The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Indiscriminate

  • Stop indiscriminate pasting of posters

    SIR: I wish to draw attention to the indiscriminate pasting of posters by political aspirants particularly in Lagos State as the elections draw near and the need for caution in order to ensure that the law prevails in all things.

    The days ahead will witness lawless pasting of posters in different parts of the state on walls of bridges, public infrastructures and private buildings alike. This was seen in primaries of political parties not excluding the All Progressives Party where the whole city of Lagos State was flooded with posters of Governor Akinwumi Ambode and Jide Sanwoolu.

    There is a law that regulates the pasting of posters and erecting of signage in Lagos State. It is called Lagos State Signature and Advertisement Law enacted in 2006 and the agency that enforces its provisions is Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency. I have seen on walls of buildings, both public and private the warning –”Don’t paste posters here”, only to be met by defiance by people, mostly politicians.

    Just about three years ago at the inception of Ambode’s government, several repainting and refurbishing of public infrastructures particularly bridges were carried on and one of the hallmarks of the refurbishment was the washing of posters on public buildings. Unfortunately the same government has in recent time watched the disobedience to its rules by political actors. More unfortunate is that public fund shall be used to remedy the disobedience of the law.

    I am sure persons who did pasting of posters on walls of public infrastructure are either ignorant of the implication of their acts or unconcerned with the consequence of their acts.

    The disregard of such simple law tells again what Lagosians as indeed the Nigerian populace should expect from political aspirants especially political office holders seeking reelection into offices in the next election. It is important that attention of public officers, law enforcement agents saddled with ensuring compliance with the provisions and tenets of the law stand firm and ensure that the rule of law prevails on all citizens of the state.

     

    • Odunola Abayomi, Esq Lagos State.

  • LG boss warns against indiscriminate dumping of waste

    The Executive Chairman of Oto-Awori LCDA, Lagos, Prince Musibau Adekunle Asafa has warned that indiscriminate dumping of waste can cause imminent danger to citizens’ wellbeing.

    He said this during a sensitization visit by the Special Adviser to the Governor on Cleaner Lagos Initiative(CLI), Hon Adebola Shabi to Ijanikin International Market .

    “Keeping our surrounding clean is a measure in ensuring sustainable development and habitable environment. I will do my best to rid the council of refuse by resensitizing the teeming populace on the need to embrace the Cleaner Lagos Initiative.”

    Asafa  said the recent initiative by the Lagos State government was a welcome development.

    He urged the public to support the drive as it is geared towards addressing challenges of solid waste management in the state thereby protecting the environment, health and social living standard of residents.

    According to the Special Adviser, the policy is aimed at ensuring and promoting cleaner, safer and healthier environment.

    “Our waste can be recycled and be turned to renewable energy, this is part of the initiative.

    The idea will help keep our wards safe from kidnapping, ritualists and accidents.”

    “This sensitization will be followed by an enforcement which the Council’s Environment Department must adhere strictly to.”

    “We want to appeal to you that street trading or hawking on the expressway will not be tolerated, buying and selling is only allowed in the market, anybody who is caught in the act will be sanctioned,” he said.

    The Executive Chairman used the opportunity to encourage the people to register and collect their Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC), so that they can exercise their rights during the next election.

    “We will support this laudable idea of His Excellence, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode and garner support for him to be voted back to office in 2019,” the council boss said.

  • 13 jailed five months for indiscriminate waste disposal 

    A Lagos Magistrates’ Court yesterday sentenced 13 cart pushers to five months in prison with an option of N20,000 fine, for indiscriminate waste disposal.

    The Magistrate, Ogundipe Olayiwola, sentenced the cart-pushers after they were convicted of a one count charge of environmental pollution brought against them by the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC).

    The convicts were arrested early Tuesday at different locations for dumping refuse at unauthorised places.

    Hailing the magistrate, LAGESC’s Corps Marshal Daniel Isiofia said it was wrong for people to deface Lagos with refuse.

    Besides, he said such action could lead to health hazard.

    Isiofia appealed to residents to partner Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on his Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) by making use of refuse bins at strategic areas.

    He urged residents, particularly traders, to dispose their refuse at designated pick-up points and avoid dumping them on the median, roundabout, pavement, or road under construction.

    Isiofia said: “Lagos Island West district pick-up points include Jankara, Pelewura, Idumota in and out, Oluwole, Apongbon and PZ.”

  • LCCI faults Customs indiscriminate invoice valuation queries

    LCCI faults Customs indiscriminate invoice valuation queries

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has expressed concern over indiscriminate valuation queries of the invoice of imported items by the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).

    A communique issued at the end of its Council meeting in Lagos called for a credible ground to dispute the value of invoice on imports.

    The group added that most of the prices are global and are easily verifiable online. It regretted that in most cases, the actions of the NCS have no bearing with these global prices.

    The communique endorsed its Director-General, Muda Yusuf, explained that prices vary across different regions of the world, lamenting that there is no dependable dispute resolution framework in place to ensure speedy resolution of such disputes.

    He said: “There should be an independent dispute resolution mechanism in place that could resolve valuation disputes within 48 hours because of the cost implications to importers of the delays.  These include demurrage, penalties, interest costs on loans etc.  The current arrangement where appeals are made to the customs headquarters is not in consonance with the principle of natural justice. The Nigeria Customs should not be a judge in its own case.

    “In many of the instances, the actions of the NCS have no bearing with these global prices. Prices vary across different regions of the world. Regrettably there is no dependable dispute resolution framework in place to ensure speedy resolution of such disputes,” the communique said.

    The Council urged the Presidency, Minister of Finance and Customs Comptroller-General to look urgently into this issue. “There should be an independent dispute resolution mechanism in place that could resolve valuation disputes within 48 hours because of the cost implications to importers of the delays.  These include demurrage, penalties, interest costs on loans etc.  The current arrangement whereby appeals are made to the customs headquarters is not consonance with the principle of natural justice,” LCCI said.

    The Council also noted that the board of some MDAs critical to the smooth functioning of the economy are yet to be constituted.

    “For instance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), suspended its first Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting in 2018 scheduled for 22 – 23rd January due to the bank’s inability to form a quorum as a result of non-confirmation of the newly appointed MPC members by the Senate.  Also, the board of NAICOM and PENCOM are not in place.  This situation is beginning to take its toll on the economy,” LCCI siad, urging the Presidency and the National Assembly to put the interest of the economy above their differences and constitute board for all the MDAs without further delay.

  • ‘Governors’ indiscriminate amnesty’ll endanger Nigeria’s future’

    INDISCRIMINATE amnesty by governors to known criminals, who call themselves agitators, has been described as a danger to peace and security.

    An environment activist and Ijaw community leader, Comrade Sheriff Mulade, has said governors’ indiscriminate amnesty to suspected criminals hiding under the cloak of Niger Delta agitation is a threat to security.

    The activist said noted that some governors, especially in Southeast and Southsouth, had been giving state pardon to suspected criminals in questionable circumstance.

    He said such gesture could threaten the peace and security of the zones and the nation.

    In a statement at the weekend by his organisation, Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ), the activist said the trend could give a wrong signal to youths, who he said were susceptible to criminal activities.

    CEPEJ’s national coordinator warned governors to be wary of criminals with small arms, adding that the activities of such persons was common across the country.

    He said: “We want to strongly advise our governors to be extremely careful to avoid the abuse of pardoning or granting amnesty to renowned cultists, political thugs and notorious criminals.

    “These cultists, political thugs and notorious criminals were technically empowered by our corrupt political leaders for their selfish interests. Now, they are granting them indiscriminate amnesty. This is dangerous.”

    According to him, genuine agitators should be separated from criminals.

    Mulade said: “We cannot know peace in the country when governors are encouraging criminality by granting amnesty to suspected cultists, political thugs and notorious criminals.

    “A situation where criminals used by governors to achieve their political goals are now being pardoned and given amnesty is not good enough for our society. It means they are encouraging criminality. These governors must find another way of empowering the criminals they have used to get into power rather than abuse the amnesty.”

  • FCT frowns at indiscriminate posters’ pasting

    Henceforth, anyone or organisation found pasting posters indiscriminately will be prosecuted, the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCTA) has said.

    This warning was issued by the Director of the FCTA’s Department of Outdoor Advertisement and Signage (DOAS), Mallam Ibrahim Yusuf at the commissioning of GEMSROCK, a new ultramodern electronic billboard in Abuja’s Wuse 2 district.

    Yusuf said his department has already taken measures to control the rash of posters and billboards in the city, saying they had approached religious organizations, political parties and businesses to bring the situation under control.

    “There is no way you can solve this problem without going to the source. So we have visited churches and other religious organisations as well as business owners to talk to their members about pasting posters in Abuja,” he said.

    The director said for now they are giving a period of grace after which they will take drastic measures to curtail the trend.

    “If they continue we will soon start to prosecute them,” he said.

    Instead of defacing the city with posters, Mal. Yusuf urged members of the public to engage the services of the many electronic billboards to showcase their products and services.

    While commissioning the installation, the director commended the management of GEMS Communications LTD for installing the ultramodern digital billboard, saying it is at par with what is obtainable in some of the world’s foremost capitals.

    Speaking earlier, the Managing Director of GEMS Communications, Mr. Atilola Odudare said the company invested so much to install the electronic billboard in an attempt to “redefine outdoor by blending emerging technology with the art which is environmentally friendly and enhances the looks of Abuja.”

    He said the electronic billboard built in the shape of a rock and located in the Wuse 2 business hub is designed to complement both the business and aesthetic angles of the capital and called on businesses to take advantage of this by having their products advertised on it.

    According to him, “the billboard is proposed to be the first user friendly billboard in Nigeria and will be interactive with the immediate environment.  It is the first if its kind in out-of-the-box outdoor advertising.”

    Odudare added that, “the product gives users of outdoor exposure to ‘budget as it is programmed’ to deliver time sharing with all accompanying flexibility. It is also web-based product and eliminates the rigors of physical visit to the site by the client; they can view the exposure delivery of the products on their palms.”

  • Lagos set for action against indiscriminate borehole drilling

    Lagos set for action against indiscriminate borehole drilling

    Unless urgent steps are taken, Lagos State may run short of fresh water, experts have said. They say there is a serious threat of its water being polluted by sea water. The situation, the experts warned, could further be compounded as a result of indiscriminate drilling of boreholes littering the littoral state.

    Speaking at a two-day retreat organised for stakeholders in water business in Lagos, the Executive Secretary, Lagos State Water Regulatory Commission (LSWRC), Mr Kabir Abdullahi, siad: “Lagos is surrounded by salt water and we are currently experiencing salt intrusion into the fresh water bodies because of this illegal drilling. If this continues, it means the fresh water that we have, especially in Lekki axis, will be destroyed and we must arrest such development.”

    The theme of the retreat was: “Lagos State Ground Water Quality Control Regulation”.

    Consequently, the Commission has begun the registration of borehole drillers. This, Abdullahi explained, is to put a stop to the indiscriminate and shoddy drilling of boreholes by quacks. For instance, he observed that several boreholes are dug at a spot which may be close to cesspit and the sewage from such has been found to contaminate the water supply of many homes and communities. For him, this is the time to fully implement the Lagos Water Law of 2004 considering that it has passed through 10 years of testing.

    Abdullahi, in a chat with The Nation said the Commission will soon embark on a survey of existing boreholes in the state to ascertain their state and water quality from them. Those that fall below standard, he assured, would be decommissioned.

    While commending  the Commission for the retreat, the National President, Association of Waterwell Drilling Rig Owners and Practitioners (AWDROP), Mr. Michael Ale, said the state has taken the lead among its peers in implementing a code of drilling. The initiative, Ale noted, would further help to prevent disasters such as earthquakes and outbreak of epidemic such as cholera in the state and the country at large.

    Consultant hydrologist to the LSWRC, Dr. Akomeno Oteri, explained that just as all legal drilling of crude oil was registered with the Federal Government, all borehole drilling activities also would be registered with the state government.

    At the end of the retreat, a communique was signed by all the stakeholders. Included in the communique were that steps must be taken to checkmate and regulate indiscriminate drilling activities by unlicenced, unprofessional drillers; haphazard water abstraction without recourse to the condition of the aquifer and water table; pollution of the ground water leading to increase in cases of water borne disease; and effect of climate change on the ground water.

  • Enugu to ban indiscriminate pasting of bills

    As soon as the Enugu State government approves the Bill passed by its House of Assembly, it will be an offence for anybody or organisation to paste posters or handbills at its bus stops without approval.

    The member representing Nkanu East Constituency, Hon. Paul Nnajifor, supported by 13 others moved a motion urging the state government through the Ministry of Environment to ban members of the public from defacing the bus stops with posters of any kind.

    The motion also sought to mandate the Ministry of Environment through the Waste Management Authority (ESWAMA), Ministries of Gender Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, to clear the bus stops and all the roads in the metropolis of the destitute and hawkers that constitute a nuisance in the state’s urban areas.

    In the same vein, the motion sought the state government to direct the Ministry of Environment and agencies to monitor bus stops with a view to prosecuting offenders.

    All the members spoke in favour of the motion before passing it but not before the member representing Udi North, Hon. Johnbull Nwagu raised objection that the House would be ridiculed should the order be flouted as it was in the past when a similar motion was raised during the 5th Assembly.

    The Speaker Hon. Edward Ubosi overruled Nwagu’s objection saying that the import of the motion was to ensure the environmental cleanliness of the state that this time around, the law would be obeyed and thanked members for deliberating on the all important motion.

    “I thank in a special way the mover of the motion and the co-sponsors and my colleagues for their contributions to the motion,” Ubosi appraised his colleagues.

    Meanwhile, the House has cleared a member of the Civil Service Commission nominee, Mr. Egbogu Eugene Ejike from Eha Amufu, Isi-Uzo Local Government Area to replace Mr. Nwanze Agu who died recently.

    Ejike would be sworn in to fill the vacant position.

     

  • NLC seeks end to indiscriminate waivers

    •African govts ‘should prioritise security’

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has urged the Federal Government to review the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) so as to eliminate indiscriminate granting of waivers to importers who abuse such provisions in the Act.

     NLC faction President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, said the removal of such waivers would help boost manufacturing, as it would encourage the local production of goods  and address the instability in the foreign exchange.

    He said over the last decade, the Nigerian economy has grown impressively, but lamented that the economic statistics have never been in tune with the social reality, as unemployment and poverty soared to an unprecedented 23.9 per cent and 72 per cent, respectively in recent years. He added that it is apparent that the economy has grown without benefiting the people.

    He told The Nation that ending the country’s electricity woes, will require the new administration to develop a framework and strategy to deal decisively with smuggling as well as putting an end to counterfeiting made-in-Nigeria goods.

    “We demand a macro-economic policy regime that will address stability in the currency exchange regime, progressive tax administration and the management of the Customs and Excise duties in the manner that will promote local production of goods and services. We must bid goodbye to the destructive regime of duty waivers,” he said.

    Ajero urged President Muhammadu Buhari to concentrate his  efforts on expanding the frontier for job creation through value-added activities in agriculture, mining, mineral processing and industrial manufacturing.

    Ajaero pointed out that the growth and development of the real sector, and increased value addition in manufacturing, are critical for creation of  jobs, poverty elimination and for building a virile and sustainable economy.

    He urged the government to develop immediate framework and strategies to deal decisively with the hydra-headed challenge of smuggling, electricity failure, faking and counterfeiting of made-in-Nigeria goods.

    “Also, our effort to develop as a nation may not materialise except we resolve the lingering energy crisis in our country. As we have seen, privatisation has not in any way improved the supply of electricity to industries and homes across the country,” Ajaero said.

    According to him, this has led to factory closures and impoverishment of Nigerians. “This therefore, demands special attention to address the challenges of electricity supply in the country in particular and, in the immediate term, apply accelerated solution for industrial power needs,” he said.

    In a related event, NLC faction President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, has urged African governments to make the issue of security a priority, especially in the east and west of the continent.

    Wabba made the call at the opening of a two-day annual meeting of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), Africa Human and Trade Union Rights Network.

    The theme of the meeting is, “Insecurity and Threats to Peace in Africa and the Migration Challenges in Africa.” Wabba said armed conflicts and insurgency in Africa had assumed a new and dangerous dimension that no country could be said to be safe.

    ‘It is true that insurgency in Africa, particularly in the West African Sub-region and some parts of East Africa, has affected a lot of workers. In Nigeria, we have lost teachers and health workers because most of them live in the rural areas.

    “Therefore, if there is an attack by these insurgents, certainly the workers will be on the frontline so, we have lost a lot of them. It is time for African leaders to stand to up in unity and collaborate to end this menace,” he said.

    He said insurgency in Nigeria escalated due to a lack of political will to respond to the issue effectively when Boko Haram started, while the military was not initially strengthened to respond effectively.

    Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr Clement Illo, said government had developed a migration policy that would address the challenges of migration in a more coherent manner in Nigeria.

  • PENGASSAN warns against indiscriminate sack

    PENGASSAN warns against indiscriminate sack

    Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has said it would not tolerate indiscriminate sack of its members under the guise of falling oil prices in the international market.

    Its President, Comrade Olabode Johnson, who spoke with journalists in Lagos, said the union would jealously guide the rights of workers in the sector in the face of the current realities.

    He said the union is optimistic that when the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) is passed into law, it would launch Nigeria into global reckoning in terms of better prospects in the oil and gas industry. He stressed that the bill could still be passed barring post-election skirmishes in the country which could frustrate same.

    Director, Advisory, Oil and Gas, PriceWater House Ltd. Mr Ritch Wingo, said oil companies may lay off workers due to the drop in oil price in the global market.

    Wingo, who spoke on the sidelines of the Offshore West Africa Conference in Lagos, said  falling oil price has adversely affected the sector.

    “Right now, a lot of companies are trying to lay off workers due to falling oil price. It is going to be pretty rough in a couple of months to come. The best thing to do now is to go back to the banks to talk on how to restructure our finances so that people will not default. If oil price continues to fall, investors are not going to invest again,” he said.

    Wingo said the present pump price of petrol, though good, was not sufficient.

    “If you look at the United States of America, a gallon of petrol is sold for just $4 (N740) because there is a regulatory body regulating the price,” he said.