani Abacha.

    The estate, many agree, is the largest housing estate in West Africa. It is also the largest of its kind in Nigeria. It sits on an expanse of land measuring about 1090 hectares with seven residential areas marked by avenues. It is no doubt the home for the well-to-do in Abuja. They all converge here seeking to establish a niche of their own within this vast area of habitation.

    Gwarinpa, apart from the masterpiece in designs and architecture, boasts of beautiful road networks. The roads within the estate are linked together, making it accessible for vehicular movement. All these features make the estate a notch above other residential areas in Abuja, except a few like Maitama and Asokoro.

    But an estate, which was once the toast of many residents of Abuja is gradually declining into a cesspit, thanks in part to the neglect of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board (AEPB) which is supposed to ensure that the estate remains clean by getting rid of its waste.

    In May this year, residents of the once beautiful estate accused the Abuja administration of failing in its duties to ensure prompt and regular waste disposal, thereby causing health hazards. The residents said that the infrequent disposal of waste by the AEPB posed health hazards to them, adding that they are beginning to find heaps of waste littering the major roads disgusting and annoying.

    However, of all the residential avenues within the estate, 1st, 2nd and 3rd avenues are quite notorious for indiscriminate dumping of waste. This is because they are high activity areas with markets, commercial outlets and villages.

    When Abuja Review visited some of the avenues in the estate, heaps of waste were visible. The ever- busy 3rd Avenue was the most abused. Heaps of garbage littered the estate. When our correspondent asked why the place was littered with refuse, some of the residents said that the board had shown “laxity” in carrying out its duty for some time now.

    A resident civil servant who pleaded anonymity, explained that most times, waste remained in front of his house for days. The resulting odour, he says, pervades the environment. This, he says, ensures that some of them who reside in that environment do not spend time outside in the evening.

    He called on the board to be more serious and committed in the discharge of its duties, stressing that the absence of an efficient waste disposal strategy posed a threat to human life.

    Jibran, a businessman and resident of 1st avenue disclosed that it is saddening to see that waste lay unattended for long periods around the estate.

    According to him, “This is not acceptable. There are people in charge of disposing this waste. Anytime I pass round some areas in the estate, I see waste by the road side.”

    Jibran called on the board to assist in keeping the environment clean by assigning a monitoring unit to always move round to ensure proper waste disposal.

    A housewife in 2nd avenue who gave her name as Sarah, explained that people bring out waste from their homes on daily basis, which if not properly disposed, would continue to pile up.

    She said it was unhealthy for waste to pile up in residential areas for days. She advised that the relevant authorities be alive to their responsibilities so that the environment could remain clean and habitable.

    Corroborating the existence of indisposed waste in the estate, as a long practice, Gboyega, a former resident of the estate and a journalist with a radio station in Abuja, explained that the estate, for a period of time, was littered with heap of waste, adding that 3rd avenue was the most abused in terms of indisposed waste.

    ”I stayed there for two years (2010 – 2012). During that period, trucks that came to collect waste came once in a week at least to pick people’s wastes they put in front of their gates. It was easy for those that stayed in 3rd avenue to drop their wastes in black leather bags or plastic bins. It will remain for days before they will come and pack it. Imagine the heap of dirt that would have gathered before another week.

    ”For those that stayed around 3rd Avenue village, the case was different. Most of the residents dumped their waste by the road side for AEPB to come and pack. It normally blocks the gutter. In fact, for a long time, the gutters (drainages) were not working because of blockage, due to indiscriminate dumping of waste by the road side.”

    Another resident of the estate who gave his name as Segun called for a campaign by AEPB against the indiscriminate dumping of waste by residents. He observed that dumping of waste in the estate was an abuse of the environment. “It is something we all have to work together to curtail. A good campaign on indiscriminate dumping of waste for residents of the estate will go a long way to reduce the problem. There is need for residents to know the implications of abusing the environment.”

    Explaining the effects or dangers indisposed waste pose to human health, an Abuja base Radiologist, Dr. Augustine Ogah, explained that indisposed waste, when they decompose, release bacteria and parasite that cause diarrhoea, worm infection, typhoid and skin diseases. According to him, “when flies, rodents and cockroach come in contact with waste, they transmit diarrhoea diseases.”

    Reacting to the accusation of laxity by the board in performing its duties within the estate, the Head, Information and Outreach Programme of the board, Joe Ukairo, blamed the problem of waste in the state on lack of adequate waste bins in homes and commercial premises.

    He accused the residents of dumping their wastes on the ground instead of using the waste bins made available by the administration.

    He said: “Gwarinpa is quite large and we have two contractors handling the area. The major challenge in Gwarinpa district is lack of adequate waste bins in homes and commercial premises in that estate. Where there are no waste bins or the available ones are inadequate to containerise waste from the point of generation, litters and floor dumps cannot be avoided. So the first step towards a sustainable waste management is proper containerization; this is in line with global best practices.

    “The contractors collect waste from homes at least twice in a week and this is good enough. Where the waste bins are available and adequate, once a week collection will not be too bad.

    ”But what we have observed especially in Gwarinpa and other locations with blocks of flats is that they dump their waste on bare ground or into a “make shift” waste receptacle that fills up in less than 24 hrs giving rise to litters, floor dumps and unsightly/ unhealthy conditions. The contractors are working but before they can come back for the second routine in a week, the waste receptacles are overflowing because they are inadequate.

    “Our people are wonderful. However, people’s attitude towards environment sustainability is very poor. Majority of the residents do not pay the bills for the services rendered; knowing full well that the services come with a cost. Some cannot even lift a finger to take charge of their immediate environment which is their sole responsibility. They will wait for government to do everything for them which is not possible. The number one challenge we face as an agency in the discharge of our duty is negative attitude of people towards the environment.

    ”AEPB in her effort to right this wrong has begun the dust bin enforcement programme. In the past two months, we have been working in Gwarinpa through the mobile court to deal with defaulters accordingly. Firstly, abatement notices are served on erring households or business premises to procure required number of waste bin(s) within a specified time. At the expiration of given time, the team will go back for compliance monitoring. Where there is compliance it becomes a win – win situation but where the defaulters did not comply, a mobile court will be set in motion to prosecute the defaulters.”

     

  • New reality show seeks band enthusiasts

    About a year after it’s unveil in Nigeria; the Global Battle of the Bands (GBOB) was, on Saturday, November 15, officially set rolling. At the flag off ceremony held at Carat 24, FESTAC Estate, Lagos, organisers of the talent hunt project promised that the show is out to give succour to talented musicians in the country.

    GBOB’s regional Director for Nigeria and West Africa, Mr. Ray Charles Ogolo stated that the hunt is aimed towards rewarding musicians in Nigeria and Africa, who have imbibed the culture of playing with a band, as well as providing a platform for them to showcase their inert skills, all wrapped around their culture.

    “Our task in Nigeria as the franchise for Africa is to organise a regional competition where people shall vote for the best band at the national final. The winner shall then represent Nigeria at the world finals. Our mission is to give back to the musicians, providing a fair play for all music genres, giving them access to be heard and perform in the global stage as well as showcase our unique cultural heritage to the world,” Ogolo stated.

    Tagged Play Passionately for the Motherland, Ogolo revealed that with over 35 countries are actively participating in GBOB, the regional heats come up in Uyo and Owerri later this month while the national finals come up in Lagos in December. The world finals, he said, would be taking place in Thailand come February 2014.

    “GBOB is indeed a sign of relief for music lovers and industry players who have been shortchanged and deprived of authentic soothing and impactful songs. GBOB has the vision to transcend your natural music endowments having modern technologies in the world as a tool to deliver youth cultures, lifestyle and unique sound of our region to the rest of the world, not only as a tourism export but as a means to a chartered form of wealth creation,” Ogolo added.

     

  • Fear of robbers grips FESTAC residents

    Armed robbers under the name, ‘one million boys,’ are allegedly terrorising residents of FESTAC Town in the Amowo-Odofin Local Government Area (LGA) of Lagos State.

    It was learnt that the hoodlums, who usually come in their dozens during every operation, have been giving residents sleepless nights.

    The robbers are said to have invaded 401 Road on three occasions, maiming victims and carting away valuables worth millions of naira. They have also visited residents of 512, 322 and 201 Roads, leaving blood and tears in their wake.

    According to reports, the hoodlums usually attack residents living in blocks of flats and operated between the hours of 3:30am and 4:30am without any challenge from security operatives.

    Last Wednesday, the robbers allegedly operated on 201 Road, about 200 meters away from the FESTAC Divisional Police Station, without any intervention from the law enforcement agents.

    During the operation, they robbed virtually every flat in about five streets within the neighbourhood. Residents, who had no money, after receiving the beating of their lives, were dispossessed of valuables worth millions of naira.

    One of the victims, who sought anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the bandits, comprised teenagers who “looked too hungry and harassed.” According to him, they took away cash, his mobile telephone, television sets and musical systems.

    At 401 Road ‘F’ Close, the robbers attacked residents in four flats at the ground floor of the three-storey building. In one of the flats, a 68-year-old man was said to have been hit with a hammer on the head when they found no money on him.

    However, when the robbers visited 512 Road, youths in the area summoned the courage to challenge them, but were forced on a retreat with the robbers’ sporadic gunshots.

    Residents now want the police to intensify security patrol around the time the bandits usually operate to check their activities. They pleaded with the Commissioner of Police, Umar Manko to urgently rise to the situation..

    But a senior police officer at the Area ‘E’ Command, FESTAC said yesterday that the police had arrested five of the suspected members of the ‘one million boys.’

    “They are helping us in our investigations and in no time, the gang will be history. Those in our custody have confessed already and they have disclosed their mode of operation to us. We are trailing other members of the gang and we will get them soon,” he said.