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Tag: Ifako.

  • LAFROGRAMS celebrates at 50

    Lagos African Church Grammar School, Ifako, Agege (now Ifako Ijaiye), (LAFROGRAMS), is celebrating the golden jubilee.

    The school, established in 1969 by the African Church, is rolling out the drums to rejoice at 50.

    LAFROGRAMS was a force to reckon with in sports, especially in football, in the 70s. The school performed well in the Principals’ Cup, a football competition among government approved secondary schools in those days. Its coach, Kashimawo Laloko, aka Ameh, later became a prominent coach in Nigerian football. LAFROGRAMS also shone brightly in athletics and other sports.

    Read also: FG flags off 2019 school census

    In the academic world, the school was and is still known for excellence. The foundation laid by the first head teacher, the late Babatunde Bankole Majekodunmi and consolidated by his successor, the late Oke Osanyintolu, is still being maintained. Since LAFROGRAMS presented its first set of students for the West African School Certificate Examination in 1973, it has been performing well in external examinations.

    The National President of Lagos African Church Grammar School Old Students Association (LAFROSA), Moses Paul, said: “We the old students of LAFROGRAMS are happy to celebrate our alma mater. On Thursday, there will be an anniversary lecture, to be followed the next day by a novelty match/cultural day. The celebration will be rounded off on Sunday with a thanksgiving service at the African Church Cathedral, Ifako, from 10am.”

  • Accused faces spare parts theft charge

    A 34-year-old man, Gift Osita, was yesterday brought before an Ogudu Magistrates’ Court in Lagos for allegedly stealing motor spare parts.

    Osita, whose residential address is not provided, is being tried on a two-count charge of stealing and unlawful possession.

    Prosecuting Inspector Lucky Ihiehie told the court that the accused committed the offence on February 12 at about 2pm, at Dominion Supermarket, Diya Street, Ifako, Gbagada, Lagos State.

    He alleged that the defendant stole spare parts of a car at a supermarket parking lot.

    Ihiehie said the complainant, Mr. Olubila Odushina, caught the defendant when he was about escaping with the stolen items and shouted.

    Read also: Police vow to arrest killers of Okowa’s aide

    “When Osita was caught, he also had in his possession two Toyota saloon car chromes and a Honda CRV Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) chrome – values yet unknown,” he said.

    The prosecutor said the chromes found in the defendant’s possession were suspected to have also been stolen or unlawfully obtained.

    Osita pleaded not guilty.

    Magistrate E. Kubeinje granted the defendant N50,000 bail with two sureties in the like sum.

    She said the sureties must be employed and show evidence of two years tax payment to the Lagos State Government.

    The case continues on March 20.

  • Residents flee as monkeys invade Lagos community

    Invasion by monkeys from natural habitat is forcing many residents of Soluyi/Sosanya Community in Gbagada, Lagos State, to flee. Some of the residents told the News men in Lagos on Monday that they could no longer withstand the situation.

     They called on the state government to save the community from the trouble, saying that the animals forced their ways into their rooms, destroying window and door nets, food stuffs and other items.

     The Chairman of the community’s Landlord Association, Mr Adigun Olaleye, said that it had become difficult for the community to curtail the monkeys and their destructive attitude.

     He said that the invasion might have resulted from the nearness of the community to a swamp forest that separated the community from Ifako area.

     According to him, the monkeys come into residences at any time including early morning and gain entrance into rooms even if the houses are locked.

     Olalaye told the News men that the community had written a letter to the Lagos State Ministry of Agriculture as regards the situation but had yet to get a relief.

     “They said we would have to pay for them to come and pack the monkeys,” he said.  He said that the invasion had been on for years but recently became unbearable.

     Olaleye appealed to the state government to urgently intervene.

     Narrating her ordeal,  a journalist who lives in the community, Mrs Funmilola  Gboteku, told the News men that the monkeys had forced her family to flee.

     “Many times, these monkeys come to the neighbourhood to destroy our property. Once they see food items inside a house, they direct all their energies at gaining entrance forcefully.

     “The monkeys are in the habit of tearing the protective nets on windows to gain entrance and eat whatever they find in the house.“I have had to replace the protective nets several times;  I am tired of doing it.

     “I have been locking my windows but locking of windows has disadvantages; there is no cross ventilation in the house, and as a result, we suffer heat,’’ she told the News men.

    Read Also: Lagos seeks end to building collapse

     Another resident, Mr Gabriel Omopariwa, said that he was tired of the destructive attitude of the monkeys and had tried to look for ways to stop them, to no avail.

     “On several occasions, these monkeys have destroyed our kitchen nets to gain entrance and steal food items.  “Several traps have been set to capture and kill these demonic animals to no avail.

     “One of my neighbours, while trying to pour chemical on a monkey, fell in the bowl of the chemical; she had to be rushed to a hospital.  “She still lives with the scars from the unfortunate incident,”  he said.

     Mr Joshua Folowosele, a landlord, said that the monkeys entered his wife’s shop on many occasions to eat gala, biscuits and other foods.

     “We have tried to poison them on many occasions, but those monkeys are too smart; once they perceive the smell of the food, they usually detect it has been poisoned.

     “Some of them have been killed with guns, but we cannot keep shooting in a residential area; it is very risky.

     “Those of us who are landlords can testify that these monkeys have been disturbing us for years.

     “One of the landlords here had to sell his house to move to another place when he got tired of the disturbance,” Folowosele said.

     Another landlord, Mr Oluwatosin Aregbesola, told the News men that his tenants were no longer feeling safe in the house because of the monkeys.

    “The monkeys enter kitchens to eat our soups and any food stuff on the shelf.

    “The day I tried to catch one of them, the monkey attacked me by using its long nails to punch a hole on my neck and scratch my face,” he said. Aregbesola appealed to the state government to save the community from the menace.

    NAN

  • FMARD to empower 2m youths, women in 3 years

    FMARD to empower 2m youths, women in 3 years

    The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development ( FMARD ) says it will empower about two million Nigerian youths and women in the first three years of its new initiative, Livelihood Improvement Family Enterprise ( LIFE ).

    The LIFE Programme Coordinator, Ms Keke Bongos-Ikwue, disclosed this on Tuesday at the commencement of registration of LIFE cooperatives at Ojokoro LCDA in Ifako/Ijaye Local Government, Lagos state.

    Bongos-Ikwue said that the LIFE was an initiative of the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, targeting unemployed or underemployed women and youths.

    “We have been planning this programme for over two years and this is our first outing.

    “The pilot phase of the outing is being replicated in 24 states plus the Federal Capital Territory ( FCT ) simultaneously by different groups as we speak.

    Read also: Lagos empowers 150 women

    “We want to empower women and youths along the agricultural value chain of high value commodities like ground nut, palm products, wheat, rice, cashew nuts.

    “Also included are commodities like cassava, honey, cocoa, sugarcane, tomato, sesame seed, livestock dairy and aquaculture.

    “The second phase of this programme will cover the whole country within two years.

    “Research has shown that the major cause of insurgency is poverty and idleness; it has led many of the nation’s youth to look outside the country, causing them to become vulnerable and easily manipulated, and eventually some lose their lives.”

    The coordinator said the programme intended to directly empower approximately three million rural youths and women within five years of implementation.

    She added that it would also produce about 14 million metric tons of food in the 9,975 council wards across the 774 local government areas.

    According to her, the programme starts with registration of youths and women as LIFE clusters at the council/ward level to develop LIFE cooperative database.

    The LIFE coordinator said that all geopolitical zones in Nigeria would be visited, adding that the ministry was working with the state governments and local government authorities to achieve its aims.

    Ms Bongos-Ikwue said that the ministry was partnering with state and local governments, Bank of Industry, Bank of Agriculture, international partners and other ministries and agencies on the programme.

    The Special Adviser on Media to the Minister, Dr Olukayode Oyeleye, said that the programme was a developmental intervention, targeting an often overlooked and ignored group in Nigeria.

    Oyeleye said that the programme was to deal only with family enterprises, which had potential to grow.

    “This initiative is to help those already into small agribusiness to grow, who are constrained by finance or technology.

    “The team from FMARD has been divided into 12 to cover 24 states.

    “We will register the would-be beneficiaries and on the basis of the questionnaire they fill, we will collate and analyse to determine the kind of specific intervention to be given to each intended beneficiary.

    “The support we will grant them include access to finance, affordable agricultural inputs for sustainable production, agro-processing and packaging.

    “A robust marketing system that connects rural food surplus to urban cities will also be put in place for efficient market linkage and access,’’ Oyeleye said.

    Also speaking to the LIFE group in his office, the Lagos State Commissioner for Agriculture, Mr Oluwatoyin Suarau commended the initiative but called for caution by the team.

    “We are in the time of politics and you cannot afford to give these would-be beneficiaries money as past experience shows that they can misuse it.

    “Also the age group you are concentrating on, which is 18 years to 35 years, are still majorly students, you have to ensure that your beneficiaries have tangible, visible existing farms or enterprise.

    “You also have to monitor these farmers very well to ensure success of the programme.

    “On our part in the state, we will work with you to verify and identify your beneficiaries.

    “Once again, I want to thank you for including Lagos in the pilot stage of this intervention,’’ the commissioner said.

    NAN

  • Community leaders sue for peace in Ifako, Oworo

    Leaders of Ifako community have appealed to residents of the area to continue to live in peace with their neighbours in Oworonshoki.

    Their spokesman, Otunba Adeoye Ogundunmade, said the appeal became necessary because of violence in both communities.

    Ogundunmade, the Otun Baale of Ifako, said Ifako was not under Oworonshoki, adding that only five hectares of land were released by the Lagos State Government to the Oworo family by virtue of a 1994 consent judgment in suit ID /390/94 delivered by Justice Olayinka Adagun (rtd).

    The five hectares, he said, were carved out from the 5000 hectares of land in Oworoshoki/Oko-Cole compulsorily acquired by the defunct Western Region in 1958.

    Ogundunmade said the Saliu family, in an October 12, 1994 letter, accepted the five hectares “in full and final settlement of their claim to the land”.

    Ogundunmade said he has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) to complain about the acts of thuggery by some people.

    He listed Waidi aka Obasanjo, Supol, Barrister, Sondoko and Nuru aka  Aremo as those fuelling the crisis.

    Baale of Ifako, Chief Sule Kadiri said Ifako was not under Oworo, stating: “There are four ruling houses in Ifako namely, Kadiri, Oso-Are, Okedeyi and Omotosho ruling houses.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, I want to emphasise that Ifako is not a town appendix to, or under Oworonshoki. The two towns are separate and distinct communities”.

    He traced Ifako history to 1765 when Pa Sanni Oso-Are, a descendant of the Oloto Royal family of Lagos, founded the community and became its first Baale.

    “His brother Okedeyi Oso-Are who had joined him became the second Baale . Asani  Oso-Are became the third Baale,” the Baale  said.

     

  • Ifako community rejects Oworonnsoki as overlord

    The people Ifako in Kosofe Local Government Area of Lagos State have rejected Oworonsoki as overlord of their community.

    Baale of Ifako Chief Sule Kadiri, who was installed in October 29, 1991, said he derived his authority from the late Oloto of Otto, Oba Ganiyu Odesanya. Hes said till date, there are four ruling houses in Ifako – Kadiri, Oso–Are, Okedeyi and Omotosho.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, I want to emphasise that Ifako is not a town appendix to, or under Oworonshoki. The two towns are separate and distinct communities,” Kadiri said.

    He traced the history of Ifako to 1765, when Pa Sanni Oso- Are, a descendant of the Ototo Royal family of Lagos founded the community and became its first Baale.

    His brother Pa Okedeyi Oso–Are, he said, became the second Baale. Asani Oso–Are was the third.

    Otun Baale of Ifako, Chief Adeoye Ogundumade, said the incubent Baale, “has an enviable birth right to the throne, as he has royal blood flowing in him”

    He hailed men of the Lagos State Task Force on Land Grabbing for their maturity when he was invited to their office few weeks ago following a petition by a traditional ruler in Oworonshoki, laying claim to a land in Ifako

    “I spent four hours there explaining situation and providing them with proof and documents. They realised it was a frivolous petition. I was asked to go. Nobody took a penny from me,” he said.

  • COTH charges youths to live right

    COTH charges youths to live right

    The Senior Pastor of the City on the Hill (COTH) Eternity Christian Fellowship, Pastor Daniel Ocheme has charged the youths of this present generation to live the a live that is right and worthy of emulation.

    Ocheme made this call during the gathering of the faithful on Saturday at the Lagos Province 23, Area 28 of  the Kings church of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Ifako.

    According to the priest, “this fellowship is from the instruction of God. It is to get the lost and wandering youth, change their lives and raise great leaders that would be useful for God’s glory.

    “As a youth, you do just three things to make it in life; just move much close to God, walk with the right people in life and follow the right principle of life. So just tap into the covenant and just believe, ” Ocheme said.

    In the same vein, Mr. Ayoola Joseph encouraged the youths to live up to the expectation of their creator by living a fulfilled life. In his words, “life is a choice, you choose to live even your parent can’t choose for you. There are four assignment to do in life: be a born again, discover your purpose in life, find the right people to walk with and seek their knowledge and pay the price to get the prize”, Joseph concluded.

    On her own part, Miss Serah Okeke encouraged the youth to be self-disciplined because this the best generation that they could ever be.

    Later on, the coordinator {Ocheme} in his short exhortation encouraged the youths that “it is high time to wake up from the shackles the devil has put us into. It is your redemption that makes you succeed in and being a child of God matter most and it is only changed people that can change the world,” he concluded.